Toyota making lots of fark ups, Acura still releasing butt-ugly cars, maybe it's time for the USA to make a come back.

 

Little update that i just found on yahoo http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Beleag...64987.html?x=0

 

It happened to me during a Thanksgiving trip last year. It was originally thought to be a faulty fuel pump but ended up being a broken valve spring. Better to have it done at your convenience than to have it blow up during a trip. Luckly I was able to get a free loaner and a 350 mile tow once the repair was complete.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...30k-miles.html

 

correct me if i'm wrong, but i don't think faulty valve springs have anything to do with carbon buildup? it's a totally different issue i think?

on a side note, i called my service dealer this morning, and there is currently no recalls for the GS450h (only for the LS600 i think he said?). i would need to wait for a recall letter to come out from lexus canada.

 

Damn dude sorry to hear that. Glad it worked out.....

 

thx for the link with your experience (i missed it somehow). if i were you, i would find out from the lexus dealer whether the replacement valve springs are new and improved ones, or the same defective ones used at the factory. it would totally suck if this happened a 2nd time. btw, how many miles on the odo before your engine blew up?

 

Agree. And by USA we mean Cadillac since Lincoln is a joke, making spruced up Fords.

It seems actually there are a lot of options now. BMW and Benz quality has increased a lot, and the latest Infinitis drive well too.

 

I was told at the time (30K miles) that this was a known problem and that they were the new and improved springs. After it happened I noticed a thread in the LS forum regarding the same thing.

 

Lexus replaced all my valve springs under an approved TAS case PRIOR to the official valve spring TSIB to fix the carbon buildup issue. At that time there was no TSIBs/Recalls and i had to fight my case for the repairs.

.... the valve springs is ONE of the possible fix for the carbon build up issue.

 

If the recall will come out and they will be changing the valve springs, is there any chance that ping pong noise will go away from direct injection?

 

So the last news article I just read shows the recall list for the US and GS300 isn't on it. Argh... TAS better approve this work on my car, I can't fathom why it's not included in the recall it clearly suffers from the same problems and there is already a TSB out there for it.

 

I remember when this happened to you. What a nightmare.

I'm not taking any long road trips until the dust has settled and I know whether my car is affected. You have an '07 GS350, right? Can you share your manufacture date? Mine is 9/07.

 

I have a scheduled appointment at my dealership this coming Tuesday for musty/moldy smell coming from the A/C and an occasional grinding noise coming from the engine when I start the car (usually only after I've driven for a bit and then start the car after it's sat for 1-2 hours). Is that grinding noise part of this recall? If not, I wonder if they'll do the repair for the recall while the car is there?

 

Here's the latest. Jay, it says "certain 2006, 2007 and 2008 GS ..." so you may be OK.

http://content.usatoday.com/communit...ecall-in-us-/1

Jul 02, 2010
Toyota ordering massive Lexus recall in U.S.
03:01 PM
Toyota is announcing the inevitable, that the latest Lexus spring valve defect is going to become a full-fledged recall in the U.S. The fear is that the defect can cause the cars to stall in traffic.

Toyota just issued an announcement saying its Lexus luxury division has told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of its intention to recall 138,000 Lexus vehicles, powered by 4- and 5-liter V-8 and 3.5-liter V-6 engines. Unlike yesterday, Toyota today specified the model years involved: "certain 2006, 2007 and 2008 GS, IS and LS models in the U.S. The complete list is below. The formal report will be filed next week.

The recall is yet another body blow to the quality image of the once bullet-proof Japanese automaker, even as it runs ads touting its safety.

"In the covered vehicles, due to slight variations during the manufacturing process, some foreign material may have contaminated a small number of the valve springs. If a vehicle is affected, there is a remote possibility that abnormal engine noise or idling may occur. In extremely rare instances, the engine may stop while the vehicle is in operation," Lexus says in its announcement.

"Lexus estimates that the likelihood of a customer vehicle experiencing this condition is two-tenths of one percent (0.2 %). Lexus has received no reports of accidents or injuries related to this condition. No vehicles from the current 2010 model year nor 2009 are affected."

More from Lexus:

Lexus will send owners of the involved vehicles a recall notification via first
class mail. Owners are requested to contact their local Lexus dealer for
diagnosis and repair after receiving their notification. The repair will involve
replacement of the engine's valve springs at no charge.

Owners can continue to drive their vehicles. If symptoms are noticed, such
as vibration, rough idling, unusual engine sounds or poor performance, the
vehicle should be brought to a Lexus dealer for service.

The vehicles involved:

Model/Year
GS 350
2007
2008
GS 450h 2007
2008
GS 460 2008
2006
IS 350 2007
2008
LS 460 2007
2008
LS 460 L 2007
2008
LS 600h L 2008

 

It says "certain 2006, 2007 and 2008 GS, IS and LS models". The only 2006 model on that list is the IS350.

I'm not so sure how real this list is, since that site is the ONLY one the last time I looked that had that information on it. If it were really an official announcement I would have expected that info to be everywhere.