04, bought with 36k miles. i have put on about 1500 since i bought it and the brakes have seemed a little spongy since i bought it. I am thinking it is either air in the brake lines or a soft pedal spring. I am quite sure the brakes haven't been touched since the car was driven off the dealership, so I'm thinking 37k is about time for a brake inspection. I can do it myself since i have to replace the a/c filter anyway. But what seems like a more likely cause, air in brake lines or soft pedal spring. (maybe the brakes are supposed to feel super soft. It does weigh 2 tons)

 

Just wondering if this is your first Lexus? I know that compared to most other vehicles, Lexus brakes are quite soft and spongy like you say. Although if it is excessive, then air in the brake line, or even water is likely the culprit so you may need to have them bled. Also, if you want to have a better braking feel, you can also switch out the OEM brake lines for braided stainless steel lines, it works wonders and stops you quicker.

 

This is my first Lexus, but before i had a 99' Q45 which got totaled(sp?). One thing i remember is that after my car got totaled, i rented a 2007 g35x for a couple weeks and man, that thing could stop on a dime. I would start putting my foot down and the car would stop so fast it was ridiculous. Maybe the rental place increased the brake pressure for the 300 bhp the car was pushing out, but i really liked the brakes on that car. So after i started driving the LS, the car is so heavy it has a lot longer braking distance.

I don't know, I'll bleed them tomorrow and if the braking doesn't get any harder, i might get a bigger brake booster when i have some money to throw around.

 

The LS430 has some GREAT brakes 4pots in the front, 2 in the rear. You should get your system bled, and pads checked. It should not feel spongy. If you really want better pedal feel, you should invest in some SS brake lines. They will make a world of difference according to the information i have gathered.

 

Alright, i decided not to bleed the brakes, but i did a tire rotation anyway. But when I took the tire off, i decided to take the caliper off and check the pads. They were pretty much non-existent. I was scared driving it home, because i thought the bolts in the back of the pad might break through and start grinding on the rotor (i have seen it happen). I am going to pick up some carbon pads either tonight or tomorrow, as I am pretty sure that is the problem. I also checked the distance between the pads and the rotor, and it was nearing an inch, so i am fairly sure that is why the brakes seemed not up to par.

 

Why didn't the brake wear sensor trip yet? Have you been hearing any squealing?

OEM is ceramic by the way.

 

I have no idea why the system didn't sense it. I only have a ML, which doesn't have as many sensors and stuff in it so i don't know.