By the sound of it you are capable of working on a car (based off your Acura repairs), so I wouldn't be afraid to buy an LS. First off the "piston slap" thing you wrote about is totally bogus. The engine is reliable as hell. As hell. And the transmission is flawless as well. There is a recall for valve springs, but as long as it's done? The engine is pretty awesome.

The car has control arm "issues". Which means they will last 70-100k miles and then will need to be replaced with aftermarket parts for $500 dollars. And you will easily be able to install them, seeing as you already said you worked on your Acura. If you run into the "brake actuator" problem, you will need to either live with a "click" noise when you brake, or replace the actuator with one of the ones for sale on eBay for $500-$700 dollars and replace it yourself.

If you can solve these two "issues", you will have yourself a car capable of driving endless miles without issue. And if you are one of the majority that don't experience these two "issues", you will be left with a luxury car that is as dependable as a Honda Accord.

 

Absolutely. I've been an active forum member for my past two vehicles since 2004 and I'm am more then well versed in how that comes to pass. It is most reassuring to hear everyone chiming in to assure that this most certainly holds true!


So GTRUNG pretty much hits it on the head for me. On a similar note, the TL was not without its faults, and the parallel here is that any prospective buyer scanning the TL forums would find MANY threads complaining of PS whine (the inlet o-ring was subject to recall and the gaskets all dry-out around 100k), engine mounts are hit and miss (replaced mine at 179k just for good measure, no failures), and the 2nd and 3rd gear pressure switches are a known problem documented on the forum with multiple DIYs dedicated on how to fix it.

In other words, on the AZine TL forum, PS issues and the like show up A LOT...but the overwhelming majority of owners are running many, many miles without any of said issues just in as much I am coming to conclude that the LS population is running problem free in turn.

 

I have been considering an LS since 2006, and before purchasing the TL, the final decision came down to choosing between the LS430 and the TL, with me choosing the TL only because I was younger and wanted a 6-spd MT. Respectfully, its almost an understood concept that the first year of a model refresh should fall under the 'lease only' category, and even as early as 2008 there were a bevy of complaints regarding wind noise that surfaced on C&D, R&T, and Edmunds that should have averted the informed consumer. It totally sucks you have a poor performer, and honestly, I am wholly sympathetic to your situation; I wish a more favorable outcome was available. That being said, I am only looking at 2010 models or newer.

Very insightful! All the more reason I'll be moving towards a newer year.

From everything I'm reading and as noted above, again, shooting for a +2010.

I'll disagree with you here. Stalwart materials will outperform poor maintenance everytime. The TL features a NOTORIOUSLY terrible leather seat quality and once you pass the 10-year mark, cracks are an inevitability. I treat the TL twice a year to a 48-hour leatherique reconditioning and pH balancing and I'll be damned if it's helping one iota, but I do it simply for sanitary purposes. BUT,in this case, the owner is very well likely at fault.

 

Ha-ha...my friend, you're being modest. You're what I consider one of the 'heavies' on this forum, and you're DIYs are awesome. While you may not consider that you 'baby' the car, you take very good measure in my estimate that it runs well, and I'm wholly grateful you've chimed in.


I've seen you recommend AM replacement across multiple threads...your posts have been very encouraging and insightful in coming to understand the make-up of the front end suspension assembly.

Honestly, if the ML system were to fail, I'd just go aftermarket. I've already absorbed $1.5k in bass components that I'll be transferring at the time of sale.


I am. I have more than 15 DIY threads I've created on Acurazine that have become 'Stickies' for the community, and honestly, wrench time is therapeutic IMHO. I have read your threads regarding the necessity for Techstream, which totally such for the weekend wrencher, but given the market price for the service, hell, I'll take it. Once I have my LS, I'll change over to AMSOIL. I'm a firm proponent of their products and believe it only makes a good product great.

Thanks for responding! I've thoroughly enjoyed all of your threads on the forum and hope that I can help out as much as you have in time.

 

When you inspect your prospect, try to cold start the car

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...p-the-car.html

 

LOL. I dunno about that, but I am an "enthusiastic contributor". I enjoy absorbing any and all knowledge on this forum and passing on my experiences for whatever that's worth. There are truly some great folks here at CL. Devh, and many others are good peeps and always available for help. I try to emulate them. That's what it's all about.

As for my comment about "babying" my LS, YES....I baby her in maintenance and upkeep, etc, but I don't baby her when I drive. Not afraid to "give 'er" at every opportunity and drive in any and all conditions.

I'm a member at Acurazine as well as some other less known Acura sites, as I also own an Acura. The Acura has been a good car, though not as completely reliable as my Lexus, nor is it in the same class.

You'll love frequenting Club Lexus. A wealth of resource and info, and as I said......GREAT folks.

 

I think you have it the otherway around my friend. There are a lot of great people here but you are a stand out example. A real jmcraney in the making. I'm just happy be here with quality people and hopefully we will get people like DeathMetal who seems to be a forum do it yourself person that would be a great asset to this small community. I also look forward to friendly debates and lively discussions.

 

I forgot about that. Im sure it wasn't intentional for cost cutting and it's probably a manufacturing inconsistency with a few of the many that show the defect in time. It's nice to see Toyota taking it seriously well after the warranty has expired. I know many other makes including some Toyotas that just throw their hands up.

 

If he is using same handle on both forums than he would be a great addition to CL. I myself an owner of 2008 3G TL also member of acura forum and here is an example of deathmetal quality contribution.

http://acurazine.com/forums/third-ge...d-178k-933976/

 

I have seen all types of cars and their owners over the years. I agree that there some materials that hold up better than others. A few of the big ones that preserves cars from my experience

1. Garaged kept away from the damaging effects of UV and humidity.
2. Proper conditioning of the interior with the right products. I only use Griots for interior detailing because it's safe. I avoid off the shelf products that can do more damage then no cleaning at all.
3. Cleanliness of the owner and being aware of making sure your not a slob. I try not to be a **** but I'm aware enough to make sure no one including small kids are treating the LS like their SUV.
I actually brought out my six year old niece to the garage and made her clean up the dirty foot prints she left on the back seat. I warned her but she didn't listen so she learned a lesson in car care products.

 

HAHA. yep...that's me! I am keeping my name consistent between forums for simplicity's sake, and many thanks for the compliment. I typically join a forum about a year or two out before I make a vehicle purchase to assess where the risk factors lie, and right now the LS460 still remains the front-runner. I've still yet to rule out the new gen Cadlicac CLS and TLX. The CLS has insufficient history, and while the TLX is the most sensible choice...damn, I've wanted an LS FOREVER and I simply don't believe I can settle for anything less this time.

 

Yes. A conditioner w/ UV protection is an absolute must.

I've run the gamut of leather products (Lexol, Zaino, Wolfgang, Chermical Guys, Poor Boy's World, & Griot's) and I believe Leatheriqe is head and shoulders above the competition. BUT, that's highly impractical so I contain that to use annually or bi-annually. For the regular maintenance, I clean with a dilute solution of Woolite, then follow-up with Poor Boys World 'Leather Stuff'. If you did a blind smell test, Griot's and PBW are virtually identical, so much so I'd be willing to content they are compositionally identical and come from the same supplier and are re-labeled and dyed as either of the two. I've gone with Griot's before, and gotten the same results - totally, agree, it's awesome stuff. I stick with PBW simply because all of my other cleaning products come from there. You can't go wrong with Griot's, and their spray and wipe QD, IMHO, is the BEST.

Drives my wife nuts, but I only allow certain foodstuffs in the car. We gotta stick with some basics!

An admirable move! My 3-YO son loves climbing around and playing in Daddy's 'racecar'...although he knows there's one rule - shoes off!

 

I have heard very good things about the Poor Boys products.
The reason why I haven't explored products outside of Griots for interiors is mainly because I like their spray interior cleaner which is very gentle but at the same time effective at lifting dirt and oil. I believe this step can make or break the interiors longevity if the wrong cleaning method and product is used. I then chase it with vinyl protector and leather wipes. I have used their exterior products in the past but I found better results elsewhere for the money.

 

Yes, I (and my wife the school psychologist) applaud the teaching of responsibility.

Funny story though. When our niece was growing up she would spend about 4 weeks with us in the summer. Of course whenever she got into the car it was always into her car seat and belted in. One summer after she had left I was looking at the rear passenger window and in just the right light at just the right angle I could very clearly see her bare footprints on the window.

I just had to laugh. How she ever got her feet up there while belted into a car seat I'll never know!

 

My most reliable cars during the last 25 years have been my 1992 BMW 525i and my 2001 BMW 530i. I sold the 1992 to get the 2001 and I sold the 2001 to get the 2007 LS. My other Lexus vehicles (1992 SC300, 1999 RX300 and 2008 IS250) have been significantly less reliable than the BMWs. The SC and RX had a whole litany of issues during their ownership, while the IS hasn't been too bad but had to have the engine rebuilt because of the well-known carbon build-up issue with this car. All of my cars were bought new with the exception of the LS, which I bought about 18 months ago. While I realize my experience equals an "n-of-one", I think much of the automobile reliability data is biased (collection bias, selection bias, reporting bias, etc) to the point I'm not sure I believe any of it.

To the OP's original question, if you believe Consumer Reports, the Lexus has "much better than average" reliability while the Acura has "average" reliability.