davewgs

Hi All - I'm picking up an 01 LS430Ultra tomorrow in Houston and will be driving it back to Atlanta. It checks out perfectly except the inspector said that the upper belt tensioner might be loose and may need to be replaced - but he wasn't sure (accessory belt was whining at inspection - after a rain storm). This is a pretty easy thing to fix - if it really needs to be fixed. So anyone know an independent shop that could take a look at it - on short notice..... like tomorrow??!! - Local dealer says they are busy till Monday....

thanks!
dave

DDLexus

Dave,
Is this car being sold at a Lexus dealer? Or is it the one on EBay ?

How did you find out about this car? I was looking all over the place for my LS430 Ultra. Found it in Montgomery, AL 3 weeks ago.

Show/tell us more...

davewgs

It was on ebay a few weeks ago - silver/black 61K - one owner, dealer serviced from Tampa Fla.... bought at auction by Auto Planet of Houston. Got it for $31K - From the inspection report , it's supposed to be in excellent shape, just needs to be de-chromed in my opinion.....

I'm really not worried about the squeally fan - but still would feel better knowing it's okay and isn't the pulley tensioner. I have set up an appointment with C&C Lexus to take a look - anybody know if they are good or not? Best I could find on the net, non-dealer.

Can't Wait!!!!!!!

houstonnw

I've used Westside Lexus for 14 years now with no complaints. Their main number is 281 558 3030, you might call them and ask if they can fit you in tomorrow. Unfortunately the service advisor that I've been using for the past 6 years is off tomorrow or I would suggest you contact him directly.

davewgs

Just wanted to post an update to this this thread I started....:

Had a really great experience picking up my car - a little scary flying to Houston from Atlanta to pick up a car I hadn't actually seen or driven yet. Got in, drove it, loved it, but the belt squeal was making me nervous, so I asked to have it checked out by C&C before I wrote the check. I found them through Google the day before I flew out and what a lucky break that turned out to be. It turns out Curt Raulen, the owner, was formally the Lead Diagnostic Technician at Westside Lexus, and was employed there for 12 years, before he started his own shop. Curt not only diagnosed the belt noise in 10 seconds with a can of WD-40 (non Lexus belt without felt made it noisy), he treated me to a mini-LS430 schooling, walking around the car, pointing things out, checking the panels, etc... Put the car on the lift, checked all the past/present error codes with his handheld diagnostic computer and basically gave me his unbiased opinion on the whole thing. He spent an hour with me for the price of an oil change and made me feel much better about the 14 hour drive home!

If you are in Houston, give them a call. They specialize in Lexus and have a nice set-up with 4 or 5 lifts and a laser alignment rig. He's also into racing and does custom suspension work for Lexus, Porsche and BMW's. The man knows things - and is a real nice guy to boot. If your'e in Houston check them out:

http://www.ccsnorthsidemotors.com/

GRAND_LS 4

iTrader: (2)

Sounds like a great guy, I like good ending

houstonnw

Thanks for the post. I have not been 100% happy with my 2004 LS430. The Car & Driver review, that the LS won BTW, said that the faster you go the straighter the car wants to go. I've never felt that, seems a little nervous at 70+ mph.

Westside Lexus did say the alignment was out of spec and realigned it. It seems a little better, but it might be the power of suggestion.

I'll definitely go visit CCS and get a suggestion from them. Thanks.

mixednuts

The description of your preowned 2001 LS430 purchase in Houston sounded like the one I called on last week. It sounded to good to be true, so I passed. From the dealers description and the photos it appeared to be in mint condition.

How was your ride back to Atlanta. Did the dealer treat you right?

davewgs

The dealer experience was "okay"... there were things like, only 1 working key (which they didn't tell me about), and a few more door dings than I expected - but it was indeed a really good deal. One great thing is that the super dark tint left the interior leather/wood looking brand new from no sunlight getting through.....They actually had some other really good deals too on a GS, another LS and a bunch of C Class Mercedes. They pulled all the service records for me from the original dealer in Tampa which was a "must have" for me. Auto Planet is the name.... I would give them a 6/10 for the appearance of their showroom and professionalism, but a 10/10 on the price of the LS430Ultra. And Al Kelley, who I never actually met, seemed like a real nice guy and worked with me on the price more than he really had to....By the way, they let me test drive the car for the whole day while I had C&C check it out, which was really cool IMO.

Ride home was fun -- speeding silver blur with the appearnace of no tags and super tinted windows all around - and I mean black as night (dealer tag in back window, but way too much tint to really see it). The airshocks saved my fillings from popping out on the Louisiana and Mississippi roads.

Besides the PITA of removing the tint, especially on the rear window, and having another key made - I'm really happy with everything and looking forward to driving again. Very, very happy actually.

mixednuts

Thanks for the review. Glad to hear everything went well and that the LS 430 performed well on its trip home to Alabama!