AWD owners - your input please!
 

Hello all, I'm on my second LS presently. It's a 2007 SWB rwd with the power rear seats, ML, etc. I bought this car over 2 years ago with 92K on it and have only done a water pump and had it in for the fuel rail safety recall. It is dead reliable, makes 27+ mpg and I'm in love with it. The down side is that it's got 106k on it now and I'd like to find one a little newer with a lot fewer miles.


Here's where the quandary starts. There's a GM dealer about 100 miles away that has a 2009 AWD in Starfire Pearl, Parchment with 50,xxx miles. They have the car listed for $28,700, which is a little below book. It appears to have ML, Nav etc, but no comfort plus. I know I'm spoiled by my '07 and am not sure how big a deal this is with the leather on the door armrests etc.


My biggest concerns are with the AWD and air suspension parts. I have a new Tundra crew-max 4WD so I don't need the AWD. But, I specifically want the Pearl white and tan interior. The low miles are a big bonus as well.

I called and talked with the salesman today and he told me the car was sold new in Wichita, and has had one owner since. The 2nd (local) owner traded it at a GM dealer. He gave me the Carfax info, but that is worthless. No damage and so on.


Presuming that this car has been meticulously maintained, how much of a headache would the AWD system and air suspension present? I would likely keep it for 3 years or so and only drive about 10k per year. Ideally, I would like to find a 2010 or 2011 Pearl white/Tan SWB rwd with ML and comfort plus and low miles. These cars are very hard to find here in the Midwest so finding one that is almost exactly what I want is very tempting.


I haven't seen the Lexus history on it and can't login to the lexus website tonight for some reason or I'd try getting the service history on it by VIN to see what the rest of the story is.


Feedback anyone? Go for it or pass and wait for another rare opportunity?


Thanks and sorry for the long post - and yes, I did search for AWD and problems prior to posting :)

AWD owners - your input please!
 

It's a non issue. AWD Lexus Toyota vehicles are everywhere in AWD, there are no additional reliability or maintenance issues.

Thanks for your input, can anyone speak to the reliability of the air suspension system? No warranty remaining on this 6 year old!

The AWD system has been great to me so far. It really doesn't feel a ton different from RWD (previously had an LS430), but I do notice an ever so slight driveline vibration when i lift off the throttle to coast at higher speeds and a bit of a lurch if I slow down to a crawl on a steeper incline then try to move forwards again. Otherwise pretty much undetectable (I really hardly notice these on mine). Can't comment from experience on air suspension, suppose it varies some have had good luck and love the ride, others have had more frequent replacements. If I were you I would hold out until the perfect one came along, sounds like you're wanting a facelift '10+. If you decide on no air, then keep in mind all '10 AWDs had air, '11 and '12s AWDs don't in SWB form (some LWB have air as an option). I tend to prefer 'facelifted' cars in general b/c usually the little bugs are sorted and you get some more bonus features/tech. Good luck in your search.

I can't speak to the AWD (not needed in my temperate climate), but I'm happy with my Comfort Plus package. For 2010 - 2012, rear seat lumbar massage was added to that package, as well as semi-aniline trim. I believe the semi-aniline trim was previously an option only on the LWB version. You can definitely tell the difference in places like the door handles, which I believe aren't leather in the standard trim. (I'm guessing about this and could be wrong; I don't see the stitching my door handles have.) IMO, the more difficult to find Comfort Plus in a 2010 SWB was worth the wait. The ML and the Comfort Plus are an excellent combination, IMO.

If you're looking at a LWB, the semi-aniline trim is easier to find. I mention all this because you apparently like the Comfort Plus package in your current LS460.

Thanks for your reply. I believe I've found my answers. I was able to pull up the Lexus service history on this car and found four things that bother me. 1. car was sold in a different city than I was told, meaning it has likely had 3 owners. 2. A three year gap in Lexus service history from about 15k miles to 58k miles. 3. Mileage on Lexus service records is 8k more than indicated by selling dealer. 4. Last Lexus service was for air suspension problem with rr strut and actuator. At $1500 per strut/actuator, my rwd with average miles looks really good! I think I'll keep looking. Thanks all

I recently purchased a low-mileage 2008 SWB RWD car from California (with two previous owners). I was also looking for Comfort Plus, mostly because of the leather door trim and upgraded leather on the armrests. For me, it made a big difference, and I would have regretted buying the non-C+ car every time I pulled the door closed.

I was looking at some 2010-2011 cars as well, and it seemed like there were even fewer C+ equipped SWB cars from those model years. Keep up the search, but don't be surprised if it takes you a while, and be prepared to look nationally. Your current car should last you until you find the right one.

CarGuy89, I had the same issue. Try this: When it is vibrating while coasting downhill, bump the shifter into Neutral. If the vibration stops, it is the rear differential pinion angle causing the vibration. The fix is to install thinner shim washers on the top side of the differential front mounting cushions. This moves the pinion nose higher, back into parallel with the transfer case output shaft angle.

What I think happens: The rear trans mount and forward differential mounts sag slightly over time, which puts the transfer case output shaft out of parallel with the differential yoke. When this happens, the driveshaft is "out of phase" and you get this vibration (low frequency, sometimes pulsing every second or so). Here is an excellent but incredibly boring video explaining the importance of pinion angle matching:

Wow I am blown away by the knowledge of this forum yet again! :thumbup::thumbup: I am no engineer so much of this does go over my head, but very interesting to consider nonetheless. I would try the neutral test but usually Im doing 75-85 on the freeway when I notice it, so might not be a great idea for me :D. The vibration is just ever so slight, and the only reason why I even pick up on it is that my 430 never had any vibrations when coasting. Have you done the fix to your car? Thanks for the great info!

The dealer did the fix, but I diagnosed it and suggested it to the dealer.