Hi all
My son is next to buying a 07 LS 460.
We test drove it yesterday and I ran my Scanner on it too.
Scanner didn't pick any major issues across all the modules. Except 2 error codes for the pass side door motor - glass works fine, sunroof has 3 error codes and there was another error code forgot where, something minor.
Overall, vehicle drives, handles, etc very well.
I have two questions though.
1. sunroof. Has 2 buttons, one for tilt and one for slide/open. Tilt button appears to be wired in reverse. Open works fine, tilts glass open. Close button closes glass but, when it comes to close, glass then opens back again. You have to fiddle with close button to get it closed. If you touch close button just a little after glass closed, it will tilt open again. Are we doing something wrong? Bad button? Obstruction somewhere? Sensor?
2. engine has 162 000 miles on it. It's a bit chattery valvetrain. Nothing major, just a bit noisy. Definitely rockers noise, I know it well. Seller says, oil was changed a month ago? Valves are electronically controlled via VVT-i, so what's up with that? From the inside, noise can't even be heard and car rips on FWY very nicely. Is it just a normal mileage/age chatter? We looked at 03 LS430 last Saturday and engine was very quiet, but had 115 000 miles only.
Thank you for your input

 

Many scanners only do "shallow" scans on a Lexus and other high end cars. Techstream is the gold standard. Strongly suggest an indy shop that specializes in Japanese/Lexus for a prepurchase inspection. Read FAQ at top of page to learn about common issues of the LS460.

 

these cars have many potential problem areas.
1. suspension- control arms and associated parts if neglected (tie rods, sway bar links, etc); air struts
2. abs actuator and if super neglected accumulator (must change brake fluid regularly to decrease chance of failure. to properly bleed brakes, need techstream. many do multiple successive brake fluid reservoir changes instead)
3. cooling system (radiator, water pump, valley plate leak, heat exchangers )
4. various oil leaks and oil consumption due to age / lack of maintenance (valve cover gasket, high pressure fuel pump gasket, etc)

if doing the job properly, many use genuine parts. all 8 control arms can be 2-3k, abs actuator 1-2k, valley plate labor can be 1-2k , amongst other problems which may arise
if one cannot complete these repairs himself this may be an expensive car to maintain for a young man
the ls430s are known to be much more reliable, which is why it is strongly preferred by the car care nut
may be prudent to watch the car care nut's videos on youtube pertaining to ls460 before purchasing

decision is up to him, but an ls430 may make for a more budget friendly and reliable experience, albeit it feels slightly older

 

Engine noise is the direct injection system, the UR engine has self adjusting lifters unlike the UZ where they are manual.

The LS460 is a far more high end car than the LS430 from a design perspective and will require more attention if you want it to perform like it should.

 

I see. Yeah, direct injection will do make noise, well familiar, I had 200NX GDI.

The only oil leak I found was valve cover gasket rear pass side. Small leak, nothing major.

 

Yeah, I know. I have scanner with Toyota software on it. It scanned every single module that there is on that car. Prolly not as capable, as TIS but good enough to scan, run active tests, live data etc. I am not even quarter into what it can do, I keep discovering more and more features and options on it.

 

OK, so now that we have GDI noise cleared, what's up with the sunroof button?

 

 

Nice! We'll try it, hopefully, it's the same across all the vehicles.

 

Well, we got the car.
Drove it from Burien Wa to Auburn WA to a surprising 34.7 mpg after counter reset. Somewhere around 15 miles or so, mostly FWY, no traffic.
Son says, he notices faint speakers buzz relevant on RPM. With stereo turned off. Ground loop? I can barely hear it but he'd be obsessed with it.

 

Congrats. There are known amp issues. While it may be a ground, it could also be the an amp's components failing. If I remember right failing capacitors are the culprit, especially with age. The amp is in the trunk.

 

Got it. I'll let him know, thank you

 

Congrats on your purchase. I own a 07 LS460L model with about 155k miles on it now that is pretty much fully loaded besides for it not having the rear seat dvd package. It’s been extremely reliable so far in the 2 1/2 years I’ve owned it.

So I know when some special option suddenly “breaks” it’s going to cost me a fortune to fix. That’s what you have to deal with when owning one of these cars.

They are still a lot better to own than a brand new Toyota or Honda sedan. And they still have features that most newer cars don’t have or are barely becoming standard today.

I think what makes any flagship luxury vehicle special to own is that you know it’s built to satisfy most of your needs as a buyer that really just wants a smooth, powerful comfortable car that doesn’t share any other parts with its lower level siblings.

The LS, like the S-Class, Audi A-8 or 7-series all benefit from this exact reason. It’s like why spend $30-40k on a new maxed out Camry, an Accord, a Volkswagen whatever, when you could spend the same amount of money for a used fully loaded 2017 LS460 that’s going to be a much much better driving, better riding, and better built sedan than those other makes that will outlast most other vehicles on the road even with its typical problems that are just really maintenance items that wear out prematurely if you think about it, not life ending, junkyard waiting catastrophic engine/transmission failure because of poor quality and bad engineering. That’s not the case with these cars especially if you service the engine and trans regularly.

The obvious answer to people buying new is because most people want the latest stuff, so tech features usually dominate the conversation instead of what really matters over time to the owner which is “how well will this car hold up in a few years?” And “how will it ride, drive, and perform long term?”

Plus once you own a V8 car, especially any Lexus V8, it’s so hard to drive anything else. You get so used to the vibration free motoring, the instant power of the 4.6L V8, that even if you own a newer 4 or V6 banger turbo vehicle, it’s never ever going to be as smooth as any V8. It inherently can’t for that matter.

The LS460 engine has clatter that the LS430 does not, and I can’t hear the engine noise at all in my 07, it’s only when I am outside of the car is where it’s more obvious, so it doesn’t bother me. The LS430 engine is definitely smoother though and feels borderline like an EV. No vibrations whatsoever it’s crazy how well insulated those cars are for their age. The LS460’s from what I researched is supposed to be a less isolated driving car than the LS430 is. The engineers deliberately designed the car this way to spice up the “road feeling” characteristics that the LS430 was numb to.

I think along with my LS460 and my continued search for a nice, fully optioned LS430, I wouldn’t desire anything else to drive on a daily basis. Both are amazingly comfortable cars and are very reliable. It’s like once you own either cars, it’s hard to compare them to anything else besides for an S-Class and the rest of the European luxury makes.

 

Well I'm here a little late since your son already purchased the car. I would have asked you what service records were with the car. In addition to numbers 2 and 3 in post #4, I would have checked for the starter motor replacement and whether the transmission had been serviced.

The starter motor seems to be an item that can go on these cars (mine did). The motor isn't that expensive, the problem is labor can be at least 4 hours or more.

My car has 168K and I have never serviced the transmission. My advice is if your son's transmission has never been touched, then I would leave it alone.

Congrats to him on his new car and I wish him good luck with it!

 

Transmission is "like as if it's not even there". Smooth is not an adequate description.
He went to Leavenworth and won't touch the car till next weekend. We'll have her up on my lift and take a close look everywhere.
The only things to be done asap is 2nd key, turn or replace front rotors and reset sunroof close button.

Now I got nail stuck in me. I have 07 Tahoe, all options for the year, same mileage, and now I know, what POS I am driving. I might start looking into used LX. I like BIG cars.