LC maintenance questions

[reddirtcowboy]

Hello,

Just purchased an almost new LC and although it will be a while before I have to do any maintenance other than oil changes I'm wondering what you folks have been doing. Since the front tires are a different size than the rears is there a need to rotate the tires from side to side at regular intervals? Does anyone here change their own oil and filters (air, oil, and cabin) and are there any 'gotchas' to be aware of? Also wondering what products you prefer for cleaning and protecting the leather? And what about cleaning the carbon fiber door sill covers? I vaguely remember years ago that some products caused CF to turn milky white.

Any thoughts and suggestions are appreciated!

[Doug Deane]

Cowboy,

Congratulations on your purchase, it's a beautiful, high-performing car.  I've owned mine for about 18 months, and am enjoying it greatly.  I'm guessing that most purchasers are doing absolutely nothing because their cars are on an extended maintenance program.  Mine is, and I haven't lifted a finger, but I have some advice for you.  But first, answers to your questions:

*  Tires cannot be rotated.  Like a Corvette or other high performance cars, the tires are unique to the corner that they're on.  I have the alignment checked every 5K miles and it has come up needing adjustments 2 out of the four or so times it's been at the dealer.  An OOA corner will chew up an expensive tire quickly, and it's not covered by the warranty.

*  I'm not changing filters, and doubt anyone else on this list is.  I could be wrong about that and would love to hear from someone who IS.  I changed my oil at 500 miles and 1,000 miles because I believe that's what you should do for a new car.  Get's the metal deposits out of the crankcase.  You'll have to pay for the extra changes, but it's totally worth it, IMO.

*  I'm brand loyal to Mother's.  I use "Instant Detailer" on carbon fiber, and it's awesome.

So, if you read past threads, you might have seen my post about the run flats.  They totally suck.  They greatly affect handling and acceleration because they are heavy and don't transmit road feedback.  And if you get a flat, you're pretty much screwed.  You cannot patch them, just replace.  I've gotten a flat and it cost me $600.  Never again.  As soon as these tires are worn out, or as soon as I get another flat, I'll buy "regular" Pilot Sports for it.  Who needs a spare when you have Lexus towing service or AAA???

I like to tinker, so I'll likely replace the wheels studs and nuts with titanium items, I'm going to do a benchmark dyno run on it as soon as the pandemic has eased up, and I'll give strong consideration to lighter wheels.  Possibly even go down an inch on the wheels to lower the center of gravity.

Use the paddles in the Manual mode, as often as you can.  That will keep your shifting chops intact, and it will keep you focused on your revs and your shift points.  I'm not that aggressive.  When decelerating I downshift at 3,000 RPM, and in most gears, that puts you back to 4,000.  When I'm accelerating I use a 5,000 RPM shift point if I'm just goofing around, 6,000 RPM if I'm trying to pass another car in a hurry.  I've been on the rev limiter a few times, no harm no foul.  First gear is pretty useless.

Last thing, the LC 500 is not a sports car.  It's what it claims it is, which is a two seat luxury grand touring car.  I traded my Lotus Evora 410 in for my LC 500 because I didn't want to be tempted to race anymore.  Been there, done that, no upside, way too much downside.  The LC 500 is too heavy to throw around in the twisties.  Don't be tempted to try it, because the suspension can't deal with the weight and the steering is vague.

But if you thought that you were getting a gorgeous car that will attract its fair share of attention, which you'll rarely see another one of on the road, which is fast enough to be exciting, and which has Lexus reliability, then you hit the jackpot, my friend.  Enjoy!

Doug D.

[reddirtcowboy]

Many thanks for the input Doug.

I saw an earlier post where it was suggested to change out the run flats for regular tires and I suspect I will do that as well. I've noticed that there is a certain type of pavement where the road noise is pretty bad, significantly louder than the ES300 that I traded in, and I suspect the tires are somewhat responsible. Thankfully on any other type of pavement the LC is whisper quiet.

I too like to tinker and I wonder if many LC owners are DIY-ers. I prefer to do my own routine maintenance because I like to see firsthand what's happening with the car plus I'm very meticulous and while there are many awesome shop mechanics out there far too many are just trying to meet or beat flat-rate and don't have a great amount of attention to detail. Obviously there are some things I can't or won't do myself but simple things like oil changes, changing the various filters, wiper blades etc, I have no problem doing those myself. Fwiw I plan to use Mobil 1 synthetic after the 3rd oil change.

I haven't had a chance to play with the paddle shifters yet and have zero experience with those so there will be a learning curve I'm sure. I have no illusions about it being a track-day car and I'm happy that Lexus tilted to the luxury side of the equation but still packed in enough horsepower to put a grin on your face. It sure has a glorious sound when you step on the loud pedal! And so far every time we've taken it out we get looks and thumbs up from folks and we get a real kick out of that. 

Thanks again for the tips!

Everett

[RX400h]

Everett, you may want to try the first two products shown here:
https://www.zainostore.com/category/interiortires.html

I've been using their leather-in-a-bottle for 20+ years and it is amazing. Its smell is exactly like that of fresh leather. 
Paddle shifters are fun but not with an easily scared wife. I think the nicest thing about them is the downshifting sound from the exhaust. Of course, open, curvy roads are made for manual shifting; driving in medium to heavy city traffic is definitely not.

Dave

[reddirtcowboy]

28 minutes ago, RX400h said:

Everett, you may want to try the first two products shown here:
https://www.zainostore.com/category/interiortires.html

I've been using their leather-in-a-bottle for 20+ years and it is amazing. Its smell is exactly like that of fresh leather. 
Paddle shifters are fun but not with an easily scared wife. I think the nicest thing about them is the downshifting sound from the exhaust. Of course, open, curvy roads are made for manual shifting; driving in medium to heavy city traffic is definitely not.

Dave

Thanks Dave, that's what I was looking for!

Headed to the IMSA 6 Hours at Road Atlanta this weekend and should have ample opportunity to 'exercise' the LC and the paddle shifters along the way.

[Doug Deane]

Great info about Zaino, Dave.  Does it clean pretty well, too?  If so, I'll definitely order some.

Yes, downshifting is fun, it's almost like you're driving a sports car.    My only beef with the shifting setup is that it seems a little too difficult to get back to the Automatic mode once you're in Manual and the car is at speed.  If you put it in Manual after you've started rolling, it's surprising to find that the tranny is in fifth gear, and you're only going 30 MPH.  The engine management system in the LC500 is definitely skewed toward low RPM/high gas mileage.  I've found that using the paddles, and putting the car in either of the two Sport modes will drain your gas tank.  Probably getting 10-12 MPG in Sport + using an aggressive shifting point.  But it's fun!!!

[RX400h]

9 hours ago, reddirtcowboy said:

Thanks Dave, that's what I was looking for!

Headed to the IMSA 6 Hours at Road Atlanta this weekend and should have ample opportunity to 'exercise' the LC and the paddle shifters along the way.

Now that looks like it'll be a fun trip, Everett. Enjoy!

[RX400h]

7 hours ago, Doug Deane said:

Great info about Zaino, Dave.  Does it clean pretty well, too?  If so, I'll definitely order some.

Yes, downshifting is fun, it's almost like you're driving a sports car.    My only beef with the shifting setup is that it seems a little too difficult to get back to the Automatic mode once you're in Manual and the car is at speed.  If you put it in Manual after you've started rolling, it's surprising to find that the tranny is in fifth gear, and you're only going 30 MPH.  The engine management system in the LC500 is definitely skewed toward low RPM/high gas mileage.  I've found that using the paddles, and putting the car in either of the two Sport modes will drain your gas tank.  Probably getting 10-12 MPG in Sport + using an aggressive shifting point.  But it's fun!!!

Doug, I have not yet finished some Connolly cleaner that I had from a while back, but my guess is that the Zaino cleaner will work well, if their leather conditioner is any indication. When I sold my Corvette in 2014, the new owner told me it was like buying a brand new car, especially with the leather smell from the seats.

My 2014 Mazda3 2.5S has paddle shifters, and it is as easy moving the auto shifter to the left while in drive to enter the manual shifting mode. Simply slapping it to the right exits that mode. So if you put your shifter in manual mode while the car is stationary, are you in first gear? I'll have to try that with my Mazda3. My Miata has a manual transmission and tons of fun to drive.

But yes, using sport mode in most cars that have it does reduce mileage but it can be addicting at times. I have felt faster acceleration after swapping the 27lb each factory wheels with 17 lb Enkei Racing wheels. The downside is that more noise is transmitted through the lighter and more dense wheels, especially on certain types of road surfaces.

[Doug Deane]

Yes, the car is in first gear when you go into the Manual mode when you're stationary.  It's just that I wish it was easier to go back to Automatic mode while you're rolling.  It requires too much finagling and too much time spent with your eyes not on the road.  BTW, I had a '91 special edition Miata in British racing green with a 5 speed manual.  I put a polished stainless steel roll bar on it, tuned exhaust and better tires.  I LOVED that car.  Maybe there's another one in my future.  🙂

[RX400h]

They are like little toys that are so much fun to drive, not everyday but when the weather and conditions are right.

My MX5 is a 2008 PRHT with Smartop module so the top can be raised and lowered at up to 30 MPH. Other mods are:

Progress springs with Koni Sport adjustable shocks (lowered about 1 inch)
Beefier anti-sway bars, front and rear
Enkei Racing wheels - powder coated
Mazdaspeed Cold Air Intake (previous owner-installed)
Retina-scorching LED fog lights (previous owner-installed)

[reddirtcowboy]

Just fyi, today I called the local Lexus dealer to get confirmation that my 1000 and 5000 mile services are free (they are) and out of curiosity I asked what the price is for the 30k service and 60k service. He estimated the 30k service at $700, the brake fluid flush is the biggie there, and the 60k service is $1400. It gets a brake fluid flush, rear diff fluid change, coolant flush, and new spark plugs. I asked if they have ever done either one and he laughed and said no, no one around here has put that kind of miles on an LC yet!

I waxed the car yesterday and in the process I discovered that it has the StoneX clear vinyl wrap on the hood and front fenders, along the rocker panels, and around the rear brake vent and rear wheel well opening. I guess the selling dealer didn't know it was there. So that was a nice little perk.

After the wax job I cleaned and polished the wheels inside and out. Man those polished 21" wheels really pop against the Infrared.  My wife spent a good part of the day today reading the owners manual and dialing in all the settings. She also found this how-to video online...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq1j7GIDmPM. It's kind of tedious but informative.

Everett

[RX400h]

I would guess that the 30K and 60K maintenance intervals also have time limitations associated with mileage. Most owners would probably end up using the time recommendation. 
For oil and oil filter changes, we use mileage and not time, primarily because I use synthetic oil, and we never take very short trips. Currently when we go grocery shopping I take the RX on the highway for 10 miles, turn around and head to the store. 
That was a great find when you discovered the vinyl wrap. 

Speaking of wrap, how do you like this one on the Corvette I rented. People couldn't help but stare, wherever I went. The other reason why they stared is that the car had no catalytic converters and was hilariously loud.