TKPK430

I just joined this group as a prospective LS430 owner, and I'm initially looking for an LS430 owner who lives within a few hours of Washington, DC and who would consider doing me a favor.

FYI, I had an LS430 as an overnight "demo" from a dealer and it's truly my ideal vehicle... except for front seat comfort. After driving less than half an hour, I start to get numbness/tingling from my right ankle to my butt. The March 2006 thread "Late Model LS430 Seat discomfort" -- https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...iscomfort.html -- describes the basic issue.

My first reaction was to give up on the LS430. But, as some of you LS430 owners can probably understand, I've realized there's no other car that I like anywhere near as much (including the LS460). So I want to try an additional cushion on top of the seat to see if it improves the situation. If so, then I can buy an LS430 without risk of causing nerve problems from daily driving. My longer term plan would be to have a good upholstery shop put extra foam in the driver's seat (below the heating/cooling mechanism) of the LS that I buy, but before buying I want to be 100% sure that extra padding on the seat will adequately fix the problem for me.

So I'm wondering if any kind LS430 owner not too far from DC would be willing to let me sit in their car for a half hour or so with the extra cushion on the seat to see if it solves the problem. I might be able to get a dealer to let me do the same, but I would feel less pressured with a club member. I hope this request is not too odd, but it's the best approach I've thought of before sinking the money into buying an LS.

Sorry for the long message, and thanks to anyone willing to assist. If I can get adequate seat comfort, then I can start the fun part of the search: what color(s), mileage, CPO or not, etc!

Andy

CarGuy89

Welcome to the forums!

I'm not in the DC area, but just wanted to say hi. The seats feel like a big comfy sofa to me. Keep in mind you can extend the bottom seat cushion out and tilt it up so your legs are better rested when in the car. There are quite a few forum members, however, who also say that the seats are very uncomfortable. There is isn't too much cushioning as I've seen a cutaway of the seat, so adding your own cushion should make a notable difference.

Jabberwock

My experience with trying an extra cushion on a hard or worn out seat is that the seat will never feel right.

Its better to take the car to an auto upholsterer - (make sure its somebody that Lexus dealer recommends) and have it rebuilt and re-padded.

I might have driven 25-30 different LS430s over the 3 months I was looking for a new car, and each car had a drivers seat that felt a little different. The drivers seat gets the most use and wear and while the dealer may fix up and clean and re-dye the leather to make it look new, they rarely re-pad and rebuild the interior foam cushion when its been compacted since you can't see it.

If you buy a used LS that was owned by a large heavy man that put a lot of miles on it, the drivers seat cushioning will be collapsed and worn out internally. Conversely if you get a low mile car that was driven by a small woman, the seat will still have plenty of cushion.

If you like the car you test drove you could ask Lexus to redo the interior seat cushion for you as a condition of buying the car.

sojah

iTrader: (1)

i'm not 100% sure about other models but on my 05 UL which I assume most LS's have is this adjuster button further up towards your thighs/knees (on the side where all the adjustments are) that adjust the seat out and back in. I have noticed that if i have my seat too far out where it hits me in the back of the knees and beyond that i get this uncomfortable nerve feeling as well. i'm pretty short so i keep my seat pretty far back in right before it hits the back of my knees. maybe its possible you had the same thing happening?

i live in annapolis (bout 25 mins from NY & FL in DC) and you are more than welcome to come out this way this weekend and check out my car if you want.

caddyowner

I had the same concerns about seat comfort but found that moving the seat bottom forward eliminated the problem.

TKPK430

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Sojah, thanks for the offer - I will contact you by private message. Although I'm concerned that once I see a UL 430, I may not be able to settle for a mere ML (which is my most likely option)!

For anyone who's interested, the 06 430 that I had as a demo was from a non-Lexus new car dealer. Silver with a black interior and 18 inch wheels (a fairly common combo, I think). 60K miles, but a fair number of chips and scratches near the edges of the rear doors plus scratches in the interior in the rear. I think I can find a better example...

I spent a fair amount of time driving the car, and I extended the lower seat cushion fairly far out (I'm 6'2" with long legs). I tried a lot of combinations of seat cushion length and angle, and what I thought was the best position is the one that led to the numbness in the back of my leg.

I think it's very good advice to go to an auto upholsterer for a longer-term fix for the cushioning in the seat. I just want to try the temporary solution to be sure that I can get comfortable before spending the money on buying a car.

By the way, I mentioned above the silver exterior/black interior combo. I had thought that was my ideal because lighter colored leather (especially tan) often seems to look dirty after a few years. And I think a light color exterior makes sense for the hot DC summers, especially because my commuting parking space is not covered or shaded (so direct sun almost all day). But I read another thread on this forum stating that silver is one of the least durable paint colors and very hard to color match. Also the "cashmere" leather in many of the CPO 430s seems to look really good (in pictures). Do you all think that regular cleaning/conditioning can keep the cashmere leather looking good for years and years? If I find a CPO car with 40 to 50K mi, I'd love to keep it for a decade or more. I only put about 8K mi on a car in a given year...

sojah

iTrader: (1)

what was the price they were asking or what had you negotiated down to on that 06 ML with 60k???

caddyowner

The worst offenders to light colored interiors are:

- Jeans leaving blue color on the leather (needs regular cleaning)
- Winter weather (needs winter mats and spring shampoo)
- High annual mileage (the more time you spend in the car...)

The cashmere interior is a medium tan (whereas ecru in UL and CL cars is almost creamy). It should hold up OK.

If you haven't already, follow the link in the FAQ thread to the sales brochures where you can find the exterior / interior color combinations for each year. Silver and white were popular colors (along with black and flint mica).

Take your time in your search and you will be rewarded. Many of these cars were originally owned by persons who cared about them and had the money to give them full dealer service.

TKPK430

They were asking 27K for the 06 ML with 60K mi. The original owner supposedly traded it in at that dealer on a new vehicle. I asked about service records (Carfax showed none, but did confirm it as a one-owner vehicle). The dealer later contacted the original owner, who reportedly responded that he'd had the car serviced at the Lexus dealer and had the records. But by that point I'd decided against the car based on the seat comfort issue. Oh, and I had gone so far as to have a highly-rated independent Toyota/Lexus shop (Satellite Motors in Silver Spring) do a pre-purchase inspection. Their main comments were that the transmission and power steering fluids were dirty, plus there was some build-up on the inside of the oil filler cap. The mechanic was actually the one who flagged all the scraps/chips around the edges of the rear doors.

And I appreciate the feeback on the cashmere interior. I'm now willing to consider all of the interior colors, which should dramatically expand the pool of potential vehicles. And reading this forum makes me realize that, as caddyowner wrote, I should be able to find the right "cream puff" if I take my time.

caddyowner

Be sure to do what Caddyowner recommends rather than what he did. He made the mistake of sitting in a UL and was seduced by the semi aniline black leather so he just HAD to have a CL - and it had to have a black interior and had to be flint mica or silver. Only one car came on the market with that configuration and it was 2000 miles away and required $3K in bodywork to bring it up to snuff.

(Yes, I know it's a sign of mental illness (or being a politician) to talk about yourself in the 3rd person. Also, after all was said and done, my car plus transport plus bodywork was still a bit cheaper than other low mileage cars that were available.)

TKPK430

OK, I'm not going to do as Caddyowner did. I'll do as Caddyowner recommends. But that means resisting the 2005 UL I just spotted on ebay in Caddyowner's ideal color combo (Flint Mica with black). No service records mentioned in the auction and my other half has made clear that a 430 ML is decadent enough (in other words, already has enough electronic gadgetry that might need expensive repairs). But I'd never seen a UL and, although I personally would prefer stock wheels, I think the pics are nicely done on this listing:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lexus...t_59314wt_1167

P.S. I checked the forum rules and I don't think I'm violating them by posting a link to ebay because I have no vested interest in the listing. But if I've erred, please let me know.

sojah

iTrader: (1)

i wouldn't get that UL unless you don't mind replacing air susp in the next 24 months of ownership but it sure is a sexy car though, 27k is a little steep, i would say if you could walk out the door for 24.5-24k you'd be getting a good deal.

CarGuy89

I picked up an 04 ML with just 25k mi and CPO for $25.2k from a legit Lexus dealer. If that 05 UL on ebay had service records (and you like it a lot) then 23k isn't bad. But I would instantly discard a car without a record or history (potentially neglected or problematic car). UL gives you a ton of stuff, but half of the toys are geared towards rear passengers. Unless you will be chauffered frequently, you won't use all those toys. I suppose the main thing that people complain about is the air suspension, which is hideously expensive to fix and replace. I think the ML is probably the most driver focused model, as all the toys are up front and for the driver to enjoy. CL is another good trim if you want the nicer interior without the hassle of air suspension.

TKPK430

CPO 04 ML with 25k for $ 25k seems like a solid deal to me. I'll likely be taking the same approach if/when I start my search. I'm already pysched to start the search, so I really hope I can adequately resolve the seat comfort issue...

caddyowner

It may be hard to find a CPO 04 as Lexus supposedly only certifies cars up to 6 years old. (I assume it is from the first sale date.)