Mithras

Hi I have a 2005 LS 430 that needs a rather long lis of tweaks and also anything tha is uncovered while tweaking and would like some advice on "to refurb or not to refurb".

1 1150000 miles, A dealer is pressuring me to replace all the air ride suspension elements based on one strut having one sign of a leak and no further signs of leaks in 4 years - Was I wrong to drive through his shop with a D-9 CAT?. Seriously I have had recommendations to replace shocks anywhere from 50K miles on up i think its time for replacement of the shocks- WHat about hte airbags for the suspension - should they be replaced too- should the springs be replaced?

2 The second worst paint job I have ever had on a car- the front bumpers look like they have been in a sandblast tunnel and the center post on the passenger side developed blister ( after 10 years ) and he paint is just lifting off . IS this touch-up and re clear-cota land or is it time to strip and repaint?

3 I have this annoying rattle in the right rear quarter panel- they will have to tear into it to fix it- what else is in there that should be looked at while this is happening?

4. WHo makes the best soundproofing- I want the whole cabin sound proofed. I also want windows timted

5 Repair steering column adjustment switch and or motor. it goes up and down but not in and out

6 Replace leather on steering wheel. No matter how often I cleaned it the surface was eaten away by hand oils etc- WHo replaces these- dealer wants to give me a whole new steering wheel ( time for the D-9 CAT again ?)

7Timing belt was replaced at 100K along with water pump-= so what engine components might need hardcore replacement at 115K

8dash console - one of the little drawers no longer pops out

9 Centerr console - the lid seems to slip off sideways a bit and needs to be reset or replaced.

10Front headlamp lenses- had them "refurbed" once - lasted months - is there a good refurb ou or is it time to replace? Also WIndshield looks sand blasted- I want it replaced with a very hard glass water shedding windshield- Dealre is giving me strange looks even when I pointed out the original had water repellent wind shields. Hwho makes the best windshileds for this car?

11. Recondition the leather seats- mostly they are good but I notice abrasion where I slide in and out of the front seat. I would like to refurb and then put some kind of rub protector on- any ideas?


If i look at everything I am looking at perhaps $8k of work on a car I have come to enjoy! Because of my back this upright boxy sedan fits me unlike the 460s - so I want to stay with this body style but is it time to move up a couple off years or do you think refurbing is also a viable option .
Richard

offbad

iTrader: (5)

one million miles, congrats!!

go coilovers (direct replacement) or as the purists on this board say go for OE springs/struts
plenty of threads on the process

sound proofing... as in quietness?
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...-your-car.html

just reupholster your wheel and seats/leather.

claybar your windshield. i'd probably go aftermarket replacement.
OEM
5610150310 GLASS, WINDSHIELD. GLASS SUB-ASSY, WIND; SOLAR-ENERGY REFLECTING LAMINATED GLASS,T=5.3,GREEN,W(RAIN SENSOR)
LS430 (UCF30); USA $797.91 5610150310

wet sand and buff the headlight lenses. use plastic sealant.
or, get lampgard headlight protection and just keep swapping them out if you feel your restoration doesn't last that long.

plugs/coils, valve cover gasket... get those done as well. fluids.

Aron9000

Show us some pictures of the body work it needs. Other than the suspension, the rest of that stuff is minor, piddly stuff that shouldn't cost that much to fix. Might want to go other places besides the dealer for repairs and parts as well.

Steering wheel replacement, console parts, look on ebay, and classified parts section of this website. Find a really mint used one, dealer is going to rake you over the coals on parts like that, along with the headlights if you want to replace them.

2KHarrier

With the amount of money you're willing to put into this car, couldn't you find a similar, cleaner, needs less work LS430 for 8-10K??

Aron9000

Sometimes I'm of the notion you keep what you know. Used cars are a crap shoot, he could buy another LS and figure out it needs a ton of work a year or two down the road. Besides his car has 115k on it, if it had 215k then I think I'd go with your option.

2KHarrier

You make a good point. It's nice that we can review repair work on the Lexus Owners site for potential purchases, but if there's no history, it's a definite crap shoot. You're right. Coupling that with the fact he knows the car, I guess I'd be inclined to follow a similar path.

I redact my previous post.

Stu

Richard .... think real hard about putting that kind of money into this old a vehicle. If you keep the car for 10 years, maybe you'll get your moneys worth.

I would never do this unless my brother was my mechanic Getting good car service is not easy. I am envious of guys who can do their own repairs .... wish I could do mine !!

MisterSkiz

iTrader: (2)

Just go buy a new or Certified pre owned LS.....don't waste your time

Aron9000

$8,000 is kind of an absurd amount of $$$$ for what he wants to do IMO. He needs to shop around for the suspension work, buy used parts for the interior pieces, maybe do a bit of the work himself on replacing those interior pieces and polishing the headlights. If you have a drill, polishing headlights is easy.

StanVanDam

1) I think you meant to write 150,000 miles, not 1,150,000 miles. I would not replace ALL the air ride suspension elements, only replace what has failed. The dealer has a chart that shows acceptable/normal oil leakage. Basically if there is excessive oil leakage and it runs more than halfway down the strut, then it should be replaced. Or if it fails to hold air, replace it. If the 3 other air struts hold air and are not more than half-covered in oil, they are still in working condition. Likewise for the compressor, dryer, and other air suspension components - they still have life in them if they still work. When they fail, they will give a specific error code, then you can replace the parts at that time.

When springs are worn, the spring return rate decreases. If the car bottoms out or the ride is bouncy, replace the springs. Otherwise, they should last a very long time.

2) Sounds like it is time to strip and repaint. A OEM-grade repaint will cost ~$1-3K, a local shop repaint should be in the hundreds.

3) If you are getting someone to open up the right rear quarter panel, tell them to thoroughly inspect everything that is visible while they are at it. Check for missing bolts and rivets, excessive rust, anything loose, etc.

4) Lexus makes the best soundproofing and the car rolled out of the factory with the whole cabin soundproofed better than any other car at the time. At the factory, foamed urethane sponge and foamed seal material is applied to the roof panel, pillars, and dash panel. Asphalt sheets and asphalt sheets with a plastic restraint layer are used at many places on the floor of the car to reduce road noise. The rear wheel house has a liner made of polyethylene terephtalate felt and butadiene styrene rubber resin to reduce road noise and water splashing sounds. Damping sheets are placed in the rocker panel molding to reduce splashing sounds as well.

You can open up the car whereever you like (ie. doors, underneath seats/carpet, trunk) and add additional soundproofing sheets or replace defective sheets. There are many brands (B-Quiet, Dynamat, Fat Mat, Hushmat, Peel and Seal, Raamat, Second Skin) and different sounds require different types of materials. Some are asphalt-based and will off-gas, so you need to consider that depending on where you want to install the soundproofing (in cabin or not) and how hot it gets there. They will also add weight to the car.

Maybe try simpler soundproofing approaches, such as rejuvenating all weatherstripping and door/window seals with a rubber-safe lubricant such as Shin-Etsu or dielectric grease. Don't use anything that is an aerosol spray, as the propellants/solvents can damage rubber.

I recommend Pinnacle FormulaONE ceramic window tint. Metallic tints can reduce radio/cellular/GPS reception.

5) Steering column motor going up and down but not in and out is a known problem after many years of use. The motor needs to be replaced.

6) About leather, you said you cleaned it, but did you condition it? Cleaning leather removes dirt using a very mild leather-safe solvent mixed with leather oils. Conditioning leather is the process of adding the right types and amounts of oils back into the leather in order to soften it up and rejuvenate it. The type of conditioner used depends on the type of leather. If you want to replace it, compare the cost of paying a special shop to replace the leather versus the cost of a new steering wheel from the cheapest online parts retailer you can find (parts.com is a start).

7) Timing belt and water pump should be replaced every 90000 miles or 72 months, so you are next due when you hit 180,000 miles. Change the spark plugs every 120,000 miles. If the engine runs fine and your mileage is good, no other components need replacement. I suspect your oxygen sensors may fail sometime soon if they are still original. When they fail (or most other engine components), you will get a check engine light (CEL) and a diagnostic troubleshooting code (DTC) will be stored in the system telling you exactly what is wrong. A few wear and tear items don't throw a DTC code, ie. a dirty/incorrectly-cleaned MAF sensor, clogged PCV valve, partially-unresponsive accelerator pedal position sensor, partially-unresponsive throttle position sensor, valve clearances out of spec, etc. There are no hardcore replacement parts for this engine - just follow the basic factory maintenance intervals and the engine will perform perfectly fine. Any failures are relatively simple to repair and are well-documented in these forums.

8) If it's the small cell-phone sized drawer that no longer pops out, you can easily take this apart and reset the spring on the back of it. You'll need to pry out the seat heater control panel, undo the clip, then undo 3 or 5 bolts after, then you can pull out the assembly holding that drawer. Undo the harnesses for the 3 height/suspension/throttle control switches, then pull the whole thing out. Underneath that drawer, you'll see a little mechanism involving a spring. Wiggle it the right way to reset it.

9) Center console - several other people here have reported problems with the center console, do a search and you'll find solutions.

10) Front headlamp lenses - do your own cost-benefit analysis - what do you pay to have a professional do a lens restoration, vs how much of your time will it take to learn and do it, vs total replacement cost?

My windshield also looks sand-blasted under very specific angles in the sun and it was like that since I bought it at 43000 miles - I think it is a manufacturing defect. Original windshield is water-repellent via a permanent titanium-silica coating (refer to https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lex...ter-Protection). OEM from the dealer is the probably the quietest windshield, and the only one with permanent water repellency.

11) To recondition the leather seats, vacuum very thoroughly, then cleanse with a leather cleanser, then when the leather is clean, perform a leather conditioning process to rejuvenate and moisturize the leather.

campisi

115K and all that stuff wrong with it?! I love my LS and it has similar mileage as yours but if it had all those problems I'd sell it no doubt about it and get something else. And I do all of my own work. It just wouldn't be worth the time or expense to me. My opinion only, of course.

tallcaguy

Not worth fixing. If it only has 115k and that many problems, get rid of it. Takes a little time but still possible to find a good reasonable mileage 04-06 for around 12. That's 1-2 owners w/ full service records. Only challenge is finding one in a color you like. Many white, silver, gold, black but harder to find colors.