Restomod

Hello everyone, long time lurker and potential Lexus LS owner. I am very interested in 2013+ Fsport but the air-ride issues are a concern. I have never owned a Lexus (am a current Toyota owner, wife drives a new 4Runner ) but am no stranger to luxury as my previous 3 cars were BMW's. The F-sport checks all the boxes for me but the only hangup is the air-ride, in particular their failure rate and cost of replacement. I typically own my vehicles on average 10years before replacing so I think this is a valid concern. So I guess the question is the failures I have read on the forum isolated cases or is this truly a common issue? Is the issue enough that you would recommend a non air suspension car to someone who plans to keep it for the long haul?

I do realize they are wearable items and eventually will need to be replaced. My concern is having to replace them every 30,000miles from early failure.

Thanks, you guys have a great forum.

SW17LS

I wouldn't worry about it really. Just set aside some money to repair it down the line, not a big deal. Certainly not every 30,000 miles...perhaps every 100,000 miles.

teedub21

If you don't want to spend $4k+ to repair/replace the air suspension, a lot of owners convert over to coilovers. Decent adjustable coilovers can be bought for $995 a set of 4 and will install into our air ride cars just like a non air ride car, just have to pull the fuse for the air compressor. If I still own my LS460 Sport when the air suspension fails I plan to go the coil over route.

Restomod

Appreciate the input guys, good to hear.

satiger

iTrader: (1)

My 2005 GX is equipped with air. Only one of them had to be replaced, covered by extended warranty. Currently with 150 k miles, other three still holding. IMO, air suspension reliability is over blown in this forum. Longevity of air suspension highly depends on driving style, type of road etc. As SW15LS said, should last minimum 100k, easily can go past 150k.

SW17LS

Agree, totally overblown.

Kennyr44

I would not buy any make car with air suspension unless it was a cream puff a relative was going to sell me for a ridiculous price. My opinion only. Maybe if I had an extended warranty that covered it but I wouldn't want to hold this car one day after that expired. Too many horror stories. I know some people have had luck with them but if it can be avoided why bother.

SW17LS

It's all just money. Just set aside the money necessary to repair the suspension, no different than buying a warranty...

DavidinCT

I don't know... maybe. I have always avoided air on my cars, trust me, I have driven them and they are nicer but, it's cost vs comfort thing for me.. If you have a shock go, out of the blue, as I understand you need to do them in pairs, so at almost $1K each, your talking about $2500 if one goes.

In my reading here, I have heard them going around 30K, and I have heard people say over 100K with no problems. There really is not a rhyme or reason for their failure that I have seen. If your looking at a car with 80-100K, you cant know how they have been driven or beaten on, even some grandmas drive 95mph on the highway !

If your buying a LS460 that is a early model, trying to get one for a low price (say under $15K) and going for a dependable car and you are not sure if your going to have $4-5K sitting in the bank (or under your mattress) for possible car repairs, it might just be a feature to avoid.

No question they are a little nicer. If the question came up to buy a $500 warranty to cover the air system for 5 years (loan term), yea, I would go for it.

SW17LS

I think the bottom line is if you are buying a used LS460 and trying to get the rock bottom price for it looking for reliable transportation and can't put your hands on $4k for a repair, you're crazy to buy this car in the first place.

Even used this is not a car that you buy because you're looking for cheap, reliable transportation. It's a very expensive luxury car, and when they get older they have things that need repair that can be costly. A buyer like that is much better off in a new economy car or a newer midsize mainstream car or something

DavidinCT

No question, agreed. But, the trend that has been going back to the LS400, when the models drop in price and miles get higher, you see a lot of younger people go for the "high line" cars. It's the point where I see a 16 year old getting out of his Acua (with 200K miles) in his McDonalds outfit.

It's the nature of the beast, as they are really nice cars. You should have lots of money saved up for little crap but, if you DONT I was just saying Air might be something to avoid.

Good luck telling a 24 year old his choice to drive for his 22K is a new Hyundai or a 5-8 year old Lexus LS460... I know the smart thing would to go one way but, You know how it goes

Wandl

I personally speaking have found the air suspension noticeably smoother (while this is on a 460L) so I would happily take that risk. I believe Lexus has the lowest repair rate of air suspensions (compared to a Daimler/BMW/Audi variant) out of all of them. As others have mentioned, I've read some that air suspensions have gone out under 30k, there is a member I know with close to 130k on his either 07 or 08 LS460 that still runs on original air suspension. In fact I've read here on CL a 05 LS430 Ultra Luxury owner still on original air suspension components with over 150k miles.

So I would not hesitate to go for an air suspension on a LS460 - I do believe on the F-Sport it does give it a little more of a firm edge in handling. It's almost like the control arms of pre-2010 LS units....yes it does go out but it wouldn't stop me from getting a pre-2010 LS.

Doublebase

Personally it's just something I don't want to bother with, there's enough things on this car (or any car) that will cost you a small fortune if it fails. I wouldn't want to add to that when a typical strut costs $100-$300 and an air strut costs around a grand. No thanks.

I'll give you an expample of how much things are to replace on this car - this winter my blower motor got a little noisy, then it got worse, then it seized - it was $280 for a new blower motor (part only). If I had Lexus install it, I'd be looking at another $200. So $480 for a simple blower motor replacement. An average car would be maybe $175 total (parts and labor). And there have been reports of people being quoted at $600 for this repair at a Lexus dealer. It literally took me 12 minutes to remove and install the new one.

You pay to play...unless you don't have to.

FatherTo1

Hi Restomod, we all understand the dilemma. I was dead set against the air suspension when I began searching for an LS 460. However, there were plenty of times I wished our LS 430 had the versatility of air. Ultimately, I felt I would rather enjoy the benefits of air and expect a bill in the future. I don't stress over if because I'm mentally prepared for the cost. We also tend to keep our cars 10+ years and if I have to spend $4k over that time to drive a car I love then so be it. I would rather pay $4k and be able to keep driving it rather than have to look for something else. In my estimation, I may end up paying more on tires alone over the next 10 years than the air suspension. Sure, other stuff may break too but I think others are right by the adage of "pay to play ". I would not be able to afford the luxury (and risks) of owning an LS in my twenties, but I'm comfortable with the risks now. Just like we're not comfortable with the worries of owning a Range Rover now but maybe at some far off future date. So far, i have absolutely no regrets getting air on our 2013 at 70K. Wishing you the best and hope you find a version of the LS that gives you peace of mind to drive.

mckellyb

And there have been reports of people being quoted at $600 for this repair at a Lexus dealer. It literally took me 12 minutes to remove and install the new one.

^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^

I try to explain to people, yes, I like land-yachts...and the more they cost, new, the happier I am to pick them up at a small fraction of the new price. Sure, they're anywhere from 7-15 years old, but they've usually led gently-used lives.

At the same time, just because the car you own cost you, say, $3K in 2008, but was $70K when new in 1989 means it still costs like a $70K car did in 1989 to purchase parts for and repair.

The key here, is to be able to DIY almost everything. I'll do anything but transmission rebuilds...otherwise, bring it on. This is how you can own a good condition S-class for beater Hyundai money.

Granted, while I know how carburetors work, I'm shocked they both do and that 80% of vehicles with them have yet to catch fire.

I have a similar opinion of drum brakes but insert "crash" for "catch fire".

This said, it's not like I've been a mechanic or anything...I just like cars and started learning about them when I was a little kid. Now, this saves me a fortune on labor, but parts, even if I go with very good condition salvage, can be brutally expensive.

Y'gotta pay to play.

I will admit, the magnetorheological dampers on my '05 Cadillac STS prepared me for truly ugly suspension part costs. Mangeride was neat, but pricey...and it was effectively a guarantee you'd need new rear dampers by 105K miles. My cost was $1,200 for the pair, and I had a good connection with GM who had them drop-shipped from the supplier in Michigan.