LexasPete

Spotted this on fleabay - any use to anyone? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=201096867107

Er, yes - I've had one since the summer, and I love it!!!! Previously owned a LS430 facelift which was quiet and comfortable, but a big disappointment after my LS400 Mk3, which didn't have all the toys we expect now, but drove beautifully, smooth, quiet, imperceptible gear changes and nearly 30mpg on a run, seats a bit hard and flat though. The 430 always felt woolly and indirect and the gearbox had a mind of its own, despite 6 speeds it often chose the wrong one. The road testers criticised the 460's gearbox and some also its ride and handling. I couldn't find a demonstrator nearer than Bristol, about 120 miles away, so never got the chance to drive either the 460 or 600, but got brave and decided on the 600, one which had been 'stuck' on ebay and Autotrader for many months, with sensible miles and well under £30k. It came as a great relief to find it has the same lovely smooth ride that I remember from my first LS, an engine that stops and starts imperceptibly on its own, a transmission (there aren't any gears as such) that is always ready to do what you want with a gentle squeeze of the loud pedal (except it isn't ever loud). The handling I find excellent also, though I'm pretty sedate, but it just inspires confidence and I'd rate it the equal of the Jaguar XJ (X-350) of which I've had 3, praise indeed. Maybe the AWD helps here? Brakes are also very powerful. As for the toys, crikey! In summer I was averaging 32mpg, now it's colder I'm down to around 28. Road tax is £250. So if you're tempted and can find a nice one, go for it, you'll not be disappointed. Cheers, Pete

Thanks Guys! Your input is much appreciated. I'll try the penetrating oil first as it's non-destructive (hopefully!) then maybe my sds drill set to 'hammer' on the exposed end of the bolts. If I get them unseized then back to Lexus to do the job again. If they refuse to budge then it's a dropped crossmember to access the little swines. Many thanks All!!!!!!! :P

My LS600 suffered bizarre tyre wear in the hands of the previous owner, possibly why he traded it in! The inside edges of the fronts were scrubbed through to the cords, ouch! I've shelled out for new tyres and took her in to Lexus Plymouth for a 4-wheel alignment, asking them to correct a slight pull to the left. On getting the car back and studying the computer geometry printout I was unhappy with their settings as they had adjusted the RH front by increasing its negative camber to over 1.5 deg. I decided to try and reduce the negative camber on both sides, but found the lower arm adjusting bolts seized solid in the bushes. Before dropping the whole front crossmember to get proper access I thought I'd ask if anyone else has encountered this problem and found a solution, I'm thinking of something like an oversize ball-joint splitter. Funnily enough I had no trouble with the equivalent bolts on my previous LS430 which was much rustier around the suspension.

Getting hold of Workshop Manuals for any make is a bit of a pig these days, the only official option seems to be to subscribe, paying by the minute, hour etc, at huge expense! I stumbled across a guy in the US who offers official Electronic Service Manuals for most Lexus including LS430 and LS460. At nearly £30 including post, not cheap, but I decided to buy one anyway, though not the 600h at $80! Despite being US-derived, they've got loads of stuff relevant to 'our' cars plus LWB and AWD sections which is useful if you've got the LS600. It runs in internet explorer and is very user-friendly. He's on ebay and he sells as homerunsales12. I'm sure these are genuine Toyota/Lexus products, not counterfeit or copies. Sadly I don't get any commission for spreading the word! Happy Christmas :P

Lexus are obviously struggling in the UK, at least with the LS, so is it a good used buy?? I'm looking around 25k which should buy a lowish mileage 07 or 57 plate SE-L with a bit of warranty left. Should I be put off by road testers' criticisms of the gearbox's behaviour, my 6-speed LS430 was poor in that regard too. Being down in darkest Cornwall means test drives aren't easily arranged, Lexus Plymouth said they didn't know when they could find me a car to drive. Any thoughts from LS460, or 600 owners?

This story's got a familiar ring to it! My 2004 LS430 had rust round all the front door trim clip holes - though only visible from inside, discovered whilst installing extra soundproofing. Car was 2 years old at that time, definitely no body repairs, though it had racked up 50,000+ miles of M4 commuting for the chairman of a well-known supermarket! Probably exposed to more than its fair share of salt and grit. I sent photos to Toyota QC at Tahara plant, and got a nice letter back telling me to approach Lexus GB for advice. They weren't interested and said it wasn't covered by warranty, so no surprise there. Though full marks to them for replacing all 4 alloys which had blistered. Fortunately I'd caught the doors before the blistering emerged from behind the trim panels and a combination of Jenolite and Waxoyl stopped it from spreading. The car was a big disappointment after my '95 LS400 mk3, not a trace of rust on that one at 7 years old. Where are you now M203TBU??

Hi Rob, Take out the two little hex-head screws and get your fingers under the sides of the box at the inboard end and pull it up, it's in a tinny bracket and the catches get a bit graunchy! That'll lift the face enough to slide open the window and eject the disc. Perhaps you'll even drop one of the screws into the cavern too, like me! Good luck! Pete

Hi Guys, I thought I got a bargain a year-and-a-half ago when I paid around 30k for my 04 model, ouch! After some pretty lousy 'Customer Care' from Lexus GB over failed rear shocks at 61,000 miles, following the well known air suspension failure at 58,000 - but that's another story, and being unimpressed with my local dealer who put a nasty scratch on the back bumper whilst replacing said shocks and never checked the air filter on service, I'm thinking of selling Lexie. The kind of p/ex prices I got are interesting and give a fair guide to the value of the car, it's an 04/53 with 63,000 so a wee bit up on miles: 19,500 from the local prestige dealer to 21k from an online dealer. It's a lot of car for that sort of money of course, I'd say the improvements compared to the earlier model are worth having for the slight extra cost. Just the 'sharper' look to the front end is probably worth it? The reversing camera's handy but with parking sensors I rarely use it. The 6-speed helps with economy, I get around 27, and nearly 30 on a long run. The 18" wheels are very handsome but there's more tyre noise than the 17", I added loads of 'Dynamat' to the bulkhead and doorskins, it really makes a real difference and well worth doing, though a bit messy of course. The 'steering' headlights are good, especially on country roads at night. And Bluetooth for the phone is a dream compared to fitting an integrated phone kit. That's my 2 pennorth anyway and if you're anywhere near Devon or Cornwall and thinking of an LS430 you're welcome to come over for a chat and demo, I'm on 01503 220061. Cheers, Pete :)

You should find Lexus will replace the height sensors under warranty - Lexus GB told me they'd extended the warranty to 5 years on these parts. Lexus Plymouth replaced my sensors under warranty, but 2 months down the line both rear shocks have failed, and as I've done 60990miles Lexus will only pay for the parts. Anyone else had shocks fail soon after the height sensors, seems to much of a coincidence to be unrelated. And any joy out of Lexus over labour for 'just-out-of-warranty' stuff? Cheers Peter

Hi, how did the problem get resolved? I've had my LS430 for about 6 months and had a few problems, the latest one sounds similar; I accidently pushed the 'High' button whilst tidying the coins etc from the ashtray, but the car wouldn't return to normal and the ride went very bouncy! After a few miles I drove through some roadworks where the surface was broken and hey presto, back to the magic carpet ride. I'm planning to take it in to Lexus Plymouth next week, no doubt 'Never heard that one' will be their response! I've bought a CD workshop manual (from US ebay) and it sounds like your previous responses were on the right lines to suspect the sensors. Cheers, Peter