LexusFan09

Good day group.

So I recently bought a 2004 Lexus ls430 with 165000 miles on it. The body of the car is in great shape. It had two owners its whole life, I am the third owner. The first owner babied the car, but the second owner was an ******* as I can tell based on the car fax.

So I paid $6700 for the car which is not bad at all as these cars still list at $10,000 easy.

Now with the being said the car does have a flew flaws that need to be addressed.

1. Two Blown Speakers :-(
2. Drivers side mirror is acting crazy and doing its own thing
3. Horn sounds like its sick and needs to be put back together
4. AC comes out warm :-(
5. Needs one headlight cleaned
6. Drivers side wheel cover is missing

Other than those 6 things listed wrong its a good car overall. I had all the senors replaced so the check engine light is off. I am really hoping that the AC issue is not the compressor! I hope it just needs a recharge or something. I will look into that in a few weeks. But whats up with these drivers side mirrors!!!??? Why didnt lexus fix this issue back in the early 2000s! This mess is dangerous!

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Congratulations and welcome.

For the mirror, pull the switch out and clean the contacts

Unfortunately, most AC issues are related to a failed compressor.

Brewmyown

Nice find! If there are no major "hidden" issues you should make out very well.
1. Assuming you have a ML system and the speaker still works but sounds bad, refoaming them is the way to go IMO and it will cost about $20-$25 a pair if you DIY
2. If its not folding correctly there are many fixes posted so a quick search should help you
3. I haven't heard (no pun intended) of that one so I can't comment
4. That can be a number of things. I would start simple and check fuses, etc. Other than that there are way to many possible things that can be wrong (compressor, blend doors / motors, drier, bad seal, line or condensor, etc. etc.) If it is low on freon, fix the problem dont just dump more freon into the air. If it needs freon, You have a leak. Freon doesn't just disappear with age. If you know someone with a set of gauges, they can quickly point you in the right direction.
5. IMO, don't by a quick fix miracle liquid. You'll be sorry when it starts to peel and looks like crap. A buffer and compound will make them look like new. If you don't have that, buy a kit that comes with sand paper, compounds and a drill attachment. They work well, they just take a lot longer than a buffer so just take your time.
6. That's a simple fix

LexusFan09

Thanks buddy, and what switch on the mirror are you talking about?

I hope its not the compressor. That job is over 1000 dollars to fix :-(

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

The interior adjustment switch. I believe it pops out. Can't remember if there was a screw or not. Anyway, it will disassemble easily and you can then clean the contacts. This may be the problem.

RockAuto has Denso OEM AC compressors for $328 if this is the problem.

Tom57

Welcome!

The A/C compressor switch may be faulty. Check that the compressor engages when A/C is turned on inside the vehicle. There are CL threads on this topic. The refrigerant could also be in need of full evacuation and recharge.

Brewmyown

Find someone with AC gauges or if you're DIY guy go buy a set for about $50. Do some quick reading on what the high and low pressures mean and you can get a quick idea of what may be the problem. It takes 30 seconds to pop on the gauges which should be the first place to start the AC diagnosis. For one, if there's no freon in it, there's a leak and that's the first place to start. Again, freon doesn't go away with age. If it's low or gone, this a leak. Also, AC leak sealer is usually not a good idea. Many of them work based on forming a seal when exposed to moisture. Guess what happens hen you put sealer in a system that already has moisture in it????

If you do find a leak and are ambitious enough to repair it and are going to do your own recharging, invest another $100 or so on a vacuum to evacuate the system. It there's no freon in the system, moisture has gotten in and the drier needs to be replaced and the system evacuated. Replacing parts and not evacuating the system before refilling is a bandaid that has a good chance to either fail or never work as well as it should.

Good luck in finding and fixing your issues. Keep us posted on your progress.

LexusFan09

Thank you all so much. I am going to look into this!! Thanks guys!!!

hyperopt

So how is your steal deal going? What's up with all the issues with the car?

semar

Re a/c leak
You might want to check out RedTek R12a and the related sealer.
Ask the manufacturer about moisture in the line
Leaks can occur in lines from rust. Two options: replace the line (its mostly the highpressure line not the suction line) = costly, labor was quoted as 7 hrs plus 500 for parts or
splice the line with new part and two fittings
FWIW: I replaced the refrigerant on my old bimmer with Redtek R12a rather than replacing the whole system with R134. Works well, a/c blows cool as ice. Lower cost too - Redtek all the way -