I had the dealer search for a tsb fix for the brake clunk, and they found it and ordered the parts. I go in tomorrow for the fix. Hope it works. :sick:
How dissapointed I am. I use to have the LX470 for 5 years I choose to go to the GX because it was something new but same. I have only have had the GX for 1 month and it has gone in for service 4 times. The GX starts to vibrate and shake once it hit 54 mph. which is crazy. They say it is because of the tire and wheels I brought the car with. They have changed the wheels tires and bolts and it is still doing the same. I was told if I put the original wheels and tires the vibration will go away.. However, reading that I am not the only one with this problem I dont think it will work. I just cant believe Lexus would sell a brand new car with wheels that don't sit right on the car. Especially when one of the reasons I bought the car was because it looked pretty with the wheels. What can i do?
If that vibration remains with new tires and wheels, and yet another set of tires and wheels, you may have an unfixable problem and a legit claim under your state's lemon laws ... unless you've leased in which event lemon laws have (at least in some states) been judged not applicable to leases. I recently read with some skepticism that someone had a similar vibration and the dealer/service department said it would settle down and stop in ~ 500 miles. I don't buy into that explanation. Having personally owned MANY new cars of all descriptions, having rented heaven knows how many more, and not knowing a single person who has had such a problem I've got to believe you have a problem car. Insist on having the wheels and tires changed AGAIN and don't cave in to any pressure from them. If you don't get satisfaction from your dealer, go to the Lexus regional office. :mad:
In this case, my salesperson insisted that this is how they were trained by their "Lexus Trainer". I've spoken with Lexus Corporate about the issue, to try and make sure they get someone back out to the dealership to "retrain" the salespeople.
I have an 04 GX470. My wife drives it 95% of the time. Beginning around 12,000 miles brakes started to pulse under normal braking. Feels like the rotors are warped. It got progressively worse and now has 20,000 miles. We took it to the dealer and they are stating that it is not a covered warranty item as the vehicle is over one year old. I've had less expensive (lesser quality) vehicles with more miles, driven much harder and without any brake problems. Has anyone had this problem?? Any suggestions on how to get this resolved under warranty?? I'm not getting any satisfaction with the local dealership.
Do any of you that have handling problems have the KDSS package. I am intereted in buying a 2006 GX 470 but on my test drive I did notice more sway then I was comfortable with. I understand the KDSS package improves handling on the highway. I did like the quick acceleration and the quietness of the ride----did not notice any clunking (but then the darn saleman is chattering away. Also, does anybody run regular gas in the 2006's?
Sorry to seem dense, but what's the KDSS package? I guess (from context) it's a suspension package. You did indeed notice the sway that I and others here have noticed and complained about.
Insofar as regular gas is concerned, I NEVER run anything less than medium octane (eg, 89 v. 87) and more likely use premium particularly in a car/truck I plan to keep for years ... as is the case with my wife's GX as she typically keeps her ride for 10 years. Bart
I always run regular gas. Did the same in my MDX. I notice a slight improvement with the higher octane, but I just don't need it. The better gas does not seem to help me in any way with the mileage. On the RX forum some folks seemed to think that mobil gas with detergents is better for the engine, but????
As for the brake clunk, it is something you feel more than hear, and it feels like you have been lightly tapped from behind in a mild fender bender. It did not seem to occur all the time, it was only randomly, and only when fully stopped with your foot on the brake.
Just bought 04 GX470 and surely enough Mark Levinson's DVD remote is missing. Lexus deasler wants 349$ - isn't it too much? Anybody was able to figure out a replacements options for that remote or the place where I could get it cheaper?
The clunk when you stop and start again is actually the transaxle as I just came from Lexus in N.J. They have a kit for that but it is nationally backordered as all the dealers found out about the fix. I'm under warranty by far so no worries for me. I saw on the invoice it requires a grand worth of parts for the fix. Thx. Bob
I'm really frosted by Lexus' handling of updates to their nav system. My wife's '04 GX has (from what they tell me) a 2002 system. We were going to Yowemite in May so the 2nd week in May we asked them to get us the updated maps. Two weeks later we left, no update. We got a call last Monday (7/10) "do you still want the update"? Yes. "It should be in the end of the week ... we'll call when it gets here." Well, still nothing! Two months? And no notification when an update was made available? One would expect a whole lot more attention to detail from a top end franchise.
When my wife misplaced her key-fob transmitter it took them > 4 months to let us know the one she ordered and paid for had come in. Fortunately she found the lost one. They hadn't programmed the new one to her car (yet an additional cost) but that didn't matter ... we still had to take it even though it could have been sold to another customer. Or returned, for that matter.
These two issues, plus the less than stellar hiway performance of our GX, makes this the first and last Lexus I'll ever own.
Blov8r, sorry you had had bad service issues. It can be very dissapointing. I am fortunate to not have any major issues, and my servicing dealer has been great. No complaints, and they have been really nice. (of course we pay for the privilige.) I always laugh when people reference the "free" beverages in the customer lounge.
BTW, I have really been behaving with my driving, but can't budge the mileage over 16. Maybe if I drove more freeway miles.
To be fair, when the car goes in for service it is great service (and it goes in only for routine maintenance). It's the lack of attention to details of other than ordinary requests that frosts me.
As far as the "free" beverages is concerned, my barber offers that!
16's as good as the V8 will let you have ... maybe squeak a bit more on the hiway, but there I usually cruise @ 80 and 16's what I expect. :shades:
Wondering what you all think about the difference in the ride from the comfort to the sport ride? What do you notice different? I'm not sure if its my imagination or not so any input would be helpful
I've found no material difference in the two ride settings. I'm actually quite unhappy w/ this car/truck but fortunately my wife loves it. I know it's my fault for paying $50K for it ... I liked the road manners of her old Grand Cherokee a great deal better! And my Navigator was even better than that. Go figure. Bart
What were the conditions when you were on Race Track road? At Desert USA it says that road can driven by family sedans in normal conditions.
Let's look at what Consumer Reports says about off road vehicles - GX470 and 4Runner in the top 10 and Ford Expedition in the bottom 10 (Navigator is based on Expedition). The GX470 is a much better off-road vehicle than the Expedition. Does this advantage help the typical rider who never goes off road? I would say definitely not. Does this advantage help the typical rider who drives on snowy roads? I would say it depends on how deep the snow gets.
I've had many cars and trucks on road and seriously off road (California and Mexico), including Ford and Lexus, and not one of them was "the king" in every category.
Has anyone installed the XM satellite receiver and adaptor listed below? The claim is that these devices integrate with the existing GX system (display, steering wheel radio controls, etc).
Terk XMDirect Universal XM Satellite Radio SoundLinQ (Model SLX) - Auxiliary Input Adapter
These two devices also give you the ability to integrate your ipod into your vehicle.
I'm wondering where the best place to put the antenna is without it looking like #@$&
Two days ago I purchased an '06 GX470 and have had a number of problems - Lexus dealer installed DVD player doesn't work (keep getting a "wrong format" message when we load a Netflix DVD); Interior lights don't come on when doors open; my cell phone charger is stuck in the AC adaptor. Is this symptomatic of this car?
Seems this DFW market is tight. We went to 3 dealerships and none would deal like the San Jose dealerships would. We opted to buy once we relocated but I'm not sure now. We paid $53K total out the door (fully-loaded but without sport package or chrome wheels) plus $1540 for the 7yr/100K warranty.
I don't believe these problems are symptomatic of this car. I did have a 2000 LX 470 for 6 years... no major problems and have had my new 2006 GX 470 for about a month now and no problems as of yet so I'm not sure what to tell you. I know I would not be very happy if it did have these problems being brand new. For the interior lights I think that might be just a setting. Maybe check the manual and see. Mine come on but I do recall our salesman saying you have the option of them coming on or not. Good Luck
We are on our 5th Lexus and I drive a Lexus also. My wife drives a GX 470 which is 20 months old and we have had a series of little problems with it since new. In addition to the minor issue the two main ones are this.
1) It took 5 times to fix the Air Conditioning. The A/C would work then not. The compressor light would start flashing and when this happened that meant the compressor was not working. This was finally fixed after out 5th trip and took 5 days. They had to order a $1,000 "main hose"(according to the service guy) The A/C issue would fit our states lemon law, "Only if the A/C issue first happened with 12 months of buying it" but it started during month 14.
2) This issue is much more serious and my wife has said she will no longer drive the car. We live in the middle of a big hill and we have to travel down it to a busy access road to get to anywhere outside our sub-division and about two months ago my wife pull out of our driveway and went to try to stop but the brakes went to the floor. She freaked out and put it into reverse. We took it into the shop and they said nothing was wrong and that sometimes air is trapped in the brake lines from the factory. (I didn't quite buy this since we had the car for 18 months, but I left with it). My wife reluctantly began driving the car again after I drove it for a week without issues. Now two months later the brakes failed again while she had the car full of kids. Nobody was hurt, and this time she used the emergency brake, instead of reverse like I told her. I took it in on Tuesday and on Friday morning they called and said they had it fixed and had applied a Service Notice(which we never received) but just wanted to road test it. I called Friday afternoon and they said, they were road testing it and had a "pedal issue", which I think is the PC way of saying "the brakes failed". So now they have ordered in a new Master Cylinder and who knows what else, and said the soonest the car will be ready is next Wednesday Now my wife really will not drive it. I have asked the dealership if they could work with me on this since it is so new, had so many issues and it seems to have serious problems. They answered by not saying anything. One of the guys who worked there told me to call 180025lexus (not sure if the guy was really trying to help me or his boss made him tell me like it was "inside information" in order to take the heat off of the dealership) I called and filled out their short form and was told someone would contact me in two business days. Does anyone know about these issues? Does anyone know of any recourse I might have since we are just outside the lemon law. It would seem brakes should be considered more important than AC or trim molding, etc. My wife will not drive the car so I am not sure what to do with it. Selling it, I will take a server beating since I paid list for it since it was the first 2005 and their was a waiting list a mile long. Any help would be appreciated.
WOW! That is all I can say. That does not sound good at all. It really scares me to think that has happened to an almost brand new Lexus. Have you ever had a any other problems with your other Lexus'? Have you always bought from the same dealership?
Does anyone know of any recourse I might have since we are just outside the lemon law.
Ouch. The car's too new, and if it's having brake failure issues they should be fixable and I wouldn't take the car back until the entire brake system has been fixed and checked out. Unfortunately, just because your wife won't drive it doesn't obligate them to "work with you" ... but once letitimate fears have arisen it's a fairly strong argument w/ lugging kids around, etc, to have an attorney knowledgable about this sort of thing write them a strong letter. As it's an intermittent thing, how will you ever know when it's really safe to drive! I'm on your wife's side ... and I wouldn't rest until this issue was resolved and the car replaced.
I listen to the radio pretty loud and in my Cadillac when I was under the nav directions when it was time to turn or be warned of the next exit I was to take, the radio would lower automatic and the voice would come on. With this GX it seems like the radio will not lower and you can't hear the voice unless you yourself would lower the radio. Am I doing something wrong or have something set wrong?
Must be something wrong with the software. My wife's GX gets VERY much softer when NAV instructions come on. I drive an Infiniti M35 ... in THAT car, although the audio does soften a bit, it doesn't begin to compare with the quieting in the Lexus. That's the ONLY part of the Lexus that I feel is superior to the Infiniti! Bart
This is normal in the GX. I had an 05 GX and now have a 06 GX. The nav voice just doesn't go loud enough when the radio is turned up. If the volumn on the radio is low, then I can hear the nav voice. For some reason, Lexus doesn't want the nav voice to be loud. Who knows what their logic is for that. I imagine its the same on other Lexus vehicles.
I’m looking for anyone who owns a 2007 GX470 with NAV. My question to all that own a 07 with NAV would be, have you figured out the voice command for the air conditioner? I have not been able to get the A/C to work using a voice command. I owned a 05 GX and a 06 RX400h in which the voice command worked well for the A/C.
The service isn't bad, the customer care stynx. I got my 2nd Infiniti from the dealer across the street and their attention to detail makes our Lexus dealer look like he's serving Yugo owners. Bart :mad:
Dear cwilbs! I am surprised that your dealer is not communicating with you to your satisfaction. My suggestions: -look for a lawfirm that has handled automotive complaints in the past, possibly from your State (of residence); -provide them with information, and -with a Customer Service history printout from the dealership that has been servicing your Lexus (it is free of charge - you have the right to get it while you wait!) -tell the lawfirm you intend to hire, that you need to initiate a legal process by sending a "Letter of Demand" about your complains (cost: $800 or less); I wish you good luck! Andrew
I bought my wife a 2007 GX470 with navigation. During the December to remember sale. I cannot get the voice command to operate the Air condition either. It doesn't make sense that the older generation models, 2006 and older have that function and the newest models do not. Please let me know if you find a solution to this problem. Cheers,
If you look within your owners manual it does show that the voice NAV should work in with the A/C. However, after running this problem through my dealership, East coast manger, Lexus in Cal and allot of others it turns out the manual incorrect. I surprise the entire Lexus team because no other buyer of a 2007 noticed or caught this. For 2007 Lexus opt not to have the NAV work with the A/C. Instead the GEN 5 NAV allows one to place a telephone call with voice where Gen 4 could not. Bottom line: You have to control the A/C with your hands. :mad:
Thanks for the reply, I asked the dealer during a demo why that function doesn't work. They were stumped because they assumed that it had the same features as the previous generation in addition to the voice command for phone calls.
the only part in the vehicle that concerns the ac control and the navigation is the gateway ecu. so there is a wiring glitch of the gateway ecu most probably. its part of the avc lan system that stops you from hooking up non lexus accesories to the wiring harness and at times even stops lexus accesories from working.
I've been researching the "clunk" and saw a msg dating back to Jan 2006 that stated many of the related messages were no longer appearng on the site, but host indicated they would be available elsewhere. Could someone point me in the right direction as we are continuing to experience problems with our 2004 GX. Thanks -
I have a 2004 GX470 and have recently (in the past 3 months) noticed a clunking sound when I put on the brakes. I noticed some postings about that. Has anyone had it looked at and what did it cost to repair it? Also have had the problem with the AC compressor going out - started before the warranty was out and the dealer could not find a problem. Has anyone had this repaired? If so, how much? I am considering purchasing a new car and thought about a 2007 GX470 - any thoughts? Also, does the 2007 have Bluetooth capability?
Ok as for the clunk that is not warranty that is a TSB and I had mine fixed and it works like a dream now. Have the dealership look this up it's a well know problem with the Gx 470 but once fixed there isn't ever a problem again. I beleive it's an upper and lower control arm and drive shaft.
As for the AC compressor I haven't had that problem but I guess if you have that written down as a problem prior to the warranty running out and it's still doing it I would question that also.
My 2006 has bluetooth and love it.
I went from having a 2003 and a 2005 Escalade to a Gx 470 (always had large trucks) and I will never drive anything else. We are thrilled with our choice.
Thanks for the info. For the record, I made a mistake, I have a 2003 GX470. By the way, what is TSB? I just looked at a 2007 GX470 & I think that's what I will buy. I really love my GX - hard to imagine driving anything else.
TSB stands for Tecnical Service Bulletin which has nothing to do with warranty. This is something that the company puts out letting you know that there is something wrong that needs to be fix but it doesn't need to have a recall due to not posing a safty hazzard. Under your Vin number I believe they can tell if this was ever addressed. If not you are entitled to have this done. One thing I'm not sure of if this has to be done while sill under the original 4 yrs or 50,000 mile. Out of 20 new trucks that we have owned this has to be one of the best choices that we have made. This is also the first foreign trucks that we have owned also. Can't compare.
"A technical service bulletin is actually an advisory issued by a manufacturer for use by dealership service departments.
And, of course, the best thing about finding a TSB that seems to cover a persistent problem in your vehicle is that dealerships will make the repair for free, provided that
* Your vehicle is under warranty;
* Your service advisor and/or technicians are able to confirm that the problem exists. "
Never had a clunking sound until some rear brake work was done on our 04 model. Lexus is aware of problem it should not be an issue getting it fixed. it actually feels like someone tapping your rear bumper with a clunking noise.
Have been hearing clanking noises from front passenger seat when someone is riding in vehicle. Almost sounds like a loose soda can hitting the side of the car. Of course Lexus did not do as I requested in having a person sit in the passenger seat when test driving, had to waste another day to return and have manager ride in vehicle. Funny heard the noise going right out the drive-way at Lexus. End result is they changed the entire passenger seat. Anyone encounter this I have a new passenger seat that does not match the drivers seat in terms of the wear on the leather. Lexus is replacing a part on the drivers side but not sure what that is. Things usually get resolved with Lexus but this one has me wondering. It looks funny with new gray leather and the others are smooth.
From Don in Denver Did you ever get your garage door opener on the GX to work? I just bought a GX and cannot get the rolling code garage door opener to work as instructed in the owner's manual. I'm using a Chamberlain Series 1200 rolling code garage door opener.
I have the same brake problem. At 12,000 miles Lexus said I need new breaks. I took it to my local shop. They said no way. Now they pluse (18k miles). How did it work out for you? MILBYDAVE@AOL.COM
After getting an oil change at a quick lube they were unable to turn off my maitenancde required light. Has anyone figured out how to reset the maintenance light on a 2005 GX 470?
hope you were able to program your garage door opener. I too just got a new Chamberlain garage door opener. To program it into your GX470, you must first follow steps 1-4 under the "Programming the HomeLink" instructions in your manual. Then follow the "Programming a rolling code system". Hope this helps.
Comments
i do?
What year is your GX? How many miles on it? What were the original tires and what do you have now?
Slooose
Insofar as regular gas is concerned, I NEVER run anything less than medium octane (eg, 89 v. 87) and more likely use premium particularly in a car/truck I plan to keep for years ... as is the case with my wife's GX as she typically keeps her ride for 10 years. Bart
As for the brake clunk, it is something you feel more than hear, and it feels like you have been lightly tapped from behind in a mild fender bender. It did not seem to occur all the time, it was only randomly, and only when fully stopped with your foot on the brake.
When my wife misplaced her key-fob transmitter it took them > 4 months to let us know the one she ordered and paid for had come in. Fortunately she found the lost one. They hadn't programmed the new one to her car (yet an additional cost) but that didn't matter ... we still had to take it even though it could have been sold to another customer. Or returned, for that matter.
These two issues, plus the less than stellar hiway performance of our GX, makes this the first and last Lexus I'll ever own.
:mad:
BTW, I have really been behaving with my driving, but can't budge the mileage over 16. Maybe if I drove more freeway miles.
As far as the "free" beverages is concerned, my barber offers that!
16's as good as the V8 will let you have ... maybe squeak a bit more on the hiway, but there I usually cruise @ 80 and 16's what I expect. :shades:
Let's look at what Consumer Reports says about off road vehicles - GX470 and 4Runner in the top 10 and Ford Expedition in the bottom 10 (Navigator is based on Expedition). The GX470 is a much better off-road vehicle than the Expedition. Does this advantage help the typical rider who never goes off road? I would say definitely not. Does this advantage help the typical rider who drives on snowy roads? I would say it depends on how deep the snow gets.
Here's a fun video that shows what a GX470 can do: YouTube GX470 on rocks.
I've had many cars and trucks on road and seriously off road (California and Mexico), including Ford and Lexus, and not one of them was "the king" in every category.
Terk XMDirect Universal XM Satellite Radio
SoundLinQ (Model SLX) - Auxiliary Input Adapter
These two devices also give you the ability to integrate your ipod into your vehicle.
I'm wondering where the best place to put the antenna is without it looking like #@$&
Seems this DFW market is tight. We went to 3 dealerships and none would deal like the San Jose dealerships would. We opted to buy once we relocated but I'm not sure now. We paid $53K total out the door (fully-loaded but without sport package or chrome wheels) plus $1540 for the 7yr/100K warranty.
Hints?
1) It took 5 times to fix the Air Conditioning. The A/C would work then not. The compressor light would start flashing and when this happened that meant the compressor was not working. This was finally fixed after out 5th trip and took 5 days. They had to order a $1,000 "main hose"(according to the service guy) The A/C issue would fit our states lemon law, "Only if the A/C issue first happened with 12 months of buying it" but it started during month 14.
2) This issue is much more serious and my wife has said she will no longer drive the car. We live in the middle of a big hill and we have to travel down it to a busy access road to get to anywhere outside our sub-division and about two months ago my wife pull out of our driveway and went to try to stop but the brakes went to the floor. She freaked out and put it into reverse. We took it into the shop and they said nothing was wrong and that sometimes air is trapped in the brake lines from the factory. (I didn't quite buy this since we had the car for 18 months, but I left with it). My wife reluctantly began driving the car again after I drove it for a week without issues. Now two months later the brakes failed again while she had the car full of kids. Nobody was hurt, and this time she used the emergency brake, instead of reverse like I told her. I took it in on Tuesday and on Friday morning they called and said they had it fixed and had applied a Service Notice(which we never received) but just wanted to road test it. I called Friday afternoon and they said, they were road testing it and had a "pedal issue", which I think is the PC way of saying "the brakes failed". So now they have ordered in a new Master Cylinder and who knows what else, and said the soonest the car will be ready is next Wednesday Now my wife really will not drive it. I have asked the dealership if they could work with me on this since it is so new, had so many issues and it seems to have serious problems. They answered by not saying anything. One of the guys who worked there told me to call 180025lexus (not sure if the guy was really trying to help me or his boss made him tell me like it was "inside information" in order to take the heat off of the dealership) I called and filled out their short form and was told someone would contact me in two business days. Does anyone know about these issues? Does anyone know of any recourse I might have since we are just outside the lemon law. It would seem brakes should be considered more important than AC or trim molding, etc. My wife will not drive the car so I am not sure what to do with it. Selling it, I will take a server beating since I paid list for it since it was the first 2005 and their was a waiting list a mile long. Any help would be appreciated.
Ouch. The car's too new, and if it's having brake failure issues they should be fixable and I wouldn't take the car back until the entire brake system has been fixed and checked out. Unfortunately, just because your wife won't drive it doesn't obligate them to "work with you" ... but once letitimate fears have arisen it's a fairly strong argument w/ lugging kids around, etc, to have an attorney knowledgable about this sort of thing write them a strong letter. As it's an intermittent thing, how will you ever know when it's really safe to drive! I'm on your wife's side ... and I wouldn't rest until this issue was resolved and the car replaced.
I had an 05 GX and now have a 06 GX. The nav voice just doesn't go loud enough when the radio is turned up. If the volumn on the radio is low, then I can hear the nav voice. For some reason, Lexus doesn't want the nav voice to be loud. Who knows what their logic is for that. I imagine its the same on other Lexus vehicles.
-look for a lawfirm that has handled automotive complaints in the past, possibly from your State (of residence);
-provide them with information, and
-with a Customer Service history printout from the dealership that has been servicing your Lexus (it is free of charge - you have the right to get it while you wait!)
-tell the lawfirm you intend to hire, that you need to initiate a legal process by sending a "Letter of Demand" about your complains (cost: $800 or less);
I wish you good luck! Andrew
Cheers,
As for the AC compressor I haven't had that problem but I guess if you have that written down as a problem prior to the warranty running out and it's still doing it I would question that also.
My 2006 has bluetooth and love it.
I went from having a 2003 and a 2005 Escalade to a Gx 470 (always had large trucks) and I will never drive anything else. We are thrilled with our choice.
Sami
And, of course, the best thing about finding a TSB that seems to cover a persistent problem in your vehicle is that dealerships will make the repair for free, provided that
* Your vehicle is under warranty;
* Your service advisor and/or technicians are able to confirm that the problem exists. "
You, Your Vehicle and the Technical Service Bulletin (TSB)
Edmunds has summary TSB info in the Edmunds Maintenance Guide.
Did you ever get your garage door opener on the GX to work? I just bought a GX and cannot get the rolling code garage door opener to work as instructed in the owner's manual.
I'm using a Chamberlain Series 1200 rolling code garage door opener.
hope you were able to program your garage door opener. I too just got a new Chamberlain garage door opener. To program it into your GX470, you must first follow steps 1-4 under the "Programming the HomeLink" instructions in your manual. Then follow the "Programming a rolling code system". Hope this helps.