aaauae

i got this car thinking its reliable and a great car , its a year now since i got it , all kind of problems have started its at 143k miles now .

i've replaced the starter a month back , then had a bad accident , then replaced front RHS shock absorber . Just after the Accident i Noticed aq clicking sound fromt he back while Tunring in the Round abouts at like 30-40mph ...

Yesterday i went to refuel the car , and being very quiet in the night i hear like a thumping/clunking sound from the Rear of the car , its like a cycle . with each rotation of the wheel there is a slight bang noise . increases as you go faster . to a point where it just vanishes .

The sound also comes when reversing . all this when the car was parked for few hours .

i dont understand what this sound might be . i drove it for few miles and then there isnt any sound i will try the car again after work to see if its still there and if its only when the car is moved from cold engine start .

I am really considering to sell this car get a much reliable car like Altima or Camry or even a honda accord .

Thanks any help would be appreciated .

aaauae

with the little knowledge i have about cars i think its the bad wheel bearing ?

i just hope its not the Diff

RA40

iTrader: (6)

How was the maintenance from the prior owner? A well cared for car early on will tend to do better as the miles/km progress. Neglect or over extended service intervals put that at risk. Bad luck is a broken timing belt, seized water pump, blown tranny, broken gears...etc. Yours sound like expected wear at 145K.

Check and or drain the rear differential fluid. If there are metal particles then it will require more investigation. Shocks wear and if one is gone, the others may also be coming due for replacement, that's normal.

At 145K the car is going to take some TLC to refresh wearing parts as would a 145K Camry, Altima or Accord. Overall, the Lexus build quality should prove to be better than those.

Devh

Making it to 145K miles is not what I would call unreliable by any mark. I have a Honda Accord that has 120k miles on it and it has been mostly trouble-free but I did have to replace A number of components due to wear and tear like a velocity joint, front struts, front lower control arms and an oxygen sensor. If you think you're going to get away with no component replacement then you would be disillusioned to think so. What is most important is major mechanical reliability which is the sum of the engine and transmission internals that would require a major rebuild or replacement.

I also noticed that some of your troubles are most likely due to a bad accident as you described it. That has absolutely nothing to do with reliability.
I would have the car diagnosed and rectified because accidents can have a profound effect on other adjacent components. After the car is fixed it should give you mostly trouble-free miles with an occasional component replacement just like any other car that is aged.

dlbuckls10

Your problems may have started from the "bad accident". Was your LS properly repaired? The 460 is a lot more complicated than the Camry, Altima, Accord and just as reliable with a little maintenance at 143k miles. I would start with a Lexus dealership or experienced shop to see what's causing the problems. The 460 is a remarkable automobile and I feel lucky owning one.

aaauae

dealer wont service this car its american spec and i am Living in the gulf , i'll put the car on Hydraulic ramp tonight and see what it is ..

the Accident doesn't have any connection with this it was just one side like the door and fender got damaged .

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

I also suspect the accident, especially given timing of when the issue appeared. Wheel bearings often get damaged during impact even if they visually look like they didn't get hit.

Got any pictures of the damage? Was the shock absorber replaced as a result of the accident?

Devh

When they spec a car specific for its region you can end up in a lot of trouble especially reliable function. Fuel quality and other aspects concerning certain fluids can cause a lot of issues. This is probably not the kind of car you should purchase and expect any kind of reliability unless it's researched and converted for its conditions. I've known people who worked or lived in Europe and transferred back stateside with their cars and ran into some of these issues. Parts were also a problem.

aaauae

no pics of the Damaged but a Truck had gone into my car from the Rear left side damaging the Door and the Fender .

shock absorber was for the front so not related .


its weird because the Car was totally fine before this accident , but accident was was very slow speed i was stationary and he was may be 5- 10 kmph . big damage because he had full steel bumpers and did stop .

aaauae

80% of the LS in the UAE are US imports . People are Driving them as normal . Our fuel quality is Excellent down here .

Doublebase

I own a Honda Accord - I keep it for an extra car - and I've had it since new. The Accord is a great car, but once I hit 100k miles, it needed repairs like anything else. First it was the brakes, my right front caliper needed to be replaced. Then it was the engine mounts (front and rear). I ran into an EVAP problem early on (canister vent) and the oil pan was also leaking (in fact that thing has been leaking since the car was practically new). I have had to replace the tie rods (twice), all the ball joints, the control arms, the sway bar bushings (several times, front and rear). The thing that really killed me is when the gas tank started leaking - just one day started leaking a bit - it was rotted out. Now that was a huge repair...entire rear of the car needed to come out to replace that thing...luckily I did it myself or it would have cost me a a couple thousand, easily. Now with the Accord, keep in mind you will need to replace the timing belt and everything that goes along with it...water pump, tensioner, balancer belt, and seals (that will run you $700.00 at a shop). The trannies are a known issue with these cars - now I was lucky, but I did change the fluid every single year. I have had to replace the axles, EGR valve, transmission high/low switches (another known problem), O2 sensor, Evap canister vent (again), the hot/cold **** on the dash (10 times), the dash clock light (5 times), all struts, engine mounts (again), vtec solenoid switch, general maintenance, two more brake calipers (with hoses), fuel line, brake lines and had all recalls done.

Despite all this, its a great car, yet there are some things I've chosen to kind of "live" with. There's a vibration that I get when going around 50-55 mph. I've changed rims, balanced tires, replaced an axle...it's still there...been there for seven years. The clock light is out again, I'm living with it. The car developed a "whine" noise at 70k miles, it's been there ever since (I now have 283k miles). I think it's the transmission pump - probably is - but truthfully I can't even hear it anymore because the steering pump is making the same noise now (I'm living with that too). Also the rack has a slight leak, I'm going to live with that as well - I've changed these racks before - they are an absolute beast to replace. The timing belt is due for replacement soon - I'll have to make a decision at that point to either get rid of it or do it myself again. Truthfully I'm kind of attached to the thing, it's a great car, but even it's had its share of "problems".

As for my LS460, it's at 101k miles and all I've had to do was the recalls, brakes, tires and general maintenance. I know those days are coming...the days when I'll have to do some more involved repairs, but so far it's been pretty flawless. Even better than my Accord, and that's really saying something, because I've never had a car as reliable as that.

Nospinzone

It's a shame the dealer won't touch it just because it is US spec. It must be some kind of jealousy thing, but stupid of them.

If it weren't for the reversing part, I'd also suggest looking at an out of balance wheel.

If I were you, I would get it sorted out. You will so miss the LS ride.

R Z

Sorry to read your travails. You state the car was fine before the accident. A crash, whether considered small can still change things. Even at 143K miles, while components can tire and need replacing, a hit to the car can add to the issues.

Devh

I'm just speculating but it's possible that Toyota as well as other manufacture discourages US spec cars because of the importation of stolen vehicles into neighboring countries that end up in the UAE with new papers.
It could also be that they discourage the practice because of loopholes where the citizenry can bypass the expense of domestically sold vehicles made for the region.
The cost of the US spec vehicles with miles on them could be reconstructed salvage as well but in the end it might be so cheap to own it's worth taking risks.

I found this article a good read. If I was the OP I would run a Carfax on the car to see if it has a salvage history.
http://www.drivearabia.com/news/2009...ed-car-market/

aaauae

I am not sure , but this plastic piece was loose on both sides of the car though one in the same place it has to be and other had gone behind the wheel , i tried driving after moving this piece and fixing it back . There was no sound , i'll update you guys what happens , though i kinda feel stupid :/