Hello everyone, my name is John, and I own a 2004 GS430 that is starting to show its age. I am potentially interested in a low mileage third generation GS, preferably a 460 or a very low mileage 430. I've been doing some research on them, and it seems that both always come with adjustable air suspension. How reliable is this setup? Will it be a potential huge maintenance cost down the road?

Also, how can I tell if the car is equipped with Active Steering and Active Suspension?

 

I believe all 3rd Gen GS's are active steering. Activity based on driver input.
Active suspension with have a switch on the console.

Air suspension... Where are you doing your research? I haven't found a compressor and air tank in my car yet.

 

No 3GS is equipped with an air suspension from the factory. The 430, 460, and 450h come standard with adjustable, active dampers. They seem to be pretty reliable as I haven't heard any complaints yet. This system (AVS) is optional on the 350 but incredibly hard to find.

The 430 460, and 450h also come with VGRS, or variable gear ratio steering. The system makes it such that steering in parking lots and at low speeds requires less steering wheel movement. It chages from 2.7-3.2 turns to lock based on speed. I quite like it! This system did face a recall in some LS's but otherwise seems to be rock solid.

Another optional system on the 460 and 450h (most commonly found on a 450h) is APSSS. This is an active sway prevention system. It ROCKS! But it is a bit hard to find as it was pretty expensive. We recently had our first member report that he experienced a malfunction with the system while he was out of warranty but his dealer was nice enough to cover a large amount of the expense for the repair in good will.

 

Thank you guys, that clarifies quite a bit. I saw that virtually all GS430 and GS460 have a button to adjust suspension setting from normal to sport, so I figured it was adjustable air suspension. I was wrong about the air part.

Question about the VGRS - is this standard on the 4xx models?

And lastly, the APSSS - is there an easy was to tell if the car has it? Can someone post a picture of the switch for this system on the dash so I know what to look for?

Thanks again.

 

VGRS is standard on all the 4XX models.

APSSS cannot be seen in the cabin. The only way of checking is to look in the trunk. I stole this image from man0fsteel of the trunk:


That is normally where the spare would be. As a result these cars basically have to use runflats.

Good luck!

 

the avs (adjustable variable suspension) is just a setting to adjust the dampening of the shocks. so it's not air, but yes it has slight effect.

vgrs, i THINK they are standard on all the v8 models (and hybrid as well)

apsss, picture shown already. although it's one of the rarer option i will say

 

Thanks everyone. It seems like I will have to live without the APSSS unless I get lucky enough to find a used GS that is equipped with this. Purchasing a brand new one is not an option, my budget does not allow this right now.

 

My dealer told me the APSSS was a special order only item. Not many people willing to shell out three grand for it, so it is exceedingly rare.