sparky3

2010 SWB AWD with air suspension.
According to the maintenance records available on Lexus.com, i see these 3 "Customer declined"

Dealer Reported 06/20/2014 Herb Chambers Lexus of Norwell 65445 0010304 REPLACE IRIDIUM SPARK PLUGS ON V8 MODEL - ,CUSTOMER DECLINED SERVICE - REPLACE IRIDIUM SPARK PLUGS ON V8 MODEL

Dealer Reported 06/20/2014 Herb Chambers Lexus of Norwell 65445 0010304 REPLACE FRONT AIR STRUT ASSEMBLIES - ,CUSTOMER DECLINED SERVICE - REPLACE FRONT AIR STRUT ASSEMBLIES

Dealer Reported 06/20/2014 Herb Chambers Lexus of Norwell 65445 0010304 R & R SERVO MOTOR DAMPER ASSEMBLY - ,CUSTOMER DECLINED SERVICE - R & R SERVO MOTOR DAMPER ASSEMBLY

Now, I'm not sure if the spark plugs and front air struts are part of the normal 60k service (I hope the latter isn't).

Are people having more luck with the air susp on 2010 models? Does anyone know what the R&R Servo motor damper assembly is?

Other than the above, the car has impeccible service history. It's a Matador Red Mica with Black Interior 2010 AWD car, with 74k miles for $26.8k.

What do you guys think?

Wandl

First off that is a pretty good deal on a 2010. Above average miles but certainly well priced.

Spark plugs I would ignore as they are 100k items, unless the car drives real bad which warrants a fresh set of plugs.

Air suspension is a hit or miss, I would have a mechanic inspect it to tell you whether it is an issue (or has been resolved). A few members have had their 2007-and-newer air suspensions replaced....

Keep in mind the owner may have had all the work done at an independent shop so the PPI would be able to tell you that ahead of time...

Good luck and sounds like a good car otherwise...

greg3852

Good price, but higher than average miles. Depends on how its equipped. Need the options to make a better determination.

Ascari_2

I've had both of my front air struts replaced with the car having less than 40k miles on it, so yes it's very possible that this can be an issue on the car that you are looking at. That's the part that has a big price tag and would definitely factor that into the overall price.

Gbp

To confirm, is this a private party sale? Does the car come with all service records so you can verify what maintenance/repairs have been done on the vehicle. I've found the online history at Lexus very useful, but if the work wasn't't performed at a Lexus (or Toyota?) dealership, you likely won"t find it documented on the Lexus web site.

Also, do you have an Autocheck and/or Carfax report for the car? if you really want the car, you might consider having it evaluated by an independent Lexus mechanic who might be able to give you an estimate of needed repairs. That, and as a previuos poster mentioned, the options/packages the car has will give you a better sense of whether this is a good deal.

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

Skip the plugs - yes, they are part of the 60,000 mile "service" but they are good for 100,000 - 120,000 miles. The other 2 items are repairs that the dealer recommended but this would not be covered by warranty, hence the "declined" comment, I'm sure. If they truly need replacing, then this is an expensive proposition!

Nospinzone

Sparky, I saw your thread shortly after you posted it, but didn't have time to respond. However, Gpb's response is pretty much what I would have said. I did wonder if this was a private sale.


I'm not sure I would defer the plug change that far out. I may be wrong, but I believe that year had direct fuel injection, in which case I would change the plugs close to the recommended mileage. If you find the plugs haven't been changed and the car has 74K miles, I would plan on changing them if it were me.

sparky3

Here's the car:

http://www.autolist.com/listings/JTHCL5EF8A5007988

Carfax is clean. But yes, "customer declined" certainly could mean they had an independent shop fix it - however I'm finding that many people have these cars until they're out of warranty and a major repair become due, then they dump them.

It's what, $1200 per side to replace the front air struts, and I'm looking at the 90k service that needs doing (water pump/timing belt) - so another $1400 or so.
Any comments on the "R & R SERVO MOTOR DAMPER ASSEMBLY"?

Such a beautiful car.

Nospinzone

The water pump does not need to be replaced unless there is something wrong with it. The car does not have a timing belt, you will never have to replace it!

I have no idea what the R&R Servo Motor Damper is, must be part of the air suspension, maybe?

greg3852

There are several members in Ma, if you are serious, perhaps someone could check it out for you. I am over an hour away, someone may be closer.

CarGuy89

I am starting to do a very similar thing - look up service records and I'm making a chart with notes about each car. If the car drives great, then it shouldn't be too bad. However, I'm always suspicious of engine component replacements, trim falling off at very low miles, alignments at very low miles, etc. as these suggest that the particular vehicle might not be the best example from the get-go/might have vibration issues. I would personally look for one with just a very routine service every 5k mi.

wbrian63

Servo Motor Damper Assembly has something to do with HVAC. Possibly somebody tried to change the cabin air filter without setting the A/C to recirculate and broke the system.

Easy check - remove the contents of the glove box, remove the divider, open the panel to expose the access point for the cabin air filter. Turn the A/C on, select Recirculate on the control panel. Door should open. Select Fresh Air, door should close.

Could also be something else - but damper clearly indicates something HVAC related. Check to make sure you get air from defroster vents (this should always work - failed systems should default to defroster as a safety measure), from the dash and from the floor. Select bi-level up and down to see if you can get a mix of defroster/dash and dash/floor.

Pamperme

I'm sorry but air suspension problems, specially this early, and especially on a Lexus is NOT the type of quality a Lexus owner should tolerate.

sparky3

Oh I agree. Here's the pattern I've noticed, even on 40k+ cars:
Owner will be relentless about getting everything perfect while in warranty. Once this expires and something major (1k+ to fix) the seller dumps the car and it goes up for sale.
Of course this is mostly for the $17-$32k used LS's from 08-10. There's a very pretty 2008 Spinal Nobel Mica car for $16.8k - too bad the differential needs replaced. I called my local Lexus service advisor and she told me $5k+ to fix. Local trusted shop said same thing - the parts are available through Lexus only.

I'm frankly surprised by the number of air suspension and other major problems I'm finding in the service history of these used LS's.

I may just lease a brand new ES300h - under full warranty and 40MPG and room for the kids. No annoying valve ticking sound when stopped like the LS. Did I mention 40MPG?

sparky3

Look, I realize the LS is a superior car. From a true cost of ownership perspective, I'm not sure it's as good as the LS430, or at least the LS430 I had. Sold with 165k miles and after 8 years all I did was the timing belt/water pump and brakes/tires. I think one cheap suspension part.
The brakes didn't click from actuator noise, and I didn't have a sticky dash that creaked during the cold weather. I didn't have a trunklid gap nor a sagging glovebox. Granted the 430 was boring, but it rode like a comfy couch down the road.