The G Man

The high beam on my GS lights up the road like a 1000 ft ahead.

rattles are covered by warranty by Lexus.

The KDSS can cause that too.

Well, I would never compare the GX, even with KDSS, with a BMW sedan. The GX leans a lot on turns, it is what it is, a big top heavy truck with a very high center of gavity. You dont need to drive like a lunatic to get the GX to lean, any normal turn with moderate speed and you will notice body lean. KDSS will help quite a bit, but it is still no where cloase to a BMW.

Lexus didnt do anything for the 08 GS as far as rattles are concerned, there are just as many 08 owner who has rattles as the 07 owners. You being from the bay area may not experience this because of the warmer climate. Lexus is suppose to fix the rattle issues in the 09 GS, well will have to wait and see on that one.

The side molding on the ES350 will fit on the GS, cant say it does much for the side profile of the GS though.

My 08 GS was my 5th Lexus I have own in the last 15 years or so, each newer lexus I have owned have gooten worst in quality, the GS being the worst. You are right, Lexus doesnt built them like they use to.

The GX is very good in the snow, as good as the Land Crusier. The Land Crusier is a bit more heavy duty, so its better for off roading. The GX drive smaller so its better for city driving and the Land Cruiser is wider, so its roomier inside.

The rattles are fix under warranty.

Sounds like BS to me.

The rear height air system cannot be turn off.

That glass on glass rattle from the front dash is the infamous GS dash board squeak, usually it just gets worst and worst.

As far as I know, the 05 GX does not have a seatbelt chime.

There is a seperate adjustment for high and low beam on the GS350, is it the same in the GS300? Look in the manual.

Does your wife like to drag the brakes or check her brakes all the time, that could be the difference.

In some cases, aftermarket is actually better than oem, Just go with Pinkerton or PPG and a good installer and you will be fine.

The GS430 is as good in the snow as any other 300 HP RWD sedan, it is bad :)

Maybe you got lucky and something reset itself or maybe the problem is random.

This is a stupid question, but you try adjusting the fader control right?

I had the same problem, after they reinstall my dash, they left a big gap between the center AC vent and the nav unit. I did not want them to remove the dash again because I did not want more problems. The dash rattles is gone but 4 more rattle develop after a year.

There is a quite a bit of issues with the B6 A4, but you are right, German cars will always cost more to keep. The pay off is that, most German cars are more enjoyable cars. At the same time, According to the most recent long term reliability report, German cars are the most improve as far as reliability is concerned. I must agree though, Lexus did not improve because its already at the top :) Reliability is a concern of mine, but it has the same priority as, styling, interior, built quality, handling, accelaration, noise level and ride comfort.

65 to 70 MPH is ok with the GX if there is no cross wind, but it can drift a lot with a strong cross wind at that speed because of the GX's boxy design. The RX350 in comparision is much better SUV at high speed in the cross wind. And then there are performance SUV such as the X5 which the cross wind doesnt affect it at all. I would say over all, with no wind, the GX feel pretty stable up to 75 MPG, after that it take a bit of attention.

Take the $135 from your daughter allowance :) Serious, I know of no easy access panel in the center concole.

I would not go as far as calling the 3GS flawed, but its quality and performance does not live up to the pass Lexus standards. The rattles is a major problem in the 3GS design, my 95 Accord use to rattles less than my $50K Lexus. The other issue I have is the suspension, a car that rides as stiff as the GS should handle much better or a car that handles about avergae like the GS should have a softer ride. Take your pick, but somehow Lexus manage to design a stiff suspension that doesnt handle well.

StevenW, I have a set of Continental ContiProContact on my car. They are very good tire for the price, mainly because they are not as well known as Michelin or Bridgestone. Handling is above average, very quiet, good in wet condition and good in the snow for a all season tire. The only draw back I have read on the review is the soft sidewall, they can be damage easily.