Damnnnnnn .....my bullet proof flagship is after my wallet, old tech now failing
10-11-15, 08:20 PM
#1
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
Damnnnnnn .....my bullet proof flagship is after my wallet, old tech now failing
Well the title line wouldnt let me explain in better detail......so now you are here to here my woe's. Still love my baby. Just got home from an 8 hour round trip and she cruised like nobodys business. But whats ailing me is something is breaking every few times I take the ole girl out of the barn. And I only drive her once a week.
Thanks to this site I have been keeping up with her as the 11yr old super technology starts to fail
....I wont list all of the repairs but enough so my complaint is somewhat warranted...
Replaced or repaired....
Telescope motor for steering wheel
trunk shocks
hood shocks
rear tail light LED!!! $146.00
TSB for tranny shifting issue $250.00
Door lock actuator
Re aim headlights
Clean contacts for mirrors
Tighten console lid
Cleaned air sensor filter
Replaced coolant temp sensor
other items basic maintenance or whatever
timing belt water pump
oil
tranny fluid
air filter
cabin filter
spark plugs
windshield wipers
reconditioned headlight lenses
replace interior trim pieces w new due to scratches
re glued speakers
New tires....we all know about those
AND NOW MY DAMN STEREO JUST STOPPED WORKING!!!!
I will assume the amplifier is now blown....will read pages of posts to learn how to replace.....will check fuses first.....but damn man.....this stuff should last just a little longer in a $60K car.....
Its to the point where I am being so gentle with the car because I am afraid something will break. I am leaving mirrors in deployed position.....rear sunshade down....etc.
Still love the car....what an awesome cruiser.....just wish she would stay out of my wallet til I can catch up.
Stereo........was driving down the road and it just quit......
there is sound via GPS and NAV is working as well as all functions of the screen....
Just no sounds that would normally come through the stereo.
Thanks to this site I have been keeping up with her as the 11yr old super technology starts to fail
....I wont list all of the repairs but enough so my complaint is somewhat warranted...
Replaced or repaired....
Telescope motor for steering wheel
trunk shocks
hood shocks
rear tail light LED!!! $146.00
TSB for tranny shifting issue $250.00
Door lock actuator
Re aim headlights
Clean contacts for mirrors
Tighten console lid
Cleaned air sensor filter
Replaced coolant temp sensor
other items basic maintenance or whatever
timing belt water pump
oil
tranny fluid
air filter
cabin filter
spark plugs
windshield wipers
reconditioned headlight lenses
replace interior trim pieces w new due to scratches
re glued speakers
New tires....we all know about those
AND NOW MY DAMN STEREO JUST STOPPED WORKING!!!!
I will assume the amplifier is now blown....will read pages of posts to learn how to replace.....will check fuses first.....but damn man.....this stuff should last just a little longer in a $60K car.....
Its to the point where I am being so gentle with the car because I am afraid something will break. I am leaving mirrors in deployed position.....rear sunshade down....etc.
Still love the car....what an awesome cruiser.....just wish she would stay out of my wallet til I can catch up.
Stereo........was driving down the road and it just quit......
there is sound via GPS and NAV is working as well as all functions of the screen....
Just no sounds that would normally come through the stereo.
10-11-15, 08:37 PM
#2
If you paid 60k for the car and then had all these issues it would be a different story. Your dealing with a 12 year old car that has many gadgets. Loosing your amp sucks I have to admit but just be glad you don't own a comparable bmw or mercedes and you would be dealing with major engine and transmission issues on top of electrical and component failure. The grass is definitely greener on the Lexus side but not perfect.
10-11-15, 10:24 PM
#3
Pole Position
I'll swap you a straight (non-cream puff) '01 LS430 with an intermittent amp issue but is otherwise in exceptional condition.
I don't know why we're discussing this. The LS430 is (on average) the most reliable full size luxury car of its vintage. It's not as reliable as a brand new Prius. Stuff breaks on a 12 year old car, and when the car was $80k in modern dollars, the repairs tend to be expensive.
If you DIY, the repairs aren't too bad. The door lock actuator costs the same amount of money on an LS and a Corolla. It's just that the LS430 has more gadgets than the Corolla.
These cars are a bit old. They need to be handled with care by someone who cares. You either have to pay to play, or turn the wrench yourself.
But these cars are the best time investment I know of. It took me a weekend to refresh the car, and I've only had to spend about a day a year doing maintenance and repairs on my car. Not a high price for a car that's nicer than 98% of cars on the road.
I don't know why we're discussing this. The LS430 is (on average) the most reliable full size luxury car of its vintage. It's not as reliable as a brand new Prius. Stuff breaks on a 12 year old car, and when the car was $80k in modern dollars, the repairs tend to be expensive.
If you DIY, the repairs aren't too bad. The door lock actuator costs the same amount of money on an LS and a Corolla. It's just that the LS430 has more gadgets than the Corolla.
These cars are a bit old. They need to be handled with care by someone who cares. You either have to pay to play, or turn the wrench yourself.
But these cars are the best time investment I know of. It took me a weekend to refresh the car, and I've only had to spend about a day a year doing maintenance and repairs on my car. Not a high price for a car that's nicer than 98% of cars on the road.
10-11-15, 10:33 PM
#4
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Old cars, old parts. Stuff breaks, it's not surprising. If you are concerned about it, get a newer car. Things will continue to break as the car continues to age, it's all part of the game of longer-term ownership.
10-11-15, 11:03 PM
#5
When I look at a 500 dollar monthly payment for a new car or a once a year 500 dollar repair, it's a no brainer. All of these repairs are just routine stuff. I wonder how repairs are going to be on a new BMW or Mercedes in 10 years.
10-11-15, 11:30 PM
#6
Advanced
I can tell you exactly.
My 735i is now 27 years old. Other than regular maintenance like brakes, oilchange, filters, sparkplugs, valve adjustment
my major repairs were
headgasket
driveshaft
front end - balljoints - bushings
waterpump
fanclutch
subframe bushings
steering lock seizure
distributor and wireset
and now the latest: mirrorswitch malfunctions
and that's pretty well it.
My 735i is now 27 years old. Other than regular maintenance like brakes, oilchange, filters, sparkplugs, valve adjustment
my major repairs were
headgasket
driveshaft
front end - balljoints - bushings
waterpump
fanclutch
subframe bushings
steering lock seizure
distributor and wireset
and now the latest: mirrorswitch malfunctions
and that's pretty well it.
10-11-15, 11:45 PM
#7
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In an equivalent 2001-2006 Mercedes or BMW? Since the S430 or S500 would be equivalent, go research what they're like in terms of replacement. I bet it's quite similar.
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10-12-15, 12:26 AM
#8
being about 30,000 miles behind you and not having done any of the top list makes me uneasy.......maybe you don't drive enough......avg. over 200 miles a week and with cheap gas I enjoy the ride...........car likes to be driven......amazing at speeds over 90mph......scared of the fuzz so I just ask about top speed.......but where the limit was 80 I did go somewhat over that......tailed a mustang at over 100 for about 20 miles.....smooth and quiet.
10-12-15, 04:03 AM
#9
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10-12-15, 05:48 AM
#10
Between JPV and JFF we are collectively going to disable your ..... keys. 
Lol, you guys got to get ahold of yourself a with this perilous usage. I'm not very good with grammar and type on my phone often so it's easy to make mistakes but you guys need to learn how to press that button once. It's hard to read your post written this way.
In the English language, when you put multiple periods at the end of your sentence you are insinuating that your statement or something is a mystery or you are intentionally leaving out words. A nervous or awkward silence.
I think if I owned a 750 it would leave me with a nervous or awkward silence... 
Lol, you guys got to get ahold of yourself a with this perilous usage. I'm not very good with grammar and type on my phone often so it's easy to make mistakes but you guys need to learn how to press that button once. It's hard to read your post written this way.
In the English language, when you put multiple periods at the end of your sentence you are insinuating that your statement or something is a mystery or you are intentionally leaving out words. A nervous or awkward silence.
Ellipsis (plural ellipses; from the Ancient Greek: ἔλλειψις, élleipsis, "omission" or "falling short") is a series of dots (typically three, such as "…") that usually indicates an intentional omission of a word, sentence, or whole section from a text without altering its original meaning.[1] Depending on their context and placement in a sentence, ellipses can also indicate an unfinished thought, a leading statement, a slight pause, a mysterious or echoing voice, or a nervous or awkward silence. Aposiopesis is the use of an ellipsis to trail off into silence—for example: "But I thought he was . . ." When placed at the beginning or end of a sentence, the ellipsis can also inspire a feeling of melancholy or longing.
Last edited by Lavrishevo; 10-12-15 at 06:01 AM.
10-12-15, 08:37 AM
#12
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
Well no empathy here 
I thought I made it very clear that I love my car and that I do DIY..........I get it believe me...and after reading my list again there were very few items that were quirky LS430 gadget items.....all others were items you would have to deal with in any car. As u can see with my list of maint items I have been trying to get my car up to snuff so I can run maint free for a while. The frustrating part for me is that I finally get her tight and right and then have an item that I have never ever had to replace in another car go bad..................dot dot dot.........that is the difference. With all of the cars I have ever owned I have never.......
Replaced a steering wheel telescoping motor
Replaced an entire tail light LED vs a bulb
Had to have TSB software for shifting update
Replaced an amplifier
The other items like
hood and trunk shocks
windshield wipers
coolant temp sensor
plugs
etc.....
all understood....no big deal
So again....love my car.....drives like a dream on my Pirelli P7 plus'.......just coming off of a rough spell of back to back nickle and dime repairs...
TSB update $250
Tail light was a real unexpected ball buster $146
Now amplifier.....used??? $250
My car 2004.....LS430 137K on it
Lav....I thought I explained my dot dot dot before......You are not the only one to complain about this. To me it makes it easier to read.....pausing my reader where I want to. But the reason that I do it is because I was more interested in cheerleaders in school then learning punctuation. I am Johnny run on sentence. I also like to think that on a forum its a more casual zone where any type of writing is fair play. I understand for someone who lives in a world that a lot of writing comes across your desk and is scanned for imperfections before sending out to staff etc.....that my dot dot dot is so wrong it would drive u nuts.....I def understand.........I will do my best to limit my dots when replying to you
I thought I made it very clear that I love my car and that I do DIY..........I get it believe me...and after reading my list again there were very few items that were quirky LS430 gadget items.....all others were items you would have to deal with in any car. As u can see with my list of maint items I have been trying to get my car up to snuff so I can run maint free for a while. The frustrating part for me is that I finally get her tight and right and then have an item that I have never ever had to replace in another car go bad..................dot dot dot.........that is the difference. With all of the cars I have ever owned I have never.......
Replaced a steering wheel telescoping motor
Replaced an entire tail light LED vs a bulb
Had to have TSB software for shifting update
Replaced an amplifier
The other items like
hood and trunk shocks
windshield wipers
coolant temp sensor
plugs
etc.....
all understood....no big deal
So again....love my car.....drives like a dream on my Pirelli P7 plus'.......just coming off of a rough spell of back to back nickle and dime repairs...
TSB update $250
Tail light was a real unexpected ball buster $146
Now amplifier.....used??? $250
My car 2004.....LS430 137K on it
Lav....I thought I explained my dot dot dot before......You are not the only one to complain about this. To me it makes it easier to read.....pausing my reader where I want to. But the reason that I do it is because I was more interested in cheerleaders in school then learning punctuation. I am Johnny run on sentence. I also like to think that on a forum its a more casual zone where any type of writing is fair play. I understand for someone who lives in a world that a lot of writing comes across your desk and is scanned for imperfections before sending out to staff etc.....that my dot dot dot is so wrong it would drive u nuts.....I def understand.........I will do my best to limit my dots when replying to you
10-12-15, 08:54 AM
#13
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
another good example of what I am talking about just popped up on the forum. A guy just posted his headlight auto leveling sensors have failed. Of course dealer wanting to charge bazillions to repair. Looks like the DIYers have found a solution for him but this is the type of stuff that cant wear on ya.
10-12-15, 09:30 AM
#14
The one major repair that stuck out to me was your amp. Are you speakers OEM or were any of them replaced with aftermarket. How were you able to get the used amp and how was it tested? The rest are standard wear items, but early 04s did have some transmission issues. Good luck.
