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Member123

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Posts posted by Member123

  1. I've got a 300 and have noticed the door makes noise when you move a towel or wash cloth over it, like it doesn't quite "lock in" properly.

    Ok brycejag, you have had your moment. Take a bow and get over yourself. Now, do you have anything more inspiring to add to this discussion or is this your final contribution? With a wit like yours I am sure you have something more intelligent to say.

    Again, do you folks think it is ok for the fuel door on a virtually new $50K automobile to not close properly? At least two members have cited this problem. It's a simple question that has yet to be answered. Does anyone else have this problem? If so, how did you deal with it? Does anyone know of a TSB on this problem?

  2. Member123, I must say your sense of humor is very dry at best, please dont quit your day job. If you are the auto enthusiast you claim you are, I am sure you can find a way to fix the rain sensing wipers. I have and I am not half the auto enthusiast you claim to be. If you live in a area that rains all the time, there are solution for that as well, but I am sure you know about all of them already.

    This forum would be useless, if people just come here and say nice things only about their GS, but at the time, no one wants to hear people complaining about every little thing. I say you dump the GS since its only a good car and not a great one and go back to your BMW, we all know you deserve better :)

    My BMW (2004 540 M Sport) is not an everyday driver (6 speed, 425HP Supercharged Dinan gas guzzler). Nor is it a Luxury Sedan... kinda basic inside. I bought the GS350 as an everyday driver Luxury Sedan. You know, a Japanese bells and whistles car.

    By the way, auto sense wipers stopped working completely yesterday evening.

  3. ... too many secrete/undocumented decoder ring processes ...

    I don't mean to be a grammar-!Removed!, but this is somewhat annoying. To set it straight:

    secrete = generate and separate from cells or bodily fluids; "secrete digestive juices"; "release a hormone into the blood stream"

    secret = not open or public; kept private or not revealed; "a secret formula"; "secret ingredients"; "secret talks"

    G Man and madyash

    Spell checkers are not perfect so it's a good thing this forum has guys like you to help educate the rest of us. Keep up the good work! :)

    By seriously gentlemen, do you guys even own a GS350? Does it meet all your expectations? Have you ever had any problems with your GS350's? Do you think it's ok for the fuel door on a $50K automobile to not close properly? Do you not have high expectations when you spend $50K on an automobile? Why are you on this forum? Just curious.

    Ok, just noticed that G Man owns a GS350 and madyash owns a GS300. Above question still apply.... I am trying to be sincere here guys.

  4. ... too many secrete/undocumented decoder ring processes ...

    I don't mean to be a grammar-!Removed!, but this is somewhat annoying. To set it straight:

    secrete = generate and separate from cells or bodily fluids; "secrete digestive juices"; "release a hormone into the blood stream"

    secret = not open or public; kept private or not revealed; "a secret formula"; "secret ingredients"; "secret talks"

    G Man and madyash

    Spell checkers are not perfect so it's a good thing this forum has guys like you to help educate the rest of us. Keep up the good work! :)

    By seriously gentlemen, do you guys even own a GS350? Does it meet all your expectations? Have you ever had any problems with your GS350's? Do you think it's ok for the fuel door on a $50K automobile to not close properly? Do you not have high expectations when you spend $50K on an automobile? Why are you on this forum? Just curious.

  5. Gentleman, have I struck a nerve? By the way, have you heard this one. I read it the other day on some other auto enthusiast web site. "The GS350 has a fat arsse and beaky snout". I got a kick out of that one. Made me laugh out loud.

    To the point, I was joking (you know, humor) about the class action law suit. Do you have any idea how much work it is to pull together a class action suit? I do and it ain't gonna happen....

    Point two, as of two months ago, one month ago, two weeks ago, and today, Lexus of Portland and Lexus of Seattle know of no such option to disable auto sense and enable "just plain old intermitent (sp) adjustment". Nor does Lexus/Toyota. Perhaps you can point me to a dealer that performs this procedure so I can put them in touch with my dealer.

    Point three, perhaps you don't live where it rains almost every day. I do (Portland, Oregon) and unless you do also, you have no idea what you are talking about. It's annoying to fool with the wipers every 30 seconds or so, especially when you are with clients. Rain is our life up here and the last thing you want to have is problems with your wipers.

    Point four, I will use this forum any way I see fit to say good and bad about my GS350. It provides a nice database for search engines like Google and, hopefully, will help get word out about some of the not so pretty details about the GS350 that you folks don't want to talk about. Shame on you....

    Finally, there is a lot I like about my GS350. It has a nice ride, is reasonably quiet (run flats aside), has good power, cool looking instrument cluster, beautiful Rosewood trim and leather, good breakes (even with low dust pads and per TSB), and has a good solid feel. Mine (Silver w/Black Leather and chrome spoke wheels) is probably one of the most pampered automobiles in the Pacific Northwest. It is detailed once a month and serviced like clock work. You would never know this car has left the showroom. I am an auto enthusiast beyond what most of you folks would even dream about. So I know what I am talking about when it comes to automobiles. And it's the details that separate the great ones from the good ones. The GS350 could easily be a great car if Lexus would just pay attention to a few details. This is at the heart of my disappointment.

  6. Well Lexus lovers, I need to rant a bit more about the rain sensor windshield wiper system. We have had an extremely wet winter & spring this year and I am reminded daily how poorly the rain sensor system works on my GS350. It can be pouring rain and the wipers won't switch on for nearly 30-40 seconds. At other times, they switch on and stay on at high speed for about 15-20 seconds in a drizzle, and then switch off for 30-40 seconds. And sometimes, the system actually works ok. So I am forced to use manual wiper mode and that means I must switch it on and off like in a $10K economy car. But even these cars now have intermittent windshield wiper operation. And Acura, Jeep, and others give you the option to disable the rain sensor mode and switch to intermittent mode. Lexus refuses to even acknowledge there is a problem (I have been on the phone with them twice), preferring to leave this one on the dealers door step. And yes, dealer acknowledges the problem and says there is nothing they can do. This smells like a class action law suit. A class action law suit over a windhield wiper system. Good grief!!!!

    I have to chuckle at your posts. Now mind you, I don't mean that in a mean way.

    I have a 3rd generation GS as well, with all the same features, and think the car is actually quite comforatble and totally not the beast you make it out to be.

    But in all honesty, if the car bugs you that much, sell it and give us a rest.

    steviej

    Steviej

    I won't argue that the GS350 is comfortable, has a good ride and has great curb appeal. But it's the details that make a truly superb automobile. And the GS350 has some serious problems when it comes to details. Maybe I am too demanding. But this is one of the few automobile I have owned that is truly disappointing. I have owned Porsche 911, Acura RL, BMW 540 M, Mercedes Benz AMG, Jeep GC, Land Rover (disappointed), Jaguar (disappointed), Toyota Avalon (boring), and Infinity GS (not impressed).

    Yes, my GS350 is for sale. No doubt I will take a huge loss.... In the meantime I will continue to manually operate my windshield wipers.

  7. Well Lexus lovers, I need to rant a bit more about the rain sensor windshield wiper system. We have had an extremely wet winter & spring this year and I am reminded daily how poorly the rain sensor system works on my GS350. It can be pouring rain and the wipers won't switch on for nearly 30-40 seconds. At other times, they switch on and stay on at high speed for about 15-20 seconds in a drizzle, and then switch off for 30-40 seconds. And sometimes, the system actually works ok. So I am forced to use manual wiper mode and that means I must switch it on and off like in a $10K economy car. But even these cars now have intermittent windshield wiper operation. And Acura, Jeep, and others give you the option to disable the rain sensor mode and switch to intermittent mode. Lexus refuses to even acknowledge there is a problem (I have been on the phone with them twice), preferring to leave this one on the dealers door step. And yes, dealer acknowledges the problem and says there is nothing they can do. This smells like a class action law suit. A class action law suit over a windhield wiper system. Good grief!!!!

  8. Any major issues to watch out for on the 06 since it was the first production year for the new body style? I didn't realize this car gets such great gas mileage!

    Very handsome automobile, good quiet ride, good gas mileage.... All the reasons I purchased my 07 GS350. But, not a lot of attention to details in these vehicles. Nor are they the best Luxury Sedan in the stable for the money you will spend. Check out the Acura RL... It is a MUCH better vehicle. No question about it. Only problem with it is its uninspired exterior design.

  9. It just started today...filled gas in car, then couldnt close the fuel door. Looks like the metal piece that holds the fuel door shut isnt functioning properly. The metal piece is not allowing me to close the door, and when i force the door shut, the metal piece is not locking it in.

    Anyway, will have to take to shop to fix later this week...but anyone have this problem?

    I have an 07 GS350 and I too have noticed the fuel door doe not always close properly. I haven't had the time to take it to the dealer. Maybe next week....

    My two cents.... The GS350 is a handsome automobile. But.... The GS350 is a poorly engineered Luxury Sedan; like some sort of Toyota after thought. Not much attention to detail and too many secrete/undocumented decoder ring processes required to dial things in. My 2007 Jeep GC is a much better "Luxury" design.... Sorry all you Lexus lovers, but that is my opinion after several months of ownership. Now all I need to do is find a buyer....

  10. I own an 07 GS350 with 8500 miles. I learned about the brake dust TSB when I read this thread a few weeks ago. So I called my dealer and mentioned the TSB. They were happy to set an appointment to swap the pads out at no charge. I have had no problems with the new pads, there is less dust, and I feel no performance difference.

  11. I own an 07 GS350. I also noticed an offensive odor (mildew) several weeks ago. Basically, it was from not running the AC. Running the AC dries our condensation that accumulates in the system. If you never run air (like me because I live in Pacific Northwest) that condensation will eventally mildew and give off that mildew smell. This is even more a problem here in the Pacific Northwest because we have so much moisture in the air. I learned this from my local dealer. They replaced a filter and I now run the air a few minutes every week. Since then, no problem.... I don't suggest running AC 24/7 because it will make your engine work harder and lower gas mileage.

  12. I live in the Pacific Northwest (Portland) so I rarely use Air Conditioning. In fact I always keep the Climate Control system set to manual (Auto is Off) and set the Recirculate/Auto/External switch to External. This allows cool external air to filter into the cabin. I use temp control to warm the air if needed.

    I have noticed about 70% of the time the Recirculate/Auto/External setting is automatically switched to Recirculate when I start the car. So I have to manual switch Recirculate/Auto/External back to the External setting (no Auto). And yes, Recirculate/Auto/External is set to External when I switch the car off and I have set the filter sensitivity (on Nav screen) to Low.

    What’s more, a few days later, the Recirculate/Auto/External setting suddenly stays set to External when I start the car (which is what I wanted in the first place). Huh???? This cycle seems to repeat itself randomly; sometimes Recirculate/Auto/External is set to Recirculate and sometimes it is set to External when the car is started. I don’t understand this behavior. Does anyone have an explanation?

    Thanks in advance to anyone that can explain this.....

  13. so... I've driven the GS 350 AWD, and I love it.

    BUT... I have some concerns about its reliability. Consumer Reports ratings are less than stellar, and I find that rather concerning. I'm current Lexus owner, and I've had NO problems, and quite frankly I'm surprised to see a new Lexus getting hammered so badly....

    Any thoughts from the real world?

    Thanks,

    Mark

    I have the same concerns about my new GS350 (my first Lexus). It has way too many flaws for a $50K automobile which makes me wonder how reliable the rest of the car is/will be over the coming years. I have owned BMW's, Acura's, and Mercedes and I must say I am a bit disappointed in the GS350. Problem is, I love the way it looks inside and out. But, I have never been so frustrated with a car as I am with the GS350. Let's start with the Rain Sensor wipers that don't work here in the Pacific Northwest......

  14. So far I have learned there are at least three different secrete procedures that can be used to change settings in a Lexus.

    1. There is a secrete sequence to disable the annoying seatbelt alarm

    2. There is a secrete sequence to disable mirror tilt

    3. There WAS a secret sequence used to disable the NAV system lockout while driving

    Gee folks, are there any other secrete sequences I should know about? When can I expect to receive my secrete decoder ring in the mail from Lexus?

    Folks, lets get serious here… This is a $50K Luxury Automobile and I should not have to fool around on the internet or Lexus Owners Web Sites to discover secrete decoder ring crap to get my GS350 dialed in. This is juvenile; the kind of crap my son and his friends used to do trying to dial in their little Honda’s and Toyota’s!

    How do we get this message back to Lexus? Does Lexus read this site?

  15. I have been driving a 2004 BMW 540 M Sport (with M suspension) for the past few years. I just started driving my new GS350 about 6 weeks ago. The other day I was on a freeway interchange I can usually breeze through in my BMW at 60 MPH. Attempting the same interchange at about 55 MPH in my GS350 nearly ended me in a ditch. The GS350 is a Luxury Land Yacht when it comes to handling.....

  16. I have been taking my cars (Mercedes, BMW, Acura, Toyota, Honda, Jeep) down the street to Espresso Lube (like a Jiffy Lube) for years with excellent results. The guys there seem to know what they are doing and the head mechanic there never sold a hot dog in his life! I simply don't have the time to arrange a dealer drop off or to wait 1 hour for an oil change. I am usually in and out of the Espresso Lube in about 15-20 minutes. ....

  17. It has been my experience here in the Portland area that dealers no longer do their own body work. Rather, they have one or two "certified" body shops they send their customers to. I would be skeptical of a dealer trying to do body work in house. It's all about outsourcing these days....

  18. Thanks for taking to time to send feedback. It is appreciated.

    I was not aware that Tilt on Mirrors could be disabled. Thanks!

    Can you tell me what the Manual 1- Manual 4 do to the instrument cluster lighting? I am confused about these options and the Owners Manual is no help.

    My dealer (Lexus of Portland) told me that the rain sensor sensitivity cannot be adjusted. Do you have confirmation that this is a procedure that a dealer can perform? That would be good solution!

    I agree all those switches in the drop down console would really clutter the instrument console. My biggest complaint is that for me the steering wheel blocks visual access to the switches no matter what. The current drop down console design the lesser of two evils.

    I think the Navigation lock out bothers my wife more than me. As a passenger, she likes to play with the Nav system while we are on road trips and curses it everytime she get in the passenger seat! I know about the Hack but I am too lazy to do the work myself. I suppose one day soon there will be an fix from Lexus (that is what I read on the internet).

    I noticed another problem with seat memory. My daughter used the car to drive to the store and left the seat adjusted for her 5'4" build. I attempted to recall my seat setting after I opened the door but seat memory recall requires the ignition to be on. I am 6' 1" and was unable to climb into the driver seat to activate ignition switch (press twice). I had to reach in and press the ignition switch while standing outside the car. This is not as easy as it might seem. The FOB was in the center console. Is there a way around this without using the FOB?

    In spite of these shortcomings, I really do enjoy the GS350!

    Thanks again for all your great feedback.

  19. I have owned several Luxury Sedans and SUV’s over the past 20 years. Recently I was in the market for a new Luxury Sedan. I looked at the Acura RL for several months but could not get past the uninspired exterior styling. About 6 weeks ago I walked into a Lexus dealer for the first time and fell in love with the GS350. This is a gorgeous automobile, it was love at first sight, and I eventually made the purchase. But, the honeymoon was over in a matter of weeks. I have since learned this beautiful lady has some drawbacks that compromise her standing as a serious Luxury Sedan and direct competitor to the Acura RL (RL is a better vehicle). Here are my observations after driving the GS350 for the past several weeks. Also, note that I live in the Pacific Northwest (Portland, Oregon); that means rain and less than optimal road surfaces.

    Rain Sensors

    The Rain Sensor subsystem is not sensitive enough to keep the windshield clear in light or misty rain, even with the sensor set to max sensitivity. This forces the driver to frequently activate the wiper blades manually. Not only is this annoying, it is absolutely unacceptable in this class of automobile. As with other manufacturers, this problem is easily resolved with a manual override to enable manual intermittent operation. Why Lexus chose to ignore this configuration option is a puzzle. Someone was not paying attention to details.

    Auto Headlight Sensor

    Depending on the available ambient light, the GS350 headlights will automatically switch on and off several times over short periods of time (30 seconds). This behavior is exacerbated in early morning shadowy grey light. This is annoying because it looks as if I am flashing my lights at other drivers. This problem is likely a result of a low threshold light sensor setting combined with a short sampling period. This is easily resolved with a software upgrade to fine tune this subsystem. Again, Lexus engineers are not paying attention to details.

    Navigation System

    I won’t go into detail here as it is well known that Lexus disables several Navigation and Telephony subsystem features while the car is moving. And forcing the driver to acknowledge the “safety” message each and every time the car is switch on is one of the most annoying features I have ever seen in an automobile. This Navigation subsystem needs some serious rework.

    AWD Steering

    I have driven the same roads to the office over the past 12 years. Since driving my new GS350 to the office I have notices all sorts of imperfections on those familiar roads because the GS350 just loves to follow those imperfections at lower speeds. Further, if I do not have a reasonable grip on the steering wheel while braking on an imperfect road surface, the vehicle will sometimes veer sharply, pulling the steering wheel from my grip. I have had this unique experience several times over the past few weeks. This is a very annoying and unsafe characteristic of the GS350. I have also noticed the front wheels tend to track like in a front wheel drive car, transmitting that familiar front wheel drive “tug” to the steering wheel. Again, not what I expect in a $50K AWD automobile. Something is not quite right with the steering subsystem on the AWD GS350. It just feels odd. Advice…. keep a firm grip on that beautiful slippery wood steering wheel.

    Auto Mirror Tilt

    The GS350 has this bizarre feature of tilting down both side rear view mirrors while in reverse. What’s more, the mirrors don’t tilt down far enough to be useful for anything (can’t see the curb). Although this can be a useful feature for the curbside mirror while backing into a parallel parking spot, it makes little or no sense for the driver side mirror. This is yet another poorly thought out feature from the folks at Lexus.

    Cassette Player

    Cassette tape is a dead medium. Why Lexus would elect to include a cassette player in a 2007 automobile is beyond me. It is also a waste of precious cabin space. This is yet another indicator that perhaps folks at Lexus are out of touch with their target market.

    Ash Tray

    The ashtray is waste of space for non smokers. Like other manufactures, Lexus should offer a storage compartment/ashtray configuration option as a standard feature. And the $300 aftermarket ashtray conversion is a bit over priced. As with the cassette player, this is yet another indicator that perhaps folks at Lexus are out of touch with their target market.

    Instrument Cluster Illumination

    The GS350 has several instrument cluster lighting adjustments available in the visually inaccessible drop down console. It seems to me the Manual 1 – Manual 4 options have virtually no effect on the instrument cluster variable transparency glass, nor is there a satisfactory explanation of these setting in the owners manual. Like the tilt down driver side mirror and cassette player, this seems to be yet another useless Lexus feature.

    Drop Down Console

    I don’t like the drop down console at all. Simply put, the steering wheel obstructs the drivers view of the switches in the drop down console. This can be a safety problem for those who attempt to locate and use these switches while driving. I have had to memorize the switch locations by feel in order to use the more popular switches. This is ridiculous in this class of luxury automobile. Again, Lexus engineers have overlooked an important detail.

    Steering Wheel Switch Lighting

    The control switches on the steering wheel are poorly lit and difficult to see at night. On other vehicles these switches are well lit and easy to see at night. Was this an oversight by Lexus engineers? Again, lack of attention to details.

    Seat Memory

    It seems normal that a driver will fine tune seat and mirror adjustments as they are driving. And it seems useful to be able to commit those setting to seat memory while driving. Unfortunately, the GS350 deactivates setting seat memory while the transmission is in Drive. Perhaps this is by design because the seat memory switches are extremely difficult to access with the door closed unless you are a contortionist. But seriously, these switches need some serious ergonomic consideration. Again, lack of attention to details.

    Summary

    There is a common thread that runs through most of the issues cited above; lack of attention to detail. It seems that Lexus has over looked some ergonomic issues, included useless features, and put lots of energy into over engineering unnecessary safety into some of its subsystems. Unfortunately, this compromises the driving experience one would expect from this class of Luxury Automobile. Most of these problems are not difficult or expensive to resolve, and in most cases can be resolved with a simple software upgrade.

    And of course, my list of concerns was cheerfully acknowledged and predictable ignored by my local dealer. Bottom line, today these flaws are annoying but tolerable. My concern is with time they will become very annoying and intolerable.

  20. My two cents... I am also disappointed with Lexus. My GS350 has all kinds of little nuances that I am unhappy with; lots of little things I would never expect to see in a $50K automobile. Nor was the car well prepped when I took delivery (engine compartment was filthy, tire pressure was different in all 4 tires, rear headrest leather was damaged). Never had these kinds of problems with my 2006 Jeep GC Limited, my BMW's, my Acura RL's, my Mercedes.... Also, my local Lexus dealer has been less willing to work with me than Jeep and Acura dealers, and the dealer parts guys are real snobs. Even BMW dealer is more supportive than my Lexus dealer.

    I really like the GS350; it is a cool looking Luxury Sedan and has awesome power. But this is my first and last Lexus. What really concerns me is how little support I might get form Lexus should the car ever need warrantee work in the next four years. Sadly, my new GS350 will likely go up for sale soon….

  21. One would think something a fundamental as a windshield wiper subsystem would function perfectly on a $50,000 automobile. I never had this problem in my 2004 BMW M5 or my 2006 Jeep (which has a manual override). I will see what I can get out of Lexus. Maybe they will offer a software upgrade if I bug them enough. I will follow up if/when I get some results.

  22. You can also have Wheel Concepts ship the chrome wheels to you (or your installer), you have them installed, and then ship your aluminum wheels back to Wheel Concepts. Cost is about $600 plus shipping and installation cost. This is a great deal considering that Lexus wants about $2300 for the same wheels, plus installation.

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