swfla

iTrader: (1)

I'm going to be shopping for a used LS460 soon. Probably '10 or '11. My thought is that air suspension would be nice for comfort, not interested in lowering the car. First, is the air suspension that much better when driving on well maintained roads? If it is, then is it smartest to buy OEM equipped air suspension and deal with repair costs down the line or have an aftermarket kit installed and have that cost right up front. I'm guessing that I'd have to pay more for a used car with air initially but much less money than the installed aftermarket system would cost. I guess a CPO, (even more money), would cover the repair costs but that locks me in for 3 years as I would lose money if selling it before the warranty expires. A lot of angles here. Look forward to your opinions based on experience and knowledge. Thanks.

Ascari_2

I, for one, can tell the difference between an air and non-air equipped cars, and I specifically searched for a car with air. I also love the feel of the car in the "Comfort" setting at highway speeds. The car becomes slightly floaty, but this is, after all, a luxo-barge and the smooth boat-like glide is expected. It also feels really nice at medium speeds going over bumps.

As for the potential reliability concerns, I would say get a CPO and be covered for the duration. If you sell the car, then it's a selling point that your car was maintained by Lexus with no expense spared. If you want to keep the car longer, you can always extend the CPO warranty.

Devh

You really need to drive both back to back and that too good examples of each.
I test driven many more with air then non air and chose the non air.
Reason being that the difference wasn't a deal breaker as I was more interested in the car without this option because I don't want a warranty and would rather apply the savings for a lower millage car . It was also disappointing that the settings for the sport and comfort wasn't that big of a change.
If the air suspension was that much better I would have considered it but I have no regrets as the regular suspension performs well.

ShamanLS

I agree with Devh. The regular suspension tuning for the LS is excellent and provide good comfort levels.

The air suspension would enhance the comfort of the car but not THAT much

Also, I believe that the maintenance costs would be higher with the air suspension option

Test drive both cars and then decide

dlbuckls10

I have the air suspension on my '10 LS and it got all the options except for the executive rear seating. Personally I wanted the air suspension because of the super smooth ride it offers in "comfort" mode. In "sport" mode the suspension and steering tighten up. "Normal" mode is like comfort/sport combined and still comfortable and smooth. Repairs can be expensive like any vehicles with the air suspension. More options, sometimes more issues but not always plus my extended warranty is still good. The LS have always been a quiet and smooth automobile with or without the air suspension.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

In general, air shocks tend to last between 100-175k miles without issues. I wanted an LS with the UL package. Or executive package as the 460 calls it and you can't get a UL 430 without air. I now have 131k on mine. I have personally noticed that cars from the northeast will have more issues because of the salt and corrosion takes a toll on the components.

Purchasing a car without a warranty had me concerned about the cost and others in the forums were warning me of the potential failures. A few months after I purchased mine I found a great deal on a set is lightly used air shocks and purchased them. They have been in my closet for 2.5 years now. The nice thing is air shocks don't just fail suddenly. You will have time to decide how you want to fix them if you ended up having a problem. $1200 per shock is just not worth it in my opinion. I would either convert the suspension or put a nice used air shock on.

NickTee

Does the warranty cover air shocks and the compressor?

dlbuckls10

I have the platinum warranty and it overs air shocks and the compressor and just about everything else.

NickTee

Well SWFLA, get a platinum warranty.

swfla

iTrader: (1)

Checked my credit union warranty offerings. It's a repair contract that doesn't cover shocks but looks pretty good otherwise. Right now there aren't any air suspension SWB on the market. Leaning towards non-air. Best for my needs and wants. Thanks all!

SW17LS

I wouldn't get the air.

Devh

It's just my personal opinion and I don't want anyone with air suspension to take offence to it but while we are on the topic the industry since the 80s have tried all of these gimmicky suspension setting features and I have driven a good number of them including magnetic and other air systems and except for gaining additional ride height that is useful for a Range Rover when going off road the difference is not really that great or even useful. It's probably because when you change the ride height you also change the alignment profoundly. You also increase the un sprung weight to be a disadvantage to the overall handling as well.
There is one exception and that is the BMW active sway bar technology. I have test driven two cars equipped with this feature and it was astounding how much of a difference it makes.

NickTee

If you've truly driven what you claim to have driven, you'd know what an amazing difference the magnetic suspension makes. It's quite apparent on the ZL1, the CTS-V, and the C7 corvettes. Older ones are not as effective. Switching between sport and comfort is like night and day, which is expected considering the difference in damping settings.

SW17LS

My Dad's 98 LS and his 04 LS both had air suspension, my 460 has the standard steel suspension. I drove a 460 with air suspension. What I like about the air suspension is the AVS, which I had in the GS and the adaptive modes. But, I found the car I ultimately bought rode probably halfway between comfort and normal in the air car, which is where I traditionally would want to be. Getting the air suspension would have meant $8-10k more in cost, and 2015s with air in a SWB are rare.

Devh

It was my BIL 2009 Escalade. It was complete junk worse then the Lexus. If they improved the system in the newer GM cars then it will be a pleasant surprise. Incidentally my BIL traded up last month for the new 2015 Escalade platinum edition and I will see this month how much better it is.