Lexus Owners (To share driving experience and advise)

[Natnut]

I am very very disturbed. I sent my GS450h for hybrid battery replacement and transmission fluid change at HEVshop today. There was no check engine light or error code when I entered the shop at 10.30 am today. 

When I came to pick up my vehicle at 6pm , I discovered an error code on the dash : " T/M error" 

The foreman claims he ran diagnostics with his computer and can't find anything wrong with my car. He suggested I Google the error code and try to find out the cause myself. He also tried to convince me to take back the car and drive home, saying that it is probably not a serious issue. 

Naturally I refused and insisted they keep the car overnight while they troubleshoot and fix the issue. I am taking Grab home tonight. 

Thoughts?? 

[Toeknee_33]

21 hours ago, Natnut said:

I am very very disturbed. I sent my GS450h for hybrid battery replacement and transmission fluid change at HEVshop today. There was no check engine light or error code when I entered the shop at 10.30 am today. 

When I came to pick up my vehicle at 6pm , I discovered an error code on the dash : " T/M error" 

The foreman claims he ran diagnostics with his computer and can't find anything wrong with my car. He suggested I Google the error code and try to find out the cause myself. He also tried to convince me to take back the car and drive home, saying that it is probably not a serious issue. 

Naturally I refused and insisted they keep the car overnight while they troubleshoot and fix the issue. I am taking Grab home tonight. 

Thoughts?? 

Wow, HEVshop doesn't sound like a responsible workshop judging from your description. T/M probably meant TransMission and probably related to the transmission oil change that was done. Right decision not to take the car back. Quick browse on the internet says disconnect the 12V battery and see if the code goes away.

[Natnut]

4 hours ago, Toeknee_33 said:

Wow, HEVshop doesn't sound like a responsible workshop judging from your description. T/M probably meant TransMission and probably related to the transmission oil change that was done. Right decision not to take the car back. Quick browse on the internet says disconnect the 12V battery and see if the code goes away.

So the foreman managed to make the error code go away when I went back to the workshop today. I test drove the car extensively for around 20km loop, deliberately accelerating hard and occasionally in POWER and SPORT settings and the error code didn't come back. The foreman claims it may be due to a weak 12V battery and he said he fixed it by reconditioning my 12V battery. I insisted a clause in the invoice that said that HEVshop warranties against the "T/M error" coming back in the next 1 month or else they have to fix it FOC. 

[Natnut]

As an aside, does that mean my 12V battery is losing voltage? It's a 85D23L Amaron battery, 60CCA, 550AH, last changed by AA in 20 Jan 2018. Tested voltage in HEVshop was around 10.5 volts.

 

HEVshop actually advised me to change from the Amaron battery to their workshop battery which is a Boliden. I took a photo of the battery. Haven't decided yet as I don't know about Boliden battery.

 

One thing HEVshop mentioned was that the Amaron battery AA installed for me was missing the bleeder which is SOP in the stock Lexus GS450h 12V battery. One selling point of Boliden is that the battery also has a bleeder just like stock Lexus 12V battery. 

[t0y0ta]

57 minutes ago, Natnut said:

As an aside, does that mean my 12V battery is losing voltage? It's a 85D23L Amaron battery, 60CCA, 550AH, last changed by AA in 20 Jan 2018. Tested voltage in HEVshop was around 10.5 volts.

 

HEVshop actually advised me to change from the Amaron battery to their workshop battery which is a Boliden. I took a photo of the battery. Haven't decided yet as I don't know about Boliden battery.

 

One thing HEVshop mentioned was that the Amaron battery AA installed for me was missing the bleeder which is SOP in the stock Lexus GS450h 12V battery. One selling point of Boliden is that the battery also has a bleeder just like stock Lexus 12V battery. 

I would rather change to GS Yuasa which is MIJ and also has a line of batteries specific for HEV.

Mine (EcoR EFB) was changed in Chen Jin.

[Natnut]

29 minutes ago, t0y0ta said:

I would rather change to GS Yuasa which is MIJ and also has a line of batteries specific for HEV.

Mine (EcoR EFB) was changed in Chen Jin.

Is that battery EcoR EFB specific to GS450h? Mind telling me how much you paid? Also any contact for Chen Jin? 

 

Thanks in advance 

 

[t0y0ta]

32 minutes ago, Natnut said:

Is that battery EcoR EFB specific to GS450h? Mind telling me how much you paid? Also any contact for Chen Jin? 

 

Thanks in advance 

 

Mine was the std top range EcoR Revo MIJ

https://gyb.gs-yuasa.com/products/car/eco-r-revolution/

mine was the S95D26 size, got it for 195. Google for "Chen Jin"

GS Yuasa also have a dedicated HEV range

https://gyb.gs-yuasa.com/products/car/eco-r-hybrid/

 

[Mkl22]

17 hours ago, Natnut said:

So the foreman managed to make the error code go away when I went back to the workshop today. I test drove the car extensively for around 20km loop, deliberately accelerating hard and occasionally in POWER and SPORT settings and the error code didn't come back. The foreman claims it may be due to a weak 12V battery and he said he fixed it by reconditioning my 12V battery. I insisted a clause in the invoice that said that HEVshop warranties against the "T/M error" coming back in the next 1 month or else they have to fix it FOC. 

Ok, one shop to avoid for me. 

[Mkl22]

1 hour ago, t0y0ta said:

I would rather change to GS Yuasa which is MIJ and also has a line of batteries specific for HEV.

Mine (EcoR EFB) was changed in Chen Jin.

Yuasa EcoR Has been a disappointment for me. Both of them died less than 2 years in 2 different cars. 

[Mkl22]

2 hours ago, Natnut said:

As an aside, does that mean my 12V battery is losing voltage? It's a 85D23L Amaron battery, 60CCA, 550AH, last changed by AA in 20 Jan 2018. Tested voltage in HEVshop was around 10.5 volts.

 

HEVshop actually advised me to change from the Amaron battery to their workshop battery which is a Boliden. I took a photo of the battery. Haven't decided yet as I don't know about Boliden battery.

 

One thing HEVshop mentioned was that the Amaron battery AA installed for me was missing the bleeder which is SOP in the stock Lexus GS450h 12V battery. One selling point of Boliden is that the battery also has a bleeder just like stock Lexus 12V battery. 

Get a proper battery tester. Likely they left the interior lights on or radio on during the servicing. 
voltage low just tells you it may need a charge. Might not be dead yet. If the state of health is good but state of charge is low, then a charge up on an external battery charge is all that is needed. 
don’t get conned. Too many unethical shops out there these days. 

[Natnut]

I read that Lexus hybrid cars have no alternator to power so are much less demanding on 12V batteries since all the accessories run off the hybrid battery. The 12V battery essentially is used as a quick start battery. Apparently from the UK Lexus forums, some GS450h owners use small lightweight golf cart batteries as their starter 12V battery. The advantage is that they are light so improve fuel consumption and handling. 

[Natnut]

Actually since I've renewed COE on my 2009 Gs450h and done the hybrid battery replacement, is it worthwhile considering total engine overhaul or walnut blasting or other decarbonisation procedures? 

I thought that with dual fuel injection (port + direct), the 3.5L 2GR-FSE engine is resistant to carbon buildup but I also read that cylinder 5 of the 2GR-FSE is prone to engine leaks. Should I do preventative gasket replacement of my engine and/or complete engine overhaul?

[Mkl22]

5 hours ago, Natnut said:

Actually since I've renewed COE on my 2009 Gs450h and done the hybrid battery replacement, is it worthwhile considering total engine overhaul or walnut blasting or other decarbonisation procedures? 

I thought that with dual fuel injection (port + direct), the 3.5L 2GR-FSE engine is resistant to carbon buildup but I also read that cylinder 5 of the 2GR-FSE is prone to engine leaks. Should I do preventative gasket replacement of my engine and/or complete engine overhaul?

No to walnut, no to gasket, no to overhaul. Wait till it breaks. Trust me. Save the money to only fix when things break. 
no point doing it prematurely. I have learnt over the years. I know you will tell yourself that you will keep the car for ages, thus the need to make it perfect and then keep it. Hahaha. 
IMHO, doesn’t work in reality. All these sunk cost will come to naught when you sell. Just maintain it so that it will run and be reliable. Don’t need for unnecessary preventive. 

Edited November 1, 2020 by Mkl22

[Natnut]

That sounds like great advice.

Another issue is that car shampoos, waxes and polishes in Sg are way over priced. I was thinking laterally and thought of buying a traffic film remover in bulk and came across this Traffic Film Remover. Apparently there are 3 versions : Light Duty, Medium and Heavy Duty but only Heavy Duty is for sale. According to the spec sheets, it's a concentrate and should be further diluted 20:1 if used by hand but 50:1 or 200:1 if used in a machine wash. There are technical spec sheets attached to the product page. Basically costs around $35 for 5 litre bottle and if diluted  should yield 100 litres of wash fluid. My question is if this product is car paint safe or even hazardous to health :

https://sg.rs-online.com/web/p/adhesive-removers/7716686/

https://docs.rs-online.com/9a53/0900766b811c86d8.pdf

https://docs.rs-online.com/8abf/A700000006611805.pdf

[Toeknee_33]

4 hours ago, Natnut said:

That sounds like great advice.

Another issue is that car shampoos, waxes and polishes in Sg are way over priced. I was thinking laterally and thought of buying a traffic film remover in bulk and came across this Traffic Film Remover. Apparently there are 3 versions : Light Duty, Medium and Heavy Duty but only Heavy Duty is for sale. According to the spec sheets, it's a concentrate and should be further diluted 20:1 if used by hand but 50:1 or 200:1 if used in a machine wash. There are technical spec sheets attached to the product page. Basically costs around $35 for 5 litre bottle and if diluted  should yield 100 litres of wash fluid. My question is if this product is car paint safe or even hazardous to health :

https://sg.rs-online.com/web/p/adhesive-removers/7716686/

https://docs.rs-online.com/9a53/0900766b811c86d8.pdf

https://docs.rs-online.com/8abf/A700000006611805.pdf

I'd rather spend a bit of money with a car polishing outfit for a thorough polish, then apply a layer of ceramic/glass coating. Forget about waxing and polishing for a year, at least.

[Natnut]

Any thoughts about these brakes? Apparently made and designed by local Sg company and tested on Audis, BMWs and Minis.

https://www.carousell.sg/p/lfi-gr50-forged-big-brake-kit-system-front-1044970855/

They have a Facebook and website as well :

https://www.facebook.com/laforgeind

https://lf-ind.com/

 

I chatted with the seller and he made this promise (screenshot) attached):

 

Edited November 2, 2020 by Natnut

[Natnut]

Their basic 4 piston GR20 Brakes for front wheels come with forged 2-piece aluminium calipers, two piece lightweight rotors, pads and stainless steel brake lines all for $999 SGD. 

I wonder if there is a catch. 

Edited November 3, 2020 by Natnut

[inlinesix]

14 minutes ago, Natnut said:

Their basic 4 piston GR20 Brakes for front wheels come with forged 2-piece aluminium calipers, two piece lightweight rotors, pads and stainless steel brake lines all for $999 SGD. 

I wonder if there is a catch. 

Why do you want to mod?