Looking at a 2008 LS460 - questions with maintenance
Rookie
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 79
Likes: 11
From: VA
Yes the recalls were done. Mine 07 had a battery replacement around 60k miles. If the car has always lived in Tx Az NM or even Nv, The heat could be killing the battery especially if it wasn't garage kept. The quality of battery installed is another measure. The Toyota batteries I sell are Interstate and they usually are pretty good. We had a bad batch of batteries once. If it concerns you, I would do a PPI and have them load test the alternator and see if that is good or bad, otherwise there may be a drain on the battery from one of the systems
Former Sponsor
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 1,002
Likes: 207
From: Georgia
If my vehicle were brought to the Lexus dealer every 5,000 miles, it would be of lower quality at 100,000 miles, than it would be if it had rarely if ever have been taken to the dealer. Fo' real.
What I mean by that is: EVERY SINGLE THING THAT I DO TO MY VEHICLE, IS DONE IN A QUALITY MANNER. When I do maintenance, I do it correctly, thoroughly, and cleanly. When a dealer does it, they slop through every thing absolutely as fast as they can with no attention to detail, and as cheaply as they can.
So, in my case, my vehicle may have very little maintenance online / recorded from the dealer. My vehicle is BETTER OFF due to that fact.
There are other owners out there like me. Roadfrog comes to mind. There are others, but I have dain brammage and can't recall them all off the top of my head.
What I mean by that is: EVERY SINGLE THING THAT I DO TO MY VEHICLE, IS DONE IN A QUALITY MANNER. When I do maintenance, I do it correctly, thoroughly, and cleanly. When a dealer does it, they slop through every thing absolutely as fast as they can with no attention to detail, and as cheaply as they can.
So, in my case, my vehicle may have very little maintenance online / recorded from the dealer. My vehicle is BETTER OFF due to that fact.
There are other owners out there like me. Roadfrog comes to mind. There are others, but I have dain brammage and can't recall them all off the top of my head.
https://www.carmax.com/cars#Distance...y=14&Zip=75093
I chose the Carmax in Plano, obviously you could switch things up. I'm in Va and I had my 460L shipped from Arizona because it hit my main markers. Color and it was an L. it was also under 100k on mileage and in pretty good shape. My entire experience with Carmax was extremely positive. They stand behind the products they sell and pretty much want to sell you a used car that's damn near in new condition. So far I had to have both right air struts replaced due to a rattling knocking noise that I had identified on a test drive. At first we thought it was just the right rear. When they went to repair they called Lexus and ordered from them. They didn't try to be cheap and go used or aftermarket. Once they replaced it, they didnt test drive it because they figured the issue was resolved. Well I took it home and I called them the next day saying I heard the rattling still. I took it in and they identified the right front. Guess what they did. They said, "Greg, we are going to fix it since it is an unresolved issue from before the sale and you have the 30 day warranty". They called Lexus and ordered factory parts yet again. Today the car is in the shop getting the RF strut replaced. On top of all of this, my ML amp went out. They are taking it to Lexus and getting that fixed by Lexus as well, all free of charge to me. Carmax really stands behind their products. I also purchased their MaxCare extended warranty for ~$24-2700 WHICH might I add covers every electrical piece of equipment inside the vehicle AND the Air suspension which is deemed mechanical and not a wear item (wear items are not covered). It is an 07 with 87k miles on it. The MaxCare covers it for 4 years up to 140k miles. I also have the $100 dollar deductible which means if I take it to Carmax they take $50 bucks off of the deductible and will fix the car. Now if they cant fix it and they tell me to take it across the street to Toyota (where I work) I still only pay the $50 deductible or even if I go to Lexus. If I took it straight to Toyota and tell them to fix it with new parts from Lexus, Carmax will cover the claim no problem, They wont fight like most warranty companies to use LKQ or aftermarket parts.
So I strongly urge you to give Carmax a try. I even used their transfer system to my advantage. I had a 2010 AWD LS shipped in for free to test drive. Once I knew its what I wanted I searched their website and brought mine in so I could take it home.
I chose the Carmax in Plano, obviously you could switch things up. I'm in Va and I had my 460L shipped from Arizona because it hit my main markers. Color and it was an L. it was also under 100k on mileage and in pretty good shape. My entire experience with Carmax was extremely positive. They stand behind the products they sell and pretty much want to sell you a used car that's damn near in new condition. So far I had to have both right air struts replaced due to a rattling knocking noise that I had identified on a test drive. At first we thought it was just the right rear. When they went to repair they called Lexus and ordered from them. They didn't try to be cheap and go used or aftermarket. Once they replaced it, they didnt test drive it because they figured the issue was resolved. Well I took it home and I called them the next day saying I heard the rattling still. I took it in and they identified the right front. Guess what they did. They said, "Greg, we are going to fix it since it is an unresolved issue from before the sale and you have the 30 day warranty". They called Lexus and ordered factory parts yet again. Today the car is in the shop getting the RF strut replaced. On top of all of this, my ML amp went out. They are taking it to Lexus and getting that fixed by Lexus as well, all free of charge to me. Carmax really stands behind their products. I also purchased their MaxCare extended warranty for ~$24-2700 WHICH might I add covers every electrical piece of equipment inside the vehicle AND the Air suspension which is deemed mechanical and not a wear item (wear items are not covered). It is an 07 with 87k miles on it. The MaxCare covers it for 4 years up to 140k miles. I also have the $100 dollar deductible which means if I take it to Carmax they take $50 bucks off of the deductible and will fix the car. Now if they cant fix it and they tell me to take it across the street to Toyota (where I work) I still only pay the $50 deductible or even if I go to Lexus. If I took it straight to Toyota and tell them to fix it with new parts from Lexus, Carmax will cover the claim no problem, They wont fight like most warranty companies to use LKQ or aftermarket parts.
So I strongly urge you to give Carmax a try. I even used their transfer system to my advantage. I had a 2010 AWD LS shipped in for free to test drive. Once I knew its what I wanted I searched their website and brought mine in so I could take it home.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,002
Likes: 152
From: Texas
Caverman, being I'm in D/FW, too, though the FW part of it, take your time. There are plenty of these around.
Hell, I found my '08 L kinda by happenstance last October, Texas Cars Direct. Was on my way to Mockingbird and Central, from SW Fort Worth, to look at an '04 Mercedes CL55 AMG. My wife firmly suggested I at least look at this LS.
10 minutes into the test drive, I said, "okay, where's the nearest Wells Fargo?"
How bad was the hail on your 430? I mean, there comes a point where if you get a door ding, and insurance company will total a car, but I didn't think we'd had any truly bad storms, lately.
Oh, and I'm with Jason, above. My car will have little-to-no dealer service records from here on out, because I'll do everything but rebuild a transmission, myself, and I'm considering doing that to the 1998 Grand Cherokee 5.9L's 46RE when it dies. Gotta start somewhere, might as well be with a transmission which is a fundamental design (727) older than I am.
Hell, I found my '08 L kinda by happenstance last October, Texas Cars Direct. Was on my way to Mockingbird and Central, from SW Fort Worth, to look at an '04 Mercedes CL55 AMG. My wife firmly suggested I at least look at this LS.
10 minutes into the test drive, I said, "okay, where's the nearest Wells Fargo?"
How bad was the hail on your 430? I mean, there comes a point where if you get a door ding, and insurance company will total a car, but I didn't think we'd had any truly bad storms, lately.
Oh, and I'm with Jason, above. My car will have little-to-no dealer service records from here on out, because I'll do everything but rebuild a transmission, myself, and I'm considering doing that to the 1998 Grand Cherokee 5.9L's 46RE when it dies. Gotta start somewhere, might as well be with a transmission which is a fundamental design (727) older than I am.
Rookie
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 79
Likes: 11
From: VA
[QUOTE=mckellyb;9826532
Oh, and I'm with Jason, above. My car will have little-to-no dealer service records from here on out, because I'll do everything but rebuild a transmission, myself, and I'm considering doing that to the 1998 Grand Cherokee 5.9L's 46RE when it dies. Gotta start somewhere, might as well be with a transmission which is a fundamental design (727) older than I am.[/QUOTE]
Atleast for the factory parts, you might want to look into buying the parts soon, Chrysler has been slim pickings on parts for the older Jeeps over the last few months.
Oh, and I'm with Jason, above. My car will have little-to-no dealer service records from here on out, because I'll do everything but rebuild a transmission, myself, and I'm considering doing that to the 1998 Grand Cherokee 5.9L's 46RE when it dies. Gotta start somewhere, might as well be with a transmission which is a fundamental design (727) older than I am.[/QUOTE]
Atleast for the factory parts, you might want to look into buying the parts soon, Chrysler has been slim pickings on parts for the older Jeeps over the last few months.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 1,132
Likes: 199
From: DFW, TX
Caverman, being I'm in D/FW, too, though the FW part of it, take your time. There are plenty of these around.
Hell, I found my '08 L kinda by happenstance last October, Texas Cars Direct. Was on my way to Mockingbird and Central, from SW Fort Worth, to look at an '04 Mercedes CL55 AMG. My wife firmly suggested I at least look at this LS.
10 minutes into the test drive, I said, "okay, where's the nearest Wells Fargo?"
How bad was the hail on your 430? I mean, there comes a point where if you get a door ding, and insurance company will total a car, but I didn't think we'd had any truly bad storms, lately.
Hell, I found my '08 L kinda by happenstance last October, Texas Cars Direct. Was on my way to Mockingbird and Central, from SW Fort Worth, to look at an '04 Mercedes CL55 AMG. My wife firmly suggested I at least look at this LS.
10 minutes into the test drive, I said, "okay, where's the nearest Wells Fargo?"
How bad was the hail on your 430? I mean, there comes a point where if you get a door ding, and insurance company will total a car, but I didn't think we'd had any truly bad storms, lately.
I'm with you on the maintenance as well. I've done all the oil changes, brakes, spark plugs, filters, etc. I didn't have the tools for the transmission oil change so had a certified Lexus shop do that for me. However, I still went on the Lexus site and add the stuff that I did myself mostly so I could keep track of my own stuff. Their old site used to let you do that, not sure about the new site.
I called the guy on the on the LS460 with no service history and he said that the car came from the North East rural area and that out there the Lexus dealerships can be hours away so people don't get them serviced there. I'm not sure about all of that but I guess it could be possible.
I'm still looking at some LS430 as well. I'm trying to keep away from a car payment if at all possible but I'm not going to buy an unkept Lexus just to stay away from a payment either. A lot of my friends and family keep asking if I just have to have a Lexus so I've been keeping an open mind about a completely different car but I keep coming back to not only a Lexus but an LS only. You get spoiled easily after having one.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,002
Likes: 152
From: Texas
Dayum, golfball and larger, eh? I work up at the Bureau of Engraving & Printing, so I'm not far from you when at work. I was dreading watching those storms build on radar, Sunday, but it fell apart and went right around me. Oddball work days/hours, too.
<looks at linked thread>
Ooooh, ouch! I have light hail damage on mine, but it's surprisingly difficult to see. Got it from Texas Cars Direct back in October, maybe late-September, 93K miles, an "L" with sport suspension, ML stereo, and a couple of other goodies, $18,900. So they're out there.
FWIW, I'm working on, after my oral surgery heals, doing a near-complete swap of trans oil. Have a small electric pump, less than $20, 12 quarts of slippery goodness, and a plan.
I'm going to put a cooler on her, too, if I don't find an OEM one (and I don't think I will). Actually, I have three vehicles which need transmission coolers, and the RX300 needs the electric fan for its remote OEM cooler I've been meaning to put on there for almost 15 years.
No car payment is a good plan. Thankfully, I went to Bank of Wife for this, so if I need to skip a month, no big deal.
Last edited by mckellyb; Apr 6, 2017 at 08:28 AM.
Former Sponsor
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 1,002
Likes: 207
From: Georgia
Jason
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 5,371
Likes: 526
From: BC Canada
So, in my case, my vehicle may have very little maintenance online / recorded from the dealer. My vehicle is BETTER OFF due to that fact.
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,002
Likes: 152
From: Texas
We're getting sidetracked here but you guys are talking about interesting things to me. I recently was given a 1972 Plymouth Scamp. I did a 140 mile (one way) road trip with it, and the trans is a 727 (360 engine). It's turning about 3,000 rpm at 60 mph. And the trans slips out of gear when stopped. Would a 46RE or 47RE fit without major reconstruction? This car could use an overdrive ... big time.
Jason
Jason
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/car...ml#post9828920
Caverman, sorry for the attempted hijacking.
I'm sure prices will definitely drop with then new LS comes out, especially since it's a complete change. I'm not sure I can hold out that long though. I'm without a car and I'm having to borrow one at the moment. However, I don't want to make a rash decision because of that either.
Lead Lap
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 524
Likes: 39
From: Knoxville, Tennessee
If my vehicle were brought to the Lexus dealer every 5,000 miles, it would be of lower quality at 100,000 miles, than it would be if it had rarely if ever have been taken to the dealer. Fo' real.
What I mean by that is: EVERY SINGLE THING THAT I DO TO MY VEHICLE, IS DONE IN A QUALITY MANNER. When I do maintenance, I do it correctly, thoroughly, and cleanly. When a dealer does it, they slop through every thing absolutely as fast as they can with no attention to detail, and as cheaply as they can.
So, in my case, my vehicle may have very little maintenance online / recorded from the dealer. My vehicle is BETTER OFF due to that fact.
There are other owners out there like me. Roadfrog comes to mind. There are others, but I have dain brammage and can't recall them all off the top of my head.
What I mean by that is: EVERY SINGLE THING THAT I DO TO MY VEHICLE, IS DONE IN A QUALITY MANNER. When I do maintenance, I do it correctly, thoroughly, and cleanly. When a dealer does it, they slop through every thing absolutely as fast as they can with no attention to detail, and as cheaply as they can.
So, in my case, my vehicle may have very little maintenance online / recorded from the dealer. My vehicle is BETTER OFF due to that fact.
There are other owners out there like me. Roadfrog comes to mind. There are others, but I have dain brammage and can't recall them all off the top of my head.
Moreover, having a full dealer service history has been a major selling point in the cars that I have sold that were. My 2007 has a complete dealer service history. As I have only had it for around 5000 miles, I have only thus far had a full synthetic oil change and a few other odds and ends. The calculus will most likely change when confronted with a truly expensive repair as opposed to something like an oil change.
Pole Position
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,561
Likes: 365
From: New Hampshire
While I have no doubt of your abilities and of course the quality of care transcends those at a dealership where the goal of course is to turn and burn. Unfortunately, there are many out there without the experience and background and in those cases, the inverse is true.
Moreover, having a full dealer service history has been a major selling point in the cars that I have sold that were. My 2007 has a complete dealer service history. As I have only had it for around 5000 miles, I have only thus far had a full synthetic oil change and a few other odds and ends. The calculus will most likely change when confronted with a truly expensive repair as opposed to something like an oil change.
Moreover, having a full dealer service history has been a major selling point in the cars that I have sold that were. My 2007 has a complete dealer service history. As I have only had it for around 5000 miles, I have only thus far had a full synthetic oil change and a few other odds and ends. The calculus will most likely change when confronted with a truly expensive repair as opposed to something like an oil change.
If only there was a way to document owner maintained vehicles, because depending on who owned it they could really be buying a car that was serviced very meticulously. I have repair experience and access to the latest industry equipment and software, yet when I sell my vehicle the person buying it has to believe what I'm telling them in regards to maintenance. Usually that's not a problem when I'm explaining what I've done the vehicle, etc, but realistically it's just my word. Whereas when you have that dealer service history you have something concrete...even though as others have stated, that service may not have been all that stellar.
When I bought my car I purchased it off a Lexus tech that owned his own repair facility, so I believed everything he said regarding oil changes, filter changes, alignments, etc...but there was no official Lexus service history on the car, only a few dealer oil changes early on. Add that to my own maintenance of the vehicle and it appears as if the oil has only been changed three times in 149,500 miles, when in fact the oil has been changed every 5,000 miles with synthetic...the coolant has been changed every 50k, plugs have been done, all filters multiple times and the tranny has been serviced three times. But there's no "real" documentation of any of that. It'd be too much of a pain to YouTube document everything, I don't keep receipts...other than this site I have no proof. Then again I guess if a car is running great at 150,000 miles that should be proof enough.
Last edited by Doublebase; Apr 9, 2017 at 03:42 PM.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 1,132
Likes: 199
From: DFW, TX
The old Lexus site let you add your own service history to it. They have recently done a complete website update and I haven't taken the time to see if that is still an option anymore.
