New LS460 Owner saying hello...officially!
10-10-15, 12:40 PM
#1
New LS460 Owner saying hello...officially!
Picked up my 2009 LS 460 just under 2 weeks ago. Been pretty busy since so I haven't had a chance to post an official "new owner" thread. Just had a chance to clean it up this week and snap a few quick shots.
Details on the car/purchase:
2009 LS 460 SWB with 35k miles. Paid $27k for it at Casa de Cadillac in Sherman Oaks. Purchase experience was sub par and they wouldn't negotiate too much as the car was "just listed" but I got about $1k off their asking price. It's comes with pretty much standard options. No ML system, no air susp, etc... but does have the comfort package I believe and nav, etc. The black leather interior is in mint condition. The starfire pearl exterior is in great shape too except for one issue I'll list below. Clean carfax and Southern California car. Looks to have been dealer maintained since new and judging by the condition and miles, I suspect garaged every day of its life too.
In SoCal, these cars go for more than they would in other parts of the country. There aren't too many of these for sale and of the ones that are for sale, most are 2007-2009 are pushing 100k miles. The low miles were definitely a selling point for me.
Purchased an extended warranty for $2500 through my credit union where the car is financed. 4year / 48k miles, basically bumper to bumper and I can take the car to any ASE certified repair facility including Lexus. $200 deductible though. It should be noted that 6 of the 8 front control arms had just been replaced in June 2015 at Keyes Lexus as well as the Brake Actuator.
Couple of issues:
-During the test drive, I noticed that the heated steering wheel light was on. I pushed it to turn it off but the light just stayed on. After the drive, turned the car off and the light was still on. Asked the sales man and he said it would turn off eventually, but it did not. I didn't have them add it to the due bill during purchase so it's basically on me to fix. The wheel doesn't feel heated so I think the switch is broken. I'm not too concerned because I live in San Diego and there are probably a couple weeks a year I would consider using it and even then, it's completely unnecessary. I may elect to have it fixed once my warranty kicks in. I could drive back to the dealership and ***** about it but honestly the dealership is a two hour drive each way and is in North LA (Sherman Oaks). I don't have the time take a whole day off to deal with it. My deductible is $200 for my warranty and I'll go that route if it bugs me down the road.
-The drivers seat has proven to be pretty uncomfortable. I posted in a couple of other threads about it and have been doing extensive reading. I've concluded that it's a combination of stiff seat bottom bolsters and a deteriorating middle cushion. As others have done, I am having foam added to the middle of the seat bottom on Monday and this should solve my problem. Other than that, the car rides like a dream.
-The front brakes were replaced recently. They have about 9mm of pad left. But when applying brakes at slow speeds, under 20mph, I can feel and hear a grinding sound. It sounds with the revolution of the wheel so it's like something is stuck in the caliper or on the rotor. I had it looked at by a local indy lexus shop and he confirmed the brakes were new but didn't see anything. He did confirm the noise though. Any ideas?
-Lastly, I found out about 5 days after purchasing the car that the front right fender, right side of bumper & right door have been painted. I feel sort of stupid that I didn't notice it while inspecting the car prior to purchase. It was a 95F day and the car was in direct sun. It looked clean. I was looking for overspray and didn't see anything that caught my eye.
The color matching was as good as it gets and it was blended quite well. The issue is that the re-paint area is dull compared to the original finish. Like if you look at the original paint you can see a mirror finish and then when looking at the re-painted surface you loose some detail. I stopped by a couple of well respected and well reviewed auto body shops in San Diego. One of them specializes in Toyota/Lexus paint, the other one doesn't. The shop that specializes in Lexus said that he has seen this issue before and he's guessing that the paint wasn't given enough time to dry/cure before applying the clear coat. When this happens, the finish can look great for a few days, then appears dull. He suggests light wet sanding & polishing and it should look completely acceptable. Worse case is I have to have the area re-painted but I'm holding out hope his suggestion takes care of it. It's really not that noticeable unless you're looking for it.
Both body shops told me the damage must have been minimal, like a bad scratch or something. Both the door and fender have the original vin plates and the metal is smooth, doesn't look to have been banged out. And the bumper looks to be original, the paint is blended about 1/2 way over and I just noticed the blending spot on the bumper yesterday. The previous owner may have rubbed up against something. I can't say for sure. The previous owner may have had the work done themselves or they may have traded it in that way and the dealer I bought it from may have had the work done.
Any any rate, I'm very happy with the purchase. Even if I had knowledge of the paint work before hand, I would have still purchased the car but perhaps would have had more negotiating power and could have gotten another $1k off the purchase price.
On to the pics:
Details on the car/purchase:
2009 LS 460 SWB with 35k miles. Paid $27k for it at Casa de Cadillac in Sherman Oaks. Purchase experience was sub par and they wouldn't negotiate too much as the car was "just listed" but I got about $1k off their asking price. It's comes with pretty much standard options. No ML system, no air susp, etc... but does have the comfort package I believe and nav, etc. The black leather interior is in mint condition. The starfire pearl exterior is in great shape too except for one issue I'll list below. Clean carfax and Southern California car. Looks to have been dealer maintained since new and judging by the condition and miles, I suspect garaged every day of its life too.
In SoCal, these cars go for more than they would in other parts of the country. There aren't too many of these for sale and of the ones that are for sale, most are 2007-2009 are pushing 100k miles. The low miles were definitely a selling point for me.
Purchased an extended warranty for $2500 through my credit union where the car is financed. 4year / 48k miles, basically bumper to bumper and I can take the car to any ASE certified repair facility including Lexus. $200 deductible though. It should be noted that 6 of the 8 front control arms had just been replaced in June 2015 at Keyes Lexus as well as the Brake Actuator.
Couple of issues:
-During the test drive, I noticed that the heated steering wheel light was on. I pushed it to turn it off but the light just stayed on. After the drive, turned the car off and the light was still on. Asked the sales man and he said it would turn off eventually, but it did not. I didn't have them add it to the due bill during purchase so it's basically on me to fix. The wheel doesn't feel heated so I think the switch is broken. I'm not too concerned because I live in San Diego and there are probably a couple weeks a year I would consider using it and even then, it's completely unnecessary. I may elect to have it fixed once my warranty kicks in. I could drive back to the dealership and ***** about it but honestly the dealership is a two hour drive each way and is in North LA (Sherman Oaks). I don't have the time take a whole day off to deal with it. My deductible is $200 for my warranty and I'll go that route if it bugs me down the road.
-The drivers seat has proven to be pretty uncomfortable. I posted in a couple of other threads about it and have been doing extensive reading. I've concluded that it's a combination of stiff seat bottom bolsters and a deteriorating middle cushion. As others have done, I am having foam added to the middle of the seat bottom on Monday and this should solve my problem. Other than that, the car rides like a dream.
-The front brakes were replaced recently. They have about 9mm of pad left. But when applying brakes at slow speeds, under 20mph, I can feel and hear a grinding sound. It sounds with the revolution of the wheel so it's like something is stuck in the caliper or on the rotor. I had it looked at by a local indy lexus shop and he confirmed the brakes were new but didn't see anything. He did confirm the noise though. Any ideas?
-Lastly, I found out about 5 days after purchasing the car that the front right fender, right side of bumper & right door have been painted. I feel sort of stupid that I didn't notice it while inspecting the car prior to purchase. It was a 95F day and the car was in direct sun. It looked clean. I was looking for overspray and didn't see anything that caught my eye.
The color matching was as good as it gets and it was blended quite well. The issue is that the re-paint area is dull compared to the original finish. Like if you look at the original paint you can see a mirror finish and then when looking at the re-painted surface you loose some detail. I stopped by a couple of well respected and well reviewed auto body shops in San Diego. One of them specializes in Toyota/Lexus paint, the other one doesn't. The shop that specializes in Lexus said that he has seen this issue before and he's guessing that the paint wasn't given enough time to dry/cure before applying the clear coat. When this happens, the finish can look great for a few days, then appears dull. He suggests light wet sanding & polishing and it should look completely acceptable. Worse case is I have to have the area re-painted but I'm holding out hope his suggestion takes care of it. It's really not that noticeable unless you're looking for it.
Both body shops told me the damage must have been minimal, like a bad scratch or something. Both the door and fender have the original vin plates and the metal is smooth, doesn't look to have been banged out. And the bumper looks to be original, the paint is blended about 1/2 way over and I just noticed the blending spot on the bumper yesterday. The previous owner may have rubbed up against something. I can't say for sure. The previous owner may have had the work done themselves or they may have traded it in that way and the dealer I bought it from may have had the work done.
Any any rate, I'm very happy with the purchase. Even if I had knowledge of the paint work before hand, I would have still purchased the car but perhaps would have had more negotiating power and could have gotten another $1k off the purchase price.
On to the pics:
10-10-15, 12:50 PM
#2
Congrats!
I purchased an '11 SWB in late June. Like yours, the middle seat cushion in the driver's seat had deteriorated. I had foam added a few months ago. You'll find that the car will ride totally different afterward!
I purchased an '11 SWB in late June. Like yours, the middle seat cushion in the driver's seat had deteriorated. I had foam added a few months ago. You'll find that the car will ride totally different afterward!
10-10-15, 02:56 PM
#4
Lexus Champion
Congratulations on the car! I also was told recently that a door had been repainted and that the amount of reflection was less compared to adjacent areas. I guess I'm less discerning than I thought I was. 
10-10-15, 04:43 PM
#6
Lexus Fanatic
Congrats! She's a beauty!
10-10-15, 04:43 PM
#7
Welcome and congrats on the car. Nice color.
The driver seat is uncomfortable at times.
I noticed some discomfort when the leg / thigh support is pushed forward.
I just retract it a bit for the most comfortable position.
The driver seat is uncomfortable at times.
I noticed some discomfort when the leg / thigh support is pushed forward.
I just retract it a bit for the most comfortable position.
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10-10-15, 05:44 PM
#8
10-10-15, 05:45 PM
#9
I've noticed not too many LS 460's with the 18" OEM chrome wheels? Are the silver more popular? I have a chance to pick up the chrome version of what I have for $500 with tires. But I'm sort of digging the silver wheels, more sporty vs. classy with the chrome.
Last edited by sdwtchlvr; 10-10-15 at 05:52 PM.
10-10-15, 06:01 PM
#11
Lexus Champion
IMO, It's very subjective as to whether chrome or silver (or other finishes) look best. I think the chromed wheels go well with the mirror-like finish my Matador Red color has. A more matte-like wheel finish would detract from that.
10-10-15, 06:04 PM
#12
Lexus Fanatic
Lexus doesn't offer chrome wheels from the factory anymore. Any chrome wheels that are out there are aftermarket or done by the dealer. Outside of CA you don't see chrome wheels much on any cars anymore.
10-10-15, 07:01 PM
#13
Lexus Champion
I don't think it looks gaudy or too flashy on my car, but I'll confess to *once* (OK, maybe *twice*) having worn a seersucker jacket with plaid pants. I was young, it was the '70's.
10-10-15, 07:05 PM
#14
Lexus Fanatic
It was back in the early 2000s they stopped offering a factory chrome option. I like he chrome too, they're just kinda out of style.
10-10-15, 07:54 PM
#15
Congrats, the car looks great.
As far as the heated steering wheel switch, if the wheel does not feel heated, I would check the fuse first.
As far as the heated steering wheel switch, if the wheel does not feel heated, I would check the fuse first.