-- Too the person complaining about GS300 motor and oil sludge:::

if this is your last Lexus, I feel sorry for you.. The GS300 has the GOOD 6 cylinder motor that wasn't affected by the sludge recall.. I had a 1997 ES300 when they sent out the service notice about the sludge issue... It was in those smaller V6s that had the sludge problem. ( 1997- 2002 ES300 and Camrys, 1998-2002 RX300)

I wouldn't blame Lexus for this problem because 1998 GS300's seem to be one of the most reliable cars if taken care of PROPERLY... Maybe the former owner didn't get oil changes done on time or used cheap Penzoil/ generic oil.

I contacted Lexus as a result of the numerous complaints that have been waged against Lexus and Toyota Motors over these 3.0 V6 engines and my claim was denied. My aggravation stems from my initial complaints to the dealer about the premature failure of the first engine as a result of the excess sludge.

My engine failed on 10/27/2001 on I-10 between Lake City and Jacksonville at 10:00 pm. When the tow truck started rolling the car on the bed a pile of slimy black sludgy oil dropped out and rolled down the bed. The driver took the car to Lexus of Jacksonville and dropped it off. I went to the dealer the next day, addressed my concerns and pleaded with them to look into the oily build up. The service technician said the car was out of warranty; they were not going into the engine and there was nothing he could do but give me a quote for a new engine.

The car remained at the dealership for a few months while the dealer looked for a engine and seeing as though the dealership wanted in excess of $14,000 to replace the engine or $11,000.00 to rebuild the engine, I chose to take the car to The Power Exchange in Jacksonville. In April of 2002, I purchased a core for $1,070.00 from E-Auto Parts and paid The Power Exchange $6,316.53 to repair the engine.

This will be my last Lexus.

Adrian Lofton

Jacksonville, FL