Hello all, I am sure there are plenty of these threads out there, but I didn't find many so I am posting this one.

I have always been a BMW guy, I am looking at buying a car now and ran across a nice looking 2002 LS430. It is a Champaign color with 73k mi. It doesn't have the UL package, but from reading some here, that isn't a bad thing. She rides very smooth and quiet, however I wasn't near a freeway to get it up to that speed. It does have the M.L. radio, and navigation. Is there any way to wire in an ipod or satellite radio with the ML radio without using an FM modulator? I don't want the quality loss from the modulator.

My hang up is I don't know the common weak points about these cars. What are they and how is the DIY on these cars? What is TSIB? I have seen it around but not explained.

It bothers me a little that I couldn't get it up to highway speeds...the current owner also only had it for a few months witch also bothers me a little. He could have bought it, realised it has mx coming up and changed his mind.

I have a 2001 BMW 740il in competition here. I like how they feel bigger and this is going to sound stupid but I like the red accent lights the BMW has on the interior when driving at night. It's the little things that count right? I do like the leather in the LS, there are also more toys, but I also like the large seat of a 740IL. I know the maintenance involved with the bimmer, and that I can do that without a problem (I've had a few before).

I'm confused on what to get...thoughts?

 

Welcome! If you are a dedicated BMW person, be sure to drive the LS430 on the freeway. I suspect the ride will be more sedate that you are used to. (Some would say boring.) However, most former owners of German luxury cars are pleased with the lower cost of ownership of a Lexus.

I believe TSIB stands for Technical Service Information Bulletin. Basically the same as a TSB for other brands.

 

I have an almost identical LS and I use as USA Spec adapter that piggybacks on the cd player to hook up my ipod. It also has an aux in so I have the iPod in my glovebox and a line in in my center console, both pretty easy to do.

 

I like the sound of lower cost of ownership. What tends to go wrong with these cars and can the DIYer fix it?

 

Aside from the air suspension on the UL, I can't think of any other smoking guns. This is one of the reasons I bought one. Can someone with more high-mileage experience chime in?

 

If someone asked me to name a couple "common" problems with LS ownership, my immediate 2 answers would be the air suspension on UL's and the audio amplifiers on LS's that have the Mark Levinson audio system.

There are many threads regarding people who have blown/damaged amps. I don't know if the problem is exclusive with 01-03's or 04-06's or incorporates both generations.

 

I have a 02 UL with 123,000 on the dash. No problewms for me but routine maint. Ut I must say the speakers in this car are worthless but that's only a small thing. Most diy you will find here on the forum. Its a great car into you really wanna push it and realize how heavy it is. Good luck.

 

I asked for advice while looking for an LS a few months ago and got a lot of great suggestions and insight from people. Here is the link to the thread if you want to take a look. Thanks again to everyone who helped me out!
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...ce-please.html

 

Thanks everybody for the replies. Very good info.

 

bumpin a thread.....just so i don't have to make a new one...(sorry Corndog)
was at a CT. auction today... a 2001 black with tan in very good/clean condition(no dings/scrapes, wasn't repainted) with 118K. sold for $11K.... too much $? thoughts?
i sooo wanted it, but i'm still dumping $ into the SC for now...

 

Very little is likely to go wrong (the 430 is year after year the most reliable car ever built according to JD Power long term surveys, and I believe this includes Civics and Corollas with radio/heater/crank-up windows or any other car they've ever surveyed). Pretty much everything is a DIY if you want to. You mentioned that you already knew about the air suspension, which is probably very reliable as air suspensions go, but a more likely problem area on an LS430. Otherwise, exterior mirrors can wear out and stop auto-folding if the switch is left in auto-fold a lot, and same with auto tilt for reverse. The subwoofer is prone to need re-gluing if you push it too loud/hard very much. I haven't noticed any high number of amps blown in my 5 years on the forums, but I do recall a hand full (I don't recall if they were on aftermarket speakers with incorrect impedance, or what). I used to listen to my '03 ML system cranked just below where it started sounding over-driven, and my sub came unglued but no other problems. A bead of silicone adhesive fixed my sub as it seems to most of them that I've read about on here. Or you can replace the driver with a high-impedence (as close to 12 ohms as you can find IIRC, free-air aftermarket unit). Anyway, all things considered, the are generaly very trouble-free cars. If I were buying another one, I'd try to find one that I could learn the history on, and that I felt had been taken good care of so far. Given a good start like that, I'd expect at least a couple hundred thousand miles with hardly any trouble at all.

 

How do you tell which 430s have air ride?

 

In 04-06, air suspension was only available on ultra luxury models. These cars can be identified in pictures by:

- Headlamp washers on front bumper
AND
- Extra switches on center console in front of shifter
OR
- Rear radio and seat controls on rear center armrest
OR
- Window shade hardware on the rear doors
OR
- Smaller trunk with no pass-thru.

In 01-03, I believe there are some non-UL cars with air suspension because it was offered as a stand-alone option in some years.

 

....nobody has any input?

 

If it's in good condition I don't see how you could expect to find one cheaper.