Hey Guys,

I signed up on this Forum for the sole purpose of research of the Lexus LS model.

Before I get to that I would like to introduce myself. My name is John Pepper. I love cars....that's just it haha. Ever since I could speak I have loved automobiles. I have no hate for any car make/model. But I do favor the Toyota/Lexus brand. Reliability/quality is HUGE for me. And obviously Toyota/Lexus has engineered that in a very short amount of time and that's why I love the car make.

I was passed down a 2000 Honda Accord V6 sedan from my mother in January of 09' as my first car. Over the past years I have put every penny I have earned into the car.
The Accord

Anyways back to why I am here.

I plan on running the Accord into the ground until I need a new car. And have lately fallen in love with the LS model.

Depending on my budget in the future I will either be looking into purchasing an LS400 or LS430.....or if I wait long enough an LS460L.

My bosses girlfriend current owns a 1998 LS400 as a daily driver. The car just hit 305k miles last week and runs and drives as if it was brand new.

Having said that my big question for you LS enthusiasts is what are the common faults or problems that are ran into with any LS model sedan?

 

Welcome to the forums!

A few common issues I've seen on the LS430 were the air suspension blowing out on the UL models, steering column motor dying, control arm bushings going out, and the Mark Levinson speakers/subwoofer blowing out. There might be a few other issues, but I can't remember what they were.

My recommendation would be to get a base model without the fancy navigation since they are cost less or one with the Custom Luxury trim. The CL trim has a ton of nice features without the hassle of the crappy air suspension from the Ultra Luxury models.

 

*sole* purpose.

 

From what I read about on here, is that there are no major issues for the most part. When I think reliability, I think of motor, trans, serious electrical etc.

Auto folding mirrors and factory speakers are not a major player in my book, but one can expect little things here and there on a car aging like the rest.

 

Thank you.

Other than the air suspension blowing out the other problems you've stated don't worry me as much. If I did happen to purchase a UL model and the OEM air suspension did happen to go out on me I probably would upgrade to an aftermarket system such as coilovers or an aftermarket air suspension.

Lol. Thanks.

Thanks.

I agree with you. Motor and transmission problems are more my worry.

For example my generation Accord has terrible transmission issues. Pretty sure there was a recall shortly after it came out.

 

In order not to have motor problems make sure you do timing belt, water pump, pretentioners and seals - full timing belt kit is available at Sewell. Other motor issues could be valve cover gaskets leaking oil.
Transmission should be fine with just drain and fill of at fluid every 10-15k/mi.
Parking sensors failing is a common issue, speakers/sub is a very common issue as mentioned above.
Mirrors tend to malfunction too. However, many issues with our cars can be resolved with great how to threads by our members. It will save lots of time and money.

 

I just completed a 3,000 mile trip in my 2002 LS430, most of it thru west Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. I used to think I needed a late model car for crosscountry trips, but this Lexus that I have had for 6 months and 10,000 trouble- free miles has made a believer out of me. It's an overbuilt, vey competent road machine that I wouldn't hesitate to take anywhere. If the tires, brakes, hoses and belts are in good shape, these cars are super reliable. The quality of parts and wokmanship is incredible.

 

I have had my LS430 for 3.5 years now - from 13k miles to 46k miles currently. If anything it has become smoother and better running over that time. Zero rattles, interior is almost no wear. The outside paint does have some stone chips from lots of HS interstate driving (wish the paint was stronger) and I did have one defect in 3.5 years of driving , the driver side outside power mirror quit working and had to be replaced.

Above 100k miles some of these cars start to have some issues with gaskets and seals but that's pretty much it in terms of motor and trans issues from what I have read if the car is well maintained.

 

Thanks a lot guys. I just want to make sure that there isn't anything that will deter me from buying one of these beasts.

So far nothing has turned me off from them. I mean every car has it's own set of problems. Just some cars have less serious ones then others.

 

If you get one without the air suspension you can scratch that off your list. For the past 5 years i've been on here air suspension seems to be the first thing to go. Regular shocks dont last forever either but are not that expensive to change. Regular oil changes and trans fluid changes should be on top of the list. Everything else is minor details. I just passed 270k on my 2004 LS and up until a few months ago i didnt even know what a check engine light looked like on this car. My exhaust burned thru but other then that this thing was a pleasure to own and drive.

 

Hey this is my first post and first Lexus. I just got an LS400 1999 155k from a 1st owner. Previous maintenance has been the following: all 4 corner shock/strut/spring replacement estimated $2,000 job also included serpentine belt replacement, and possible alternator (highly doubt it (alternator) , as attorney previous owner thought it had a timing chain instead of belt....) Also included was a new set of stock Goodyear tires. Clean as Clean can be. I mean mint, clean, under, over and in between. I know it needs some sort of bushings, possibly the front strut bushings, cus when I enter the driveway at slow speeds, but fast enough to make a clunk, I'm assuming those 16 year old bushings are obliterated, and I don't think they were replaced with the new suspension. Other quirks I fixed: Infamous "Tail Light Failure Lamp" was due to 2 blackened Outer tail lights + both 3rd tail lights needed replacement. Also, the windshield wiper fluid alert was fixed by using some old copper wire (hope this isn't corrosion prone...) I used from my grandpa's old shop to hook and then raise the float down the refill tank. I read this can be a drown float problem. All I did was fish the float, pull up on my copper wire hook (ghetto rigged) bent it over the cap, cut it, and slammed the cap down Hella Hard. Boom indicator light off! Now, my 1999 has no indicator lights. Soon I will do the timing belt, tensioners, pulleys, water pemp and all the rest of the initial 90k full service, now at 156k... Valley Lexus (Modesto, CA) said $1,163 for the entire FULL service: belts, tensioners, pulleys, gaskets, coolant, oil chang, etc. the car exhibits zero mechanical problems and is garage kept in my house (garage is also carpeted, so I know when crap leaks... (Never), Subaru quoted me $900, Modesto Toyota said $910, Lodi Toyota said $850... I don't think (besides. The Lexus dealer) the othe dealers know what exactly I want... ALL and everything serviced. Which puts the price right at around $1,168 ish. So what y'all think? Money isn't an issue. I'm really leaning towards the Lexus dealership as it shows on Lexus.com. Should I be thrifty and use my resource at Subaru and save $300? Sorry they did include ALL Lexus parts including the tensioners, pulleys, pump, stat, and gaskets. My Besty is the service manager... Thanks!