Originally Posted by ArmyofOne

you picked a hell of a car for a first Lexus. As these cars age, especially the 07/08 models, they become absudrly expensive to maintain and repair, unless you do everything yourself, and even then, its not for the faint of heart. My car has 145,000 miles and it has had the following since 2018 (when i purchased it w/83,000 miles):

• Brake actuator- $4,200
• Brake pads & rotors x4 corners- $985
• Upper & lower control arms/ball joints (twice)- $3,250 each time
• Tie rod ends- $450 (with alignment)
• Sway bar links- $400
• Sway bar bushings- $280
• all new door panels, dash, center console box, glove box door and B pillar interior trim replaced under the ZLZ campaign for sticky interior- $12,780 (warranty)
• oil pan replacement (was dented when I bought it and began to leak from the gasket)- $1,250
• oil filter housing o-rings leak- $750
• radiator- $1,100
• 2 MAF sensors- $1,400
• 2 O2 sensors- $685
• All new stereo (because the factory nav sucked and eventually stopped working entirely)- $3,500
• 4 struts and mounts-$2,760
• Engine mounts- $4,400
• 2 wheel bearings- $760
• Waterpump (was leaking)- $850
• 2 sets of tires (maintenance, but still expensive)- $2,800
• Blower motor-$1,350

I think thats it. thankfully I could DIY most of this, but the cost breakdown if I couldn't would have been unfathomable. The $ values i added are what shops quoted me to repair.

If i had a shop to all but the ZLZ interior stuff the total was going to be: $34,420, or $4,917/yr.

Since i DIY'd all except the Tires, interior, brake actuator and alignments, the overally cost of ownership looks more like this:

• Brake actuator- $4,200
• Brake pads & rotors x4 corners- $475
• Upper & lower control arms/ball joints (twice)- $600 each time
• Tie rod ends- $175 (with alignment)
• Sway bar links- $50
• Sway bar bushings- $25
• all new door panels, dash, center console box, glove box door and B pillar interior trim replaced under the ZLZ campaign for sticky interior- $12,780 (warranty)
• oil pan replacement (was dented when I bought it and began to leak from the gasket)- $85
• oil filter housing o-rings leak- $5
• radiator- $175
• 2 MAF sensors- $350
• 2 O2 sensors- $300
• All new stereo (because the factory nav sucked and eventually stopped working entirely)- $1,500
• 4 struts and mounts-$675
• Engine mounts- $250
• 2 wheel bearings- $240
• Waterpump (was leaking)- $185
• 2 sets of tires (maintenance, but still expensive)- $2,800
• Blower motor-$165

For a whopping total of: $12,855. Still a daunting number, but spread out over 7 years of ownership, it is a much more realistic $1,836/yr.

Bear in mind these #'s dont even include the ZLZ campaign, modifcations, fuel, air filters, oil changes, transmission services, rear differential fluid, brake fluid services, or coolant system services. It's $1,836/yr for me just to keep my car on the road.

Originally Posted by Hamby86

My 2007 has 157k miles on it right now. The previous owner had taken care of most of the items you listed via Lexus or an independent Lexus/Toyota shop. I even called that shop, and they said anything needed, no matter how big or small, was taken care of or done preventively. I think I have been lucky so far with a good ownership history.

The other things I have taken care of myself, but luckily, just the most expensive items were new tires, brakes, and rotors. Everything else has been quite minor. I work from home which means I probably only put 500 miles a month on the vehicle it at this point. I know I will want to sell it in a few years and look at a well-maintained 2016/17 or even an LS500 (we shall see).

Originally Posted by ArmyofOne

you picked a hell of a car for a first Lexus. As these cars age, especially the 07/08 models, they become absudrly expensive to maintain and repair, unless you do everything yourself, and even then, its not for the faint of heart. My car has 145,000 miles and it has had the following since 2018 (when i purchased it w/83,000 miles):

• Brake actuator- $4,200
• Brake pads & rotors x4 corners- $985
• Upper & lower control arms/ball joints (twice)- $3,250 each time
• Tie rod ends- $450 (with alignment)
• Sway bar links- $400
• Sway bar bushings- $280
• all new door panels, dash, center console box, glove box door and B pillar interior trim replaced under the ZLZ campaign for sticky interior- $12,780 (warranty)
• oil pan replacement (was dented when I bought it and began to leak from the gasket)- $1,250
• oil filter housing o-rings leak- $750
• radiator- $1,100
• 2 MAF sensors- $1,400
• 2 O2 sensors- $685
• All new stereo (because the factory nav sucked and eventually stopped working entirely)- $3,500
• 4 struts and mounts-$2,760
• Engine mounts- $4,400
• 2 wheel bearings- $760
• Waterpump (was leaking)- $850
• 2 sets of tires (maintenance, but still expensive)- $2,800
• Blower motor-$1,350

I think thats it. thankfully I could DIY most of this, but the cost breakdown if I couldn't would have been unfathomable. The $ values i added are what shops quoted me to repair.

If i had a shop to all but the ZLZ interior stuff the total was going to be: $34,420, or $4,917/yr.

Since i DIY'd all except the Tires, interior, brake actuator and alignments, the overally cost of ownership looks more like this:

• Brake actuator- $4,200
• Brake pads & rotors x4 corners- $475
• Upper & lower control arms/ball joints (twice)- $600 each time
• Tie rod ends- $175 (with alignment)
• Sway bar links- $50
• Sway bar bushings- $25
• all new door panels, dash, center console box, glove box door and B pillar interior trim replaced under the ZLZ campaign for sticky interior- $12,780 (warranty)
• oil pan replacement (was dented when I bought it and began to leak from the gasket)- $85
• oil filter housing o-rings leak- $5
• radiator- $175
• 2 MAF sensors- $350
• 2 O2 sensors- $300
• All new stereo (because the factory nav sucked and eventually stopped working entirely)- $1,500
• 4 struts and mounts-$675
• Engine mounts- $250
• 2 wheel bearings- $240
• Waterpump (was leaking)- $185
• 2 sets of tires (maintenance, but still expensive)- $2,800
• Blower motor-$165

For a whopping total of: $12,855. Still a daunting number, but spread out over 7 years of ownership, it is a much more realistic $1,836/yr.

Bear in mind these #'s dont even include the ZLZ campaign, modifcations, fuel, air filters, oil changes, transmission services, rear differential fluid, brake fluid services, or coolant system services. It's $1,836/yr for me just to keep my car on the road.

Originally Posted by sktn77a

As far a headlight restoration products are concerned, the abrasive parts are pretty much all the same. The biggest difference is in the sealer that gets applied last. Look for one with a "ceramic"-type wipe-on sealer.

Originally Posted by Hamby86

I tend to agree. Folks, and those on here tend to be like this, who take care and maintain these LS460s would make me feel 100% more confident in buying vs something at a random lot.