When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
BTW starters are known to go on older LSs but it's not a widespread problem. The vast majority of the time they last the life of the car.
There simply aren't serious mechanical weaknesses to 400s/430s. That's not to say nothing ever breaks, but they're tanks.
The LS430 is more of a tank reliability wise than the LX570 in the driveway--a truck that was engineered to last 30 years in the worst conditions in the world. Nothing ever really breaks on that either but I have replaced a few things. It simply isn't just stupid, out of this world reliable like the 430 is.
Just curious, why do you continue buying/driving these cars if they all need so much work?
I didn't, I bought a 4.0 A8 expecting hell because I massively preferred how they drove. It was okay but way too aggressive/something you always wanted to speed in so I then bought an LS460 even though I was expecting endless issues, it ended up being the best Lexus I have ever owned out of the 8 I've personally had and it was not close.
Eventually I found the perfect cars for me and bought a fleet of W12s, they have been extremely low needs and are easier to work on.
BTW starters are known to go on older LSs but it's not a widespread problem. The vast majority of the time they last the life of the car.
There simply aren't serious mechanical weaknesses to 400s/430s. That's not to say nothing ever breaks, but they're tanks.
The starter failure is actually very common. I had one...with a bad starter. The P/S pumps and alternators were also very common problems. It just isn't true that these cars don't have common widespread problems, they do. Doesn't mean that they aren't very well made and incredibly reliable. The suspension bushing issues with LS400s are also very common.
The starter failure is actually very common. I had one...with a bad starter. The P/S pumps and alternators were also very common problems. It just isn't true that these cars don't have common widespread problems, they do. Doesn't mean that they aren't very well made and incredibly reliable. The suspension bushing issues with LS400s are also very common.
I experienced two PS pump failures in less than 3 years on mine. Also had the starter beginning to fail.
I had a 96 ls400 for a long time and it had a reliable engine imo, lots of other nickel n dime issues though that I basically ignored like speedo stopped working/strut rods twice/upper control arms twice/door lock actuators/disc changer and head unit crapped out but that was normal for nakamichi units...always had the PS leak and a few oil leaks, did the belt and w/pump once along with the idlers etc. It was our grocery donkey so I didn't care much about it,
I've never had a car that I didn't want to burn at some point with the possible exception of a BJ60 Landcruiser that I sold to a couple of lesbians when living in the Yukon but it was having a hard time pulling a boat I had then.
the LS's benchmark was the S-class so it's hard to find an equivalent that isn't either. imho, the peak LS was the 430, though the 400 i owned was one of the best cars i've had.
i would say a toyota century would be one step above all this! v-12 anyone?
This thread was originally in the LS460 forum, not really sure why it was moved here.
I can tell you there are plenty of places to go for LS fans. S Class, 7 Series, A8, lots of SUV options that give a great driving experience. Going cheaper isn’t really an option, have to stay at that same caliber.
totally agree here, I've had 5 GSs and finally made the move upwards to the LS500 when the GS was discontinued, now the LS is axed. I really hope Lexus comes out with another sedan maybe electric in that top level tier, i dont see myself going to an ES. The next move would probably be the S class. My wife leases Infiniti QX60s every 3 years so I have the SUV covered. We'll see, would love to stay in the large sedan flagship tier. If I ever made the move to an SUV, hands down would be the big body Range Rover, maybe my wife would go back to a 3 series.
totally agree here, I've had 5 GSs and finally made the move upwards to the LS500 when the GS was discontinued, now the LS is axed. I really hope Lexus comes out with another sedan maybe electric in that top level tier, i dont see myself going to an ES. The next move would probably be the S class. My wife leases Infiniti QX60s every 3 years so I have the SUV covered. We'll see, would love to stay in the large sedan flagship tier. If I ever made the move to an SUV, hands down would be the big body Range Rover, maybe my wife would go back to a 3 series.
totally agree here, I've had 5 GSs and finally made the move upwards to the LS500 when the GS was discontinued, now the LS is axed. I really hope Lexus comes out with another sedan maybe electric in that top level tier, i dont see myself going to an ES. The next move would probably be the S class. My wife leases Infiniti QX60s every 3 years so I have the SUV covered. We'll see, would love to stay in the large sedan flagship tier. If I ever made the move to an SUV, hands down would be the big body Range Rover, maybe my wife would go back to a 3 series.
I have a feeling we will see the LS name again on something.
I have a feeling we will see the LS name again on something.
Huh?
My LS lease is up in 8 months and only has 8k miles on it, probably buy it out and see what Lexus does over time, would love to stay with the brand in a sedan or large coupe.
Great convo in the thread so far. I just watched a TY video on how bad new cars are made now. Everything built recently within the last several years has built in components to literally fail once certain amount of miles are accumulated, to self destruct in many ways. It’s actually built into the design of the vehicle so there’s no way around it.
Many new vehicles now are using so much plastic in the drivetrain components, and in other critical places, such as plastic coolant lines and connectors, plastic water pump housing, electrical water pumps, plastic motor mounts and pans, electrical parts that are purposely located in extremely hot areas of the engine compartment without any shielding so the internals will fry up and fail faster, it’s a guarantee those components will eventually break not only with mileage, but in time as plastic gets brittle with age.
The LS 460 is probably the last LS that still uses metal components for the engine minus the plastic intake manifold and oil fill housing, which fortunately doesn’t seem to ever cause a concern on these cars. Toyota does a great job at least engineering high quality plastic and rubber parts vs say many other automakers that will last almost forever. But to believe an engine with plastic everywhere to go 200-400k miles without something cracking or crumbling away is long gone.
My 07 LS 460L is my daily driver and so far at 170k miles, it still runs great, minus some oil burning. Everything still works on it, and because it’s an optioned out L model with air suspension, I’ve truly been spoiled by it so it’s hard to drive lesser cars now.
That if it ever came a time to replace it, I will honestly probably just buy another one, but 13+ model year as there’s really no other car besides for a Genesis G90 I can think of that I truly would like to buy used that is reliable and will be affordable thats on par with a 460.
Maybe an older Equus? I just don’t trust new vehicles at all. They are getting worse in quality it seems, with ever increasing downsized engines, cheaper feeling components that are made to fall apart, thinner and thinner metallurgy in the transmission and engine parts including thinner sheetmetal and paint.
Definitely will never buy a luxury euro mobile. If the Genesis brand can get to Lexus levels of reliability, then I will be making the switch in the used car market. The styling is far superior to Lexus as their cars look unique on the roads. They have a sense of class and boldness to them that Lexus lacks.
I might have to stack up and start hoarding 90’s and 2000’s Lexuses, as that was the golden age for Toyota when it came to durability and reliability. Shoot, I still see many early 2000’s Toyota Camrys and even Highlanders driving everywhere where I live on a daily basis.
Great convo in the thread so far. I just watched a TY video on how bad new cars are made now. Everything built recently within the last several years has built in components to literally fail once certain amount of miles are accumulated, to self destruct in many ways. It’s actually built into the design of the vehicle so there’s no way around it.
Many new vehicles now are using so much plastic in the drivetrain components, and in other critical places, such as plastic coolant lines and connectors, plastic water pump housing, electrical water pumps, plastic motor mounts and pans, electrical parts that are purposely located in extremely hot areas of the engine compartment without any shielding so the internals will fry up and fail faster, it’s a guarantee those components will eventually break not only with mileage, but in time as plastic gets brittle with age.
The LS 460 is probably the last LS that still uses metal components for the engine minus the plastic intake manifold and oil fill housing, which fortunately doesn’t seem to ever cause a concern on these cars. Toyota does a great job at least engineering high quality plastic and rubber parts vs say many other automakers that will last almost forever. But to believe an engine with plastic everywhere to go 200-400k miles without something cracking or crumbling away is long gone.
My 07 LS 460L is my daily driver and so far at 170k miles, it still runs great, minus some oil burning. Everything still works on it, and because it’s an optioned out L model with air suspension, I’ve truly been spoiled by it so it’s hard to drive lesser cars now.
That if it ever came a time to replace it, I will honestly probably just buy another one, but 13+ model year as there’s really no other car besides for a Genesis G90 I can think of that I truly would like to buy used that is reliable and will be affordable thats on par with a 460.
Maybe an older Equus? I just don’t trust new vehicles at all. They are getting worse in quality it seems, with ever increasing downsized engines, cheaper feeling components that are made to fall apart, thinner and thinner metallurgy in the transmission and engine parts including thinner sheetmetal and paint.
Definitely will never buy a luxury euro mobile. If the Genesis brand can get to Lexus levels of reliability, then I will be making the switch in the used car market. The styling is far superior to Lexus as their cars look unique on the roads. They have a sense of class and boldness to them that Lexus lacks.
I might have to stack up and start hoarding 90’s and 2000’s Lexuses, as that was the golden age for Toyota when it came to durability and reliability. Shoot, I still see many early 2000’s Toyota Camrys and even Highlanders driving everywhere where I live on a daily basis.
Get a late LS460 and be done with it. Fantastic automobile. One of a kind in a way or two.
As an LS owner I'm kinda saddened by all this honestly.
The 460 will need the valley plate resealed, every single UR will leak from there due to the factory not using enough sealant to really last 300k miles. They don't have many issues other than that and valve cover leaks outside of normal consumables
