Dubbayoo

My LS460 bubble has burst, need advice ASAP...and I have some to give.

I am heartbroken, pissed, annoyed yet somewhat relieved at the time. So on 4/6 I closed on a White 2010 LS460 w/128K miles. I did not do a PPI because the maintenance records were stellar, pretty much everything was done at the same dealer. Serviced every 5K miles at the dealer it was originally sold from and then traded in at. I test drove a week before buying, and I test drove it the day I bought it; everything seeemed. The VERY next day I noticed a strange vibration about every 5 minutes or so when going a steady 40-50mph. Fast foward - took it back to the dealer. Service says transmission is going.

1. Get a PPI
2. Get a #$^$ PPI
3. Read step 1 again, I don't care what the maintenance says.
4. No step 4 necessary

Needless to say I'm not about that "paying $8K to fix a tranny on a car I bought a week ago for $15K" life. Sales Manager dude, you need to make this right. They have no other 460s so they offer some other brands. I'm not accepting anything non-Lexus. He offers a 2006 LS430 w/90K miles (which is actually what I originally wanted) and $2,300 back. At some point I have another $3K coming from the guy who totaled my Optima. I drive the car HARD. I test the brakes, door locks, rear shade, everything I can think of. It's not a color I'm crazy but it really is in good shape; good enough to accept.

I'm supposed to pick up the 430 after work today, telling them you guys better check that car up and down. The sales guy is now suggesting that I use the $2,300 to get an extended warranty, but his motivation is so they can keep the money...not to protect me.

WWJD? What would you do? What should I do? Leave the cash, take the warranty? Leave the gun, take the cannoli? The timing belt has already been replaced. I saw the receipt for it.

* Before you start I honestly believe they didn't know about the trans. They just took the car on a trade-in a week before I bought it. They didn't even have pictures of it on the sales sites, just a description. Probably gave the guy $11-12K toward something new. It wouldn't make sense for them to do that, replace the trans then try to sell it for $20K+ because they'd never get it.

Dubbayoo

As I mentioned a 430 is what I originally wanted as I was trying to only use cash on hand. The 2010 just seemed to fall into my lap. Actually after reading CJitty's build I was already plotting to find a White 2012 with air and the full luxury pkg. I'm just reluctant to let them keep the $2,300 while I'm still sour about it. Since there are few big ticket fixes for the 430 I could just bank the cash and pay for any repairs with that.

fwhomeboy

Man, that's a tough one.

colfax

I would settle for peace of mind and get the warranty

Dubbayoo

If you say choose the warranty, what parts should I make sure are covered, besides the obvious transmission? Suspension?

JLAWS

How would a PPI catch this? There was nothing leaking is there? The inspector would have driven it and say it was fine if he or she drove in only on city roads.
Maybe the transmission fluid was tampered with and was not filled correctly. It is ultra rare for a transmission to fail. there may be some other issues with it. Is it AWD?

Now you want to move into an even older LS430 which wear and tear stuff will start to fail? . Are GS350 or ES350 and option? I've seen some 2013s for under $20K.

colfax

Hi Dub, sorry I have no knowledge of the details of any particular warranties

TriC

It is not possible to fully evaluate the dealership's proposal without knowing what you paid for the LS 460 except to say that paying $2300 for a third party warranty would likely be a waste of money.

A 2006 LS 430 with 90,000 miles is worth between $9000 and $11,000, depending on condition and service history. Unless you REALLY like it, I'd be more inclined to get a full refund from the dealer (if possible) and keep looking.

Dubbayoo

I searched cargurus for 2006 430s w/less than 100K miles within 500 miles of here. There's one for $12K. The 2010 was $13,400'ish so $2,300 off that seems reasonable. Continuing the search means $150+/week on a rental car for an undetermined length.

riknchar

So you paid $15k for the 2010, and can now swap for the LS430 and get $2300 back? That means you're essentially paying $12,700 for the 2006 LS430, not a horrendous price (if the car is in perfect condition), but no bargain either. I've spent a lot of time on the LS430 forum, and most of the contributors there feel strongly that the LS430 build quality is far superior to the LS460's. That may be true. You'd be giving up some of the upgraded features that come with the LS460, though. Not sure that I'd bother with the warranty - the LS430s are pretty bullet-proof. The main big cost is the timing belt, but you said that's already been changed. If it's an Ultra-Luxury, you'll also have to deal with air shocks at some point. I guess I'd probably be tempted to go that route to make the best of a bad situation. I've always admired the LS430s and would be happy to own one. Good luck!

Dubbayoo

My previous car was totaled by someone else's fault. Their insurance is responsible for paying for the tax, tag and title on the replacement vehicle....$1,000.50......so $11,700.

My reasoning is I can live with the 430, pay it off in six months then start saving for the next 460.

JLAWS

How about buying a reliable inexpensive beater and save ? What do they have on the lot that is short money but stable? Also what dealership are you dealing with?

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

I would pass on the 430, ive owned one and they are fantasic reliable cars but they are very dated at this point

I would ask them to try and repair the tranny, it might only need a reflash, fluid change or some solenoid or something ….. or id try to just get my money back and find another 460 elsewhere

UZ214

I was thinking the same thing- go to a bigger dealer and see what they say. might just need a refresh or might be the solenoid.

jberger

If it makes you feel ANY better (and I doubt it will), I had the same experience on a car I had PPI'd by both the dealer AND an independent mechanic. It was a Q45 that had already had the tranny replaced under the factory warranty and I felt super confident that it would be fine only to have it fail with in 2 weeks of buying the car. Everything from the service records to the inspection reports was perfect, I thought there was no way I could lose. Until I lost. . .

I too was using the proceeds of an insurance claim for the car and I spent all the cash I had to "buy up" to the Q45. I would have been fine if the tranny lasted 6 months so I could have built up my cash reserves again, but it just didn't work out that way. If I were you, I'd take a check from the dealer to unwind the whole deal or keep it and take you chances with a lawsuit over defective goods since you took it back the next day. I would not trade down several years to save $2300.

It sounds like the tranny is still working, so I'd change the fluid, filter and see if that clears things up.
Here is where a good indy show can save you thousands over the dealership.

BTW: I bought a refurbed tranny and put a couple of hundred thousand miles on the that Q45, so in the end it worked out for me. Hope it works out for you.