dice1998

Hi guys! As you can probably tell by my post count, i'm brand-spankin' new to this forum and I do plan on making more posts obviously.




My Crystal White 2001 Lexus LS430 with the Ultra Luxury Package w/ 127k miles on the odometer (now). I actually bought this on a whim. I work at a car dealer and this car came in on Halloween and the customer traded it for another sedan. I eyed it and thought nothing of it until a few days later when it was cleaned up and parked in one of the emplyee parking spots. This time last year, I really had the mindset of going smaller from my 1996 Avalon (a car which was given to me by my dad and is my first car and has been faithful to me) and was planning on a Mazda Miata NB (with a 5-speed, obviously). Yeah, that didn't happen. I test drove the 430 and fell in love with it on the spot and needed to have it.

Here are some more badly-taken pictures:













Things that don't work/to-do: (this list is a copy from another forum I frequent)

• Subwoofer (possibly a $20 fix)
• Tilt/Telescopic wheel (fuse blown, maybe...hopefully?)
• Bumper Plugs on the way
• The Lexus First Aid Kit is missing. I must procure one.
• Wheels?
• Exhaust..eventually.

I'm still learning about this car every day. A good example of this is that I didn't know this car has soft-closing doors until the other day when I didn't close the door fully and it closed by itself.

Johnhav430

Congrats, and thanks for the pics as I enjoy looking at other LS'! I saw many first aid kits on eBay, and even new $23. But I saw one in a '06 that had gold lettering, those seem to be less common. Then I was thinking, does anyone want 10 y.o. first aid stuff, so maybe $23 new is better, even if white lettering. But I scrapped the whole idea. I did pick up a missing tool kit on eBay for $45, still had original batteries and flashlight in plastic, never used...just slid it in the slot...welcome!

Stingroo

He really fell in love with my rattier muffler deleted UCF20. You can see it in one of the pics.

So I take full responsibility for this.

Gronemus

Don't feel so bad. I'm missing my first aid kit too. Don't plan on replacing it though. I see the subwoofer is crossed off on your list but it really is just a $20 fix if you do it yourself.

My telescopic feature doesn't work right now and to be honest I really don't miss it all that much. I do plan on trying to see if I can get it to work at some point in time though.

Congrats on the new ride. I'm sure you will enjoy it...

Legender

Nice find and welcome to the club. You'll find the 430 a step up from the Avalon and the UL has some very nice features on it.
You can always get an older Miata for weekend driving if you want. That's that I've done.
Nice find and enjoy the new ride and the opportunity to make it yours.

tallcaguy

You have a better to do list than mine. My 04 (w/ 102) is smooth and quiet but still have a couple of things to fix.
Heat; only have on passenger side (going to post on this)
NAV display; no problem in the summer, now sometimes flaky for a few minutes first thing in the morning.
Headlights too low (on low beam)
Touch up a couple of rock chips

lt1fire

sweet ride

I just picked up a 01 UL also
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...-ls430-ul.html

your list is shorter than mine

mine is

tilt wheel motor (shipping and on the way now)
rear window shade is stuck up (really annoying in my parking garage)
drivers side mirror is broken and free swings all over the place
missing tool kit and first aid kit
need to re-seal the trans pan
figure out why parking sensors aren't working

Already done
timing belt-water pump
oil change

Bocatrip

Very Nice car. I'm happy for you. As it is an UL.....after 16 years even if hasn't traveled one mile, the suspension system in your car is just that 16 years old. Be prepared to spend or replace. Best plan is to put money away for when it occurs. The UL was a great car in 2001, but we are talking about along time ago. There are also many options in your car that can cost mucho....actuators in every door, rear controls, shade, etc. Good luck and enjoy. It's a great car... the best ever made.

Dylroberts

Congratulations!

JffGRY706

sometimes the previous owner might have dis-abled the tilt/telescope for the steering wheel. it is possible to do this. worth checking before replacing I would think. possible at dealership or maybe techstream?

tallcaguy

Where did you get the motor? Local Lex dealer says I have to buy the whole steering column for 2k. Parking sensors (on bumper) need to be super clean. Otherwise may need to be replaced. Driver side mirrors cost new is ridiculous. Junk yard (ideally color match) hard to find. One guy in here fixed his (spring loaded detent repair). I took mine apart but couldn't get the same results. In one car I had, just adjusted to where I wanted and set small wedges to hold in place. Not pretty but the car wasn't all that great.

dice1998

Thanks for the welcome guys! This car is indeed a huge step up from my Avalon and I do not regret the purchase at all!

I do understand that the cost of replacing some things will be somewhat pricey and it's something I understood before purchasing the car. I plan on keeping this car in fantastic condition and am currently enjoying the car as much as I can and will weigh in my options on the car once I need to cross that bridge.

I did notice a few more paint blemishes that I want to get touched up eventually but it's nothing major. My bumper plugs also have arrived with the right color and I plan on installing them very soon which, I think, will enhance the appearance of the car even more. I've already put about 1,600 miles on the car since I purchased it two weeks ago and it's already blew me away on how amazing this car is. It accelerates smooth with no jerk in acceleration and an ride that's like riding on a cloud (thanks to the air suspension) while also achieving a respectable fuel economy (i've done almost 400 miles on a tank.. 397 miles to be exact).

This car is great.

2KHarrier

I think you will find that pleasurable experience will continue, as you get to know the car even more. They really are quite nice. My commute is 74 miles each way and I don't feel the least bit fatigued when I get out of the car. It makes driving easy and I too can boast about economy. I average 27-28 MPG during the trip, which equates top almost 500 miles per tank. Granted I go through that in 3 1/2 days...

dice1998

Hi Guys,

Sorry I haven't posted in a few months, life and work caught up to me. I've encountered an issue in which I need help and haven't found an answer to:

I'm trying to replace the front driver's side parking sensor (not the very left one, the second to left one) and I've had no issue accessing it (i took out the driver's side headlight which gave me room to access and unplug it. The issue I have is how to remove the sensor from the retaining clip.



Any help is appreciated