GS300Miami

Vehicle: GS300 2006. Delivery Date: 06/20/05 I hope the following history will bring some light for people facing similar symptoms. January 16, 2009. Lexus call for special service campaign (SSC) 9LB, Rear Brake Caliper Inspection. February 10, 2009. Lexus of West Kendall Miami, conducts service campaign on vehicle with 58.904 miles. It list in final invoice that part 04007-49330 was used as part of the repairs. However, the service campaign is clear on the fact that vehicles delivered before December 2005 should use part 04007-49230. The difference is the boot shape used to cover the slide pins. Of course, I did not know that at the time the repair took place. April 2011. I start hearing a solid noise in the back of the car as I go through rough pavement. The noise will go away if the break pedal is pressed. April 29, 2011. Car is at 91.455 miles. The noise becomes more noticeable so I decided to take the car for service at the same location. The final invoice quotes: "Cust states there is a ranoise as if something loose from rear when going over bumps. Found something loose in trunk, secured item in trunk - noise went away". As I drove out I noticed the noise again. However, I was convinced that something was loose in the rear back of the car. So for the next few weeks I went from body shop to another trying to figure out what was loose. May 25, 2011. I notice a reduction on braking efficiency so I decided to take the car to the dealer again. This time a different mechanic inspects the car. The final invoice quotes: " Cust states there is a noise from rear suspension area. Advice: Found left rear caliper assy locking up. Necessary to replace left rear caliper assy.". Cost of repair: $459. The locking up was basically the slide pin not moving at all because of excessive rust. September 3, 2011. Started hearing a similar noise in the back. Took the car to the dealer for LOF. The noise was not too bad so I request the service consultant to inspect it. After a few minutes he comes back and tells me that the rear brakes do not have shims and that is what is causing the noise. I accept the fact that I did the brake pads the last time in a local shop near home and they might have forgotten to put on the shims. Shims are ordered and the car goes into service. When I about to leave I see the same mechanic that did the left rear caliper back in May so I ask him if he can go and check it. After a few minutes he comes back and tells me and the service consultant that the right rear caliper is broken. Final quote states: "Found right rear caliper broken. Needs caliper. Cust declined work at this time. Veh is not safe to drive". It was a weekend and the service consultant said he did not have loaners. So I decided to go home and wait until they have loaners. In the mean time I started investigating more the issue. September 7, 2011. With 98.570 miles, the car is repaired and in the mean time I have long conversation with the service manager and Lexus corporate trying to find an explanation on how the campaign carried out in 2009 to prevent the caliper slide pins from frozen due to rust did not do anything to prevent my both rear calipers from doing exactly that. I was told several times that the malfunction was due to normal wear and nothing to do with the campaign. At the end, after a long discussion and really poor and rude customer service from the dealer, they agreed to lower the bill to $291.75. January, 2012. With 103.000ish miles, I start to hear a weird noise in the front left wheel as I break. It sounds like when you open an old door with rusty hinges. After a few days, braking efficiency drops considerably. Today, February 18 2012 with 106.512 miles I decided to take the car to a honest mechanic known by the family. After the last confrontation with the dealer I decided never again to take the car over there again. He services the front brakes and the first thing he founds is that the slide pins on the left front caliper are frozen due to rust. The slides pins in the front right caliper are barely moving but also heavily rusted. Instead of suggesting to change the whole caliper housing (as the dealer did in both cases) this guy takes a heating device and manage to free the slide pins. Next he brushes out the rust and add plenty of Glycol grease and replace the boots. Problem solved. Final invoice including resurfacing the rotors and installing new pads (which I provided) : $100. GS300 2006 Lexus owners beware. There is something wrong on the design of the calipers that result in severe rusting of the slide pins. Make sure that the slide pins are serviced every single time you replace your pads (that is, removed, brushed and greased). Otherwise you are doomed to problems. As for Lexus, they could care less. For a $54000 car, you should consider normal that your four calipers malfunction at around 100K miles. And at the end of the day, it is not like is a critical component of the car. Its only the mechanism that keep you and your family safe. Other minor issues on my history file (most covered by warranty) *11/08/07 40K miles: Both passenger mirrors failed to operate. One is replaced the other not because is not "totally broken". *11/27/07 40K miles: Car is flooded and all carpets stained due to a clogged evap hose. *02/10/09 58K miles: Headlights aim too low.Charged $60 to raise level. To this day this is still an issue. *04/16/2010 75K miles: Cam gears started making noise again (after campaign). Replaced again. *04/16/2010 75K miles: Leak on heater water pump. Pump replaced. * 08/24/10 77K miles: replaced idler pulley and tensioner (not covered by warranty) * 08/24/10 77K miles: replaced drivers seat belt due to lack of re tractability. Other little malfunctions: * VSC engine light came up and was charged $$$ for performing gas tests to later find out it was the gas cap. * At 80K HID lamps started to flicker. Ended up changing both myself after dealer wanted $$$$ for the job. * At 100K perforated leather of driver seat gives up. Even though I always put leather conditioner at each car wash. * Since about 60K miles a loud metal rattling noise coming from the back window becomes my companion every time the weather changes abruptly. This is my first and last Lexus vehicle. I guess the search for perfection is still in progress. My next vehicles: Acura. Reliable as a tank.

I have a GS300 06 and about two months ago I replaced the original Yokohama's with the Michelin Pilot Sports. The car inmediatly started pulling to the right. I took it back to my local Martino Good Year shop and the guys said the aligment in the front and rear was within spec but they did minor adjustments. I tested the car and it was still pulling to the right. I took the car back again but this time had a short ride with the mechanic and he finally told me that pulling to the right was expected because the middle of the street was higher than the right edge to avoid water from the rain, can you believe that ?...he showed me the aligment report and also suggested that I might have a bad tire. Tire rotation did not make any difference. At this point the car is still pulling to the right.

1. Thanks for the confirmation. I am having the same problem and was usure of the cause. Do I need the TSB # to have this problem repaired? 2. Also I have a problem with water leaking onto the passenger side floor. Can you help with this issue on a GS300 -2006? I already posted on another thread that my mirrows were replaced during warranty and then failed again after 50K. Now I'm stuck with the mirrows being in a fixed position. BTW if you have extended warranty (as I do) they won't be replaced either. Water in the passenger side. Already had that one too. It is a clog in your AC drain. It took almost a week to get fixed...a no loaner (because according to the representative it was a quick fix)...in addition almost three trips to the dealer to request new carperts after they tried to washed them with no avail due to the heavy staining caused by the leakage. Lexus of west kendall, miami....You'll never see this customer again. That, together with the rattling noise in the rear window...in the front panel...and the poor quality/easy to break perforated seats (already fixed twice after 50K)...., the freaking VSC light...which was ultimately a defective gas cap (charged 150 for diagnostics + 25 for the cap)...the light beams always pointing down (already charged 85 bucks to level them and only lasted a few days).... are making this car (GS300 06) a complete nightmare....the only good thing I will ever remember....the engine.

Lucky you....I'm trapped with both mirrors broken...and no planning to spend 2K+ to fix them....out of warranty and extended warranty refuses to pay for them.

Those mirrors have a poor reliability. I have a 2006 GS300 and had to change the passeger's side back in 2007. These days both of them malfunction most of the time. Sometime they will tilt down and never come to level. The car is already out of warranty and even though I have extended warranty the representative told me that it must not work "at all". I managed to reproduce the artifact in front of him but then he manually pushed the mirrow and the thing started working again. What a piece of junk. Does any body actually know how to disconnect this feature ?, it can be dangerous at times because when you least expect it the thing stays down and I'll realize just when I'm about to change lanes. Shame on lexus on a 50K dollars car.

Hello, I recently purchased a used GS300. I noticed that when the backup camera is working the lower right corner of the image is partially blocked. When I took my car for service I asked the agent and he told me that it is normal that part of the image is blocked by the panel and nothing can be done. Is this true ? Thanks