1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

Hey guys

ive recently put a deposit down on a 460L, I will be taking possession of it very soon .

I am wondering if I made a mistake buying one with factory air , although the car im getting has super low mileage, im still worried about expensive repair/replacement bills.

My question is in general how reliable/unreliable is the OEM air set up?

Is it foolish of me to think I can get 3-5 years out of it before needing any servicing?

Also I am not sure id like to do it, but im exploring options of replacing the air system with a standard spring/strut or even coilovers, just wondering what options are out there and have they managed to fool the computer yet to now throw any warning lights?

So far ive found one kit, suncore, which seems reasonably priced but I cant seem to figure out if it fixes the computer as well. (from throwing up multiple warnings and codes)

In another thread a guy said all he did was remove the height sensor/computer and the computer wont throw any codes, is it that easy? Can anyone confirm?

Basically im just looking for nay current, up to date info regarding the air system, their life span and what options there are to switch to a simple coil and spring set up.

This was a VERY tough purchase for me because this car will be used as my daily driver, work vehicle, and its almost too good for that, so I was tempted to buy a higher mileage base model, but the low mileage L was just too hard to pass up, air suspension or not.

Thanks in advance

Cubbylex

Hi

I totally get your concern on air suspension, however, I have owned numerous vehicles with it and mostly GM and Lincoln.

This is is my first Lexus as well and while I had concerns also, I just did not let it rank up the worry factor because it appeared the car was well taken care of and the fact that it was a Lexus which has a very reliable history.

Ther are many pro/con on purchasing an extended warranty so I won't go into it here, but I did buy one because I don't have the knowledge or skills to work on a vehicle and it was my peace of mind I was concerned about. Like any insurance, there is a possibility you won't ever have to use it but it is there if you do. Just research the company to be sure it covers what you need.

also, have the car inspected by a third party. I understand you can have a vehicle inspected for a few hundred dollars. This way you can feel more assured in your purchase.

whatever you decide, good luck. I love my 460 L which is a 2010 model and I hope you will as well.

take care

Cubby

2v1g

Only Lexus warranty cover your Lexus's struts

pmiller

FWIW...I just replaced my 2010 LS460L with air suspension front air suspension. They also replaced the all the front control arms. I had 106K miles. It probably went out 10K miles ago. I had to have a tech ride with me to "duplicate" the sound. He rode for 5 minutes and said, "oh yeah, I hear it and feel the rough ride". Yet they couldn't duplicate it 2 months ago. It's definitely something to keep in mind. However, an indie shop could probably fix it for a reasonable price. Mine was under an extended warranty.
Good luck!!!

comotiger

Air suspensions can start failing around 45K onwards, not all four but one or a pair. Some owners have replaced all four by 50-60K, and others still ride on original components into the 70Ks. So it is unpredictable but I would not be scared of it. It is an expensive repair, but if you are not covered by warranty, some have replaced theirs with aftermarket parts installed by an indy shop. Although Suncore appears to be a possibility, I am not sure they are still making these parts (check the thread where this issue was discussed at length). Another solution that you have correctly identified is to replace the air suspension with a regular struts and coilovers that have also been reported here. I have no personal experience with any of these options.

If you intend to use your 460L (what year and mileage?) as a daily driver, you should seriously consider buying an extended warranty that would last at least 50K miles and covers the air suspension. Or if you have worked with a good indy shop in the past, discuss the repair options for a faulty air suspension before making the purchase. From what I have read here, virtually all other repairs on these cars can be performed well and rather economically by a good indy shop or by a suitably-inclined and equipped owner.

Doublebase

It sounds like you got a good deal, but personally I'd avoid an air suspension system. It's something I don't want to be bothered with...there's enough things that can go wrong with a car....leaking air struts isn't something I want to spend money on. But it looks like you are doing your research on a possible solution if they fail - and I think it's a great idea - I wish I knew if just removing the air system would shut off the failure light, but I'm not sure if it's tied into other factors.

salesguy

Comotiger - you make it sound like failure of the Air Suspension system is a given, and likely to happen by 70k miles. Is this the consensus of the group here as well?

My CPO car has 65k miles on it (with Air) and 2 more years of coverage. I guess i'd hope that it either fails during that 2 years or lasts forever.

If the system can be fully replaced for less than $4k at an indy shop, I wouldn't loose too much sleep over it.

I do enjoy being able to adjust the suspension on the fly, and find myself doing it on just about every ride.

comotiger

Hi Salesguy, I am sorry if I gave you that impression. I stated that many people still have the original suspension at 70K, and that it is unpredictable when the suspension may go bad. A lot depends upon how the OP uses his vehicle as a daily driver. If it is mostly highway miles on good roads, the suspension may last a long time. I don't have any special insight into this topic other than what I have read since joining CL.

My car has air suspension too, and I got a Platinum VSA primarily to deal with this eventuality. My car is used as a highway cruiser for 8-10K per year, and I seldom change out of the Comfort setting. Under these conditions, the suspension may never fail. But the VSA gives me peace of mind (8 years/75K miles coverage remaining)

jasone36

As someone who only considered non-air models of the LS460 when shopping, I can tell you there are deals to be had on air-equipped models.

The air models were almost always priced lower than non-air models in the used marked... I often saw up to a $5,000 difference between the two.

If you don't mind the hassle of an air-suspension failure and associated downtime while it's being repaired (or replaced), you may effectively "recoup" the cost of a air-suspension model by the lower upfront purchase price.

Best of luck

Kbueno

95k and no issues on my 2010. Best thing about the car is the adjustable ride and paddle shifters. Are the air shocks that un-reliable??

DriftGirl

iTrader: (6)

CONGRATS!! I havent seen many posts here in regards to them failing. The Air equipped cars usually have more/better factory options...So i figured what tha heck...if they go out, ill put it on coilovers.

I actually bought a set of BC Dampers "just in case" .

comotiger

I agree. When you add the UltraLux or Executive package in the LWB, the air suspension is required. I think non-air vehicles for 460L AWD are very rare, and I believe jasone36 has one of the very few.

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

Thanks for the replies guys

For the record its a private sale so no possibility of a warrantee and it has 37 000 miles and RWD, not sure if the options as of right now, but it is throwing tpms warnings, my plan was delete that out of the computer system but recently found out that's not possible

The L's are rare enough here, but to find one with super low mileage at a good price was just something I couldn't pass up

Ive been loosely in the market for an L for nearly 3 years now , and I decided to jump at this one

Falbz

Has anybody tried these arnott air struts before ? Also, who manufactures the OEM ones for Lexus? KYB?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AS-2855-Arno...tXKxC5&vxp=mtr

comotiger

What year is this car? If it is a 2012 purchased in 2013 or later, or a 2013 car, you could still buy the Lexus Platinum VSA because your car would still have the new car warranty in effect (4 yr/50K).