hziemba

Does anyone else find the trunk harder to open and close on this car than other Lexus cars?

It seems a real struggle to move this one, compared too my previous ES300. Is there any way to adjust the resistance?

If I try to grab the inside handle, it's very hard to pull down. The best way to close it seems to be to put the whole hand on the spoiler, and push down.

I understand the power closer only works for the last inch or so... like if you accidentally opened the trunk.

It seems they should have done a better job of balancing it, so that you could move it with minimal force.

Also, what's that black strap on the left side for? the one that connects the lid to the inside of the trunk?

lexuslover

i agree, it is very hard. not like the 2nd gen GS. i think the weight distribution was changed b/c of closer. the good news is, it loosens up after a while, enough so that pulling on inside handle is enough to do the trick. the springs are still tight, but at least i don't have to put my hand on the trunk lid.

DaveJ

I agree the trunk lid is strangely weighted. On my previous Mercedes I could pull on the inside handle and close the trunk without having to touch the outside of the trunk and push it closed. For me, the trunk lid on the GS is a two handed operation. I pull it mostly closed with the inside handle and then gently push down on the spoiler until the electric closing mechanism engages.

Regarding the black strap, I think you're referring to the safety mechanism so that if a child is locked in the trunk, the child would see the glowing handle and pull on it to open the trunk.

bigzip

No problem closing the trunk on mine, it might be a little stiffer than my '99ES but not much. I always close it with the inside handle, goes about all the way down then I just guide it onto the electric closer by barely pushing down on the license plate bracket.

The black strap I think you're refering to is maybe a safety strap to stop the lid from flying into the back glass in case the hinge were to fail.

DaveJ

hziemba, sorry I went brain dead when I commented about the black strap. For some bizarre reason I had in my mind that the black strap you referred to was attached to the inside release handle. I think bigzip nailed it.

Sandman

If I grab the inside handle I can pull it down in one smooth motion and it lands nicely on the catch so that the automatic closer can do it's job.

That "black strap" that you mention and others mentioned is the electrical connection between the car and everything electrical in the trunk lid (lights, etc). So be careful not to pull on it, etc.

hziemba

Thanks for the answer on the "strap"... good to know.

Mine must be a bit "tighter" than yours. I tried using the inside handle, but find that even when I give it a very firm pull, and get my hand out of the way, it doesn't get down to that last inch or so before the electric latch will grab. Just no way to close it without pushing down from the top, and even then, most people won't do it with their pinkey - there's still a lot of resistance

I'm going to ask my dealer the next time I go in if there is something that can be adjusted.

I can't understand why Lexus made is so hard to open and close. It certainly won't come down and hit you in the head!

LS4fun

I think over time as the struts lose a little bit of their resistance, you will find that the trunk gets easier to close....

jaja

don't own a 3GS, but I felt the same for the trunk. its hard to close. esp with the funky hinges and all, it makes it hard to close.

i guess old school is better.

the other thing that i didn't like was that golf bags don't smoothly fit in..... if we have any golfers out there, you know what i mean.

don't get me wrong, its an awesome car, but the trunk needs some work.

frheko

Was there ever a solution for the "trunk is hard to pull down" issue? My 2nd gen trunk was very well balanced and easy to open and close; just pull the inside handle with one or two fingers to get it started and it gently finished the range of motion and latched. My 3G requires strong, continuous pull on the inside door pull, followed with pushing down on the trunk lid to the point where the automatic latch does its thing. Is there a way to release the tension other than removing one of the struts, which I don't want to do (because of the torsion).