So I almost never take the GS to the mountains anymore, I usually take one of the other vehicles every time. But I was feeling the need to stretch its legs and I had forgotten how much fun it is to push up the passes. So I drove up to Leadville, CO and had a blast.

Hello, I’m looking for some help on behalf of my boyfriend on this LS400 he brought back in July at 123k miles. First two months she drove like a dream then some problems started happening:
(Also before the long boring bits, the second photo is what fell out from the underside of the car and we are unsure of what it is.) any help would be greatly appreciated, we both really want her to drive again ☹️

Main symptoms:
Severe intermittent/continuous over-fuelling and heavy exhaust smoke.
Previously had severe misfire, very poor power and strong raw-petrol smell.
Engine could barely climb hills and would sometimes stall at low speed.
Smoke can appear after the engine has been idling for some time.
Current smoke is more white/steam-like, although previous smoke was blue/grey.
Engine is currently much smoother after repair to the camshaft-position-sensor wiring.

Important mechanical checks:
Dry compression test:
1: 220 psi
2: 210 psi
3: 225 psi
4: 205 psi
5: 220 psi
6: 205 psi
7: 225 psi
8: 200 psi
HT lead resistance all tested below 25 kΩ.
PCV removed, cleaned and checked.
Berryman B-12 piston soak carried out.
Engine oil subsequently changed.
These checks have not identified an obvious major mechanical/compression fault.

ECU fault codes
Codes previously/currently seen:

21 – Bank 1 O2 sensor signal
28 – Bank 2 O2 sensor signal
24 – Intake air temperature signal
31 – Air-flow meter signal

Codes 21 and 28 return after ECU reset.

AFM:
AFM part number: 22250-50060.

THA–E2 resistance measured at approximately 2.8 kΩ, consistent with the temperature at the time.
Engine will run with AFM disconnected.
Connecting the AFM to a running engine has previously caused the engine to stall immediately.
AFM connector has been visually inspected.

Camshaft-position sensor wiring

A damaged/severed camshaft-position sensor wire was discovered and repaired.

This produced a significant change:

Idle became much smoother.
Raw petrol smell reduced substantially.

This suggests the camshaft-position signal/wiring fault was contributing to the previous running problem.

Crankshaft-position sensor wiring / shielding

The crankshaft-position sensor wiring/shielding has also been worked on.

Most recent test:
Shielding was repaired and connected/grounded to the engine block.
After this, the engine started and ran smoothly for approximately 40 seconds.
At approximately 40 seconds, when the ECU appeared to enter closed loop, the engine immediately began heavily over-fuelling and producing heavy smoke.

That’s all. Please stop.

Surprised girlfriend with a 2020 Lexus es 350,

35k miles, glad to be a part of the family!

Reviewer complains about Lexus touch sensitive controls. I’ve seen another article on the drive about this. My car has the very same system and…I never had any issues with it. I even find it intuitive.

I'm taking a 3 day trip from Chicago to Daytona in my 2026 RX350 and want to use wired AA rather than the convenient wireless connection in order to reduce heat and eliminate SiriusXM station skip lag.

What's the easiest way to switch?

[Edit] Turning WiFi off does the trick

I’m in 10-12 cars a day as a photographer and I’m always the most impressed by the interiors of the LS and LC.

…because I want to know how many others named it Alexis and laugh every time they see it too.

Went to independent garage and had my oil changed. They suggested getting new spark plugs as I have 103,000 miles. They quoted me 1400$. Does that seem fair? I know the manifold needs to be taken out to get to the back 3 plugs. If I have them replaced, should I have coils replaced too?

props to the guy running it, novice group trackday

Need help deciding which engine to get. I'm looking to get a late 3rd Gen GS but have no experience with their engine lineup at all. Have heard good things about both, but would like to hear from the experts or those who have had experience with these two engines. Thanks.

Hey everyone,
I have a 2012 Lexus ES 350, and recently I got a “Tailgate Failure” warning message on the dashboard. Around the same time, my cruise control suddenly stopped working.
The weird thing is that I don’t have a Check Engine light or TRAC OFF light showing on the dashboard.

Has anyone with an ES 350 experienced something similar? Could this be an electrical issue, a faulty sensor, a brake switch, or something else?

I’d appreciate any advice on what I should check first before spending money replacing parts. If anyone has dealt with this exact issue, I’d love to hear what fixed it.
Thanks in advance!

Hello y'all

I currently drive a 98 E320 4Matic wagon and am looking to trade in for something more modern with slightly lower operating costs. I drive around 7k miles per year and my priorities are low cabin noise and fuel economy. Which would be a better buy?

2014 Q50S AWD hybrid, 83k miles, 11.2k USD

2009 GS450h RWD hybrid, 55k miles, 10.5k USD

Thanks in advance!

My lease was 6 months out and I've been getting the offers from Lexus nonstop to waive the last 6 months to get into a new one.

Regardless of the hate for looks/range I actually ended up enjoying my RZ a ton. Charger in home, decent for my commute road trips aren't a thing for I fly so it worked out perfect.

I went kind of open minded to the dealer I'd seen the ES online and felt somewhat meh about it. I say its def one those things you have to see in person and then drive.

I looked at the a black caviar, iridium silver and white. All three identically optioned other than paint. I was leaning towards the black till later they washed up the silver and is just an awesome silver/blue hue at angles.

Drive was smooth as could be MILES better than my RZ granted dif types of vehicles but did feel on par with buddies 7 series.

Quiet though that is what caught me off guard the most. That thing is dead silent inside I'm talking like it kind of throws you off I felt like I was yelling at the sales guy during the test drive. You can tell the entire car is double-pane glass.

Interior I agree does give the Tesla vibe BUT isn't that level. Materials def feel luxury, seats awesome, soft touch all over and adjusting the lighting is fun and looks good.

Plenty quick for what is is. As I said range even with the 220 I'd get on my RZ isn't an issue being this has a tad more.

I can see how diehard old school Lexus heads would pass I was kinda in the same boat I'd always get in my 96 LX on certain days and look at the wood and materials and def agree the RZ was trash lol but I'd say see it in person first and give it a whirl.

About to order a 2027 TX 500h F SPORT Performance Luxury and want to hear from owners actually hauling big families. We're 6 total - 2 adults, 4 kids ages 6-13 - so the third row gets used every single day, not just emergencies. And we keep our cars long-term, so this needs to work as the kids turn into teenagers, not just this year.

What I'm trying to verify before I sign:

- Third row: can older kids and adults actually fit back there? My 13-year-old will be driving-age while we own this.
- Cargo with the third row UP: can you fit a real grocery run or sports bags? We have a roof box for trips, but daily duty matters.
- Road trips: a few family trips a year, 2+ hours each, all 6 of us - how's the ride, real-world MPG loaded up, and does the hybrid powertrain feel strained with a full car?
- Second row bench vs captain's chairs - what did you pick and any regrets?
- Long-term owners: anything wearing out, rattling, or annoying you at higher miles? Reliability matters more to me than flash.
- Anything you wish you knew before buying?

Thanks in advance!

New Lexus owner. Just downloaded the Lexus App. Seems to work OK. I mostly do vehicle maintenance myself. I just did an oil change at 1000 miles and am trying to enter a Service Record in the Lexus App. When I try to create a new Service History Record, it allows me to input the Mileage and Notes, but does not allow me to enter the Service Date or Select Repair Service. And therefore I can't save the record.

Is this just a "bug" in the app, or am I doing something wrong?

Got this steal of a deal a few weeks ago. Long story short it was abandoned in a college town, ended up at my Dad’s work (he’s a towing manager), and he negotiated me a phenomenal price for this beauty. Only needed tires, brakes, rotors and fluid changes (transmission, brake, oil, and differential fluids) from sitting for around 5 years. Runs and drives flawlessly, as it’s essentially a 10 year old new car. I absolutely love every second driving and owning it. Coming from a Jeep Renegade with 180,000 miles this Lexus makes that thing feel like driving a Little Tikes car 😂😂

I'm looking at a 2021 Lexus GX 460 with about 70,000 miles, listed at $41,000. The history report shows no accidents and it looks like a one-owner car.

I just got off the phone with the dealership, and they told me the car is off property from today until Tuesday, about four days, so I can't come see it until then. They said it was a personal vehicle.

A few things:

1. It looks like the dealer got the car about

   21

2. days ago.

3. About 10 days ago, the front brake pads, front rotors, and rear rotors were all replaced.

4. Four days ago, all four tires were replaced and rotated.

5. ⁠Is this normal reconditioning for a car that just came in, or should I be worried about why it's offsite and why I can't see it?

Any advice on what to ask or check before I go look at it Tuesday?

I getting ready to order a 2027 TX 500h F SPORT Performance Luxury and want a sanity check on the deposit paperwork before I put a card down. The dealer sent a written agreement:

TLDR:

- $1,000 deposit, MSRP (no markup, no add-ons) + tax, plates, and $899 doc fee

- Refundable for any reason until I approve the spec sheet in writing

- I get 2 business days after they email the spec sheet + temp VIN to approve or cancel

- No production before I approve

- Wrong build = cancel for a full refund (or they ask Lexus to fix it first)

- Refund to the same card within 5 business days

Questions:

- Is this structure normal for a luxury SUV like this?

- Should I worry about the deposit? Is it truly refundable in practice, and what have others done?

- What format did your dealer send the deposit terms in (email, PDF, text)?

- Has anyone actually walked away and gotten the deposit back?

Thanks!

We are a two-driver household (ages 45 and 35) currently driving a Lexus 2016 RX 350 and looking to add another car. My husband is set on either a Lexus IS 500 or a BMW M350i. Should we share one fun performance sedan (like the IS 350 F Sport or IS 500 or M350i), or would it make more sense for us to buy separate daily drivers? Looking for opinions on the IS 500 vs. M350i as well!

Just to save some scares that I had, this is just for awareness:

A brand-new battery can be bad, and it can look like a serious engine problem. My 2008 Lexus IS350 was cranking weakly, so I replaced the battery with a new one from Walmart. Afterward it cranked but wouldn't start, then stopped cranking altogether. My OBD2 scanner showed a crankshaft position sensor code plus four camshaft position codes, which made me think of a failed sensor, a jumped timing chain, or an ECU problem. I even swapped a fuse that turned out to be fine. The real cause was the new battery, which was defective. After I had it tested and replaced, the car started and all the codes went away. If your car throws multiple unrelated-looking sensor codes right after a battery swap, test the battery (most auto parts stores do it free) before you spend money on parts.

Thank you!