Bought my '03 LS 430 today!
04-26-13, 05:18 PM
#1
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Bought my '03 LS 430 today!
Greetings!
I've thought about buying an LS for over a decade. Today I pulled the plug. This was a 1-owner with meticulous records. The previous owner traded it in for a '13. Options include: nav w/ Mark Levinson, heated/cooled seats, parking assist, etc.
The car rides/drives like a dream. Before I signed the papers I had the dealer change the oil, turn the rotors, perform an alignment, and do a few other things. The two issues that remain are: (1) a blown subwoofer (I've scheduled an appt. tomorrow with a high-end auto shop), and (2) side mirrors which adjust up/down/left/right intermittently although the folding feature works fine (appt. scheduled on Tues. to fix that).
Here are some pics from the dealer's website.
I've thought about buying an LS for over a decade. Today I pulled the plug. This was a 1-owner with meticulous records. The previous owner traded it in for a '13. Options include: nav w/ Mark Levinson, heated/cooled seats, parking assist, etc.
The car rides/drives like a dream. Before I signed the papers I had the dealer change the oil, turn the rotors, perform an alignment, and do a few other things. The two issues that remain are: (1) a blown subwoofer (I've scheduled an appt. tomorrow with a high-end auto shop), and (2) side mirrors which adjust up/down/left/right intermittently although the folding feature works fine (appt. scheduled on Tues. to fix that).
Here are some pics from the dealer's website.
04-26-13, 05:20 PM
#2
congratulations i have the identical car and color in an 2002
as a fyi my sub was aslso with issues instead of replacing they siliconed it and its great now.
check your strut arm bushings that they were changed they last about 90k
safe driving beautiful car, i wanted ivory interior this is growing on me i ilike it
as a fyi my sub was aslso with issues instead of replacing they siliconed it and its great now.
check your strut arm bushings that they were changed they last about 90k
safe driving beautiful car, i wanted ivory interior this is growing on me i ilike it
04-27-13, 06:45 AM
#6
Moderator
Welcome - great looking car!
Trending Topics
04-27-13, 09:09 PM
#8
Congratulations, I own the same car in an 01 with Mellenium Silver,Grey interior and Nav/ML. After 3 years of ownership (purchased with 98,000miles) I've only replaced an 02 sensor and of course refoamed the rear subwoofer. Great car. I felt lucky to get that color combo as I didn't care for the lighter color interiors. Enjoy.....you won't be disappointed.
Last edited by Bocatrip; 04-28-13 at 02:36 PM.
04-28-13, 04:40 PM
#10
Yo, Bocatrip, I'm really happy for you, I'ma let you finish, but Mercury Metallic is one of the best silver colors of all time! One of the best silver colors of all time! 
04-28-13, 05:22 PM
#11
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Thanks everyone!
Today I drove the car 250 mi. from the selling dealership to my home. Wow! What can I say that you don't already know? I'm sure that this car drives just like it did in 2003. I must thank the original owner for taking such great care of it.
Yesterday I had the blown ML subwoofer replaced. It was $179 for the part and $179 for labor (1.5 h).
This afternoon I fixed the side mirror problem myself by cleaning the switch following the FAQ instructions. I'm sure that this saved me hundreds of dollars!
Today I drove the car 250 mi. from the selling dealership to my home. Wow! What can I say that you don't already know? I'm sure that this car drives just like it did in 2003. I must thank the original owner for taking such great care of it.
Yesterday I had the blown ML subwoofer replaced. It was $179 for the part and $179 for labor (1.5 h).
This afternoon I fixed the side mirror problem myself by cleaning the switch following the FAQ instructions. I'm sure that this saved me hundreds of dollars!
05-04-13, 01:03 AM
#14
Intermediate
Thread Starter
I thought that I'd share what I've done or had done to the car over the past week:
1. Fixed sideview mirror switch. Cost: ($1 for Q-tips and $15 for electronics cleaner from Radio Shack). I pulled the switch out, disassembled it, and cleaned it following DIY instructions on this board. I'm sure that the dealer would have charged me hundreds!
2. Deactivated the steering wheel tilt-away feature. Cost: $52 at dealer. I followed advice on this board to do this because of the potential cost to replace the motor if it fails.
3. Duplicate master key made. Cost: $291 at dealer for the key + programming.
4. Replaced cabin air filter. Cost: $21 for a Bosch filter on Amazon. This was an easy DIY.
5. Replaced trunk struts. Cost: $40.82 from Amazon. The dealer quoted me $417 to do this. This was an easy 5 min. DIY.
6. Added silicone covers to my key FOBs. Cost: $7 ea. on eBay. My salesperson recommended that I do this to preserve the FOB's life.
7. Repaired a busted washer hose. Cost $52 at dealer. Yesterday afternoon I tried to wash my windshield and nothing happened. I topped off the washer reservoir and again, nothing happened. So I drove the car directly to the dealership. The tech came out, pushed the washer button, and lo and behold we saw a puddle of washer fluid drip from under the car. It took the tech about 2h to find the leak and replace the busted hose (which I think was in the hood). Given the amount of time involved I thought that $52 was very reasonable.
8. Added stainless steel exhaust tips. Cost: $19.52 on Amazon. I purchased the tips from 3A Racing that have been discussed on this forum. This DIY job took me ~1 hour. I'm so pleased with the rear end's new look. It looks classier (like the '04-'06 models).
Now the car is good to go! I think my next expense will be for an oil change 5K miles down the road. As you can see, following advice on this board has saved me a lot of money!
1. Fixed sideview mirror switch. Cost: ($1 for Q-tips and $15 for electronics cleaner from Radio Shack). I pulled the switch out, disassembled it, and cleaned it following DIY instructions on this board. I'm sure that the dealer would have charged me hundreds!
2. Deactivated the steering wheel tilt-away feature. Cost: $52 at dealer. I followed advice on this board to do this because of the potential cost to replace the motor if it fails.
3. Duplicate master key made. Cost: $291 at dealer for the key + programming.
4. Replaced cabin air filter. Cost: $21 for a Bosch filter on Amazon. This was an easy DIY.
5. Replaced trunk struts. Cost: $40.82 from Amazon. The dealer quoted me $417 to do this. This was an easy 5 min. DIY.
6. Added silicone covers to my key FOBs. Cost: $7 ea. on eBay. My salesperson recommended that I do this to preserve the FOB's life.
7. Repaired a busted washer hose. Cost $52 at dealer. Yesterday afternoon I tried to wash my windshield and nothing happened. I topped off the washer reservoir and again, nothing happened. So I drove the car directly to the dealership. The tech came out, pushed the washer button, and lo and behold we saw a puddle of washer fluid drip from under the car. It took the tech about 2h to find the leak and replace the busted hose (which I think was in the hood). Given the amount of time involved I thought that $52 was very reasonable.
8. Added stainless steel exhaust tips. Cost: $19.52 on Amazon. I purchased the tips from 3A Racing that have been discussed on this forum. This DIY job took me ~1 hour. I'm so pleased with the rear end's new look. It looks classier (like the '04-'06 models).
Now the car is good to go! I think my next expense will be for an oil change 5K miles down the road. As you can see, following advice on this board has saved me a lot of money!
