GS400jon

Interesting.  Although soft for my taste (my car is an Audi S8), I've driven my wife's GX470 from Dallas to Houston in both sunny, thunderstorm and windy conditions.  Setting the car at the stiffer setting made it drive perfectly at constant speeds of 75-85mph.   In comparison, a Volvo S80 rental I drove last the same route was all over the place (very unstable).

There must be something with your vehicle (alignment or tire pressure).

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Although the ride is very comfortable, the vehicle flails in very moderate winds. Very scary on the highways. People think you own a Lexus but you have to let everyone by. Where is the stiffer setting on the GX. I'd like to try it today.

Thanks

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The AVS setting is on the console just behind the rear height control. Is that what you're asking?

I was actually just going to get a 4Runner.  Worked on trying to get one for about 4 months.  Impossible to get one w/ air ride suspension in Cali.  Figured there must be a reason why it was going so wrong with buying a vehicle.  Out of nowhere I thought of Lexus.  After going through Costco, it was only 6 grand more than the 4Runner, and came stock with the air ride.  No brainer

I love the truck, but I just feel like I'm showing off.  I guess I'm just mental.  I'm pretty much over it.  Actually thinking about buying a Lexus emblem hitch cover.  I should just be proud of it.  Hell I started trying to buy a vehicle in Oct, and didn't get one until Jan.  So glad Toyota was such a pain.  I'd be bummed if I got the 4Runner before I found out about the GX.

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<_< Hmmm, I think a hitch cover emblem is a little over the top. It's like people having a chromed license plate with "Lexus" on it when the badging on the trunk/rear door already has that. That's a little repetitive/overkill to me.

Just bought one last weekend.  Removing the emblems was the first this I wanted to do since I saw a Porche Cyanne Turbo with everything removed.  I guess this is the wrong place to say this, but I'm kind of embarrassed to drive it.  I don't really understand the status symbol that goes with Lexus.  I think Mercedes is way more prestigious, and yet soft spoken.  Everyone gives me the, Uuuuu, you bought a Lexus huh?

Bottom line is, if I could remove everything without damaging the paint, I'd do it in a second.

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Well if I had a Cayenne, I'd debadge it too. I can't believe such an expensive vehicle has doors that sound so tinny when they are closed and has such a cheap looking interior. Mercedes reliability doesn't do much for the prestige image. I'll take my reliable, great looking and handling GX any day. You couldn't sell me a ML500 because the printing over the buttons and switches are so small I'd have to wear my Dr. Dean's while driving. Now there's some really odd engineering for you. I noticed this while riding in a 2004 ML AMG. So, what caused you to buy a Lexus???

I just purchased a new GX470, which I love. However, the street names on the nav system have started to flicker. I would almost describe it as a twitch. Initially, this only happened rarely but it now happens about 60% of the time. Sometimes, the street names on one side of the screen will flicker and the street names on the other side of the screen won't. The dealer has already replaced the nav system DVD. Has anyone else had this problem or is this just what the nav system does.

I would appreciate any input or suggestions.

Thanks

DTS

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/quote]

No flicker on my Nav screen.

Well, it will be interesting to see how this all falls out. I am on my third vehicle from Magnussen Lexus and couldn't be more pleased with the sales staff and service department. Referred one person to Magnussen, who is now the very happy owner of a 2004 RX330. I was really surprised to hear that lexus-wang's problems turned out to be with this dealership.

I have a 2004 ES330 with the same vibration problem you guys are describing.  After MANY attempts to fix the problem at the dealers, the dealer is now lying to me saying they dont feel the vibration anymore.  I went to arbitration and found out 2 days ago, that I lost.  The arbitrators say i failed to show the problem.  It is a slight vibration, but the driver can feel it, and I hate that I spent so much money on this piece of .... I guess this means court now, so if anyone can help me....Id greatly appreciate it.

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I have Bridgestones on my ES330. There is absolutely zero vibration at any speed. There has to be a tire balance or possibly an alignment problem. One thing you may want to try is take your car to another Lexus dealership and have the vibration checked out or if that's not feasible, a Toyota dealership. I'm not sure what the credibility of the large chain tire/alignment shops are in arbitration or court.

Hi guys -

I'm new here.  I'm from Southern California.  What should I expect to pay on 2004 or 2005 GX470, with NAV and Rear Ent System?

any dealerships you can suggest to go to?

thanks!

jason

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I am also looking for a new GX470 2005 (nonsport) with every thing including Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System. As Lexus dealers do not show new car inventory, it impossible to find which dealer to talk with about GX470 with the right equipment and color. Maybe other parts of the country do show inventory but not Northern California.

I do not like to go to car dealer, even Lexus, as they are clearly sales persons on commission. Also it is hard to deal on cars if you do not know which dealer has what you want, short of driving to every dealer and hoping you get a salesman who can get out of a wet paper bag.

Also what is a good price in Jan/Feb time frame.

Thanks

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If you're interested in a good dealership, try Magnussen Lexus in Fremont. The sales person to talk to is Clifford Lee. He will not only tell you what they have in stock but what's on the next ship bound for Long Beach. This dealership will trade vehicles in order to get one you want if it's at another dealership. Tell him that Jon from Cupertino referred you. I had settled on the price of my GX months before it was delivered. He might have got into a little trouble over that since no knew at the time how scarce trucks with KDSS would be.

do u smell anything from them???

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No, not really, i have not smelled anything....

i also realized that i must firmly (really firmly) hold down the brake when changing gears from reverse to drive to stop a loud noise, a screechy high pitch metal grinding squeeky noise....hard to put in words!

Wow, you have a problem. Have you had someone at the dealership listen to this sound while changing gears? I can tell you it's not normal for sure.

There is a fix for this problem. Various frame dampners, new skidplate, steering shaft and Michelin tires. Dunlop equipped tires are the main cause. This fix works as I have installed many at the dealer I work at.

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Wow, this is almost as bad as telling people you are a doctor :D So, now that I have your attention, what's your theory as to why some trucks have the "thunk" and others don't? Have there been any changes made to the drive shaft design on the 2005 GX?

I would probably avoid talking to that dealer. Heard the LX is due for a face lift. No way the GX will have a major redesign for at least another three or four years.

Hello everyone,

I got my 2004 GX over the weekend. One of the first thing I noticed was that the driver side window does not continously roll down or up when I push the button. Once I take my finger off the button, the window stops rolling.

Other windows appear to roll up or down fine with one firm push of the button.

When driving at night, I've also noticed that the light on the window button blinks intermittently and others are not having this behavior.

Anyone encounter this before or may know a fix?

Thanks,

Great forum, I am learning alot from all the GX owners on this forum.

David

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You'll have to take your truck back to the dealership. I am surprised that the problem wasn't caught before delivery. Do you have a signed off Inspection Certificate? Looks like somebody didn't do their job.

I think ADVocate knows what the "thunk" problem is all about and it's not what he's experiencing with his truck.

ADVocate, thanks for the additional description of what you are experiencing. I would tend to agree that there may be something going on with the KDSS. The "intermittent" is the bane of the vehicle owner. I think it was invented by the auto dealer as a description of something that can't be duplicated for the service people so it therefore must be normal operation or a creation of the owner's imagination.

Hope you are successful in isolating the problem.

Hmmmm. I know I'm not helping by asking more questions but how did you conclude that the problem you feel is caused by the KDSS? I am not mechanically oriented so relating a problem that feels like a shock absorber to sway bars control is confusing. :(

Who says that this thump driveshaft problem is occurring on a few GX470s.  They are all designed the same, so they should all have this issue.  Mine has 33,000 miles, perhaps it worsens or arises or occurs more frequently and seriously with increased mileage.  My thump happens 75% of the time when i come near a stop, the driveshaft has a problem sliding smoothly so theres a thump noise and feel as it forces itself in the other position.

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I do not speak for everyone obviously. But, I do not see everyone who posts here, having that particular dilemna. Your correct in that all the vehicles have the same mechanical parts. But, I do not have that driveline issue. Perhaps, I have the defective unit.

And the problem I have noticed with my KDSS is not a driveline issue. I can actually feel the truck settle its' position by a shift in tension on the suspension. And it occurs rarely, only after some hard swift manuevering. Once I determine how to recreate this on command, I will let the dealership guys have a crack at it. It would be interesting if my "suspension" issue is really the driveline issue your talking about. It just does not feel like that from where I sit. And it does not happen very often. And, it is not something that would make me feel the truck was a total POS. But, that is my opinion.

In the past I have effectively sued an auto manufacturer, and they had to buy the car back. I have not seen ANY issues with my truck that would even lead me to that course of action now.

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Yours is only the second KDSS owner that has described a problem that I am aware of. I don't quite understand what you're feeling when you talk about a shift in tension. Can you explain that again please?

Well, I don't know if I am in the minority or majority or just plain lucky, but I have none of the problems currently being discussed on the message boards. The truck doesn't clunk, stray off center, move around in the wind, vibrate, have a stinky catalytic converter, shift poorly or lean to one side.

Driving through the mountains on Highway 17 the other day, I finally remembered to switch the AVS from Comfort 2 to full Sport. I was very pleasantly surprised at the range of the suspension settings, though the ride got pretty stiff. There was a 330I convertible in the passing lane in front of me and all he could see in his rear view mirror was a big chrome "L" logo. He must have felt a little nervous and moved over so I could pass him. WHOA, I'm not saying my truck can out handle a bimmer but just that I know that road like the back of my hand and obviously, he didn't. It was just too tempting to press a little since the corners felt so good with the KDSS and the full Sport setting. I'll try to keep my "road racing" limited to that one episode. It's amazing a vehicle with such a tall stance can corner as well as it does.

Thats a tradeoff, the lights are set low to avoid dazzling oncumming drivers. Easily fixed by adjusting the aim up slightly.

As for the KDSS, you can get active suspension on the RX, but the KDSS is mostly designed for offroad and adverse roadbed conditions the RX is not designed to be operated in, hence no use for it. Can't get KDSS on the LX470 either.

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KDSS is for on road handling too. There are other threads with posts about the difference between a non KDSS and KDSS truck during on road driving. This is also mentioned on the corporate Lexus site as well as GX reviews. AVS is standard equipment.

If you adjust the lights higher, you will probably end up with living proof why HID's are not offered on the GX.

Well, they are two very different vehicles for sure. Apples and oranges. To each his/her own, which is why the two models exist in the first place.

I'd agree when it comes to cars, but not SUVs. For some buyers, including me, the RX or MDX would be more appealing than the GX just because of the fact it rides on a car platform and has a more carlike ride. The GX has more towing capacity and more power to match that but you have a tradeoff in ride because of the fact that its a truck. The GX doesn't have any equipment that can't be had on the RX, in fact the RX has HID headlamps which aren't availiable on the GX. I personally wouldn't even drive a GX when looking for an SUV because it doesn't suit my needs, not because its too expensive a vehicle.

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You can't get KDSS on a RX. I had HID's on a GS400 and now on a ES330. They throw a huge amount of light but for a limited range, then it's almost blackout time.

The LR3 should be at dealers now (a 'tester' anyway) and I wonder if anyone has driven one and can compare it to their GX470.  We were on the list but bought the GX instead - hope not to regret the decision.

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I just drove an LR3 this morning. The dealer let me take it for a couple hours to really give it the once over. My first impressions.

The interior is nowhere near as nice as the GX470. It does have more storage cubbyholes though, including two glove boxes, and a nice deep center console storage bin. No birds eye maple, no french seam seats and door trim. Lots of cheap feeling dark plastic.

The LR3 does not ride as well as my Lexus. It's composed, and it was rattle free, but I felt the bumps more then I do in my Lexus.

The Lexus is much quieter inside then the LR3, both in regard to road noise and engine noise.

The LR3 has a usable third row seat, unlike the Lexus. The second row seats in the LR3 however, do not have as much leg room as the Lexus. It also didn't appear to have as much width in that second seat for fitting three adults there.

The LR3 V8 has more horsepower, but it sure didn't feel any quicker.

The LR3 has a better system for choosing the type of 4wd gearing to use. There is a 4 position rotary switch on the center console, with english language settings for "normal", mud/snow, ruts, or rock climbing. That seems like a much more elegant way to do it then the GX's low range gear lever.

After driving the LR3 for a couple hours, It felt good to get back into my Lexus. I won't be trading it in on an LR3 anytime soon. :)

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Motor Trend named the LR3 the 2005 Sport Utility of the Year???? Anyway, I took a look at their site and judging from the other contenders, it's possible.

Enjoyed reading your review of the LR3. Thanks.

I was always told that the brakes are for slowing or stopping a vehicle. When I had a manual transmission, I used to downshift but never with an automatic. In the long run, brakes will probably be cheaper to replace than a transmission if it ever gets to that point. Interestingly enough though, if the brakes are applied while going downhill on the ES330, the transmission will downshift automatically.

Looking for a chrome exhaust tip to dress up my new 2004 GX470.  Any suggestions on where to look and what to buy?  Thanks.

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I have the stainless steel exhaust tip.

http://www.lexus.com/models/gx/accessories.html

My price was $45 at Magnussen Lexus parts department.

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huh? when i was at ur dealer, i asked about it, said they were $80!

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Yup, that's the regular cost. $45 is the employee cost and my salesman ordered it for me under his name.

Either this forum or the ClubLexus forum had a thread on the GX leaning to the right or left.  It came up just after I got my truck, a February 9700E, but mine was level at that time.  Rechecked it again last week and it's still level.  I don't remember if this issue was ever resolved.

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Thanks, I will try to look it up.

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Try this one.....

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread...15&pagenumber=1

careful when using premium, becuz it happened to me once that i upgraded to premium for a while, then came to california, shocked by gas prices, downgraded to unleaded, created a engine ping.

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Could that have just been the specific brand of regular that you tried that may have been substandard? I can't think of a reason why it would make a difference if you switched back and forth.

I havn't tried 87 octane regular yet, but have noticed no difference between 92 octane prem, and 89 octane mid grade. How many others have tried experimenting with different grades of gas, and with what results?

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I have only used 87 octane in the GX and haven't had any problems. Tried 89 octane for six months on the ES330, then went to 87 octane with no problems and no noticeable difference in performance or mileage. I use Shell gasoline for both vehicles.

Looking for a chrome exhaust tip to dress up my new 2004 GX470.  Any suggestions on where to look and what to buy?  Thanks.

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I have the stainless steel exhaust tip.

http://www.lexus.com/models/gx/accessories.html

My price was $45 at Magnussen Lexus parts department.

Either this forum or the ClubLexus forum had a thread on the GX leaning to the right or left. It came up just after I got my truck, a February 9700E, but mine was level at that time. Rechecked it again last week and it's still level. I don't remember if this issue was ever resolved.