Hello everyone,

I am the new owner of a used Lexus that I just purchased off my father. It is a red (Noble Spinel Mica) 2007 LS460. I've only got one photo to share of it right now being unloaded off the transport carrier. It's a bit dirty and needs a good detail. Also, getting the windows tinted soon, at which time I can share some much nicer photos.

I am the previous owner of a 2004 Chrysler 300M Special that I owned for over 10 years and put 160k on myself. Just sold it with just under 200k and that car was dynamite. One of the most reliable I've ever owned and been around. My father upgraded his vehicle and did not want to let this one out of the family as he said the same things about it being one of the best vehicles he has ever owned. It just crossed over the 100k mark, but I have no doubt this vehicle will go 250k+ with proper love and care. My wife owns a 2001 GS430 that was the previous Lexus to this LS for my father so we are an all Lexus household now. That GS has been one great looking and fun car and sits at about 170k right now.

The amount of buttons, features and details in this LS is crazy by comparison to what I am used to, and even with over 100k on it, is super quiet! I've only had it for 2 days now as it was just transported out from Ohio. Thankfully, it avoided most of the harsh winters there as he hated getting it dirty and said it was not a great driver in the snow, so he would just commute in a work truck keeping his baby safe from the elements when possible.

Now, just a few random questions. Every single service performed on this car has been done at the same Lexus dealership. However, the costs of doing repairs at the Lexus dealer are going to be well out of my budget looking at all the invoices he gave to me of prior work. Do you feel confident in 3rd party mechanics working on a vehicle like this, or should I be more focused on finding a Toyota certified shop instead?

The ML stereo system is pretty awesome. However, I would love to incorporate CarPlay into this vehicle. Any products out there that can utilize the existing hardware and display to do that? I had an aftermarket setup in my last vehicle and was able to use either USB or bluetooth to connect my iPhone and play Spotify, etc. so I do miss having that functionality.

What are some of your favorite things about this model? I am still working on understanding all the buttons and technology in it. Any fun things or little unknown things you could share?

I welcome any and all info you would like to share. The user manual for this vehicle is crazy! If I can steal some insider tips before having to read hundreds of pages, I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks all. I hope to learn a lot from this forum and share my own experiences with this specific model as well in the future.

 

Congrats on the new vehicle! I have the exact same car. One of my previous cars was a 2001 GS3. So we have some similarities. One feature that I like a lot that I miss when I drive another car is the brake hold. I use it everyday, all day unless I'm in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Enjoy!

 

Congrats on new LS and welcome to CL!.

For service, I would go with Toyota. Some dealerships do accept parts. I buy them online and bring in with me. If you are planning to keep the car long, maintenance is very important. I always go with Toyota fluids and parts. Good luck!.

 

Congrats! Drive and enjoy.

 

Congrats on the LS. I had a 2001 GS430 up until a few months ago where it was totaled and now I am looking for a LS460 or 4th Gen GS350.

As far as maintenance I would try doing as much as you can yourself to save the most money. Jack stands can be had for about $20, floor jack can be had for about $70-90 and you can do most of your own maintenance from DIY's on here and on youtube. Toyota dealer will be a good deal to just a little cheaper then the Lexus dealer, depends on what you are doing but DIY is the way to go on a older LS with some miles on it to save the most money.

 

Congratulations!

Just be sure to read the owners manual when you find something you don't understand. I downloaded one to my iPad so it's quick and easy to access.

I've had mine just under a year, bout it in August of 2016 (2010) and still find things to be in awe! It is an amazing vehicle.

My color is Matador Red Mica which I think is just a bit brighter shade than yours.

I hope you many years and miles of enjoyment.

Cubby

 

Congrats! Overall, I think the color of your car is my favorite color. Look forward to your cleaned up pictures.

Oh, well uhhhh, I can help you out there! Just sayin' Check out the links in my signature. But, fo' real, I acknowledge you're talking about it being quiet as in road and wind noise. But the stock exhaust is like going to a Celine Dion concert and listening to her sing with a folded pair of socks in her mouth. The 4.6L sounds too darn sweet to muffle it up completely. The Exhaust Vents open it up, but do so tastefully. Nuff about that.

Unless you are completely inept (I seriously doubt it), when it comes to maintenance & repair (and the cost of most parts and service items), it is really just a big Toyota. I strongly suggest you do the regular maintenance yourself. With good regular maintenance, the chances of major problems are reduced as much as possible, and on Toyotas, it's pretty low to start with. And doing it yourself will go further to save money. I've done everything myself ... so far.

The 2010's and newer incorporated BT into the ML system. But I believe the prior models had the aux hook up for music. As for display, that's something I'm not knowledgeable about as it is unimportant to me.

I'm loving the air suspension because there's a module to control it, and lower it down to make it look so much better. But seems like a large percentage of the folk on here strongly prefer the traditional suspension. I believe most LS's have the traditional suspension. The Prestigious Society By-Pass module to make all the grayed out functions when rolling work ... including the DVD player on the ML. But to be honest, since I put on my Exhaust Vents, I put the window down and listen to the exhaust more than I listen to the ML. Overall though I would say the premium sound of the ML is the biggest stock feature to me, because all the other cars I've ever had, had really low level audio.

I still haven't read it all, after 2 years!


Jason Oliver

 

Thanks for the welcome all!

Yeah, that brake hold thing is new to me. Have yet to try it out, but it sounds like it could really alleviate any possible cramping of my legs when waiting in the line to pick up my daughter from school!

Speaking of doing my own maintenance, I can (and would like to continue to) do most basic things, but this vehicle does appear slightly more intimidating. I do my own oil, filters, pads, rotors, plugs, and some other minor sensor stuff (if they can easily be reached), but leave the heavy duty items to the guys with the proper tools and setup. I notice the oil filter on this model is unlike any other I have seen. Even my wifes '01 GS has a simple threaded oil filter where this has canister filter which looks to need a specific filter wrench for it? Being that this is a Toyota product, could I use or reference a Haynes or Chilton manual for the Toyota Avalon for repairs? I don't see any service manuals online for this model Lexus. Not sure how much each of these vehicles match up.

 

You'll be fine then. Like I said, it's just a big Toyota. Under the skin, it's very Camry-ish / Avalon-ish. The oil filter housing is a bit different. Kind of a PITA if you ask me, but not so difficult after a couple iterations. There is a socket wrench tool. It's relatively cheap and easy, I bought mine from Amazon. I'll look it up tomorrow, unless someone beats me to it!

 

Congrats on your new car and I wish you good luck with it.

I happen to think that the 2007 Noble Spinel Mica is the nicest LS ever made! (And that's a completely unbiased opinion )

Several other members have already answered your questions. However I suggest you read through this thread -

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...t-your-ls.html

 

Thanks for the link nospinzone - some fun tips and tricks in there. The rear sun shade automatically re-deploying going from R to D is pretty slick. Never would have known about that one until I encountered it by accident and would have ended up questioning what just took place!

I will also add how super impressed I am with the 8-speed transmission. Talk about smooth and launching a car this heavy and large so quickly is awesome. I haven't "drove it like I stole it" just yet, but I can tell it will reach back and push me back into the seat when I call on it to. Also, it's the first RWD car I have owned in over 20 years, so the power feels much different.

 

Do any of your dads records indicate the control arms being replaced? If he did this, he saved you a nice chunk of change!

 

Congrats, and welcome to the club! The car looks great. What did your dad upgrade to?

 

Thanks for the welcome. He bought a Maserati Quattroporte. I do not recall the exact year. I think a 2011 or 2012.

Unfortunately no. From his last service check up about 3 months ago at just over 99k (and once prior at 93k), the dealership does have it listed as an item that needs attention soon for the special low price of $3,732.00. Yikes! This is the main reason for finding a different service center than Lexus. That feels quite a bit overpriced in my book and not something I can do for a while anyway.

 

Congrats on the new car and welcome to CL! It's a beautiful color! Unfortunately, you cannot incorporate Apple Carplay into your LS or any even the 2018 LS for that matter. Lexus has its own clunky interface (Enform) that will give some of that functionality; I don't know how many of those features are available in the 2007 LS. Many of us here have installed aftermarket products (GROM/Vaistech/Beatsonic) that can give a smartphone-like interface (GROM) or mirror the smartphone screen (Beatsonic) on the Nav screen. Getting BT/USB functionality to connect your phone is very doable. Please check this forum for those threads.