Gronemus

Just picked up my 2004 LS430 last week with 110,000 miles. According to the service records available from Lexus the following major items were replaced:

• Broken cupholder - 22639 miles
• Replaced inoperable backup camera - 40531 miles
• Transmission replaced with remanufactured unit. Previous owner complained of DSC and TRAC lights are on and the vehicle is sluggish - 42233 miles
• Rear driver side level sensor replaced. Symptoms: AFS light was on. Code B2416 stored in AFS system - 91614 miles

While inspecting the car before I purchased it I noticed the following issues:

• Low tire pressure indicator on dash. Seller said that front tire needed new sensor. Pulled out my smart phone, googled problem, found this site and fixed problem using reset button under dash.
• Telescopic feature inoperable.
• Distortion from drivers front speaker.
• Excessive wind noise coming from windshield at highway speeds.
• Trunk struts weak.
• Very slight steering drift to the right.
• Buzz or vibration coming from subwoofer during loud and heavy bass intensive songs.
• Drivers door lock inoperable except with key.

The car was exceptionally clean for one that lives in the rust belt and I feel that I got a smokin deal on it so I don't feel bad at all with the minor issues that it came with. I've been wrenching on all of my cars and bikes for almost 40 years and am in the process of getting all of these issues resolved. I get a big smile every time I get behind the wheel of this car...

chuck58

I bought my 1st and only Lexus about 16 months ago, took delivery on (literally Christmas Eve of '16) a used 2006 LS-430, base model with NAV, and chrome 18" 5spoke wheels. Car had 37,800 miles (yes, 37K) when we took delivery. Low mileage cars are still going on market, but you have to be ready to buy when you find them. At any rate, we have put 12K miles on it, and is 200 miles shy of 50K. To date, the only non-routene maintenance item I have had addressed is replacing a fuse. One fuse. Other than that:
>new tires
>oil change (synthetic)
>replaced battery
I do not have much experience driving any luxury cars whatsoever. I've never driven a Mercedes, Audi, or BMW, so any comparison(s) I might draw would be too biased to be useful. However, without doubt, this is the most luxurious vehicle I have driven, owned, operated or ridden in. I absolutly would buy it again, all day long and twice on Sunday. Not a big fan of having to use premium gas, but over the course of a year, it really is not that expensive

Carnut

Chuck, regardless of what Lexus recommends, you DO NOT have to use Premium gas in your LS. I have done extensive research on this topic, talke "Off the Record" with Lexus Maintenance Diagnostic Technicians, and many others. You can use Regular fuel all day long for as long as you wish with no harmful results. I've owned several Lexus LS vehicles, and I have NEVER used Premium as a result of the FACTUAL information I have gotten from PROFESSIONAL people knowledable about the subject.

Johnhav430

I used regular gas in my 1998 Nissan Maxima for more than 20 years, no harmful effects. The only thing is it never achieved the 190 HP and 205 ft. lbs. of torque, that it was rated at, in the brochure.

btw I have always used 93 (it's what we have in the northeast) in the LS430, except 2X, when I knew it had been filled with 93, so I blended it down to 91, by using approx 7 gal of 87 octane. This was when I couldn't get to a warehouse club for premium (or the bad neighborhood where Citgo is located).

There are some cars that require over 87 octane, in which one cannot use regular, so if you have one of these vehicles, it would be advisable to use higher than 87 (maybe with leasing you don't have to obviously tons of people might not). The LS430 does not require premium, but it is recommended. As was with the Maxima.

Of course mathematically, having introduced 87 into my LS430 tank, it can never be 93.000 octane, as there will always be something < 93, since I have never drained the tank or run it out. But then again, only 91 is recommended. What I am describing is similar to the tranny drain/fill. There will always be some amount of original left behind.

bradland

Using regular fuel in an LS, as with most cars, will be suppressed by timing, VVTi, knock sensors etc. so you wont be harming your engine. I'm sure most everyone here will agree we don't drive an LS with the intention of dumbing it down. Granted it's not a sports car but a 10.5:1 compression ratio should be taken seriously. If you are so concerned about the additional .20 cents per gallon you might be happier in a Corolla...?

lt1fire

True on the minute difference in price overall. less than $5 a fill up. I still groan when it happens.... basically because i'm a cheap bastard, not poor, just hate spending money (which is why i've fixed everything on my lexus myself, minus the timing belt when I bought it because I didn't have anywhere to actually do it at that time. But not to get too far off of subject when I think about the it $5 isn't much and i've done it so much now I don't even think twice about it.

It won't really harm the engine because the ECU will retard the timing. But that will effect engine performance no doubt about it. You could drive it like that forever if you wanted to but i'd wager you would get more deposits built up from using a lower grade gas (same as any car) so there is that to think about, unless you are running fuel system cleaner aswell which would eat into the $5 savings from the cheaper gas anyway.

Gronemus

Problem here is that the price differential between Premium and Regular grades is 80 cents in our neck of the woods. That makes it a $16 difference for the 20 gallons that I typically fill-up with. I've probably run regular about 75% of the time since I've had the car (17 months) which has translated into about a $560 savings. I have no issue with the way the car runs. The 3UZ-FE is such a strong performer I hardly have to get into the gas to make it go.

If you're running Tier-1 regular gas I don't understand why you would have any more issues with deposits forming versus running with the premium gas from the same station.

In the end, you can spend your money in whatever fashion you like...

2KHarrier

Couldn't agree more. There is a hefty difference between regular and Premium here in the great state of Wisconsin, and with me spending 110-120/week on gas, the difference adds up. That being said, I have switched over to mid grade for the last few months. Used to run regular and never could tell the difference.

NetG

dead thread?
Well bought my 2006 ls430 with 144000 miles on it last year, she sat for a while waiting for me to get the t-belt done, has the lexus 100k mile sticker on the door jams but I couldn't confirm the t-belt was actually done (bolts on the cover look untouched) so I didn't want to risk is pluse I had another car so I wasn't in a hurry.

Only issues I'm having with the car are;
1. parasitic draw I haven't tracked down (t-belt done 4 days ago so planning on tracking it down this weekend)
2. side mirrors won't adjust (I have not done the fix posted in the faq yet)
3. sub has a rattle (also haven't done the fix in the faq)
4. my alarm goes off after locking/shutting the doors for a minute, does it 2 times. (currently tracking down the issue but have seen some posts on trunk close sensors possibly being the cause...again...working on it)
5. cig lighter doesn't work (by coin holder/ash tray inbetween consol and radio), the one inside the arm rest/consol works fine, I'm assuming it's just a fuse

Other than that no issues, engine is strong and quiet, transmission is firm, suspension and steering are quiet and taut. My other ride is a buick with the same mileage and it has...LOADS of issues...so glad I'm finally driving my Lexus! Always had good experiences with my yota's and honda's

Ricklin

Well, I've put a little over 10 K on the LS, over those miles,
Fished the Bic lighter out of RH mirror restoring it's range of motion.
Re synchronized the RH headlight and aimed, still needs some adjustment
Restored the appearance of the factory chrome wheels
Added constant power for phone.
Added magnetic phone mount
And the one major and ongoing issue
Still have the droning noise, now with steering vibration. Changed LH hub with Timken from Rock Auto very slight change in the noise. Have ordered one more, which was intent anyway. Hope that resolves it as i don't know where to look next. I did rotate tires no change I'm on new Michelin Primacys.
AM pretty certain it's the RH hub, its def. where the noise and vibration is coming from. All svc. up to date, car has excellent svc. records. Hope the next hub puts the drone noise and vibration to bed. I'll drive the 4runner this week or till I get the hub done.

CA2WALS430

Had so many problems with my 03 that I just bought an 04. I jest; I have had very few problems, but I truly did just buy an 04 because I love these cars.

Here are my "probs" on my 03:
-Typical dried foam rings on cheap Pioneer speakers for ML sound system, but that is a 1-time fix. $500 non-dealer for all 5. Dealer won't fix, only replace. I will have to have it done on my 04 also.
-Like others said, my telescoping motor has actually never worked since I bought it in 14, but it is in a good position so I didn't care. Tilt works fine.
-Just recently, a leaking valve cover gasket ($400 independent), but my mechanic said it was very normal for a car of that age and mileage (140k)
-CD changer will occasionally grind, but a slap on the side usually fixes that. Ebay reburbs are $350.

That's it. Other than that, just oil, 60k's, and T-belt, which are not "problems".

AJT123

Lol, those aren't really "problems" for a nearly 17 year old car. The only thing not even remotely pressing is the oil leak.

Bocatrip

Mine has been putting out 13.4 volts for 10 years! No problems.

Jinya1004

Just bought my 04

1. Steering wheel shakes when braking, Ive purchased all four rotors and pads to remedy

2. Passenger side low beam is out. There is some condensation inside, I’m planning to remove and polish, them reseal. Hopefully it’s just the D2S or Ballast that’s out.

3. Hood struts needs to be replaced

4. Center console doesn’t latch correctly, found fix in FAQ

5. The volume on the radio stays at 0 no matter what I press. It looks like everything works except the volume ****.

6. Brake pedal goes to the floor slowly. I’ll slow down to a stop fine, but when keeping the same pressure on the pedal, the car will eventually creep forward and I’ll have to press down further. I don’t see any leaking on the MC and the fluid levels look perfect. I’m assuming the lines need to be bled.

7. The suspension might need refreshing, I’m planning to get some shocks, some lowering springs and all new bushing eventually.

Johnhav430

LOL I wouldn't think it's an issue. Where did that come from that it's low? New cars adjust which I have to admit on my wife's GM drives me crazy. Say the car was sitting 4 days and we head out at 20F. The needle on the voltmeter is beyond 14.4V which drives me nuts but then again how accurate is a dash gauge? Meaning it doesn't look good makes me feel like something will blow up. 2 hours on the highway later, it may or may not come down. Say we went to someone's house. When we return? It will likely start out at 13.6V. By the time we get home? Might be lower. If in the summer? There are times it's actually just above 12.

I thought to myself, I don't need to know any of the above, like on the BMW, which is doing the same, or the LS430 or Nissan, which I don't think it's doing the above because these cars are pretty much 2000 technology. Newest cars starting in the mid 2000's attempted to not overcharge when not necessary. BMW going even further of course using an algorithm to charge less over time, thereby requiring programming every time the battery is replaced to tell the car it's got a new battery and can be charged fully. Some terms thrown around to describe the states are bulk, absorption, float.