New to the board after buying my first Lexus. I bought a used 06 GS300, 15k mi with Nav, ML, Park assist, etc. Here are my two questions:

1. Vibration. Car runs smooth as silk. But, when cruising at 70 - 75 mph and ease off the gas to coast, there's a noticeable shimmy. Back on the gas, and it goes away. It's not in the steering wheel so much as in the chassis (seat of you pants feel). I stopped by the nearest Lexus Dealership (60 miles away) and they test drove it. Said it was out-of-round tires. Car has Yoko Advans with 15k on them, but still plenty of tread. I would think a bad tire, or two would cause vibration all the time, not just when gently lifting off the gas at cruising speed. Any thoughts?

2. Ticking. Was at the ticket booth at the airport yesterday, car in gear sitting still. I could hear a distinct ticking sound. In neutral, can't hear it. Repeated it once I got to my garage last night. Same thing. Oil is clean and level is good. Any thoughts?

Overall, I love the car...although the sound quality via FM isn't what I would have expected through a ML sound system. CD's sound great.

Anyway...I'm glad to be a member here and appreciate your support.

Mike

 

Just curious, how much did you pay for the car? I am in the market for a simiilar car.

 

there is one at jim ellis porsche of atlanta ...06 gs300 white with grey only 10k fully loaded nav/ml..here the link..http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...&cardist=12..i have check it out and it very nice but decide to get a new gs350 instead..best price they offered me is 39000 plus tax and tag..hope that help

 

Sounds normal, this is the direct fuel injection system you are hearing. Do a search, it's discussed here in other threads.

 

Ticking occurs if you put lower octane gas than Premium. These engines are high input, and regular gas may be the problem for them. Never put regular gas in it. Midgrade or above is good.

 

1. Check tire pressure in all your tires. The same exact thing happened to me and I found that my front left tire was almost 10 psi lower than the rest. Once I aired it up, the vibration went away.

2. The ticking sound you describe sound like the direct injection doing it's thing. It's normal.

 

Thanks guys. I spoke with the Dealer today who told me the same thing...direct injection. The tank is full of 93 octane and tires have 35 psi all around. The Yoko's are just plain noisy. The vibration really feels like a bad tire belt, or the like. I've had great experience with Khumo's on my Porsche and a previous Mercedes. Going to put a set on this car next week.

Autig...the white car looks like a great deal. I notice it also has video displays in the head rests. Nice. My ML system doesn't have those. I guess they're yet another option? I paid about $38k. I say "about" because there was a trade-in and it's never clear where the trade-in was valued vs. the price of the new car.

In the middle of applying a coat of 3M hand-glaze followed by a light coat of Carnuba. I love black cars!

 

I had serious issues with the advans at around 9k miles.They were louder than my Toyota 4x4.I got Michelins and they are very smooth and quiet.I got that same vibe issue when you let off the gas.I got a feeling this is a driveline related issue.

 

Just to clarify...did the vibe issue go away with the tire change?

Thanks,
Mike

 

I did not do the tires for the vibe issue,did it cause it was really loud.I have been a Toyota tech for 20 years and worked on a lot of Toys and Lexus and my gut tells me its a driveshaft problem.I have not seen any TSB's about this but as soon as I do I will let everyone now.The vibe is felt when you let off the throttle.The vibe issue is still there.

 

chocaholic sorry I did not realize that you started this thread.The local dealers here are terrible,I do not trust them at all.They dont care because this vibe thing is most likely a warranty issue that does not pay the tech well.I have a lot more respect for the Toyota techs that I worked with rather than the tech or techs that have touched my car when I would bring it in.I do not bring my car in anymore even if its a warranty issue.They told me that the vibe is tire related.There is no way that it would be tires.

 

Thanks for the info. I'm putting new tires on next week regardless. Will see what if any difference it makes. If there are two of us with the vibe issue, there must be more. It's really annoying. I also notice that my rear tires appear to be wearing a bit unevenly (inside wear). I presume that might also be related to a belt separation in one or both tires. I'll ask the tire shop to check the rear alignment when the new ones go on. Fronts are wearing perfectly.

Would you hesitate to use a Toyota Dealership for Service (oil changes, maintenance, etc., as compared to Lexus? I'm about 15 minutes from the Toyota dealership where I bought my car used. Over an hour to the nearest Lexus Dealer. The Toyota Sales guy said they can do all warranty work on Lexus. Make sense?

 

As far as using a Toyota dealer to do your work it really depends if the technician is a professional and cares about his or her workmanship.The problem is you dont even see or know who is working on your car.The oil filter for the 06gs300 is very similar to a toyota avalon filter (2006 model on)but is not the same,its a little shorter.Get your oil filter,air filter,cabin filter from Lexus then take the car where you want.You can use the Castrol Syntec Euro blend (0W-30) its the only one that says made in germany at the back of the container.Get your parts online so you dont have to drive to the dealer.

 

I've had several oil changes done by Toyota dealerships with great service and I saved money. My only negative comment is they typically don't know how to reset the oil change reminder. My first Toyota dealership didn't reset it at all. The one I go to now resets it, but it usually takes them some time to figure it out.

I've heard a couple people complain about their Yoko Advans. I just changed to Bridgestone Turanza from Dunlop run-flats and really like them. Smooth, quiet, and good handling.

 

If the express lube guys are doing the oil change then I believe that they may not know how to reset it.If the line techs are doing the oil change they should now how to reset,its same procedure on the Toyota's