LS430inDE.

I was thinking of items I need to repair...whether to do it myself, or take to a mechanic to repair. I'm also wonder what all you guys have on your LS that's OEM broken (not working as supposed to from factory, NOT MODS/custom projects that you need to complete.)

My 2005 needs.....

• Driver's side door lock actuator (I've had the motor for a year but can't decide to DIY or take to dealer, lol)
• Tilt/telescoping steering wheel doesn't reliably work 100% of the time. Probably will just live with it as is.
• Exhaust leak is throwing a code, so I have CEL and VSC lamps on. Leak is from the passenger side exhaust at a gasket.

So....what's broken on YOUR LS, whether you intend to repair it nor not? If nothing's broken on your LS, feel free to comment that also.

Johnhav430

let's see....

• rear sunshade, would not fix
• pass mirror glass autodim gel bad, almost clicked the eBay part for $186 less 20%, but still too pricey
• telescope motor slow, so pulled fuse, not likely to be fixed
• LF corner park assist sensors, bought eBay sensors for $28 less 20%, will put in this summer

I think that's it??? I mean the rest is more wear/tear, in the future, shocks/struts, motor mounts, trans mount, plugs...

TriC

What's broken or needs repair?

Nothing (knock on wood!)

Neverdone

My 01 UL needs Front and rear bumpers, they have some cracks, eventually I'll replace those and the tail light is broken, gonna look for a new one of those.

everything else has been fixed since i bought it 3 weeks ago. Mechanically, the car is great, cosmetically, there are things that bug the ****e out of me.

911LE

On my '01 the engine is broken.
On my '05 the front lock actuators are broken and the brake wear sensors. I have the parts for both and will tackle them in the next week or 2. If anyone is interested I can do a how-to with pics on the door lock actuators. I've done the 4 on my '01 and I have it down to about 20 minutes each.

jimbosr1

I bought my 06 in 2010 as a CPO. Since i have owned it other then normal maintenance and a rebuild on the alternator and a belt tensioner i haven't had any other issues.All the interior lights and exterior lights work and every thing else is fully operational.Best dam car i ever owned!

StanVanDam

Current issues on my 16 year old LS430 UL (2002), which I've been the second owner of for past 9 years:

1) Passenger side mirror doesn't adjust (I cleaned the driver-side switch panel successfully twice before, either I need to do it again or the motor is dead). No one else drives the car so the mirror is already set perfectly and I have no need to move it. Doesn't auto-tilt down on reverse, but not a feature I require.

2) Both folding mirrors have never worked quite right when water gets inside the housing and it is cold out, I have to flip the switch back and forth several times + give the housing a gentle push to get them to position. In the winter, I just leave the mirrors in full open position and avoid parking where people can bump the mirror.

3) Hood struts do not support the hood when it is cold out (below -10C). Will buy new ones probably from RockAuto this spring as this is an essential thing to have working properly.

4) A suspension component is squeaky and I suspect the rear stabilizer bar bushings. They are not supposed to be greased and they are cheap from the dealer and easy enough to change, so I will do that sometime this spring/summer. Front bushings 48815-50180, rear bushings 48815-50020

5) 2 of my front parking sensors have taken direct rock impacts at highway speeds over the years and are malfunctioned (I can hear the difference between the working ones and the dead ones, not a paint layer issue). The Chinese aftermarket sensors don't come in 8P8 (Lexus part # suffix -J0) yet, and not worthwhile to spend $200+ each for OEM. I don't need front sensors to park anyway.

6) 3 of my 4 OEM 17" chrome wheels leak at a predictable rate, 2-4psi per month. The only fix is to get a good tire shop technician to remove the rubber, clean the corrosion off the bead, then remount and rebalance the tire. Will get each fixed when I deem each air leak rate to be too high.

7) My Costco Kirkland 28,8 700CCA battery that I bought 2 years ago doesn't hold much of a charge, just enough to start the car, and my wallcharger says there is a bad cell. At very low power, the transmission holds gears longer than it should, but after a few minutes of engine running, the transmission shifts fine. I do frequent driving but it's all short distances (<10km) and under 15 minutes, so probably not ideal for full battery charging. Will get a free one under warranty when it warms up outside. This is the car's 4th battery since 2002.

8) I replaced my front rotors with OEM at 85,000 kms due to steering wheel pulsation upon braking. Now it is 71,000 kms later and same issue. Tires have always been torqued on by hand to 76 ft-lbs, and I use hub centering rings for my lug-centric winter wheels. Will replace rotors with Raybestos Advanced Technology 980185 from RockAuto, since their manufacturing specifications are published and appear to be higher quality than every other aftermarket brand. I'll hope they last at least 70,000 kms as the OEM rotors do.

9) Possible hesitation upon acceleration and/or engine not generating max power. My MAF is original from the factory but I think replacing it with a new OEM one may perk up the engine responsiveness and reduce hesitation upon acceleration. Got 4 free MAFs from eBay and paid for a 5th: 3 were used but sold as new, 1 was sold as OEM but wasn't, and 1 appears to be OEM and unused. I checked the sensor wires with a bright light.

I have fixed a handful of minor problems over the years, including driver door lock actuator, rear subwoofer foam surround replacement (SimplySpeakers FSK-8M-Toyota), trunk struts replaced with FIGS struts, rear left door weatherstrip (67888-50030), rusted differential bolts (fill 90341-18032, drain 90341-18035), rusted hood lock cable (53630-50060), squeaky emergency brake when getting in/out of the car (adjusted the star wheel and grease the parts that do not touch the braking shoe), squeaky automatic steering column (replaced bushing 45768-60011), VSC switch bulb (90010-01070), seat heater switch bulb (90010-01071), height switch bulb (90010-01059)...

I've only had 2 "big" issues in my 9 years of ownership of this 16 year old car - rear AC high pressure line corroded and needed replacement, and rear Y-pipe needed replacement due to P0430 code caused by a small crack hidden by the right-side heat shield + a small leak at the forward gasket. I have my original Y-pipe and catalyst if anyone wants to buy it and weld that crack, or want the cat.

The 3rd "big" issue was my front-right (B2S1) O2 sensor - at 84000 km, the heater element inside it died, causing a P0155 code. Replaced with OEM (Denso 234-4630), and had access to a friend with a lift and an acetylene torch to get that sensor out, so it was free labor. Without that, I'm sure it would have been my 3rd most expensive repair.

I have 2 new rear height sensors (89407-50060 and 89408-50060) that were damaged from being rear-ended, new rear door skins (common for them to rust behind the lower chrome strip and upper chrome strip), part #s 67113-50030 right, 67114-50030 left.

Everything else is working fine as installed at the factory: HID headlamps, foglights, rear right door upper weatherstrip, PCV, PCV grommet, spark plugs, all 4 air struts, laser cruise control, all speakers, nav system, centre console, sunglasses holder, rain sensor, seat pads, ventilated seats, all non-driver door lock actuators, power windows, rear sunshade, side sunshades, etc.

tallcaguy

My 01 Base ran perfectly. Other than standard maintenance, nothing went wrong. On my 04 ML (one owner, low mileage, dealer service, mirrors replaced, new amp, etc) steering wheel doesn't telescope. Headlights self adjust vertically but don't move side to side. Sub woofer fried and the usual ML quality issues. Steering slightly loose, NAV display slightly flaky. Has the mysterious barely audible 04 whine. However, no major repairs or problems. Just small stuff in the 2 years I've owned.

irishbrahm

The center console/armrest is sticking/sliding..

I've seen the excellent write-up on here about how to repair it (disassemble and tighten loose screws); however, I live in a high-rise apt. building with no tools.

Of course, the dealer wants to replace the whole assembly. Not.

I found an indy Lexus shop that will do the job for $100. That'll work for me!

LS430inDE.

I am REALLY interested on your door lock actuator repair. I'm subscribed to another actuator repair that has (what seems like) hundreds of replies and dozens of opinions on best way to replace. I'd be VERY grateful if you did a DIY with pics for the driver's door lock actuator!!! 20 minutes per door is amazingly quick. Part of my reluctance & procrastination is because some posts say to dedicate HOURS to the job. The other part of my delay to repair is the anxiety of working on a functional lock with fear of it either not going back together at all, or a weird lock/unlock issue that I create.

05ls430518

iTrader: (1)

are you replacing the motor inside the housing or just replacing the entire actuator doing the entire actuator is easy just take the door panel off unbolt the actuator 3 bolts by lock that attaches to the door striker, take the metal arm off the door handle careful to not break the plastic, unbolt the window rail 2 bolts and take the old actuator out and install the new one. It does take 20 mins per door very easy to do.

Also I wouldnt call it broken but my door is hanging funny from when some a-hole vandalized my car and try to pry it open, the headlights need to be refinished, rear bumper needs to be repainted, passenger side fender needs to have the bottom piece put back on, this is all from some dirt bag vanadlizing my car last year on my birthday I am still fighting the insurance company on it.

911LE

Give me a week or 2 but I don't mind helping out with a tutorial. The tools required are a Phillips screwdriver (JIS preferred but Phillips will do), a Torx bit (I think it's a 30 or 40, whichever size fits the 3 bolts on the door in the jamb), a 10mm socket and rachet, a flat head screwdriver wrapped in tape or nylon interior tool, a putty knife around 3 or 4 inches, 2 zip ties medium to large size, a box or bucket just shorter than the bottom of the door, and a 6 pack of Coors Light (don't judge me).

911LE

The Torx you need is a T30. Stay tuned.

LS430inDE.

I purchased the d-shaft motor from Amazon for about $9, maybe TWO YEARS AGO, but have never had the guts to do the job, lol. If purchasing the entire OEM actuator is reasonable in price, and will save me a lot of time & frustration & agony, I would consider buying it....then donate my d-shaft motor to a CL member who's braver than me working on the door lock! Do you have a ballpark cost for front driver's side actuator? I'm going to view a Lexus parts breakdown and see if I can find it, along with the part #, that is, unless RWK beats me to the illustrated parts breakdown!

Neverdone

I forgot that the hood latch is a bit of an issue sometimes. I already ordered the part but yet to install it.

the headlights look kinda bad, I might try and refinish them. Overall I think I got the car for a great price, however, I'm sure that none of the previous owners took care of it very well.

I'm off to a start of trying to restore it to better than factory, but it will take alot of time and some money to get there.