Hello Everyone, I have an opportunity to purchase a 2008 Lexus LS460 with 120k miles. It is Black on Black. The interior is in mint condition and has the Mark Levinson system. The exterior needs detailing. The vehicle originated in Chicago. The seller, who is the 3rd owner, has replaced the following:

(8) Control Arms, (4) wheel hubs, slotted brake rotors and pads, rack and pinion, tires and brake actuator. Most, if not all, of the parts are aftermarket. I scanned the vehicle and the following codes appeared:

History – P1312 (http://p1312-lexus.autotroublecode.com/)
Pending - P0711 (http://www.carobdcodes.com/lexus-p07...formance.shtml)

I have negotiated a price of $12,700. There is not a ton of information regarding the codes. Based on all of the above, would you buy the vehicle? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

Are you a serious DIYer and capable of doing all the routine maintenance and repairs by yourself? Some of the routine maintenance and repairs need the use of Techstream (e.g., brake bleeding, transmission fluid drain and fill) to do them properly. You'll need a copy of Techstream and be comfortable to use it. If you are a serious DIYer and have access to Techstream, and if there are no major issues with engine and transmission, the price is attractive. If you will have to source the maintenance and repairs to an indy shop (the dealer cost will be much higher), the cost of keeping the car going well could be substantial and may not be worth it.

 

Thank you for your reply.

I recently sold my 1996 Lexus LS400 (Big Mistake). I had it for 14 years and during that time I replaced the starter, timing belt, water pump, pulleys, crankshaft seal, spark plugs, wires, caps, power steering pump, brakes and radiator. The LS460 is another story - as you stated, require a Techstream for a few of the repairs.I feel that I am capable of mainting the LS460. The seller has replaced the parts that go bad on these vehicles, which is a sigh of relief.

Should I be concerned about the History & Pending diagnostic codes?

 

I do be a little concerned buying any car with trouble codes, for one, I hate it when a prior owner tried to sell a car without fixing it. It tells me a lot about how that vehicle was maintained and cared for. Something else to consider...how long has that car been driven with codes? Why didn't they get them fixed?

The VCT code could mean a couple things, it could mean the VCT is dirty because the guy hasn't been changing the oil and there's sludge built up in the screens. That of course could lead to many other problems. These cars also have an electric VTC to go along with the mechanical/hydraulic unit. The electric one is expensive to replace.

And the other code would worry me too because it could be electrical, or it could be something else. Like why isn't the transmission heating up with the engine? Is it because the engine is heating up too fast? Is it an electrical problem? Is it nothing? Is it intermittent?

I think the biggest problem is that without techstream, and some kind of software repair service, you'd be in the dark fixing this car. Part of the reason is because there isn't a lot of diagnostical issues that have popped up on these cars (at least around here). So it's not like you're going to find much on the internet about how to fix them, because it's not common. My car has 170,000 miles on it and the check engine light has never come on (thank god because I'd probably have to take it to the dealer if I couldn't figure it out).

So do some serious research before you buy that car, or at least become friends with a Lexus master tech first.

 

Overall the price is good. Budget for another $1,000 to completely straighten it out. You are going to love the LS460.

 

If you replaced the timing belt and starter (difficult to get to its location) on a LS400, you should have no problems doing all the maintenance and repairs on the LS460. Techstream is just another tool and it is actually easy to use. One thing you can do is to check out the car's dealer maintenance history. Just log into the Lexus drivers website, claim the car by its VIN. Then, under history, you'll see all the maintenance records by dealers. It will give a sense how the car was maintained in its early life. However, I would be a bit concerned about the transmission temperature range code.

 

Ive had my 08 for 4 years....never needed Techstream. The only two things I would have needed it for was my brake flush and trans fluid flush. My trans flush cost me 149 dollars at the Toyota dealer and the brakes they did for 79

 

Not with that pending transmission code P0711 unless I was absolutely sure it was an easy fix. This might be the reason he's selling it so cheap.

 

Thank you to everyone for your feedback. I really appreciate it.

The seller told me that this vehicle has been sitting for quite some time. Could this contribute to one or both of the codes? He also mentioned that there is a small transmission leak. Could it be that the transmission fluid level is low therefore causing the P0711 transmission code?

I logged onto the drivers.lexus.com website and looked at the history. It showed bad control arms and a leaking rack, all of which were replaced. It does show a VSC code and it turned out to be a bad brake actuator, which was also replaced. Other than that, just normal maintenance.

 

Low fluid could def cause that code from what I read online but again I would not buy this car until I was absolutely sure. You need to spend the money to get a PPI at the dealer if your really interested in the car or you can roll the dice and buy it. Transmission issues are some of the most expensive to fix since nearly all shops want to do rebuilds instead of diagnosing smaller issues like solenoids and sensors IMO.

 

Like others have said, I wouldn’t touch it without knowing the root cause of the codes it’s throwing. Could be a cheap fix or extremely expensive fix. I’d invest the money with Lexus to find out which

 

Worse case scenario and it needs a tranny? You can get them on Ebay for a grand with warranty. I don't know the US prices and what's considered a good deal, but if it is a good deal, I'd roll the dice and snag it. Especially as the control arms are already done.