Lexus LS 2007+ :: 2012 LS460 3500mi - Antifreeze Coolant Smell Odor When Open Either Front Door
Nov 29, 2012
Brand new 2012 LS460 with one Dealer oil change:
This one started with stronger smell on passenger side but is now strong hot antifreeze smell when you open either front door. Not a drop on floor, no gauge movement from normal on hot 2-3hr trips - Only had one service six months ago at dealer just because it was to sit all year. I pulled all top engine covers off to inspect and found not one thing wet or suspect.
Ready to put on rack to look underneath (below firewall I suppose) just not sure at what, heater core connections? But a head gasket would be 1st guess? What could this be?
SAME as previous post (but no ID) from a 2008L owner: "I only have about 3,500 miles on my car, every now and then I get a faint smell of possibly antifreeze when I open either of the front doors after a good drive. It's very strange because if I try to locate the source, the smell goes away. Once I exit the car and sniff around, there is no smell in the wheel wells, in the front grill, or under the hood. I then try to sniff under the car just under the front doors, and there is no smell!"
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My IS has the feature where I can open all of the windows and the sunroof by holding the remote unlock button which has come in real handy during this extended heat wave in the Midwest. But, I can't find out whether or not this feature is on my 2012 LS 460.
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Last Sunday I packed the trunk of 2007 LS 460 full. When I closed the trunk a strap from a backpack became jammed into the trunk lock. The trunk would not open with either the key or the internal release. I called Lexus Road side support and they told me to go to a dealer. The dealer was able to open the trunk by disconnecting the battery for 10 seconds. After reconnecting the battery, they releasing the trunk using the internal release while another person pushed down on the lid. This took all of 10 minutes. None of these instructions are in the TIS database.
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I read through some previous post and I seem to have a similar problem....
*Trunk is not equipped with power trunk opener and closer.
*Valet switch in glove box has been checked.
The beep sounds when using the trunk release on fob but trunk does not try to open...
The beep sounds when using the button under trunk lid handle but trunk does not try to open...
The trunk release button under dashboard seems unresponsive...
I used the physical key in the trunk and hear it unlock but the trunk will not open.. seems jammed or something like the auto-close (you manually shut the trunk lid but the last inch or so it locks it down automatically) feature will not disengage...
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I only have about 3,500 miles on my car, every now and then I get a faint smell of possibly antifreeze when I open either of the front doors after a good drive. It's very strange because if I try to locate the source, the smell goes away. Once I exit the car and sniff around, there is no smell in the wheel wells, in the front grill, or under the hood. I then try to sniff under the car just under the front doors, and there is no smell! It is driving me crazy because it does not make any sense. My antifreeze level did not drop, and there is no evidence of any leaks. I didn't put it on my lift yet to examine it carefully, but I'll do that on the next oil change. I was wondering if there are possibly some hoses that go to the rear of the car for the rear a/c and heat. If so, maybe there is a slight leak on one of the clamps?
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Yesterday afternoon, after a 90 minutes stop and go commute, a strong gas smell developed in the cabin of my 2009 LS460. The factory call-back service was performed on the car few months ago.
During yesterday's long commute, the LS460 passenger side wheels run over some garbage on the high way at high speed, and after that I can hear some noise from passenger side, sounds like a flag's flopping sound.
Other than that, recent incidents that I can think of that might be related are:
1. All 8 control arms of front wheels replaced about 3 weeks ago
2. Have been using Sam's Club premium 93 gas for the past 4 weeks
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About 3 months ago I noticed at times my Heat would blow out cool air. This would happen mostly when I was sitting idle or in traffic in a "stop n go" situation. I did some research and found out that my Coolant was on the low end. I bought the Pink Coolant from the Lexus dealer and filled up.
I checked the levels again a few days later and it was low again. So I topped off again and looked for any puddles underneath the car when sitting, I paid attention to any smells, and looked to see if I was blowing white smoke out of my exhaust. NOTHING! My indicator stays on the middle range and never runs cold or hot.
I topped off after seeing that it was low again and didn't have to put as much in there, but it definitely was low again. It's now been about 2 weeks and it's still at the same spot (near the low indicator) but it doesn't seem like it's getting any lower. I have done more research and I cannot find any issues with the 2008 LS460's having issues with head gaskets or coolant issues.
I recently had my bumper replaced at the Lexus dealer Auto Shop because of a pothole I ran over that dinged it (also bent my rim)....I know this might not have anything to do with it but I thought I would add this tid bit since I didn't notice the issue until I got it back from them! I'm just really at a loss
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I have an '05 Lexus SC430 with 53,000 miles on it. For the past couple of years, I have noticed an intermittent antifreeze smell (sweet odor) when driving. It never lasts for long and is apparently coming out of the vents. I can not figure out any common denominator to cause this, other than the radiator was replaced in Nov. 2014. My long-time mechanic has ridden with me a few times and I am unable to recreate for him to diagnose.
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Normally, when I approach my LS460 with the key in my pocket, the car will automatically unlock once I touch the door handle. A few weeks ago, the driver's side door stopped unlocking. All of the other doors unlock but the driver's side door does not. If I take the key fob out and use it to lock the door and then unlock it, the driver's side door usually unlocks after several attempts with the key fob. I have changed the battery in my remote to no avail.
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Dealer wants to cut hole in outside of door or break inside panel 1s it $2100 second is $2400
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Came out to find my drivers mirror had been ran into by someone walking by and now the mirror won't retract. You can hear the gear moving, but the housing doesn't move. The mirror works just fine, just the folding action is not working. Before I remove the door panel to remove the mirror assy, can you replace the gear inside or do you have to replace the entire assy?
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I went for a hour drive tonight after i brought car back to garage i could smell a distinct odor of anti freeze or fumes that would exit the radiator. I checked under the car no leak i looked in the engine compartment looking for perhaps a spill of antifreeze that might be resting on top of the front engine pan. I could not find any liquid.
The temp gauge when i was driving was a bit below mid way it usually as I remember is there or a bit lower. Where the smell is coming from I had the heat on for a bit in the car while top was down and i have no leaks in the interior of the car . The car is a 2005 I have 5940 miles on it . I bought it new in 2005 and I only drive it in good weather and on weekends .
I have not had any major service since the mileage is so low other then state inspections oil and filter regular changes done once a year Mobil 1 . Should I consider flushing the radiator and changing the anti freeze. As I said I don't drive it on long runs but I do use it a bit around town. When I lift the hood i can smell the anti freeze but cant find any.
What to look for. The coolant overflow reservoir cover was in place and all hoses looked good and there was some residual coolant in the tank as there should be and i could not see any steam or vapor coming off these parts.
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My 2007 SWB LS 460 with 22,000 miles on it has required replacement of the driver's side door hinges twice and the passenger front door hinges once. This is obviously of concern, since the original fix on the driver's side failed again within 8 months. The car has light single driver use. My dealer says that Lexus "knows about" the problem.
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I have Lexus Ls460 (2008), I have paint the driver door, so they removed the door handled and reinstall it after they finished, the problem now, the keyless access from the driver door not working, I can't enter unless I push the unlock button in the remote, all other doors working fine, and can be open without pressing the unlock button. So is their any way to re-program the driver keyless door? or it could be something wrong with the handle installation?
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I recently purchased a 2012 Lexus LS 460. I looked everywhere for an answer, but can not find one. On the navigation screen, the compass can point north or in a 'heads up' position. Most people, as you know, like the heads up (moving icon always points north). However, in this 'heads up' mode, the compass does not seem to indicate what direction I am moving. The compass does change when the car changes direction, but it does not correctly show the direction the vehicle is moving. For example, if I am driving true NORTH, the compass will show NORTH. If I then start to turn righ (moving from NORTH to NORTH-EAST), the compass actually starts to move and show NORTH-WEST. So, when the compass is in 'always north' position, the icon on the navigation screen correct shows the direction the car is moving. But, when the compass is in 'heads up' position...how can I tell what directing the car is moving?
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I noticed on a few occasions that there is a slight smell of coolant around the front of our Camry after driving it a while. I haven't noticed any decrease in the level in the reservoir.
Since it's a CPO vehicle, I was thinking maybe some coolant was spilled during the inspection process. A little spilled coolant can go a long way, and last a long time.
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I used to have a GS300 and just recently traded in for an 07 CPO LS460 SWB, Mercury Metallic with light gray interior. Love the car, big difference in quality of material and build. Anyways, I noticed that the hood and front fenders get really hot to touch after driving. It seems to be hotter than all my other cars. The coolant gauge in the instrument panel stays in the middle and does not show over heating. The hood stays hot and takes quite a while to cool to ambient temperature. Is it attributed to the engine compartment covered both top and bottom (for aerodynamic reason), which may delay air flow and cooling?
Recently Car and Driver had an article regarding brake overheating in Nissan 370Z Nismo, under harsh repeated braking. The brake fluid would boil and loose vacuum. After analysis, the suspicion was that in the zeal to improve aerodynamics, the engineers did not design adequate brake cooling. I'm wondering if Lexus engineers, in pursuit of aerodynamics, may have compromised the cooling and airflow through the engine bay. Like I said, there are no indications of the engine overheating, just the hood getting pretty hot after even a short drive. Most likely, I'm just paranoid and my OCD is kicking in.
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This is my second vw I've owned and now I own a 20th ae gti. Just the other day I got out of my car and smelled antifreeze. So I popped the hood and realized there was no coolant in the reservoir.. So I went to my dealership, put some in... well that obviously isn't my problem, because the next day it was gone. Again. This is on sunday so I can't do anything about it. I made an appt to drop it off tonight @ my volkswagen dealer. It's not leaking, not smoking or burning, and the temp gauge isn't moving at all.
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My self-closing door feature on my driver door has stopped working recently. The other three doors self-closing door feature works flawlessly.
Is there an easy solution, such as a fuse? Or, does something else, more extensive, need to be done, i.e., should I seek out a professional mechanic?
As an aside, around the same time (if not the same time), my folding side mirror for my driver door stopped working. Any possibility they are related?
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I've just won a 2009 LS460L with 60k, at an auction, with very minimal damage to the front. Ill need to replace bumper cover, grill, hood and lights. I am pretty stoked about it.
The LS460 looks sort of unbalanced with the sides and the rear, and a higher front end. I've searched and search but I am looking for a picture, only added a front lip to sort of balance it out. I dont want a full kit, just not my thing. Just the front.
As for grill. While getting front end painted, I plan on doing similar style, a user here did. This is plastidip but of course ill be painting it. I also noticed on here, someone else had their bumper painted but had them paint his grill as well, but he painted the chrome grill housing. I like that chrome accent and plan on keeping it.
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My LS460 recently developed a rattle from the front drivers side. It's triggered more by rumbles/vibrations from an uneven surface rather than speed bumps or large pot holes.
It sounds a bit like a washer vibrating on a metal tray (for what that's worth)!
Interestingly though it gets a LOT worse when the car is in 'Comfort' suspension mode, and is nowhere near as bad in 'Sports' mode. So it seems that having the suspension higher gives this thing more room to rattle.
I noticed in the service history that the front passenger air strut was replaced 30k ago, so I'm worrying that there is a large bill on the horizon.
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