madyash

Hi everyone,

Newbie here.

Just got a used 2006 GS 300 at a lexus dealership for dealer sticker was $31,900 negotiated to $28,600. $31k with tax/license fees. Only 1 owner, he leased it from Tustin Lexus(also where I purchased it) and leased a newer model. In excellent condition.

Here are the specs:

Mileage: 46,928

Exterior: Black

Interior: Black

Fully loaded with navi, bluetooth etc, except ML and parking assist.

Came with chrome rims ($2k in value) and tinted windows.

This also came with CPO 3year/100k warranty.

Since I barely got it last Tuesday. Was wondering about the navigation...is all the '06 models screen grainy? Is this the old dvd or the screen's fault?

I haven't tried the override yet for the bluetooth. Was wondering if it's worth the upgrade?

Thank you!

Congrats on the new car. Your car has about the same milage and options as mine, so it gives me some idea of what my car is worth (though after subtracting the dealers markup, I'd get killed if I traded it in).

Anyway, the navigation issue you're talking about is with the screen - even if you upgrade the software/DVD, it'll be the same. The problem is that the resolution on the screen is too low - something they improved with the 2007 model, I believe. I've been trying to find a way to replace the screen without replacing the whole unit, which is a costly proposition, but haven't found anything yet.

Enjoy your new car!

Actually, I have close to 2,000 miles on them. I absolutely love them and couldn't beat the price from TireRack.com.

You don't need to buy anything else (just maybe some blue goo, aka: Permatex Brake Quiet). The pads come with a new shim attached. I removed them and reattached them with a thin coat of brake quiet to help reduce any squeal. The stock pads had two shims so I used the stock outer shim as the outer shim with the new pads (applying some brake quiet as well).

The front brakes are a piece of cake. Two 14mm caliper pins/bolts and the caliper comes off the cradle. Loosen the brake bleed, compress the pistion, tighten the brake bleed, then remove the caliper and hang it up out of the way with a coat hanger or something. The old pads slip right out. Transfer the wear indicator to the new pads - - its just clips on. Insert the new pads into the slots, replace the caliper, relube the caliper slides on the pins, tighten and you are done. You don't even have to bleed since no air got in the system.

The back brakes are even easier. The caliper doesn't have to be removed. Remove a transverse spring clip, then the two long spring clips (inside and outside). Remove the two pins and slide the pads out. Loosen the brake bleed, compress the caliper, tighten the brake bleed. Reattach the brake wear indicators to the new pads, slip them in, insert the two pins, and then the three spring clips. Done.

There are two good pictorial threads in the 3rd gen. GS section on CL. Search overthere on my name and you will find them.

On the brake bleed and pistion compression. I have made a handy device. Its a 6 inch length of tube that fits snuggly on the bleed screw. On the other end I put a one way check valve and then a 15 inch section of tubing off the other side of the valve. The valve is not absolutely necessary but helps. Just a lenght of tubing will work fine. At the other end of the tubing is a container to catch the old fluid that will come out. Open the bleed screw, and use a pry, large screw driver or reverse pliers (when you squeeze they open) to spread the old pads and thus compress the piston. With the bleed screw open, the old fluid is expressed out and the piston has less resistance and compresses very easily. Once compressed, close the bleed screw. The one way valve in the line or the fluid in the line will prevent air from going back into the caliper. The C-clamp is fine but since you are not undoing the brake line, it may be hard to get it on under the the wheel well and negotiate the strut. Just top off the reservoir when done.

Three weeks after I put the pads in, I installed stainless steel brake lines. These helped reduce the spongy feeling the GS brake system has. This time the lines did come off, so a thorough bleeding of the brake system was in order. I actually evacuated the reservoir, added new fluid, and purged a complete resevoir of fluid through the brakes to get all the old fluid and air out once the new lines were on.

The pads and stainless lines give me absolutely incredible response and great stopping power with minimal to no dust.

steviej

Thanks for all the great info. I saw your earlier post about the SS brake lines and was thinking about doing the same. The only reservation I have is how the extra "bite" will handle in the Chicago winters. I found the GS skidding quit a bit last year as soon as I'd tap the brake, and I'm afraid that with a more potent brake, I'll only worsen the problem. I know you use dedicated winter tires in the snow, so you may not see this issue at all.

I did find a couple of pictoral threads on the CL forum. Thanks for the pointer!!

Thanks!

Yeah i definetly will.... this weekend im gonna add the dice converter for my ipod and im thinkin really hard on doing the dvd hack. but i wont lie im very nervous also..l...

I've thought about upgrading my DVD too, but can't bring myself to do it. From what I understand, the sequence of touches that lets you bypass the "safety features" and enter destinations while moving doesn't work with the newer versions. So, if you upgrade, you won't be able to enter destinations while moving.

If someone has figured out a way to get around this with the new versions, I may think about upgrading too!

Much better than the Hawk Performance Ceramincs. The Akebono ProACT Ceramics are quieter than the Hawks, they have as much stopping power if not a little better than the previous stock pads but most of all they have minimal dust. Now mind you I am only 200 miles into them, but very little has built up if any at all. I am very pleased. The next question will be to see if I get over 50k miles out of them as I did the original stock pads.

Thanks for asking.

steivej

I assume you're still happy with the Akebono's, stevie? I figure you've probably got at least another 1K on them?

I really need to do my brakes before it gets cold. Will probably order the same pads based on your experience. Did you order anything else besides pads - new shims, or other hardware? Or are just the pads needed? This'll be my first time doing brakes on the GS (I've done several Nissan's and Honda's before). Looking at the service manual, it seems more complicated than those cars (i've never bled brake lines to install pads before!). I'm assuming that once I get the new pads in, I can just use a C-clamp to push the piston back as I have done in other cars, or is that a bad idea?

Thanks

Tom White and vbolee1, did you guys have run flats on your car originally?

here we go again.

In the 2006 models, if the car was equiped from the factory with conventional tires then it also came with a comact spare tire.

IF the car came with runflat tires, then no compact spare was installed. This is also noted in the owners manual on pages 472 to 476.

My 2006 AWD came with Dunlop runflats and a big piece of styrofoam where the spare would be.

I believe in 2007 or 2008 Lexus started outfitting all GS's with compact spares regardless of the OEM tires to help promote sales because customers wanted the piece of mind know it was there. This has been covered by many threads here and on CL.

steviej

My apologies for bringing up again a topic that has already been beaten to death. I did find some previous discussion on this while searching, but it didn't seem conclusive. I guess I didn't search well enough...

Regardless, not sure how my 2006 GS300 AWD that came from the factory with the Dunlop SP Sport 5000M DSST run flats AND a spare tire in the trunk (NOT a styrofoam place holder) is explained? Either I just got really lucky, or at some point in the model year they did start putting spares in the AWDs with the run flats...

... The 2006 did not come with a spare if the car was outfitted with runflats from the factory...

steviej

Minor correction - I believe the 2006 AWD had runflats and a spare (at least mine did). It's my understanding that for 06 the RWD version came with standard tires and runflat w/o a spare was an option. However the AWD version came with runflat and a spare.

And yes, I also agree that the runflats on these cars are complete junk...

Wow - Lexus car seats! Does my kid really need a special Lexus car seat?!

All the 3GS makes the ticking noise, some much louder than others. If the noise in the car you look at bothers you, then look for another GS, because the noise cannot be fix.

The Nav will be very expensive to add, you need to change the center console, nav screen and add all the electronics and voice command.

Agreed, if the noise really bothers you and you really want nav, find another GS. I don't think it makes sense to add the nav after the fact (which, as The G Man said, requires you to change the whole console).

Did you get the new pads on? How are they working out? (yes, it has only been a few days, but figured I'd ask anyway!)

Not sure about the '09 Navs, but I thought and an '07 could be added to an '06 (though it's a pretty costly proposition as far as I understand - you have to replace the whole unit).

I would imagine that it would be technically possible to remove the screen alone and replace that?

if you can do it yourself and you know what your are doing, then this is a no brainer.

I will be doing my own in the next couple of weeks. I am just trying to figure if I am going to get new shims, new brake kit and new stainless steel lines.

I don't do anything small. The other side of me says replace the pads with Ake's or Hawks and just cut the rotors.

It is not uncommon for me to argue with myself.

steviej.

Turns out I only needed to replace the pads. Shims, lines and rotors were fine. However, 500 miles into a set of Hawk Performance Ceraminc Pads and I absolutely hate them. The give off more dust than a BMW or MB. Totally unacceptable for the price I paid. I am working with Tirerack to replace with Akebono ProACT ceramics or get a refund and just go back to stock.

steviej

Sorry to hear the Hawks didn't work out. Hopefully Tire Rack is willing to work with you on it. Let us know if you go with the Akebonos since I'll likely have a brake job due before the end of the summer. I had a new ES while my GS was in for service - huge difference in stopping power relative to my car so I figure it's time for new pads.

Hey guys, I just got an 06 GS300 (nice upgrade from my 00 ES). I just wanted to know if anyone knows how to increase the volume of the chime the car makes when you lock/unlock the doors with the smartkey. The volume on my car is extremely low. I can hardly hear it at times. I spoke to the local dealer and he said I would have to bring the car in to service to have that changed. Also, the car has Nav, if it makes a difference. Thanks for the help...

Can anyone help with this? Our local dealership is full of tools (both literally and figuratively) and so I'd rather not go there...

Lexus always have high re-sale value, that good for the owner trading in their car but not good for bargain hunters likr yourself looking to save a few buck on a low mileage used car.

Not true in my opinion. In fact there was some discussion on this board a while back about how lousy resale on these cars often is (see http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...howtopic=54798). I love my car, but in terms of resale, it certainly falls behind the other cars I've owned.

Check your local public library to see if they have Alldata, the county system here has access to it in lieu of paper manuals. The only downside is you have to physically be at the Lib. to access it, can't do it online. Good luck

capn.

Thanks for the info - great to know. Does Alldata provide the content of the factory manual, or is it something like a Chilton's or Haynes?

Called another dealer in Pheonix today. He took some time to look things up and called me back later in the afternoon. He told me there are six manuals, and they're organized as follows:

Manual 1 - Introduction, preparation, service specs, maintenance, engine control, and engine mechanical

Manual 2 - Fuel system, emissions, intake, exhaust, cooling, lube, automatic transmissions, ignition, and starting

Manual 3 - Suspension, brakes, steering, tire, wheel, and differential

Manual 4 - A/C, pre-collision safety system, seat belts, lighting, and wipers

Manual 5 - Navigation ,horn, garage door opener, other, doors, exterior, interior, multiplex communication (that's the "network" of computers for the car)

Manual 6 - Electrical diagrams

He also said that the prices on these manuals vary, but they're each in the range of $130-$140. What's frustrating is that I called my local dealer and he quoted the same prices, but told me there are only 4 volumes. Seems like we're getting different info from each dealer - some consistency would really help clear things up.

I think I'm going to try the Toyota Information System instead. At a total cost of about $850 for the manuals, I'm better off getting and online subscription and downloading the information (though some people have said it's not as good as the manuals - I can't confirm that though). Heck, it only costs $10 for a one-day subscription so even if they're not as good, I don't have much to lose!

Just wanted to update the group on service manuals. I learned today that Helm's is now selling Toyota/Lexus/Scion manuals. They have the 5 manual set for the 2006 GS300 (they may have other years, but I didn't bother check) for $400... This is still steep for service manuals in my opinion, but is a LOT better than the $150/volume we were seeing earlier - almost half price. Also, they have the "6th" volume - the electrical diagrams for an additional $75.

I'm interested in getting these and $400 is much more reasonable. But I think I'll have to wait a bit to pull the trigger - probably until major maintenance comes up. Hopefully it'll help someone else though...

Oh yes, the link - http://www.helminc.com/helm/search_service...164R9AHD3EW9CGB

I think the warranty is 4 years or 50,000 miles NOT 40,000

Hm... Could have sworn I read another thread on this forum about something else where a poster mentioned 40K warranty. Regardless, thanks for the clarification - I checked Lexus's site, and as you pointed out, the warranty is 48 months or 50K miles. Glad that I have another 8K miles of original warranty (assuming I don't hit 48 months first - I'll have to check the in-service date).

Once I get the TSBs, I'll certainly swing by a different dealer...

Its gone because the weather got warmer, the true test is next winter when it gets cold again.

I just had mine done 2 weeks ago. They showed me the new dash clips that are now wrapped in felt so there is no

plastic-on-plastic contact. The car is now silent, just like Lexus is supposed to be. I asked them to run the power cord for

my radar detector while they had the dash out and they did it free of charge.

Also did the two recalls (brake caliper and power steering) and they gave me brand-new rear brake pads as part of

the rear brakes TSB. Glad I didn't do rear break job last month, saved me $600. :) That was in Arlington Lexus in Palatine, IL.

Michael

'06 GS430

Thanks for the info, Michael. I'll definitely try out Arlington Lexus. I live pretty close to Woodfield Lexus, but their service is complete s$%t! I don't think I've experienced such bad service at any other Lexus dealership (except maybe one in Greenwich, CT - when I made the point that $80 for an oil change seems a bit excessive).

I had Woodfield Lexus take a look at the creaking - they seem to have fixed the one coming from the left corner of the dash (near the windshield), but there's still a rattle coming from the nav unit area. I also just passed 40K miles (well, I'm at about 42K now), so the bumper-to-bumper is over. I do have Lexus's Platinum plan - will that cover the creaks/rattles? Also, can anyone provide the TSB number(s) for the dash rattle? I tried searching the forum, but am not allowed to search for terms under 4 characters. It would be nice to have a tsb thread made as a sticky to gather the info in one place.

Thanks!

I've had good luck with similar challenges on eBay, particularly if you are not in a hurry.

Dave

Thanks for the info, Dave. I did check eBay, but the only ones I could find there are the "stick over your broken mirror" kinds that don't have the auto dimming feature... I'll keep looking...

Does anyone know where I may be able to get replacement glass for a 2006 GS300 passenger side rear-view mirror at a reasonable price? Wife hit the mailbox while backing out of the driveway and now the bottom of the mirror housing is scratched up and the glass is broken. I figure I'll touch-up paint the housing, but need to replace the glass.

I checked online and found a product called Burco Redi Cuts. However, it seems as if you just stick the replacement glass on top of the broken glass, which doesn't sound like a great idea. Also, they say that doing this will keep the heated glass properties, but I'll lose the auto dimming.

I'd like to find a better solution that lets me keep the heated mirror and the auto dimming. Any suggestions?

Edit: Just talked to the dealer's parts department... $374 just for the mirror, and $300 additional for the housing if I wish to replace that...

i think they took me for a ride...i was willing to get four regular tires. Im shocked that the spare is not fullsize, driving a GS with a flat is horrific

Yeah, I had a blow out a year ago on the highway in the middle of nowhere. Ended up changing the tire and driving 100 miles or so back home, It was sad to see the GS with a little donut tire sitting on the driveway... :(

You are stuck with the same graphics even though you upgrade the nav disc. The 2006 GS was the only year they used the gen4 system, which has a lower resolution screen and is unable of producing the crisp graphics on the gen5 systems.

I see. I have not searched the forum but do I dare ask if you can upgrade to gen 5?

My understanding is that the OS is build into the nav unit, so you'd have to replace the whole thing to get the new "black & blue" menu seen on the newer units. I also have an '06 with the 8.1 map disk (2008) and yes, I am stuck with the ugly res/menus. :(

That's correct - you'd have to replace the whole unit. It's a pretty expensive proposition - if I recall correctly, around $3,000 (though you may be able to get $1,500 for trading in your old system).

I had thought about it a year and a half ago and decided that the sharper resolution wasn't worth $1,500 to me. Of course, if I can get just the screen only for a couple of hundred bucks, I'd certainly be willing to open up the nav unit and replace the screen. I figure it shouldn't be much more than removing the old screen and replacing with a new one (assuming the connectors are the same).

It's hard to find 07+ GSs at junk yards to get the nav unit to tinker around with. If anyone knows where I can find one, I'd volunteer to open it up... :)

the dealer informed me that no other tire can fit on the GS 300 AWD but runflats <_<

Wow... You need to find a new dealer because the one who told you that either doesn't know what he's talking about, or is blatantly lying to you!

Many others on this forum have ditched the runflats for other tires. Personally, I would have done to same to get better grip and a quieter ride (my car has a spare too - not all GSs do). However, when faced with $150 for two used runflats vs. at least three to four times that much for four new tires, I decided to keep the runflats until all 4 needed replacing...

Also, these cars have any quirks I should be aware of, common problems?

That's a pretty open-ended question. I recommend you spend some time reading the posts on this board to get a feel for the issues other owners are encountering...

About a month back I bought two used Dunlop runflats online (from http://www.bestusedtires.com). I had two newer tires (were replaced under warranty a year ago) which now have about 8/32s life (the tread depth is 10/32s on a new tire) and wanted to get two used ones to match (so I would have 4 tires with 8/32s on them).

I paid $149.90 including shipping. I had them shipped to a local Tire Rack installer who installed the tires for $60. They were able to move my pressure monitors from the old tires to the new ones. Total cost was about $215 (incl taxes).

I was happy with the used tire place - I spoke with the guy on the phone before buying and he seemed to know what he was talking about (as best as I could tell). The tires shipped pretty quickly and took about a week to arrive. I ask the installer to check the tires to make sure they're fine (buying used tires online seemed like a questionable thing to do, but I figured I'd give it a shot), and he said there were no issues. So, I got the product as promised, and would definately buy again.