Michal London

Hi All,

recently - after owning the car for 5 months ;) I've checked if the alarm system works... and it doesn't. I did the procedure described in owner's manual:

- open window

- close the car with the remote

- open doors through open window

- the alarm should sound....

but nothing happened.

I checked OBDII errors and there is nothing. Where should I start? Is it possible the previous owner disabled anti theft system?

Also holding "close" button on remote doesn't close windows/sun roof.

Have you checked OBDII for errors?

You should start from there. Nobody can tell you what happened only guess.

The most likely part to wear is the spiral cable. This part is behind the steering wheel and it winds and unwinds every time you turn the wheel. If you have any of the following symptoms as well, this part is highly suspect: non-functioning horn, airbag lamp. There is a chart attached to guide you.

Thanks, I'll dig this topic over the weekend :)

Where should I start to look to diagnose the problem?

I checked OBD codes already and I didn't find anything.

Any ideas? I thought it may be a vacuum or something, but I really have no clue.

Why not put somebody (you trust) behind the wheel (with gearbox on D) and you will open the bonnet and check what is making this noise? If you won't hear anything it might mean it's something behind the dash or this vibration is caused by damaged engine/gearbox mount (those rubber ones).

Perhaps first check your vacuum lines for air-leaks or clean throttlebody. When was the last time a tune-up was performed?

No leaks, Replaced the Idle air control. Dropped 3 hundo. Stopped the reving. But now wont start all the time. If I wait 5 min, it will start up again. HMMMMM? My wifes driving the car and it drives her nuts. If shes running late she doesnt want to stop the car just in case it wont start again. Any thoughts? Oh and thanks for the reply before. Appreciated.

From my Volvo experience... your problem looks like camshaft sensor failure. Did you read OBD codes from your Lexus?

I managed to change the engine oil without ramp :)

I flushed it with Liqui Moly Motor Clean first, the amount of "dark matter" was scary. I'm sure nobody did it before.

I used Liqui Moly Molygen 5w50 synthetic oil and K&N filter.

You were right, to remove undercover -> 16 x M10 - quite annoying :) especially after oil change...

To remove drain plug you need 14mm socket.

I used cheap tool from Halfords to remove oil filter.

You can see the whole procedure on pictures.

Thanks for your answer.

I just calculated that I have changed the engine oil and filters on two LS400's, including removing/reinstalling the engine under covers, about 54 times since 1990 without using ramps or jack stands. Whether you can reach under your GS enough to do this work may be dependent ... how can I say this politely ... on how rotund you are.

This won't be a problem :) BMI 23.5

I usually lift up one side of my car a few inches with a hydraulic floor jack to make it a little easier and, for safety, I reach under the car to remove/reinstall the undercover, filter and drain plug and never put my body under the car. I probably spend an hour on the job but I take my time. Some of the time is spent transferring the oil to containers that I drop off at an oil recycling facility.

Great news, I don't think Toyota changed the undercover that much between LS and GS.

AFAIK I can drop off used oil in government recycling facility... we will see, this will be my first time :)

All Toyota/Lexus drain plugs require a 10 mm wrench -- best to use a socket wrench -- and, if your GS is like my LS, you will need the 10 mm socket wrench and maybe a short extension to remove the engine undercover. Some of the engine undercover fasteners at the front of your car may require more gentle hand tightening so you don't strip the threads on the plastic inserts. Be sure to use a new metal oil filter drain plug gasket each time you change your oil ... so that you avoid the drip ... drip ... drip. IMO, there is nothing better than OEM Toyota/Lexus oil filters. Here in the U.S. OEM Toyota/Lexus oil filters are commonly available for about $4 each.

Hmmm so maybe I've made a mistake... I bought K&N oil filter and I paid £13 which would be about $18-19.

Edit: Whoops! I woke up this morning realizing that I gave the wrong socket size for the drain plug. I think it's 13 mm. The two sockets I've needed to change the oil our Lexus and Toyota cars have been plugged into my socket holder next to each other for over 20 years so it's become automagic to grab the correct one. And you will need a filter wrench to remove the oil filter -- either sized exactly to fit the filter or the adjustable type. The new oil filter should be firmly hand tightened -- never use a wrench.

No worries, I'll try to change the oil tomorrow, will let you know how it went :)

Hi,

I was thinking about changing engine oil mysefl.

Is it possible without ramp to remove engine under cover to drain oil and remove oil filter?

I bought Liqui Moly Motor Clean because engine oil at the moment is more brown than yelow... - I hope it's a good idea...

I wonder if somebody wants to sell it because road tax is high or petrol prices... or there is something terribly wrong with the car which would cost thousands to repair

All can be true, don't forget insurance.

First you need to check it's service & maintenance history; oil, belts replaced, transmission fluid, etc. Call the dealer to find out any additional info.

- Was the car involved in a (serious) accident?

- Are there any OBD faultcodes to read? Is there a Check Engine Light?

- How many miles did the car run?

- A L430 is kind of a powerhouse, so how was the car treated by the previous owner(s)?

- How does the car testdrive: steer, brake, accelerate, auto-shift, sound, suspension?

- Are all electrical devices and powerlocks/windows operational?

- Are all masterkeys available?

- Are there any visuals signs of leakage inside the cabin (under the front carpet, trunk) or perhaps under the car?

- Does the car blow smoke, perhaps perform a compression test?

- Emissions test passed?

Things to look out for: transmission, AC/compressor, brakes (rotors/calipers), ball joints, etc.

My best advice is to let this car thoroughly inspect by a trusted lexus dealer, before you buy.

Thank you so much for you answer and hints.

The car was serviced by Lexus up to 75k miles. Right now it has 100k.

- wasn't involved in any accident

- engine check light is off

- the previous owner has Evo10 at the moment so I can assume he wasn't driving slowly but engine, gearbox, brakes and tires are in perfect shape.

- everything electric/electronic is operational except cruise control I think, I'm not sure because I was too amazed by the car in overall on motorway to check it properly.

- the only problem is/was the air con, it smells terribly, previous owner wasn't using the car for some time and that's the reason, I've bought two cans of Liqui Moly Klima Fresh already to clean it.

- I have both keys master keys

- I didn't find any leaks so far.... hopefully I won't in the future

- There is no smoke from the exhaust

- emission test was passed 4 months ago

- the car has new brake disks, pads and tires (unfortunately 19" which means it is quite loud above 90mph)

- I have to change poolen filter and oil + oil filter (will liqui moly 5-50 full synth API-SJ be good?)

And the final question. I saw on the gearbox oil dip lexus is saying we don't have to change gearbox oil. I think it's always better to change it, what do you think?

Regards,

Michal

Hi All, sorry for an email which might look like I don't want to search the forum before asking but maybe somebody can point me to a thread where I can find answers, please. And since I'm more like a Volvo user I don't even know where to start with Lexus.

The story is...I can buy '04 GS430 for about £1000 and I think it is cheap. I wonder if somebody wants to sell it because road tax is high or petrol prices... or there is something terribly wrong with the car which would cost thousands to repair... especially in London.

Could you please tell me what to check to make sure I will enjoy this car instead of fixing it all the time? Which parts are the most expensive and they need to be in good shape?

Cheers,

M.