Rant: lexus fucking sucks

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa) 04/29/2020 at 11:36 • Filed to: None

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The usual train of thought seems to be that a Lexus IS is the cheap, reliable alternative to an E46, or that an LS is a maintenance free alternative to a 5 series. Get an IS! It’s a RWD Camry! Fuckin bullshit.

First off is purchase price.

Want a stick? Go get fucked, a stick IS300 costs actual car money. $6k for a clean one. The auto? Big old “meh”. For a “sport sedan” it’s about as engaging as corn flakes. Spend half as much money on an equally clean E46 330 and go faster, corner better, and have cheaper parts prices.

Fun stuff Lexus does: control arms edition. How about we take a common wear item (a ball joint) and integrate it directly into something that almost never needs replaced (a control arm) so that the resulting assembly is ridiculously fucking expensive.

Fun stuff Lexus does: coolant tank edition.

Yeah it’s built into the fan shroud, requiring an insane amount of disassembly to replace and is $160 because fuck you.

Here’s a list of common issues LS400s have:

1. Alignment bolts seize to the chassis and have to be cut off

2. Door handles are a weak pot metal design, no longer available, expect to pay $120 for a used one the wrong color (only on the 98+)

3. Center air vents are incredibly fragile and $150 on the used market (only on the 98+)

4. The factory radio is doo-doo and likes to break but replacing it with something else requires re-wiring pretty much the entire car due to an un-interfaceable factory amp (only on the 98+ with the Pioneer instead of Nakamichi)

5. The gauge cluster is shit. Full stop. Fucking absolute dog shit. There is some lube applied from the factory that turns into glue after 20 years and on a hot day the motors will “stick” to their stops until you hit the dash with your fist. This also frequently burns out the steppers. The steppers also just die on their own for no goddamn reason. Services exist to rebuild them, expect to spend $400 (all UCF20s I believe)

6. Lexus has nonserviceable ball joints on most of their cars. Control arm prices range from “that’s a bit pricey” to “I have bought cars for less money than this”

7. The auto tilt/telescope steering wheel. Pre-98 is less reliable but has a button to turn off the automatic function. Post-98 is a complete tossup on if you get the less reliable can motors or the later “ultrasonic motors”, but either way if it stops working you are thoroughly fucked. The only way to disable the auto tilt is by reflashing the ECU with an original Toyota Techstream and every shop I went to was unable to do it, and [local lexus delaership] told me it wasn’t even possible (despite being clearly outlined in multiple Lexus literatures). The net result is that your steering column auto tilts all the way up and telescopes all the way in when you exit the car, then when you get in it again sometimes it just fucking stays there. You can disassemble the dash and unhook the motors once you get it into a comfortable position but the ergonomics weren’t designed around a static steering wheel so have fun if you are anything other than hilariously skinny.

I’m sure there’s more but this is all I can remember at the moment. FWIW the powertrain was excellent it was just all the other shit that makes it a “nice car” is absolute dog shit. The earlier ones got a far more limp-wristed engine and shitty 4AT instead of a 5AT and even worse fuel economy but are far, far better to deal with.

Oh and the ECUs are garbage and need to be rebuilt, so have fun chasing random issues until that’s done.

Want to change a headlight bulb on an IS300? Take the bumper off then shove it up your ass. Wanna do plugs? Take the throttle body and intake off. Also the dashboard has melted because we’re Lexus and fuck you. Want a manual instead of the worst auto ever put in a sport sedan? You’re gonna pay the cost of two nice 330is for the privilege of a slower, floppier, shittier car with less parts availability because the total north american sales of the IS300 was less than one year of the 3 series.

But hey

neat tail lights.

UserNotFound > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/29/2020 at 12:10

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It’s funny because the tail lights are the worst part.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/29/2020 at 12:19

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Damn. That makes a Toyota 2GR-FE V6 powered Lotus Evora seem like a better proposition in terms of maintenance, repair, and upkeep...

and that’s a LOTUS!

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/29/2020 at 12:25

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Whoa, Jake, buddy.  Don’t bottle all your rage up.  Open up, be honest with yourself and us.  Tell us how you really feel about Lexus...

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Snuze: Needs another Swede 04/29/2020 at 12:33

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They’re sub-optimal .

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 04/29/2020 at 12:33

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[cracks nose cone]

totaled.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > UserNotFound 04/29/2020 at 12:33

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I like the later ones where they darkened the chrome.

Jb boin > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/29/2020 at 12:43

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Of, i see what you did there... fan service !

—

E46s are not unreliable cars, they just are around the 20 years old mark which means that many original rubber and plastic parts might fail at every moment and that rust might also be your new BFF .

jimz > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/29/2020 at 12:56

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if nothing else I got a great laugh out of this. especially

Want to change a headlight bulb on an IS300? Take the bumper off then shove it up your ass.

not sure how that’ll get a headlight changed but it’s an amusing image. 

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/29/2020 at 12:56

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Actually, a really low priced Evora S with only a cracked front fascia, but mechanically undamaged otherwise, no subframe or front clam damage... it would be tempting to get one, just for the excuse of putting this on...

fiberglass aftermarket, and the only truly great-looking version of the front fascia for the Evoras...

but point taken... Fragile, as-in “Fra-Gee-Lay” ... must be (like) Italian.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/29/2020 at 12:56

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Na and NB miatas also have the ball joint issue on the uppers. Luckily yhe aftermarket has fixed that 

jimz > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/29/2020 at 13:05

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[drove over speed bump]

totaled.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/29/2020 at 13:13

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M y IS has not been inexpensive to keep on the road.

gin-san - shitpost specialist > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/29/2020 at 13:15

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It was fun to read but sorry about the miserable experience you’ve had. 

Jim Spanfeller > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/29/2020 at 13:45

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A Lexus used to be my mom’s dream car because they always seemed super nice to her, and then she saw one for sale at a used car lot while shopping for a new car. She got excited and asked to take it for a test drive, and it was nice until the car broke down while they were test driving it. The Lexus was no longer my mom’s dream car.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/29/2020 at 15:58

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Clearly what you need to do is replace your Lexus with a new Tesla.

:-p

Bylan - Hoarder of LS400's > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/29/2020 at 17:03

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I have had so many issues with my 97 LS and now my 98 LS just had total timing failure and needs an engine. I still love lexus', but im seriously looking at E46 330i's because if im constantly fixing something, it might as well be something that goes around turns right? Also I want a manual in my life

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 04/29/2020 at 18:56

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My bosses model 3 needs an entire chassis wiring harness replacement at 16k miles.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/29/2020 at 18:57

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your IS is a cream puff that you drive five miles a year. My point is parts are oddly expensive because, now that I look it up, the entire run of IS300s in north america is less than the number of E46s sold in 2002 alone, so parts are annoyingly priced and shit is designed all kinds of stupid.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Bylan - Hoarder of LS400's 04/29/2020 at 18:57

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Yeah that’s pretty much my outlook.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/29/2020 at 20:19

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But I was agreeing with you ... I said “has NOT been IN expensive”...

shop-teacher > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 04/29/2020 at 23:47

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I'll just stick with my truck, thank you very much.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/30/2020 at 09:20

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reading is hard tho