Manufacturing

Lexus Magazine has published a fascinating article on Kimihiro Sakakibara, one of the 10 Lexus Takumi Masters that oversee factory production:

For anyone still unfamiliar with the term, Lexus Takumi are the automotive equivalent of a 10th Dan black belt. Each of the ten Takumi specializes in a key area of the vehicle—and each commands enormous respect in the Japanese auto world.

Sakakibara’s specialty is paint, specifically that multilayer, high-tech, deep-luster finish of a Lexus that requires a combination of art and high science to make perfect.

It’s tough, but that’s how it’s supposed to be, says Sakakibara. Much of the Lexus paint process is a hands-on affair, with all the human attention to detail that entails. “I still haven’t forgotten about the important basic stance that I learned for applying the topcoat with a spray gun years ago,” Sakakibara says. “I was patiently trained to get my posture right. As a result, I was soon able to spray without any dripping or transparency.”

So what’s the benchmark he’s always enforcing—the success as he and Lexus define it? “The more your Lexus looks like a mirror, the better the quality,” explains Sakakibara. “But the fundamental success of the process depends on our workers’ intuition. We’re lucky at Lexus in being able to follow this ‘handmade’ approach. I want that to continue and develop.”

The level of detail and work needed to produce a Lexus-quality paint finish is staggering, be sure to watch the the great video of Sakakibara-san demonstrating his sanding technique for a window into the process.

[Source: Lexus Magazine]

Lexus USA will be formally submitting their recall of approximately 138,000 Lexus vehicles next week with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The recall will apply to certain 2006, 2007 & 2008 GS, IS, and LS models equipped with 4.6 and 5.0L V8 and 3.5L V6 engines. Here’s the full breakdown:

• GS 350: 2007-2008
• GS 450h: 2007-2008
• GS 460: 2008
• IS 350: 2006-2008
• LS 460: 2007-2008
• LS 460 L: 2007-2008
• LS 600h L: 2008

The recall is due to the possibility of foreign material contaminating a small number of valve strings in the engine, which may cause abnormal engine noise or idling, and in extremely rare cases, the engine may stop while the vehicle is being used. However, Lexus estimates that “the likelihood of a customer vehicle experiencing this condition is two-tenths of one percent (0.2 %)”, and that no accidents or injuries have been reported due to this issue.

For some additional background information, I recommend this recent Autoblog article, which included this photo of the offending part:

Finally, some logistics for owners:

Lexus will send owners of the involved vehicles a recall notification via first class mail.  Owners are requested to contact their local Lexus dealer for diagnosis and repair after receiving their notification.  The repair will involve replacement of the engine’s valve springs at no charge.
 
Owners can continue to drive their vehicles. If symptoms are noticed, such as vibration, rough idling, unusual engine sounds or poor performance, the vehicle should be brought to a Lexus dealer for service.

[Source: Autoblog & Lexus]

Toyota has announced that there will be a recall on 270,000 Lexus (and one model Toyota) worldwide — from The New York Times:

Toyota will recall a total of 90,000 Lexus and Crown sedans in Japan, and is “making preparations to take similar, appropriate actions” for 180,000 more cars that carry the same engine worldwide, said Paul Nolasco, a spokesman for the automaker in Tokyo.

A defective engine part in the affected vehicles could cause unstable idling and cause the engine to stall, Mr. Nolasco said. He said that he was unsure how many of the 180,000 cars were sold in the United States. Toyota will outline details of the 90,000 cars recalled in Japan on Monday, he said.

Lexus USA has issued this statement which touches on what exactly caused the issue:

Lexus has discovered faulty valve springs in some V8 and V6 engines in certain Lexus models sold in the U.S. Due to slight variations during the manufacturing process, some foreign material may have contaminated the valve springs resulting in potential breakage. 
 
In such a situation, there is a remote possibility that abnormal engine noise or idling may occur.  In extremely rare instances, the engine may stop while the vehicle is in operation.

Lexus has not received any reports of accidents or injuries related to this issue.

Approximately 137,000 vehicles are potentially affected in the U.S., including the IS 350, GS 350, GS 460, GS 450h, LS 460, LS 600h L.

In order to provide some perspective, here’s the total US sales of the models mentioned from their launch to the end of 2009 (2010 models are not included in the recall). Please note: Lexus does not break down sales by engine type, so unaffected cars like the IS 250, IS F & GS 430 are included in these totals:

• 2006-2009 Lexus IS: 196,709 sold
• 2007-2009 Lexus GS: 46,570 sold
• 2007-2009 Lexus LS: 66,815 sold

Combined, these three models have sold 310,094 in total — Lexus mentions that approx. 137,000 of these vehicles will be recalled, or 44% of all the IS, GS & LS sold. As mentioned above, these are nothing but ballpark figures, but it appears owners of these models have roughly a 50/50 chance of being affected by the recall.

For the full Lexus press release, click through the jump.

Continue reading this article…

Toyota has announced today that they may be recalling 270,000 Lexus cars after discovering a problem with the 4.6L V8 and 3.5L V6 engines used throughout the lineup — from the Wall Street Journal:

The auto maker has found a problem with the valve spring of 4.6 liter V8 engines and 3.5 liter V6 engines installed in the Lexus LS460, Lexus LS600h, Lexus LS600hL, Lexus GS350, Lexus GS450h, Lexus GS460 and Lexus IS350 and the Toyota Crown.

The problem could cause the engine to stall, the Toyota spokeswoman said.

Of the 270,000 vehicles powered by the affected engines, 90,000 were sold in Japan and the rest overseas.

Toyota has received 200 complaints about the engine problem, the spokeswoman said, and no related accidents have been reported.

It’s important to note the 270,000 units would only account for a fraction of vehicles with the 4.6L V8 and 3.5L V6 engines, meaning this recall is likely due to a temporary manufacturing issue. This is backed up by a Voxy NZ article:

Routine long-term reliability tests in Japan have discovered a manufacturing flaw in some springs, which could cause abnormal engine noise or unstable idling.

Debbie Pattullo, National Manager for Lexus New Zealand, says the springs will be replaced over the next few months, purely to remove the possibility of future problems.

Even more than that, here’s a quote from Mike_TX of Club Lexus, who was affected last year by what seems to be the same issue:

According to them, there is a set of robots that assemble these engines. In late 2007/early 2008, one of the robots was found to be out of adjustment, such that when it installed the spring, it scraped it and caused a “score” mark on it. That small score mark created a weak point that can cause a failure of the spring after thousands of cycles.

At this point, it’s all speculation, but more details are sure to be released shortly.

Flickr user itzjere (aka Jeremy) had the enviable task of configuring a Lexus LFA for his boss, and posted some pictures of the process (click for larger images):

This LFA configuration kit shows an amazing attention to detail, and looks to be an excellent way to choose a car color combo.

I asked Jeremy a couple questions:

TLE: Could you describe the experience of configuring the LFA?

Jeremy: The experience with Lexus was a step above any car he has purchased before. The personal attention you receive from Lexus is unheard of from this type of company. From the private showings of the car to the one-on-one personal configuration of the car, Lexus has shown a great deal of attention to both this car and the experience of its owners. It builds to a great deal of anticipation for the car.

TLE: What was it about the LFA that appealed to your boss?

Jeremy: There are many reasons why the LFA appeals to my boss. The main thing would be the rarity of the car. My boss has a collection of exotics and this will be another one he can add into his collection. Amongst the LFA, there is a Porsche 996TT, Porsche 997TT with full TechArt package, Aston Martin Vantage V8, Ferrari F430, Bentley GT Mulliner and a Porsche Carrera GT in a special custom color painted by Porsche – Lamborghini Arancio Borealis. All these cars get driven on a daily basis too, except for the GT — that’s a collector.

TLE: What was the final LFA color combination?

Jeremy: Pearl White exterior, black interior with white stitching, gunmetal wheels with yellow calipers.

***

Special thanks to Jeremy — be sure to check out his excellent photos on his Flickr account.

(And no, I didn’t ask who his boss is.)

Today Lexus announced that the Vehicle Stability Control update for the 2010 GX 460 is now available at all U.S. and Canadian dealerships. Dealers have begun contacting owners to set up service appointments for the software fix, and most should receive messages within the next week. Concurrently, sales of the GX 460 are resuming, as well as production in Japan, with the upgraded software now standard on all new GX 460s.  In a press statement, Lexus U.S. VP Mark Templin said the following:

“Since it was launched more than 20 years ago, Lexus has built its reputation on customer respect and concern for safety.  When Consumer Reports announced on April 13 that the 2010 GX 460 did not pass their “Throttle Lift-Off” test, we immediately stopped selling the vehicle and commenced a vigorous investigation. Thanks to the quick response and hard work by our engineers, we were able to identify and correct the issue in just about two weeks. This is our assurance to Lexus customers that their safety and satisfaction are our top priorities.”

Reuters further notes that owners of recalled GX 460s will receive a free car wash, fuel tank fill, and are entitled up to $45 per day of rental vehicle expenses.  The full press releases from the U.S. and Canada are available after the jump:

Continue reading this article…