BMW > Lexus Transition Help

[spielnicht]

Long story short, I sold my F10 550i and ended up with a Lexus IS500. I couldn't get over not having another V8 and well, I wasn't gonna make that mistake again with another N63xxxx. I don't care how much they've updated it, it's still a hot-vee design and likely just as unreliable as the N63tu I had. Plus, the N52 in my Z4 kept reminding me of how much I love driving NA engines.

Hoping there are members here that either had owned a Lexus or currently own both brands and can guide me to where the best resources are. I absolutely know nothing about Lexus (or any Japanese brand for that matter).

Basically looking for the following:

• What's equivalent to n****s.info (if one exists for Toyota/Lexus)?
• What's equivalent to realoem.com? I see nemigaparts.com, but I can't seem to get it to work.
• What's equivalent to getbmwparts.com in terms of discounts and customer service for getting genuine parts?
• What would be equivalent to FCP Euro for OE parts?
• What's equivalent to ISTA+ or E-sys? Mostly looking to code, so even something similar to Bimmercode.

And yes, I'm posting this here because I doubt anyone on the Lexus forums is gonna know the references above.

Appreciate any input.

[G30M]

maybe need to google in Japanese?

[freakystyly]

I heard Toyotas don't need maintenance... ?

Congrats on the car tho.

[G30M]

Originally Posted by freakystyly

I heard Toyotas don't need maintenance... ?

in the 90s yes. not today.

[spielnicht]

It's been rainy, hot, humid and miserable here in the DMV, so haven't had a chance to really drive it or take good pics. I only have the ones I took while she was still at the dealership.

I was all over the place deciding on my next BMW (X6, M3, 850i) but finally narrowed it down to the M340i, so that's what I was comparing the IS500 against. At the end of the day, the engine (holy crap does it sound good on WOT), the exterior looks, and the fact it still had physical buttons for everything, it beat out the M340i. Price was really 1:1.

It drives really good - but definitely more of a tourer than a trackable car. Its only real con is the tranny. It's just not as snappy as the ZF8...by a stretch. Slightly better in Sport+, but still prefers to upshift immediately than downshift and hold until the engine revs up a bit.

Only mod already in the works is a Borla S-Tyle axle-back exhaust. Stock is good, but not overly aggressive.

Overall quality of material still goes to the BMW, even though that has also gone downhill in recent years. Having said that, the seats in the IS500 are so much more comfortable and supportive than those in the M340i. Like I said I don't know much about Toyota or Lexus, but the fact they sit right at the top of the latest JD Power report, hopefully keeps it fairly reliable.

Originally Posted by M2siast

Pics of said car exterior and interior? One thing they do is make nice looking cars.
How do they drive in comparison?

[geko29]

Originally Posted by G30M

in the 90s yes. not today.

Every 30,000 miles: replace short block and main bearings.

[NickyF25]

Originally Posted by G30M

in the 90s yes. not today.

Yep. The only thing Toyota had going for it was reliability. Now they don’t even have that.

[Leucosticte]

Originally Posted by G30M

in the 90s yes. not today.

Yeah I've had my own experience with this, my parents 2016 RX 350 is leaking from the timing cover which requires a drop of the entire drivetrain to fix since it's a transverse engine. Cost from the dealer is roughly $5k from looking online. It's been getting more severe to the point where it's leaving oil spots wherever you take it so it'll have to be addressed soon. I don't think I can do this scale of a job at home since I only have QuickJacks and I don't think that I can slide a drivetrain out from underneath so I hope that a friend with a shop can help me out. For context they bought it at 40k 5 years ago and it's now at 80k. It's a shame since they bought this car because of the Lexus reliability.

In contrast my parents 2016 X3 28d was bought at 80k miles and is now at 120k with absolutely no maintenance other than a recall, oil changes, brakes, tires, and air filters. (Knock on wood). Although to be fair it had some injector work done under warranty and it needs a suspension refresh now since one of the struts blew and is leaking oil.

Anyway I will stop derailing this thread, congrats to OP on his car, I've driven an LC 500 and enjoyed it. It seems like this has the same engine as that car so it should be fun.

[heavyD^2]

Originally Posted by freakystyly

I heard Toyotas don't need maintenance... ?

Congrats on the car tho.

Tell that to Tundra and LX owners who have had V6 engine failure. A lot of Toyota's reliability advantage revolves around stretching proven old drivetrains for decades. They are only now beginning to adopt widespread use of turbocharging and now have to face the same issues as other automakers that more complex drivetrains are usually less reliable than simple NA 4, 6, and 8 cylinder engines.

[Propulsion]

Congrats on your IS500. I would check out the Club Lexus forum. Pretty active spot for Lexus enthusiasts.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/

[mjr24]

Originally Posted by Propulsion

Congrats on your IS500. I would check out the Club Lexus forum. Pretty active spot for Lexus enthusiasts.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/

Agreed, good people over there….

[tdott]

Originally Posted by spielnicht

Basically looking for the following:

• What's equivalent to n****s.info (if one exists for Toyota/Lexus)?
• What's equivalent to realoem.com? I see nemigaparts.com, but I can't seem to get it to work.
• What's equivalent to getbmwparts.com in terms of discounts and customer service for getting genuine parts?
• What would be equivalent to FCP Euro for OE parts?
• What's equivalent to ISTA+ or E-sys? Mostly looking to code, so even something similar to Bimmercode.

I'm no expert but have owned a Lexus+Merc along with my BMWs and you really don't get much of that aftermarket support that BMW has with other brands, if you do it's much harder to find.

Lexus/Merc forums, instead of getting DIYs and guides, you get everyone telling you, you need to take it to the dealer and if you can't afford it you shouldn't buy it

Somes things as simple as updating maps seemed impossible without the dealer (older hdd based systems, now hopefully it's better with OTA updates)

Your lucky to be able to find parts it seems, but much harder without something like realoem.com and you'd probably have to pay for access to shop manuals.

Toyota/Lexus uses Techsteam or something like that, but when I looked into it while ago, it was much more expensive and hard to get than ISTA/NCS/E-sys/etc. Same with mercedes star diagnostics, the cables cost a lot more, and the software is hard or costly to get and way less info out there compared to BMW.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

OP I've had this link given to me b someone in case I lose my ISTA or anything like that, perhaps it has good stuff for your Lexus, it's service manuals

https://charm.li/

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by tdott

I'm no expert but have owned a Lexus+Merc along with my BMWs and you really don't get much of that aftermarket support that BMW has with other brands, if you do it's much harder to find.

Lexus/Merc forums, instead of getting DIYs and guides, you get everyone telling you, you need to take it to the dealer and if you can't afford it you shouldn't buy it

Somes things as simple as updating maps seemed impossible without the dealer (older hdd based systems, now hopefully it's better with OTA updates)

Your lucky to be able to find parts it seems, but much harder without something like realoem.com and you'd probably have to pay for access to shop manuals.

Toyota/Lexus uses Techsteam or something like that, but when I looked into it while ago, it was much more expensive and hard to get than ISTA/NCS/E-sys/etc. Same with mercedes star diagnostics, the cables cost a lot more, and the software is hard or costly to get and way less info out there compared to BMW.

Agree so much. When I was shopping for my first car as a car guy that is one thing I was considering and looking around. All the other forums were lacking. There was Audi which was the second best but nothing beat the BMW community online and in aftermarket parts, it was pretty surprising tbh.

[spielnicht]

I'm definitely noticing the difference in the aftermarket world and availability of knowledge/repair resources, in comparison to BMW. ClubLexus has been awesome for general knowledge and getting aftermarket parts. Looking up factory parts though is a nightmare without something like realoem.com. It's been a guessing game for the most part. I've also just installed Techstream and waiting on a cable to arrive. You better believe they're more expensive than the cables I have for my Exx, Fxx and Gxx combined.