So it still had factory damping curves? Still pulled the same G? Still controlled the car well at V-max?

Strut systems are resistant yes but they lose performance over time even if they don't "wear out" like a multi link.

 

Oh they break......my 02 has had EVERYTHING POSSIBLE go wrong at 260k at least once. I had the cams out of the engine and subframe off etc...

Not a single part of the suspension is original nor are any consumable items.

 

Yep, it’s the blind spot monitor. It’s always red when it’s on on an MB.

The Pacifica just gets the carwash lol




This was cool. This is just a random shopping center parking lot down the street from my house, Toyota was holding a pop up EV test drive location. They were closing up when I drove by. Great idea!

 

No, it's only on its second belt. I'm not replacing it again until after 200k. The old one looked new. In any case a timing belt is just maintenance, it is part of what makes that old V8 pretty much the smoothest one ever made. To your point I have maintained it and it has been garaged its whole life, yes you're right there. But still what a lot of people don't get (not saying you) is that you can junk or just absolutely beat an LS to death like any junker beater Corolla Camry and it will take it just fine and come back for more. It's just hard to think that way because they're such nice cars.

The only Mercedes that could equal or top that Lexus is the W123 IMO. Even then, ZERO maintenance?

There is zero wrong with my LS430, not one issue at all.

This is funny you say this because I meant to update it all...

The radio issue---

As you may remember I had a power draw which I was NOT happy about (potential nightmare), it turned out to be the (aftermarket) old XM tuner was staying on. Disconnected and fixed. And my radio out was just a fuse, it came right back to life the second my spouse changed it.

LS430s really just don't break.

I have replaced a door lock actuator and a $140 thermostat that was running COLD (the car wasn't overheating lol). Rubber control arm bushings a decade ago.

That's literally it. It gets driven a good amount, more than both other cars now. It's my go to for just aimlessly driving around putting miles on, as part of what the doctors want me to do...sit upright and drive. Plus that $400 interior detail I had-- it's just a pure pleasure palace.

 

All of this is just maintenance. Replacing struts is just maintenance, alternators go bad, starters go bad, bushings get old and crack and fail.

You can beat on those Mercedes models I mentioned like that too. Talk to some people who have them, they too last forever. Modern ones don't, they are way more complex but thats true of Lexus too.

Zero maintenance is relative. The person who owned that LS400 changed oil and changed brakes and stuff like that, or it would not have lasted like it did. But yes, you can change the oil in those Mercedes and they will go 250,000 miles easy.

Those are things that broke lol.

But yes, they do break...listen to Striker. They're very well made reliable cars but nothing lasts forever and the most reliable car will have needs as it ages, and they become HIGHLY variable as they age depending on their circumstances, how they have been treated etc.

 

Yeah a door lock and a thermostat, lol. In a high-zoot $65,000 flagship luxury car that literally had MILES of wires inside it and multiple computers all working together. That's a pretty impressive stat. What's a 2004 W220 going to need replaced in 26 years? Even if kept up as well as mine.

I'm aware that there are older Mercedes that are extremely reliable. I would even call my R129 reliable, I'd drive it to California right now.

 

But they are still things, and if a mechanic really went through it with a fine toothed comb they would come back with lots of money you could spend on things it "needs". W220s are not as unreliable as you think, I have a client who has a 2001 and its in great shape and hasn't had many problems at all, he's who referred me to my MB mechanic. Most of the issues have been suspension related, and if your LS430 had an air suspension you'd have had all the same issues too. What makes these cars reliable is their simplicity, yes its a "flagship" but its really a very simple car. When Lexus and Toyota makes more complex cars, more like the Germans, they get more costly to maintain...like the Germans.

Door lock actuators are a huge weak spot for Toyota/Lexuses. I have replaced all 4 in my ES300 twice, and my GS350 needed one under warranty as did my ES350. LS400 and LS430 also needed actuators.

 

That is some horrible luck. I've had one go out in my life and it was my first car back in 2005.

 

Its very common on these cars

 

I don’t think these items r reliability issues. They are just repairs. Anything that leaves you stranded or takes you off the road is a reliability item. For example, struts that worn out are wear items. Brake lines that are rusted are wear items. Somethings just wear out. Recently my wear window wiper broke, it was the aged plastic after 19 years cracked. The motor still works fine just the wiper no longer turns.

I will say, that if someone wants to keep their car in perfect shape. And OEM after 500,00km. It will definitely cost $$$.

@xjokerz I highly doubt a Toyota will make it to 500,000km on original power steering, radiator coolant and OEM brake fluids

 

Agreed, not reliability issues just normal stuff that has to be repaired or replaced on an old vehicle.

 

I don't know if those services were done. Maybe when I brought it to a dealer for an oil change they topped off brake fluid. I really don't know.

 

Very common......my 02 430 had all of the issues in that 600k video and then some more just because whoever owned it before me treated it as if it was invincible. Since I'm not the kind of person to accept a car not working as intended when it's a car of this level I had to fix everything.

I would have spent about $26k to have it done, I still spent $4200 in parts, aka what I paid for the whole car and I'm not counting tires. That's objectively a lot even for the 65k miles we have out on it. It's a good car don't get me wrong but I would class it as a bad/"everything that could go wrong did go wrong" example of a 430

The single most impressively reliable car I have ever seen though my shop is a two way tie between a 1996 Avalon with 247k miles and confirmed ZERO maintenance right down to factory plugs.....and a 1992 landcruiser that is at 389k last I saw it and it somehow works correctly across the board.

The Avalon though was on last legs before actually needing something, water pump was nearing failure, all fluids were trash, rear control arm bushings were near totally gone, and all struts were very floaty. Oh and those factory spark plugs were not working great, we got everything fixed up though for only $2700 and it's good for another 100k

 

ajt, lol @ you praising lexus reliability so strong when you have a mercedes as well, that, hmm... seems to be pretty reliable for an older car!

all - what's the point of debating reliability of old camrys or ls430's? yes they were reliable, yes they still need maintenance, yes things still broke, yes it varies with different owners. qed.

 

R129 was built when Mercedes were built up to a standard, not down to a price. The difference is you'll have to spend way more to keep it that way (nice and reliable) versus Lexus, that's just the way it is. Like I said, in none of my Lexus vehicles do a group of people basically act like paps with their cameras when I drive it up on the main drag downtown. You pay extra for that heritage and wow factor and I'm fine with it.

Just saying LS430 is every bit as tough as any regular Toyota if not more. Beat the hell out of it and it will be fine just like a basic Toyota.