Mike246

As owner of a '98 GS300 with 180k on the clock (middle-aged compared with some of you guys) I was chatting with the Service Manager of my local Lexus dealership.

I asked him what finally sees-off this model. Many of us put up with or replace aircon parts or solenoid door locks but as he agreed, the major parts seem to go on forever.

He told me that the usual reason for calling it a day is because of wiring loom failure. They get Series 2 (and some Series 1) GS's in with electrical faults caused by eventual breakdown of of the insulation causing shorts. In many cases they can do work-around to fix but this is a warning that things will deteriorate further before long.

I guess there is a lesson here. Don't let the engine overheat and avoid adding devices (high-power headlights, accessories via the cigar lighter, etc.) which overload the cabling.

RamAirRckt

Always a good tip. The OEM's don't waste copper, its expensive and heavy. So it is designed to carry XX amps load, so adding an amp or radio that exceeds that is asking for it. And some wire insulation deteriorates with age, and mileage has no effect on that...Its just old....

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

I remember wiring harness issues are what killed off a ton of decent Mercedes in the early to mid 90d. I was assuming what people got fed up with on these cars weren't any one thing, but a bunch of minor issues (mainly suspension) that people were simply tres of dealing with, then picked up by someone who would neglect the car until it died. That's how I see a lot of older Lexus around here go anyways