Strad6708

Hey everyone,

I am taking my '08 GS350 AWD in next week for its 5,000 mile service and I wanted to share with you the issues I have asked to have addressed at that time.

1. Obviously, the 5,000 mile service
2. Tire thumping noise that has been present since the 1,000 mile mark and which was previously looked at but not resolved
3. The car pulls strongly to the left on both the highway and city streets and I am forced to turn and hold the steering wheel to the right to move straight
4. The ivory coating on the plastic rear side airbag panels is peeling off on both sides
5. Auto recirculation of the climate control is sometimes set to auto when I start the car, but other times is on manual
6. Rattles all over the place - dash, windshield, speaker
7. Excessive brake dust on the front wheels
8. Jarring ride from the runflats - I have asked that the tires be complimentarily swapped out for non-runflats so I don't have to continue enduring the un-Lexuslike ride.

What kind of luck do you think I will have getting them to swap out the runflats for free? The runflats are extremely expensive tires ($300+ per tire), so I expect they will put another expensive tire on. What would be the best tire to ask for if I want an ultra smooth, ultra quiet ride, with good traction in Chicago winters, and generally great handling?

Thanks!

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

I think you'll have trouble with the runflat changeover.
I didn't even ask my dealer.I did it on my own the first week I had the car.
Everything else probably.
For a smoother quiet ride,go with a Grand Touring tire over a Ultra High Performance all season.Handling may be a bit less but to me,the car really doesn't handle anyway.
I went witn a Tire Rack high rated Grand Touring all season tire.
The Bridgestone Turanza Serenity.
Smooth ride only a bit loud on concrete roads.
I hven't and probably won't drive the car in snow but the reviews were good.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....e1=yes&place=0

I probably would have went with Michelin Primacy MXV4 Grand Touring All-Season but they're not made in the AWD's stock size.

Yang1815

iTrader: (1)

The tires can be swapped but probably not free.

My auto recirculation is always the same as it was when I turned it off...

beercity

I have the same problems as 5, 7, and 8. Haven't taken it in for 5k service yet. Will do that next month. I'm going to ask about 5 and 7. I plan on doing 8 myself... and welcome posts on recommended tires.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

My dealer did the pad change on my '08 without a problem.Others have had is done free also.
You may get lucky too.

rbarker

2,3, & 8 are all realated. I would think you should have better luck getting a tire replacement because of the thump and pull. Just a word of caution, touring tires may not be very good in snow and ice. I changed to them last November on my old 2004 and it went from decent to horrible in slippery conditions. It was one of the reasons I traded in on my 2008.

As for the recirculation issue, I noticed this on both my 2001 and 2004 and my new one is no different.

Brake dust issue has been discussed here quite a bit, you could ask the service tech if there is a tsb on it yet. There was for the 2007 models.

Haven't had any rattles yet on this one but did on my previous 2. Believe it or not windshield replacements in both cars fixed the problem for me.

Good luck

charlayboy

are u suppose to take it in bc u need an oil change at 5k?

07350FROST

im pretty sure the 2008's have the updated brake pads already??!! could be wrong though.

Uuuuhhh? Yes.

besides.........its free if you bought the car new.

charlayboy

^^^ thanks bro

whlkev

my dealer still refuses to change the pads unless 2008 TSIB exists

too bad my car is in AZ, otherwise this can easily be done in CA

febdragon

Likewise, I just had my 1K "courtesy" checkup at Lexus dealer. They refused to do the pads replacement without 08 TSB. Saying w/o the TSB, Lexus won't pay for the warranty work!

I think 08 models still have the "high-friction" soft pads. When asked for the part number on the 08 models, they are the same as what 07's had before the pad swap. Need to complain to Lexus to issue the same TSB on the 08 models.

The G Man

Lexus just release a TSB for the pulling to right or left problem.

len426

I have a '08 GS 350 AWD.

Don't complain to the dealer about the runflats, send an email to the Lexus Customer Assistance Center and you'll get a response in about 3 days. Be sure to mention that you brought up the issue at the 1000 mile mark. I had the Bridgestone Turanza Serenity (my choice) put on free of charge. They are a very quiet and smooth tire on most roads, anything is much better than the runflats.

As far as the brake dust, the dealer replaced the pads @2500 miles because I told them the brake dust was unacceptable. The wheels would be covered with dust after 4 days. The service advisor said that the replacement pads are made of the same material but they just have a slot cut out on the pad. I am not sure if that is true but I don't get any brake dust at all.

Good luck

Highflier

I complained about the brake dust at the 5000 mile check and was told "there isn't anything we can do about it". The following week my service gal called and said she talked to a different team in their shop who knew of the fix. Took it in last week and now no more dust.

omniskye

for those that got it replaced, was there a compromise in braking performance? i think the stock FRONT brakes are "high friction" pads, which the manual says don't last as long, but provides superior braking performance.

for those that got it replaced, i'm assuming they used "regular" pads vs. "high friction", thus resulting in little or no dust.....but did you notice a compromise in braking performance?