GS996TTCayS

the things you have to do a supposedly ultra luxury car....just unbelievable

there are many many discussions about the noises/rattles here. i for one, got rid of the GS in 3 months because i was so disappointed and couldn't imagine myself with it for the next few years. what a disappointment. got a MB afterwards and been happy since. i suggest you do the same, if you're having a hard time putting up with the shabby assembly.

hey, that's a keeper. unlucky meeee... :(

i used to have a 2000 LS400...black on black, titanium edition i think. it didn't have the squeaks but i was too young for the car then...(30)...so i got rid of it after a couple of years but you're right, it didn't have the squeaks but only INITIALLY. After a couple of years, the car felt a lot less solid.

I'm not a very picky guy when it comes to road noise / engine noise / exhaust noise. I drive a 911 turbo as a wkndr and love all these noises because the car is like a bulletproof tank. Wife likes her Cayenne S for the same reason. When I got the GS, wife actually called me a wuss (kiddingly of course)...it made all the sense...good mileage, all the gadgets, AWD, current styling, and of course, that Toyota reliability. For all these reasons, i would have kept the car but for the incessant "cheap" feel i got from the car. Sure i started with economy cars when i was young (actually, i drove an IROC Z28 for a while in college...what a guido) and moved to european cars and you may say that i got spoiled but the solid feel of european cars made me feel like this is what cars were supposed to be. After all these years, i'd figured Lexus of all cars would have caught on. The "cheapness" was initially overcome with all the reasons i aforementioned. But over time, it took over the practicality issues. For me it made me feel like..........if i closed my eyes while driving, it felt like i was driving a 15 year old corolla that my grandmother used to drive. On the other hand, when you're in a 15 year old bimmer/mb and close your eyes, the car feels solid even after all those years. sure repair costs are more expensive in european cars than say a lexus but if that (money) was the main reason, in the future i'd choose to buy down model (say a 3 series, instead of the 5).

yeah, the older lexus cars were definitely better. just for kicks, i went to test drive a new GS 350 and felt a much more subdued, but nontheless there kind of squeaks, no rattles however. it certainly didn't feel as tight as the 4yr old MB E500 i'm now driving

wow, glad i wasn't alone in this. i sincerely thought i had a lemon...i used to have a 00 RX300, bought new and the car was nice initially. after a few months, the door panel started to squeak when i played the radio. brought it to the dealer and they didn't do a thing about it. another dealer told me that i'm playing my music too loud...i said m..th...f...k..r...i'm playing the g...d..a..m news channel on the am... i was innocent then so i put up with it for many years before trading it for the cayenne S. shouda learned my lesson...s...h..t

hey, i totally agree with you, there's that risk of the repairs... on the other hand, the 2002 911 turbo i currently have - i only had to change the oil in that one, and the 06 cayenne S, i didn't have any problems either, the most i ever spent on a german car was $1,000 on my 01 740iL for emission sensor failure. i hope i don't have to be at the shop every other week but after the shoddy experience i had, i'm willing to put up with the risk at this point. maybe if the problems begin to surface, i'll give acura RL a chance...

your expectations weren't high, like me, you probably expected the lexus to be at least similar to MB/BMW or other European cars. Hondas are the closest thing to Europeans in terms of putting together a tight ship.

same mileage too 38k vs 38k

Even trade, no hassle, just traded the plates. No rattle, squeak, just that old solid European feel. I love driving it! Looks like there will always be other people (like me :chairshot: ) that'll be won over on the sleek looks and the electronics/options value and glaze over the actual driving experience...well, glad it won't EVER me again. set yourself free from the car if you feel the same, you won't regret it! go test drive a BMW/MB that's 1-2 yrs older, say 04/05 and you'll see what i mean. just imagine, for the next few years until the economy recovers...you'll feel this way about your car EVERYDAY :cries:

I bought an 06 GS300 AWD about 4 months ago expecting a very quiet, well-built, reliable car...well, reliable it has been but it's been a very squeaky, rattly ride til i just couldn't take the little eeks and the cheap plastic sounds the car made at every little bump and everywhere i touched inside the car, like the middle storage area, the plastic on the doors, etc. The car felt SOOOOO flimsy. I even had the dealer wrap felt around every part of the front dash and it only made the noise lower in volume. I can't believe that a 3 year old Lexus that cost over $50k new should behave like this. So after 4 months of this crap, i finally got rid of it. Went to a dealer and traded for a 04 E500 4Matic with similar miles for an even trade. The MB is totally solid. No squeaks or rattles, just that solid feel. I don't think I'll ever go back to Japanese. Sure MB might be less reliable but I'll trade the daily serenity for a bit less reliability ANY DAY. The noises were driving me nuts and the passengers usually told me that i should take the car to the dealer for the noises. Getting rid of a car because of these noises...is anyone else thinking the same???

owners manual has the info. it's in the glove box. remove the T insert and you'll see a plastic opening. remove the cover and you'll see the filter. i paid $14 for mine.

i used armor all and it went away...

i had my 06 awd gs300 worked on by the dealer, felt wrap everything and the squeaks are mostly gone. HOWEVER, the little squeaks are still there when going over bumps that makes the car feel cheap. i thought about this for a while and i remembered that back in 1996 or so, i bought a toyota camry v6 xle brand new and had developed this squeak problem after 20k miles or so. got sick of it and started buying german cars ever since. i got rid of a M3 covertible to find peace and quiet with this car (i'm 43 now) and i'm probably not going to keep this car for long because of this very problem. sure the car will last a long time but the daily drive needs to feel solid, not just "mostly" quiet. i think i'll put up with the little problems here and there with the german cars for that totally solid feel i got from all my previous german cars (m3, 740il, e320, s500). I also currently have the porsche cayenne s (06, wife's car) and a 02 911 turbo (wknd car) and yup, these cars are rock solid with no rattles or squeaks. when i was buying the lexus, i was so impressed with the stereo (ML), i fotgot to listen for the squeaks! i just assumed that they wouldn't be there. i'm a dumbass but just expected better from lexus. they haven't improved this issue for over 10 years. just unbelievable.