Hey guys! Glad to have found your forum, I've been reading through some threads for the last couple hours and there is a TON of useful information! What a valuable resource

Last night I took delivery of a 2002 LS430 UL with 93K miles, quite an upgrade from my 97 cutlass supreme I purchased it from Import Auto Gallery near Chicago as-is no warranty without seeing or test driving (risky, I know). Mike the sales guy claimed this car was 100% and I wouldn't be disappointed. Well, here's the laundry list of problems Mike failed to mention:

• Steering wheel tilt function not working (telescope does work)
• Hood does not close (had to mess coax the latch with a screw driver before it decided to catch)
• Brakes pulsate ( I see new rotors in my near future)
• spongy pedal, probably needs bled
• Steering wheel is turned noticeably to the left while going straight (although the car does track straight pretty well
• Navigation does not work (says check DVD), when i hit "I agree" it just freezes
• Rear speaker crackles (probably foam surround on the subwoofer is torn)
• Timing belt has not been changed
• Arm rest does not open easily (have to push forward on the back of it with my other hand to get it to open)
• Trunk does not stay open (needs new lift struts)
• Parking assist doesn't start beeping until 1-2 inches away from an object (not sensitive enough to be useful)

I'm not sure what Illinois law is, but seeing as how i signed an as-is no warranty agreement, and also and arbitration agreement (which states i cannot bring a law suit against the dealer) I don't think i'll be able to return the car easily. So, lesson learned, next time I'll fly out and check the car out myself before taking someone's word.

That being said, I think I can fix most of these problems and get this car back to 100%. Any help or advice is appreciated, I will be using the search function A LOT over this holiday weekend

 

Wow! Someone must have really abused your car! I feel sorry for you. I can't be of much help, but the guys here almost surely can....

 

Hope you got a deal on it...LOL

Does everything else work? Have you tested the adaptive cruise, headlight washers, height adjustment, power door closers, and 500 other power functions? Have you had a professional take a look under the car and check the air suspension?

How did you take delivery without inspection? Even if they ship it to you, you still get a chance to start it and inspect it prior to signing for it.

 

Another '02 I looked at before purchasing my '04 had the same telescoping issue and the dealer quoted me $500 to fix that alone. It sounds like you need to think about taking the car back to the dealer and trying to negotiate them fixing most if not all of the issues as they claimed it was in good shape. Good luck.

 

I don't know the laws for Illinois, but here in Florida there are 72 hrs for the buyer to return the car with some limitations to a licensed dealer. With the laundry list of repairs you have and not knowing what else your car needs, I would see if you have any recourse with the dealer. Our cars generally do not have that many issues. Don't worry too much about the as is warranty. Consumers still have rights. Good luck.

 

I agree. You need to talk to the dealer. If you are SOL, all those things can be fixed. NAVi may be cumbersome and expensive. The Parking sensors are adjustable so you might want to check the settings. Sub can be fixed. Plenty of info here about that. GOOD LUCK!

 

Actually, if you do not like the deal you got on your vehicle and the vehicle was not up to par as claimed by the dealer, no matter what it states on the contract, you can file a suit against them. If you had the chance to see the vehicle and test drive it before signing the paperwork, then you are on your own but if you signed paperwork before getting a chance to drive or check out the vehicle, then it is your right to cancel the deal as you were mislead into believing the vehicle is in perfect condition.

i purchased a 2004 ls430 from a company about 3 weeks ago and the salesperson put in $1500 extra in the ticket claiming that the bank is charging that amount to finance me. This was because I had them purchase a vehicle from another dealer and they wouldn't finance me for the term I wanted. About two weeks later, i find out that this amount was profit in the company and bank didn't charge that to finance me. I fought for it and got back almost half of that amount for them lying to me. I could have gotten all of it had I involved my attorney but I understand that the company has to make a little profit.

But anyway, if you like what you got, a minor tune-up / fix-up will get you going again and it's a heck of a vehicle. I can't remember a nicer vehicle to drive.

 

You must have had the car shipped to you after paying for it? How much was it? How could you be so naieve? Like Ty419 stated you better worry about more than your brakes. Biggest known worry to me is the NAV

 

Most of those issues sound fairly minor. Get on the hood latch before it blows open in flight! I did a subwoofer repair kit that was cheap and successful. Armrest repair is in the archives. Good luck with your new car. Things will look better after you get the irritating bits fixed.

 

The NAV issue might simply be that the disc was removed from the DVD unit in the trunk. Common problem as the cars go thru the auctions. Lots of theives out there looking to make a quick buck by swiping the disc. If there is no disc you'll need to buy a new one. Try to get one from Sewell, a CL sponsor, or another dealership. They sometimes sell last years disc at a reduced price (around $199).

Cheers

 

You may also be able to get a disc on ebay as this is where the thieves sometimes sell the items that have been stolen off auction cars - gear shift *****, key fobs, cargo covers, spare wheels, NAV disc, manuals, first aid kit, tool kit, etc.

 

After driving the car a few hundred miles I feel a lot better about the purchase, problems aside. I was able to pull the service records from the Lexus website and verify that it has had all scheduled maintenance completed, including the timing belt in 2008 when it had 78K on it (has 93K now). DDLexus is selling me his tilt motor, I fixed the sub with glue and have new trunk supports and brakes on the way. The nav will randomly start working sometimes now, so maybe it's just a loose connection or the DVD laser lens needs cleaned. it does still have the OEM dvd in it and looks very clean.

 

some of the issues you listed IMO point to a collision the car may have had in the past, just not major enough to be recorded. You should have it inspected by a good mechanic or bodyman to Substantiate that. hopefully that is not the case and as pointed out earlier by Quipper it has been negleted - but being these cars are hard to break, and the vast amount of how-to's on this Forum, you should get it back to good shape. the timing belt is definately a must.

enjoy the Luxury!

 

Getting the car inspected and aligned today... Here is an updated list of the things I have been working on.

 

The speaker fix... i think there was a thread here that discussed how to repair the subwoofer. I repaired mine in another LS430 I owned using black silicone. It solved the problem. Check the SC430 forum too. Hot glue is not flexible enough to fix, use SILICONE