Just bought a 2015 GS350 with 58K miles
08-01-17, 01:54 PM
#16
Lexus Fanatic
Congrats on the GS.
It seems you may have changed some things pretty early. Spark plugs at 60K, they should last at least to 100 and often well beyond that.
If you are a DIY type you could have done all that work for under $300 yourself, there are plenty of write ups here and videos on youtube.
I would avoid doing anymore tranny flushes, I would just do drain and fills, flushes can and have caused many issues and made things worse/expensive to repair.
It seems you may have changed some things pretty early. Spark plugs at 60K, they should last at least to 100 and often well beyond that.
If you are a DIY type you could have done all that work for under $300 yourself, there are plenty of write ups here and videos on youtube.
I would avoid doing anymore tranny flushes, I would just do drain and fills, flushes can and have caused many issues and made things worse/expensive to repair.
08-01-17, 03:03 PM
#17
Rookie
Thread Starter
Thanks for the advice everybody. The reason I went to the dealer and got the service was to be sure of what I was getting. I wanted a 100% checkup on this car and clean bill of health. I've driven BMW's for so long and they start having problems as the miles add on or with time. I wanted to be sure with this car since my plan is to keep it for the next 15 years or so and I want to be able to drive this car to California and back, if need be, with confidence. I'm getting tired of car payments and paying for outrageous repairs.
For the future though, this should be pretty easy to do oil changes, air filters, tire rotations in my garage or in my driveway so that should be easy.
For the future though, this should be pretty easy to do oil changes, air filters, tire rotations in my garage or in my driveway so that should be easy.
The following users liked this post:
ECL (08-03-17)
08-01-17, 03:09 PM
#18
Rookie
Thread Starter
Seems like some of the things you changed were unnecessary.
Spark Plugs(rated for around 100k)
Tranny Flush(unnecessary, full flush is not good for a transmission, at least on my 450h it's sealed and not ever supposed to touch it, there is no dipstick to add tranny fluid)
Replaced PCV? That's not even in the service schedule, again unnecessary
There is a reason they warned you not to touch some of these things, might do more harm than good.
Spark Plugs(rated for around 100k)
Tranny Flush(unnecessary, full flush is not good for a transmission, at least on my 450h it's sealed and not ever supposed to touch it, there is no dipstick to add tranny fluid)
Replaced PCV? That's not even in the service schedule, again unnecessary
There is a reason they warned you not to touch some of these things, might do more harm than good.
Now, on the flip side, I've read about the people with the Camry's and Lexus' with 200-300K miles and never touched their tranny fluid either so it could go both ways. I'll be mindful of it and get up on YouTube and these forums and get my knowledge up about these cars.
08-01-17, 03:18 PM
#19
Rookie
Thread Starter
As per manual for GS350:
"Initial [coolant] replacement is at 120 months/100,000 miles. Replace every 60 months/ 50,000 miles thereafter."
"The transmission/transfer case and transmission fluid are a completely sealed unit. Therefore, periodic checks and replacement of the transmission fluid are not required, and there is no dipstick on the transmission. Any repairs that require adding or replacing fluid should be performed by a qualified technician following procedures in Lexus service and repair publications." There is no mention of what interval to have transmission fluids changed.
For RWD F-sport, rear differential fluid is recommended to be replaced every 72 months/60,000 miles.
Spark plugs are recommended to be replaced every 72 months/60,000 miles.
Brake fluid is recommended to be replaced every 36 months/30,000 miles.
Engine Air Filter is recommended to be replaced every 36 months/30,000 miles.
Cabin Air Filter is recommended to be replaced every 12 months/10,000 miles.
Engine Oil and Filter is recommended to be replaced every 12 months/10,000 miles.
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You could easily save some money by replacing the engine and cabin air filters on your own. Should take less than 15 mins. Dealer would charge a lot to do those simple replacements. You'll end up paying a lot more if you tell the dealer to perform XX,000 mile service. They will do the checks/inspections anyways because they want to find things to repair. Also, you could order the F-sport Engine Air Filter, which is reusable, and clean it at 30K miles.
"Initial [coolant] replacement is at 120 months/100,000 miles. Replace every 60 months/ 50,000 miles thereafter."
"The transmission/transfer case and transmission fluid are a completely sealed unit. Therefore, periodic checks and replacement of the transmission fluid are not required, and there is no dipstick on the transmission. Any repairs that require adding or replacing fluid should be performed by a qualified technician following procedures in Lexus service and repair publications." There is no mention of what interval to have transmission fluids changed.
For RWD F-sport, rear differential fluid is recommended to be replaced every 72 months/60,000 miles.
Spark plugs are recommended to be replaced every 72 months/60,000 miles.
Brake fluid is recommended to be replaced every 36 months/30,000 miles.
Engine Air Filter is recommended to be replaced every 36 months/30,000 miles.
Cabin Air Filter is recommended to be replaced every 12 months/10,000 miles.
Engine Oil and Filter is recommended to be replaced every 12 months/10,000 miles.
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You could easily save some money by replacing the engine and cabin air filters on your own. Should take less than 15 mins. Dealer would charge a lot to do those simple replacements. You'll end up paying a lot more if you tell the dealer to perform XX,000 mile service. They will do the checks/inspections anyways because they want to find things to repair. Also, you could order the F-sport Engine Air Filter, which is reusable, and clean it at 30K miles.
But, from what I'm ready about Lexus', they pretty much seem to be bulletproof. You could miss a couple of services and the car will still run well. It wasn't like that with my 550i. I did everything early and that damn car would still leave me stranded by the side of the road. I guess I need to be deprogrammed of the BMW mindset of over-maintenance and doing extra but that's what I'm here for, to learn from you guys.
Thanks again
08-01-17, 07:27 PM
#21
Rookie
Thread Starter
At the dealership, it was part of their 60K mile service. Fuel filter was there too but after reading the Lexus 60K mile service, and the dealer 60K mile service, they have extras because the car doesn't have a fuel filter that is serviceable. Also, they had coolant flush but when I checked the itemization, I didn't see coolant. When I asked about it, they said it was really a check, not a flush and the flush is at 100K (but why have flush stated?)
Last edited by HPLouis; 08-01-17 at 07:35 PM.
08-01-17, 08:03 PM
#23
Rookie
Thread Starter
Now, I'm gonna rack up the miles on it. I want to be one of those guys with a 300,000 mile car, bragging to everyone how the car has never given me a problem, all I do is scheduled maintenance and the car still looks and drives mint.
08-01-17, 09:18 PM
#24
Advanced
That's why I went with the Toyota guy versus the outside mechanic for the tranny flush. I'd rather be safe than sorry. I don't mind spending the little extra considering the miles and that I didn't know what the prior owner did or didn't do. It just seemed like he/she did oil changes so I'd rather play it safer than sorry.
But, from what I'm ready about Lexus', they pretty much seem to be bulletproof. You could miss a couple of services and the car will still run well. It wasn't like that with my 550i. I did everything early and that damn car would still leave me stranded by the side of the road. I guess I need to be deprogrammed of the BMW mindset of over-maintenance and doing extra but that's what I'm here for, to learn from you guys.
Thanks again
But, from what I'm ready about Lexus', they pretty much seem to be bulletproof. You could miss a couple of services and the car will still run well. It wasn't like that with my 550i. I did everything early and that damn car would still leave me stranded by the side of the road. I guess I need to be deprogrammed of the BMW mindset of over-maintenance and doing extra but that's what I'm here for, to learn from you guys.
Thanks again
Personally, I'm a fan of changing the transmission and differential fluids regardless of whether the manual may say not to (change, not flush). I plan to keep my car long term, if I didn't plan to I would probably not worry as much about it. After researching, I am of the opinion that changing them probably shouldn't hurt anything, only help, if done properly.
Hope you enjoy your new ride.
08-02-17, 02:26 AM
#26
Rookie
Thread Starter
Difference between BMW and Lexus is night and day for reliability/frequency of issues with the car. I'm sure there are people with different experiences, but my BMW was a reliability nightmare, and my Lexus has been awesome so far other than some rattles in the cabin. I just wish I could get all the money I spent on repairs on my BMW back. Car looked great and was really fun to drive, but you can only look at it and drive it when it's not in the shop :/ .
Personally, I'm a fan of changing the transmission and differential fluids regardless of whether the manual may say not to (change, not flush). I plan to keep my car long term, if I didn't plan to I would probably not worry as much about it. After researching, I am of the opinion that changing them probably shouldn't hurt anything, only help, if done properly.
Hope you enjoy your new ride.
Personally, I'm a fan of changing the transmission and differential fluids regardless of whether the manual may say not to (change, not flush). I plan to keep my car long term, if I didn't plan to I would probably not worry as much about it. After researching, I am of the opinion that changing them probably shouldn't hurt anything, only help, if done properly.
Hope you enjoy your new ride.
08-02-17, 02:39 AM
#27
Rookie
Thread Starter
With BMW, there were recommendations (i.e. every 30K miles, change differential, power steering, coolant and tranny fluids), (every 2 years, brake fluid), (replace cooling system parts around 60K miles, i.e. expansion tank, water pump, thermostat, vent hoses), (around 80K miles, start preparing for gasket leaks and replacing suspension bushing, check shocks and struts because those would be going out soon, etc). If you didn't do these things, you'll run the risk of the car leaving you stranded (that happened to me a couple of times) or a more expensive repair later. I spent most of my time being proactive to try to avoid breakdowns. The guys with the turbocharged cars, they had to worry about fuel pumps and turn problems too. Even with all those issues, people stuck with those cars. I know I did for years. The cars drove well, made nice power, and looked great.
You know, what surprised me was reading this forum vs the BMW forums. Here, I don't see too many complaints about the cars. Over on those forums, most of the times, it would be people complaining about whatever issues (electrical problems, cooling problems, etc.) or troubleshooting problems, etc. I eventually got tired of it.
I guess I could relax now and just enjoy the ride instead of trying to stay ahead of, and avoiding disaster.
08-02-17, 02:42 AM
#28
Rookie
Thread Starter
Difference between BMW and Lexus is night and day for reliability/frequency of issues with the car. I'm sure there are people with different experiences, but my BMW was a reliability nightmare, and my Lexus has been awesome so far other than some rattles in the cabin. I just wish I could get all the money I spent on repairs on my BMW back. Car looked great and was really fun to drive, but you can only look at it and drive it when it's not in the shop :/ .
Personally, I'm a fan of changing the transmission and differential fluids regardless of whether the manual may say not to (change, not flush). I plan to keep my car long term, if I didn't plan to I would probably not worry as much about it. After researching, I am of the opinion that changing them probably shouldn't hurt anything, only help, if done properly.
Hope you enjoy your new ride.
Personally, I'm a fan of changing the transmission and differential fluids regardless of whether the manual may say not to (change, not flush). I plan to keep my car long term, if I didn't plan to I would probably not worry as much about it. After researching, I am of the opinion that changing them probably shouldn't hurt anything, only help, if done properly.
Hope you enjoy your new ride.
Thanks again everybody.
08-02-17, 07:13 AM
#30
Rookie
Thread Starter
They also said 100,000 for differential and coolant too. I just was not comfortable with letting fluid sit that long. I'd rather spend the extra couple of hundred dollars and get it changed. It can't hurt anything (except for my wallet). I'm hoping I can drive this car for tons of miles, then I can pass it to my daughter when she goes to college in 6 years or so.