New (To Me) Ls 430

[bilmac]

Hi Guys, Last year I changed my Gs 450h to a Volkswagen Phaeton, this is a great car but I did miss my Lexus.

So today I bought a 2005 Model Ls430 108000 miles. Black with grey leather. Black was not my first choice, I think dark blues or grey looks better.However I got a deal so Black is beautiful

The Ls 430 is a great bargain in Ireland, at the moment as the motor tax is 1800 per annum

The chap who sold had been trying to sell for 6 months and reduced the price from 11500 every month until I got it for 5000 euro which is less than I would have had to pay in the UK.

I do have 1 complaint the car whines like a banshee. The guy said it is because the tires are cheap chinese rubbish he put on just to pass the NCT (MoT) test. I got it cheap enough so I am going to get the right ones. suggestions please.

The noise is really bad, is it possible to be caused by wheel bearings or similar ? Knowing the reputation for reliablity I was not worried and accepted his explanation re the cause I hope he was telling the truth, Any thoughts on what else might be to blame. I am rambling on a bit now thanks for reading. bilmac

[steve2006]

It sounds like you got a bargain there with reasonable mileage, the road tax though is extortionate!

Get the tyres off as soon as possible we recently had an IS200 owner write his car off with just one cheap quality spare tyre fitted.

Go for premuim brands not sure which ones for low road noise but other members will make some suggestions.

[hihihi]

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[cruisermark]

a competent garage will be able to pin point if its a bearing with a stethoscope type tool - if it is a bearing the whole hub gets replaced so its a simple straight forward job.

[symon]

Hi William , changing your tyres will make a big difference to your ride , and will depend on your budget ....I owned a 2004 ls430 and only ever fitted bridgestone turanza er33 245/45/18 at approx £880 for x4 fitted , these would give me approx 30,000 miles , which I changed every 10 months....these tyres were exceptionally quiet and gave an exceptional ride too ,

I also changed 3 wheel bearings at approx O/S/F at 150,000 , N/S/F at 210,000 and O/S/R at 235,000 then N/S/R was just starting to go at 248,000 when I part ex in Dec. when each bearing started to fail there was a slight humming on either left or right bends on M/Ways then after a few more thousand miles it would develop on the straights but never did they wail like a banshee....as other's mentioned a good mechanic with the car on a ramp will be able to tell .

I knew of someone who owned a Merc S Class ,with cheap tyres fitted , and using a rubbish mechanic ( possibly ) changed 4 wheel bearings over a short time , the problem was the tyres and the road noise and vibration ...

[bilmac]

Well fellows, I have been driving it all over the place, and I can find nothing wrong with this car, aside from the noise. Having checked the posts on here and other sites, it seems the 430 is fussy as to what tyres we use. Anyway, it is booked into the specialist who has been maintaining it the five years the seller (a Limo operator) has had the car. This specialist also works on many other Limo operators 430s and 460s, so I am happy he knows what he's about.

I have asked he check the wheel bearings and to do whatever other work he may think fit to make the car perfect. he reckons only oil change and wiper refills. I hope this is the case but am quite happy to get whatever done. which brings me back to the tyres. I have searched and Michelin Primacy seem to be the choice of the American owners with the UK owners going for Falkens. My wheels are 18s and present tyres are 245/45/18. I really want to be able to enjoy the quietness of this car so will pay the premium to ensure that I do. Please guys recommend a tyre, is anyone running Hancocks? I had them on a Touareg and found them great. but different cars need different tyres. I had Michelin Pilot on a Saab and again found them great. Thanks bilmac

[bilmac]

Hi William , changing your tyres will make a big difference to your ride , and will depend on your budget ....I owned a 2004 ls430 and only ever fitted bridgestone turanza er33 245/45/18 at approx £880 for x4 fitted , these would give me approx 30,000 miles , which I changed every 10 months....these tyres were exceptionally quiet and gave an exceptional ride too ,

I also changed 3 wheel bearings at approx O/S/F at 150,000 , N/S/F at 210,000 and O/S/R at 235,000 then N/S/R was just starting to go at 248,000 when I part ex in Dec. when each bearing started to fail there was a slight humming on either left or right bends on M/Ways then after a few more thousand miles it would develop on the straights but never did they wail like a banshee....as other's mentioned a good mechanic with the car on a ramp will be able to tell .

I knew of someone who owned a Merc S Class ,with cheap tyres fitted , and using a rubbish mechanic ( possibly ) changed 4 wheel bearings over a short time , the problem was the tyres and the road noise and vibration ...

Symon, please forgive me I forgot to mention your recommendation for Bridgestone I am indeed considering them. I would like more options but may well go for the Bridgestone. bilmac

[cruisermark]

Hi William , changing your tyres will make a big difference to your ride , and will depend on your budget ....I owned a 2004 ls430 and only ever fitted bridgestone turanza er33 245/45/18 at approx £880 for x4 fitted , these would give me approx 30,000 miles , which I changed every 10 months....these tyres were exceptionally quiet and gave an exceptional ride too ,

I also changed 3 wheel bearings at approx O/S/F at 150,000 , N/S/F at 210,000 and O/S/R at 235,000 then N/S/R was just starting to go at 248,000 when I part ex in Dec. when each bearing started to fail there was a slight humming on either left or right bends on M/Ways then after a few more thousand miles it would develop on the straights but never did they wail like a banshee....as other's mentioned a good mechanic with the car on a ramp will be able to tell .

I knew of someone who owned a Merc S Class ,with cheap tyres fitted , and using a rubbish mechanic ( possibly ) changed 4 wheel bearings over a short time , the problem was the tyres and the road noise and vibration ...

Symon, please forgive me I forgot to mention your recommendation for Bridgestone I am indeed considering them. I would like more options but may well go for the Bridgestone. bilmac

hi

heres my 2p worth - I have the same car as you and found the bridgstones noisy so after doing a lot of research and reading reviews I replaced them with dunlops sp sports - they are a lot quiter and smoother

hope this helps

[mrkfx]

Re Whining-

as i have just had to change a wheel bearing (front o/s) on a 2004 LS430, i can definitely say that it was a rumbling noise and not a whine that brought it to my attention.

Tyres - well after a few years using Winter tyres i have shifted allegiance to Nokian. Their summer tyres are very quiet and long lasting.

[bilmac]

Update. today I got the car back from indy, He has done oil and filters, parking brake shoes, wiper blades, a couple of bulbs and (wait for it) a f/o/s wheel bearing , total cost 795 euros, he also advised I change the back brake pads in order to save the sensors. He would have done but was stuck for time today. This guy has been servicing this car for the last 6 years and told me the last owner was very diligent about servicing. I will go for a long drive later hopefully the car will be sounding better.

[bilmac]

First I want to thank you for your reply,s. I have now done more than 200 miles and can say the difference is amazing, I got 4 new Michelin Primacy 3 at a great price 179 per corner paid 40 for fitting and now the car is as it should be noise wise, As I said in my first post I had changed my GS 450 for a VW Phaeton last year. the Phaeton is a great car, yet now, when I have to go somewhere I am finding myself heading for the LS. Again as I said in my first post black would not be my first color choice, and now I am thinking I will have the car wrapped Dark Blue or Grey. I know this will bring the total cost to over 8000. but I think worth it to have the color I want. Anyone have experience of wrapping a Lexus? bilmac

[Bluesman]

First I want to thank you for your reply,s. I have now done more than 200 miles and can say the difference is amazing, I got 4 new Michelin Primacy 3 at a great price 179 per corner paid 40 for fitting and now the car is as it should be noise wise, As I said in my first post I had changed my GS 450 for a VW Phaeton last year. the Phaeton is a great car, yet now, when I have to go somewhere I am finding myself heading for the LS. Again as I said in my first post black would not be my first color choice, and now I am thinking I will have the car wrapped Dark Blue or Grey. I know this will bring the total cost to over 8000. but I think worth it to have the color I want. Anyone have experience of wrapping a Lexus? bilmac

I shall watch the wrapping with interest. Mike

[hihihi]

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[Bluesman]

Well done on quietening your Lexus (and a successful service too). Glad you've not regretted buying Lexus' 2005-Flagship.

Although I've no experience of having a car 'wrapped', I do think it's an excellent idea!

I agree, it would look cool in blue, and of course, protect the original paintwork too.

I wonder if you would enlighten us here with more detail, comparing your Phaeton with your LS430. Personally, I would love to hear what you prefer about each of your cars.

I would like to hear about the Phaeton. Mike

[The-Acre]

A guy with a workshop next to me does car wrapping, mostly BMW. Having watched him, and having seen how it marks every time someone touches it, I wouldn't even consider it!

[bilmac]

A guy with a workshop next to me does car wrapping, mostly BMW. Having watched him, and having seen how it marks every time someone touches it, I wouldn't even consider it!

Phil, I have looked at a number of wrapped cars including Beemers and have not seen what you describe. I do hope it is just that guy doing something wrong as I have committed today by paying deposit.bilmacl

[bilmac]

Well done on quietening your Lexus (and a successful service too). Glad you've not regretted buying Lexus' 2005-Flagship.

Although I've no experience of having a car 'wrapped', I do think it's an excellent idea!

I agree, it would look cool in blue, and of course, protect the original paintwork too.

I wonder if you would enlighten us here with more detail, comparing your Phaeton with your LS430. Personally, I would love to hear what you prefer about each of your cars.

I have thought about this quite a bit, First ( and this Is just my personal opinion) the Phaeton looks better, second the Phaeton is more solid and feels stronger, then, the Phaeton provides more feedback as to what's happening. And off course (in Ireland at least, the

Phaeton is rare) My Phaeton has 18 way adjustable seats and darker wood finish inside, and being 3 litre diesel is,all in all a very nice

car indeed.. My Ls was an impulse buy, I saw a bargain and I grabbed it. However the more I drive it the more I appreciate the quality of this amazing car, and once I had done the wheel bearing and experienced just how quite it is. I reckon the Ls has the edge. I am sure as time goes on I will be able to be more analytical, for now I am choosing the Ls. bilmac

I would like to hear about the Phaeton. Mike

[The-Acre]

Well I hope it works OK for you, and I hope I haven't put doubt in your mind. I guess that because it's so popular it can't be all bad. Keep us posted, it'll be interesting to know how you get on.

[cruisermark]

personally I wouldn't do something as drastic as that to my ls however I would love to see before and after picture please

[bilmac]

I will keep a photo record and upload as soon as I learn how to.bilmac

[hihihi]

Thanks 'bilmac' for your considered opinion on your Phaeton's plus-points. Interesting!

Long may the LS430-novelty linger... :)

[bilmac]

I must confess to some mixed emotions when I left my car today for wrapping. I read a lot of posts and it seems that wrapping divides opinions. Nevertheless I have committed now, I do have the before photos and will keep a record of the process and the finished car to upload. bilmac

[cruisermark]

how long does it take?

do you have to notify your insurance company and the DVLA?

looking forward to the pictures

[cruisermark]

I found this if anyones interested in reading about car wrapping:

http://www.carcleaningguru.com/what-is-a-vehicle-wrap/

[Jake430]

Dont forget to inform motor tax about colour change