So tomorrow morning, I am going to buy one of two 02 GS430s. One is black with 158k and the other is pearl white with 137k. I have only driven the black one and I love it. The maintenance history is spot on and I would be crazy not to buy it. But there is one issue that bothers me; the nav screen has lines going across it horizontally. It's as if the pixels are dead or something.

I need to know if this is a common issue. What causes it? And how much to fix it?

Thanks in advance, I am so looking forward to becoming part of the Lexus elite.

 

not a common issue. cause can be many,many things... just has to be replaced

i have bought a whole screen for as little as $250 but they typically sell for $300-350

 

You can check the navigation units harness in the trunk to make sure it does not have any wires tapped into it. This can cause some electrical noise to be visible on the screen.

Other then that Sakataj is correct. Will probably have to be replaced. And even then if the issue is somewhere else in the wiring it may not go away.

 

Honestly, a small issue like that shouldnt hold you back from buying the car. It has 150k miles on it. you have to expect something to not be up to par. Just replace the unit after you buy the car if you do.

 

thats true, i didnt even think about that....

OP can u post a pic of the car your looking at's screen?

 

debonair and sakataj are both correct. worst case scenario, replace it. If the maintanance has been up to par, i would jump on it.

 

Well today I went and looked at the other GS. It's the same year with 139k and is Pearl White with beige interior. It is identical to the black one except for color and miles. It is also in better condition...or so I thought. On the test drive the CEL came on and I thought hell no!, I just went through that with my A4. I took it to the local Lexus dealer and paid $100 for a pre-purchase inspection. The report said there was a VVT-i malfunction and some sort of oil check valve thingy-ma-bob. The transmission fluid was overfilled too. So I went back to the dealer and showed him the report; he said he would happily fix the car if it meant I would buy it. The repairs would cost over $1000 which seemed like an okay deal. But I still want to take off another grand from the purchase price because we don't know if the t-belt service was done. Is this a reasonable request?

Anyhow, later today he called and said the parts were replaced but the light was still on. So the mechanic looked at some connection wire/plug and saw that it was deteriorated. After wrapping it back together with tape the light went out. Now the plan is to replace the connector and not the parts because it will save the seller hundreds of dollars.

This is where I want some input. The whole scenario seems fishy because when I called the Lexus service department to schedule a PPI they said they were completely booked. As is indicative of Lexus, they squeezed me in after my explaining the situation. Now wouldn't you say something is sketchy if the seller was able to find parts AND get the car fixed if the service department could barely fit in a PPI? Please tell me if you think I should walk away.

 

I'd walk away from the Pearl White one...fast. Get the Black one.

 

Really!? Ugh, that means I am back at square one because I don't think I could live with the black one given all it's defects (paint, nave screen, odd wires sticking out along the transmission tunnel). What happened to the days when car shopping was fun?

 

Get away from them both, don't settle for a car that will not make you happy. Keep looking. Patience now will pay off later.