PartyMarty

Hey All

Im selling my JZX100 Toyota Chaser soon to buy a LS430 (00 - 03 more than likely)

What is the life expectancy of the LS430 Air Suspension in Miles/Kilometers?

Im in Australia and the average car up for sale here has 250,000 Miles/Kilometers on the clock

Here is what i have to choose from:

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/...ortby=%7ePrice

Just wondering if there is there a certain time when the suspension ***** itself?

The reason i am asking this is because I had a LS400 and they had issues with their suspension after a certain amount of Miles/Kilometers and its crazy expensive to replace !!$$$$!!

Thanks,
Marty

BMW7_LS430

There doesn't appear to be any specific number. I am guessing that it depends on the driving style as well. People had them go out at 100,000 Km or sometimes not go out even after 300,000 Km.

PartyMarty

Thanks BMW7_LS430

I guess its just a gamble

BT3100

My 02' UL has 207,000 miles and the Air Suspension is working great.
I do cycle to high once a month to keep it in use.
Good Luck with your purchase.

Kira X

iTrader: (24)

It really varies. I've seen quite a few go out in the 40,000-60,000 mile range. It usually happens by 100,000 miles. All four of my struts were leaking by 95,000 miles on my 05. The car still rode fine but I switched to a coilover setup.

There are a few guys who get 150,000 miles out of their air suspension without any trouble but it's rare from what I've seen. Usually it starts with one or two struts going out and eventually all four need to be replaced.

PartyMarty

Excellent BT3100 & Kira X

Thanks for that info

Anything but stock airbags are illegal in Australia so its a big gamble :|

Worth the gamble tho :P

warminwisc

It is a common problem with the MB guys complaining about it even more.

PartyMarty

MB Boys????

ma61

Mercedes-Benz "boys".

PartyMarty

lol Im down with the lingo now :P Tnx!

Gene01

Bear in mind that there is probably a significant selection bias here.
You can assume that any CL member who has a problem with the air suspension will very likely report it.
But few will report that they had no problem unless specifically asked (in a thread such as this).
I am not saying that the issue is negligible, especially in light of the parts cost, but you cannot depend on this forum for frequency data.
It would be interesting to know what proportion of LS430s are UL (thus having air suspension), perhaps from "for sale" notices in various sources. Also, someone who has a good friend working in a Lexus service department may be able to provide anecdotal data on air suspension repair frequency.

PartyMarty

Very very true

Ah it was just something i thought about

If you click on the link you will see that none of the LS430s say UL

So i have to go digging through pics and stuff to find out the details

I just wanna buy right the first time :P

But.. The car game is always a gamble..

Especially in Australia

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Previous owner replaced one of the front bags around 80,000 miles. Weather and road conditions I believe play a factor. I have 107K miles and no issues so far. From what I understand that the odds of getting 200k miles is about 50/50. There seems to be no techniques or anything special you can do to extend the lifespan. The only advice I was given is to keep them clean.

PartyMarty

Thanks Lavrishevo

When i had my UCF 11 Celsior the clock showed 245,000 and it had even stopped before the previous owner had got it and all the bags worked fine

21 years later lol

Gene01

I should have mentioned that the UL designation is not used in many non-US markets, possibly none of them.
Even in the US, many or most listings do not mention UL even when it is present. So as you have said, you have to look at the pictures, etc. It is also not uncommon for a UL car to be listed as "premium" (which is a less-inclusive package) or other non-Lexus term. Makes extra work for a buyer.