WANTED: LS600h l preferable 2013+

[Jig]

Hi,

New to the forum Im looking to by a used LS600h l for my father who was a previous MB S class user, not finding many on the used market, is there a suitable channel to get these? is there anything I should be looking out for? I prefer the older or 2013 shapes all depends on the price, if I can get a cheaper 2013 this would be best.

TIA

 

[Malc1]

Suggest maybe ask Newbie777 on here who has a wealth of knowledge of his ( earlier ) Ls600 .......  and Bentley too

Malc

[Jig]

@Newbie77 any inputs/advise appreciated.. thanks

[Yingyz]

2013+ is more of a cosmetic facelift rather than any big changes under the hood.

You want a 2009+ facelift model as that one has the better suspension as the earlier models had issues with premature bushing wear on the front control arms.

You also get 6 pot calipers on the 2009+ models vs the 4 pot on the 2006+. Driving style doesn’t change much between the generations that much unless you go for the 2013+ LS460 F sport which has firmer ride and tighter handling (rare in the UK, more common in the US).

Not too much goes wrong apart from the usual Lexus 5.0 V8 issues. (Valley plate leak *common, front control arm bushing *somewhat common, timing chain tensioner rattle *somewhat common).

Overall it’s a decently reliable car. There’s a good video from the car care nut channel on YouTube with a recent video on the LS460 common issues. Pretty applicable to the LS600h as they share a very similar engine and pretty much the same body and suspension (LS460 had an RWD variant which is different to LS600h which is AWD only).

If you do buy a LS600h make sure to listen for the timing chain rattle, it’s a costly job to fix (rattle doesn’t seem to cause any damage to engine however from what I can see on Club Lexus forums. It’s expensive due to the 21 hours book time that Lexus will charge you for it because it requires disassembly of the front of the engine.

[Jig]

3 minutes ago, Yingyz said:

2013+ is more of a cosmetic facelift rather than any big changes under the hood.

You want a 2009+ facelift model as that one has the better suspension as the earlier models had issues with premature bushing wear on the front control arms.

You also get 6 pot calipers on the 2009+ models vs the 4 pot on the 2006+. Driving style doesn’t change much between the generations that much unless you go for the 2013+ LS460 F sport which has firmer ride and tighter handling (rare in the UK, more common in the US).

Not too much goes wrong apart from the usual Lexus 5.0 V8 issues. (Valley plate leak *common, front control arm bushing *somewhat common, timing chain tensioner rattle *somewhat common).

Overall it’s a decently reliable car. There’s a good video from the car care nut channel on YouTube with a recent video on the LS460 common issues. Pretty applicable to the LS600h as they share a very similar engine and pretty much the same body and suspension (LS460 had an RWD variant which is different to LS600h which is AWD only).

If you do buy a LS600h make sure to listen for the timing chain rattle, it’s a costly job to fix (rattle doesn’t seem to cause any damage to engine however from what I can see on Club Lexus forums. It’s expensive due to the 21 hours book time that Lexus will charge you for it because it requires disassembly of the front of the engine.

Yingzy you are a star, appreciate all the little pointers and advice its a totally new manufacturer and model for me and its great to learn from you and the other members of the forum, sounds like 2009 hybrid is going to be the best value and bang for my buck

[Yingyz]

Watch this video on the LS460 to get a taste of what owning the LS600h will be like.

Good news is that unlike the 460 the valley plate leak is much less common on the 600h but it does suffer from the front left timing chain tensioner rattle. The issue is well documented and I believe Lexus themselves came out with a TSB in 2016 to address it. Didn’t really do much for the LS600h which stopped production in 2017 but did help the RCF and IS500 and all the cars with thr 5.0 V8.

High mileage isn’t too much of an issue for the LS600h, just make sure that it has had a transmission fluid service if buying 100k+ miles and the plugs have been changed.

Most important control arm to check is the lower front control arm due to the air strut and steering knuckle both being connected to it. If it goes bad it’ll wear out all your other control arms. The car has 4 control arms per wheel and they’re not cheap so set aside some money for new arms if they have never been changed. 
 

Air struts can also go bad, they’re £1k a pop from Lexus but doesn’t go bad often, again will cost you dear if they all go. Consider going to springs if more than 1 go bad. 
 

Fuel economy isn’t the best, expect low 20’s driving in town and low 30’s driving on motorway. 

Funnily enough I’m considering selling mine and going to electric. You fancy a LS600hl?

 

 

 

[Jig]

30 minutes ago, Yingyz said:

Watch this video on the LS460 to get a taste of what owning the LS600h will be like.

Good news is that unlike the 460 the valley plate leak is much less common on the 600h but it does suffer from the front left timing chain tensioner rattle. The issue is well documented and I believe Lexus themselves came out with a TSB in 2016 to address it. Didn’t really do much for the LS600h which stopped production in 2017 but did help the RCF and IS500 and all the cars with thr 5.0 V8.

High mileage isn’t too much of an issue for the LS600h, just make sure that it has had a transmission fluid service if buying 100k+ miles and the plugs have been changed.

Most important control arm to check is the lower front control arm due to the air strut and steering knuckle both being connected to it. If it goes bad it’ll wear out all your other control arms. The car has 4 control arms per wheel and they’re not cheap so set aside some money for new arms if they have never been changed. 
 

Air struts can also go bad, they’re £1k a pop from Lexus but doesn’t go bad often, again will cost you dear if they all go. Consider going to springs if more than 1 go bad. 
 

Fuel economy isn’t the best, expect low 20’s driving in town and low 30’s driving on motorway. 

Funnily enough I’m considering selling mine and going to electric. You fancy a LS600hl?

 

 

 

yes I wish I didnt have to go hybrid its only becuase if ULEZ!! I would prefer the LS430, but will have to settle for the hybrids for some economy and ULEZ! send me a DM, what year and price? thanks

[BigBoomer]

9 hours ago, Jig said:

yes I wish I didnt have to go hybrid its only becuase if ULEZ!! I would prefer the LS430, but will have to settle for the hybrids for some economy and ULEZ! send me a DM, what year and price? thanks

Huh? The LS430 is ULEZ compliant. Yes, you will get slightly better fuel economy from the Hybrid but will it be enough to cover the difference in purchase price?

[The-Acre]

6 hours ago, BigBoomer said:

Huh? The LS430 is ULEZ compliant. Yes, you will get slightly better fuel economy from the Hybrid but will it be enough to cover the difference in purchase price?

Yes, LS430 is compliant.

[Yingyz]

Ditto the above, pretty sure the LS460 is also compliant for ULEZ.

The 4th gen LS is a bit smoother than the 3rd gen and overall luxury is a bit higher but maintenance is also more expensive. 
 

 

[BigBoomer]

Be aware that some early 2007 LS460s are ULEZ compliant but cannot use E10 petrol.
2008 onwards are fine with E10 as are all LS430s, but for some reason Lexus used E10 incompatible parts in the early lS460s.
I like the LS460 but still prefer the LS430.

[MaximusPrime]

Hi Jig, there's an imported 2014 LS600H F Sport on eBay, this may fit the bill for you:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/305484138365?itmmeta=01HV709GD6ZY72QGXA4MBXZZHC&hash=item472046077d:g:aEQAAOSw-KJmCPmR

[Jig]

1 hour ago, MaximusPrime said:

Hi Jig, there's an imported 2014 LS600H F Sport on eBay, this may fit the bill for you:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/305484138365?itmmeta=01HV709GD6ZY72QGXA4MBXZZHC&hash=item472046077d:g:aEQAAOSw-KJmCPmR

thanks Max, unfortunately my budget is lower, hoping to spend under 12k, thanks tho

[Jig]

not sure if the hybrid is worth the extra 

[Jig]

need a 430 hybrid, if only they made one!

[The-Acre]

2 hours ago, Jig said:

need a 430 hybrid, if only they made one!

The LS430 is a superb machine but sadly no hybrid. The problem is finding a really good as they're getting long in the tooth now and the later ones are in the higher tax band. Either way you need a decent contingency budget when you buy a used luxury car. If you've not driven an LS430 I'd recommend doing so .

[Malc1]

2 hours ago, Jig said:

need a 430 hybrid, if only they made one!

why do you NEED a hybrid ? 

Malc