I have been thinking of an 07-08 ls 460. My only hesitation is that Consumer Reports has listed engine major problems with a solid black dot. After poking around a little it seems that there was a recall addressing this problem. Does anyone have any experience with a car that has been recalled to fix this problem? Would I be better off getting an 09 or 10? I appreciate any feed back thank you very much

 

Believe it had to do with the valve spring recall. You can check any dealer and they can tell you if it was completed. They only need the VIN number.

 

My 08 had the valve spring replacement performed under the recall and, knock on wood, could not expect any better performance. I am completely satisfied.

 

A lot of us and myself has had the VS recall done with no issues after it, right after the recall work on my old SWB I drove from Atlanta to Middletown, DE and the car was great on the open road. Lexus did the recall work even though the chance of failure is 0.2%, Lexus gave owners the decision if they wanted to or not. The car LWB I have now had the VS recall done drives great! I wouldn't let CR's black dot rating stop you from buying a 460, I know it causes one to pause if not familiar with the issue.

 

As of the April 2013 Auto issue of Consumer Reports, the black dot is no longer listed for the engine. I assume this is because the recall took care of the issue and the failure rate was rather low. For the 2007 LS they list Body Integrity as half a black dot and the Audio System as a full black dot (the ML system over-driven amp is probably the reason for that) with average (clear dot) for the Brakes. The 08 has a half black dot on the Audio System and a half dot on the Brakes, with the Engine, Body Integrity and Climate System getting a clear dot. Overall reliability is a half red dot (better than average.)

Hope that helps some.

Charles

 

I had it done on my GS and the a few months later I bought my LS460 and it needed it too. I wasnt happy about it, but the work was done perfectly and I have had no issues with either vehicle after the work

 

Thank you very much that was really helpful!!!!!!!!! The 07 and 08 models are a lot cheaper so that just saved me a ton
I am looking for a car that has an air suspension. A lot of the listings do not specify if the car has one or not. Do all the LWB models have an air suspension? Is it just available after 2010?
THanks again

 

A/S is an option only, it is not a standard feature in LWB LS’s. The easiest way to know if a LWB or 09 SWB (Lexus offered A/S in SWB in 09 models) has air available without even opening the door using my center console as example, look for the toggle switch for ‘SPORT’ / ‘COMF’ and the ‘HEIGHT HIGH’ button. When you see those you know it has the A/S option.

Also do your research here on this forum, get familiar with the packages that LS460/460L’s come with. It will be very helpful in your search for your car, a lot of salesman including Lexus sales people have no clue what packages the LS’s on their lot are equipped with. This will also keep you from getting mislead on what the car has or not have.

 

If you are still looking for the LS460 with air suspension I would tend to look for one without it.
It is an issue with the air suspension in all of the later models. When and break and they do so more than average you are looking at a very expensive repair if you are out of warranty. Had a 2010 and presently a 2012. I shopped the new 2012's to get what I wanted minus the air suspension, as I do not travel much anymore and plan to keep the car for quite some time. Personally, I like the ride better without the A/S. But that is just my preference!

 

You can get the car professionally inspected to see if the A/S is in need of repair before you buy, also get the Lexus Platinum warranty that will cover the A/S if it fails to keep that expense coming out your pocket. A/S vs without A/S ride quality is subjective and you will have to make that choice so you should test drive both.

 

Thank you again for all the input!!! I can't believe how you guys know

How would you describe the differences between the A/S and NA/S?

 

Every car I have seen with air suspension from Mercedes to Lexus will have more issues as they age then the cars with standard suspensions. I would still go for it.You can lower the car very easily with a module

 

I used to own a cl55 amg. The ABC gives an amazing balance between ride an handling. I know any air suspension will need to be maintained over time. One of the reasons why I do not want to get an S class is because the repair bill on that is around the 10k mark. How does the air suspension on an LS compare to MB? and more over how much does it cost to fix when it breaks? Thanks again for all the input!!!! You guys really know your stuff

 

Me too, here's what it looked like during the 're-birthing' process.
(Sorry for the grainy pic, the moderators won't allow anything over 100K graphic...for me anyway)

 

that’s why I sold my e55 and s55 , the most unreliable suspension up to date