Lexus Owners (To share driving experience and advise)

[Natnut]

1 hour ago, inlinesix said:

Why do you want to mod?

1) Since the GS450h is a heavy car and I plan to drive up to Penang and KL for vacation, I may need the extra stopping power/reduced braking distance on the NSH. 

2) The lighter components of the BBK will reduce unsprung weight for better handling. 

3) Reduced overall weight but especially unsprung weight for better fuel efficiency. 

[inlinesix]

4 minutes ago, Natnut said:

1) Since the GS450h is a heavy car and I plan to drive up to Penang and KL for vacation, I may need the extra stopping power/reduced braking distance on the NSH. 

2) The lighter components of the BBK will reduce unsprung weight for better handling. 

3) Reduced overall weight but especially unsprung weight for better fuel efficiency. 

Other than Brembo, Alcon & AP, the rest i will not dare to touch.

Since there is Regen Brake, BBK might not be available for hybrid car.

Other than BBK, should consider better tyre to reduce braking distance.

[Natnut]

45 minutes ago, inlinesix said:

Other than Brembo, Alcon & AP, the rest i will not dare to touch.

Since there is Regen Brake, BBK might not be available for hybrid car.

Other than BBK, should consider better tyre to reduce braking distance.

I already changed to Michelin PS4. 

[t0y0ta]

1 hour ago, Natnut said:

I already changed to Michelin PS4. 

For non-track use, even on NSHW, stock brakes and well-maintained drive train setup should be fine.

Save your money for other potential repairs since this is COE car.

You sound like you are very conscientious about maintenance. Just change your 12V battery and should be very safe.

[Theoldjaffa]

On 11/3/2020 at 1:19 PM, Natnut said:

1) Since the GS450h is a heavy car and I plan to drive up to Penang and KL for vacation, I may need the extra stopping power/reduced braking distance on the NSH. 

2) The lighter components of the BBK will reduce unsprung weight for better handling. 

3) Reduced overall weight but especially unsprung weight for better fuel efficiency. 

The above are all not good enough reasons to change to BBK. If I’m not wrong, your car already has 4 pot in front right?

just paste a Lexus decal, change to slotted rotors, better pads, SSBH, I tell u, braking feel and distance will improve noticeably without the cost of a BBK. See pix for what I’ve done. And I’ve used Brembos and AP Racing BBKs for my previous cars, it’s about the same. 

 

1. just drive slightly slower (160 instead of 200kmh) and keep a safety distance and you won’t need the reduced braking distance. 
 

2. do you really think a 10kg reduction at the brakes will improve handling? If ur car is 1.8 tons, 10kg is only 0.55%
 

3. see point 2. Better fuel efficiency? Don’t bet on it. You’d be better off modulating that throttle or drive more highway with less start stop traffic.

 

but if you want to change because of hiaoness and that it makes the car look better and that you feel great every time you see it when you walk towards your car, then yes! By all means change.

[Mkl22]

12 minutes ago, Theoldjaffa said:

The above are all not good enough reasons to change to BBK. If I’m not wrong, your car already has 4 pot in front right?

just paste a Lexus decal, change to slotted rotors, better pads, SSBH, I tell u, braking feel and distance will improve noticeably without the cost of a BBK. See pix for what I’ve done. And I’ve used Brembos and AP Racing BBKs for my previous cars, it’s about the same. 

 

1. just drive slightly slower (160 instead of 200kmh) and keep a safety distance and you won’t need the reduced braking distance. 
 

2. do you really think a 10kg reduction at the brakes will improve handling? If ur car is 1.8 tons, 10kg is only 0.55%
 

3. see point 2. Better fuel efficiency? Don’t bet on it. You’d be better off modulating that throttle or drive more highway with less start stop traffic.

 

but if you want to change because of hiaoness and that it makes the car look better and that you feel great every time you see it when you walk towards your car, then yes! By all means change.

yeah, most of the aftermarket BBK are more meant for track or some just for the looks.

I totally agree on pads, hoses. rotors i'm 50-50 on whether slots make that much of a diff.

to stop better, you just need good tires and slam on the brakes hard. most people don't step hard enough. pussy foot braking wont stop the car 😁

[Sogo]

Hi all, might be a bit of an usual request, I am looking to hook up with anyone planning to sell a Lexus CT200h, ideally something around 2015 or so. Anyone knows what channels I can get on to look for owners who are looking to sell?

[ALTK]

Time flies! My car warranty and free servicing ended liao. Looking for a good, reliable workshop (preferably familiar with Lexus cars) in the east area (Ubi, Kaki Bukit, Tampines...). Any bros got good recommendation? TIA.🙏

[t0y0ta]

52 minutes ago, ALTK said:

Time flies! My car warranty and free servicing ended liao. Looking for a good, reliable workshop (preferably familiar with Lexus cars) in the east area (Ubi, Kaki Bukit, Tampines...). Any bros got good recommendation? TIA.🙏

Any shop that services Toyota will do.

[ALTK]

14 hours ago, t0y0ta said:

Any shop that services Toyota will do.

Looking for long term maintenance so trying to look for a knowledgeable, skillful and trustworthy work shop. Used to sent my previous IS250 to a workshop in Sin Ming...but kinda inconvenience for me.

Edited November 28, 2020 by ALTK

[Natnut]

Has anyone heard of this problem called "valve seal leak"? 

Noticed this item mentioned in my service invoice in 2019 and I remembered the workshop boss say that it is not a serious problem and no need to fix. 

But it's now 1 year later and wondering if I should get it pro-actively fixed before it becomes more serious and causes more problems down the line. 

[ismailmiller]

My new COE LEXUS IS250 had a leaking valve seal cover issue found during STA inspection. I drove the car as per normal cos it wasn't a major issue as the only problem was your engine oil will evaporate a little bit faster. Went to Toyota Stockist and got the gasket seals at around $70++ and got a workshop to replace it at a labor cost of $250. My gaskets were all hardened already. 

[Natnut]

13 hours ago, ismailmiller said:

My new COE LEXUS IS250 had a leaking valve seal cover issue found during STA inspection. I drove the car as per normal cos it wasn't a major issue as the only problem was your engine oil will evaporate a little bit faster. Went to Toyota Stockist and got the gasket seals at around $70++ and got a workshop to replace it at a labor cost of $250. My gaskets were all hardened already. 

Thanks! Mind sharing the stockist and workshop? How old was your car when this issue surfaced? 

Edited December 3, 2020 by Natnut

[east41st]

Any Toyota/Lexus stockist, preferably in the west? 

[ismailmiller]

Hi Nut, the car was 10 year old. Just got it from dealer and drove about 2000km before deciding to repair it since it was not urgent. 

Stockist: Transglobal 

Workshop: 3Motorwerks at Kaki Bukit. 

[Natnut]

Hi guys. I think I read on this thread that the local Sg government enacted a law that prevents workshops from voiding the warranty of a part that they installed just because you serviced your car at another workshop and the servicing has nothing to do with the part involved.

I'm asking this because the brand new Hybrid Battery Pack I installed from HEVshop came with a 3 year warranty but they included in the terms and conditions that the warranty is only valid if I do regular servicing with them every 10,000 km or 6 months whichever comes first.

My thinking is that servicing of the internal combustion engine should have nothing to do with the Hybrid Battery Pack and as long as I don't touch the Hybrid Battery, why should I have to be tied down to servicing with HEVshop?

Edited December 7, 2020 by Natnut

[Natnut]

5 hours ago, ismailmiller said:

Hi Nut, the car was 10 year old. Just got it from dealer and drove about 2000km before deciding to repair it since it was not urgent. 

Stockist: Transglobal 

Workshop: 3Motorwerks at Kaki Bukit. 

Did you only replace the valve cover seal or the other gaskets as well? You mentioned that your gaskets were all hardened already. Any personal feedback or review on 3Motorwerks? I might try them out.

[Hybrids]

I had degrading engine performance over a period of time in my ex 2IS. After Borneo Motors did the decarbonising I did come acceleration checks as I had access to acceleration timing equipment. 0-100 went from 8.9 to 8.1 secs. So big difference, at the time mileage was around 110km. This engine was mostly reliable, owned it till 180k. Failures were Alternator, engine mounts, and HPFP. Of course, it was one of the smoothest ever V6 produced by anyone. Only pity was it had no Low end torque, and not very efficient. Gearbox is good too, I never had any issues, so can see why they also used same for GT86.

Edited December 8, 2020 by Hybrids