sota

Harsh is probably the wrong word, but it definitely does not float and could not be described as plush. I used to have a 2006 GS450h and it's close to that but a little bit more controlled. In the 600hL I would never drive it aggressively - it just wasn't that type of car. The 500h is more fun to drive at the expense of comfort, but it's still a large luxury saloon. I tried the high mode on the 600hL but I preferred the standard height setting. Maybe the roads around here are a bit better 😃 In terms of performance, it's a bit behind the 5L V8 but it's not something I would notice 99% of the time.

I did this last June. I had a 2008 600hL which I really liked but the tax, insurance, fuel consumption & repair bills were getting hard to justify. I got a good deal on a 2019 LS500h Premium with 25k KMs and three year Lexus warranty. It's a completely different car to the LS600h, the ride is less plush and it feels more sporty. With the LS600h you wafted along on a cushion of air, but it was showing it's age with it's entertainment & navigation systems. With the LS500h the ride is a bit harsher and the quality of the carpets and seat leather is noticeably poorer. However, I still would not change back thanks to the heads-up display, 4 seat massage and the fit & finish of the interior. My biggest gripe is the display which is not touch sensitive and really should not be used while driving as you have to look away from the road while navigating menus with the touchpad. On a recent trip to the UK, I got just over 900kms on a full tank which was excellent and I arrived after a day's driving without a single ache or pain. So yes, I would certainly recommend it but you should test drive one first, and go for the latest model with the touch screen if your budget allows.

I switched from a 2008 LS600hL to an LS500h last year. I think he is spot on regarding most of the differences. The LS600hL felt a lot plusher and seemed to waft along on a cushion of air. The LS500h is a completely different car, less plush and a little bit more sporty. The carpets and leather are of inferior quality, and the user interface on the touchpad is borderline dangerous to use while driving. However, I still love it and the new safety features such as heads-up display, blind side monitoring, lane keep assist, etc are excellent. On a trip to France last year it was a joy to drive long distances and generated considerable interest. So, overall I've no regrets and still enjoy driving it.

Apologies guys, your replies prompted me to check this again. I had assumed that my iPhone didn't differentiate between volume settings on different devices, but it does. When connected to the BlueMusic module and I adjust the volume, that slider on the phone has a BlueTooth icon beside it. When I disconnect, the volume setting returns to it's previous level. Magic!

Yes, that does solve the problem but them my phone is at max volume and deafens me the next time I use it! The car is booked in with the local Lexus dealer for a service tomorrow, so I'm going to check if they can adjust the Aux channel volume independent of the other channels for CD and Radio.

Thanks @Exdee I took a chance and ordered one of these with the Y cable for my 2008 LS600hL and it worked great. The volume on Bluetooth is a fair bit lower than the CD or radio, but I don't see any way to adjust it seperately. However, that's a minor issue.

I was in this car on Friday. It's doing a tour of European dealers at the moment, so it was in Galway for a few days before moving on to Italy, I think. According to the dealer, it's a pre-production model, so not all features worked. Overall, I was very impressed with it although I didn't get a chance to drive it. Here are some of my impressions: The heads-up display is very nice. You only see it when you focus on the outside view rather the windscreen and it seems to provide a lot of information without being distracting. The sat-nav interface is much improved, and the external cameras can detect speed limit signs to warn you. The steering wheel is much smaller and sporty with up/down shift paddles. The 20 in. chromed wheels looked great, but could be a pain to clean. The interior felt roomier than my LS600hL apart from the rear. The boot is a lot bigger than the LS600h. The rear centre console has a touch-screen display for adjusting seats, entertainment, etc. Very intuitive with large icons. The biggest plus for me was the price, about €65k less than the current LS, and the road tax is also about €1,000 pa less. Given that it's a 3.5L engine, I would imagine that insurance would be cheaper also. The dealer expects to have demo models in the showroom in December. I took a picture of the spec sheet and price list, hopefully you can read it OK. Pat

In case you think I had any doubts about the LS600, it's the best car I have ever owned, absolutely no regrets!

Not so sure about the battery back, I have a 2008 LS600hL and my dealer says they have never had a problem with one. The main weakness at that age is the front suspension bushings which do wear and are expensive to replace. Also, check if the brake discs and pads have been changed recently, Have a look at the 12 volt battery in the boot, it should have a date code on to indicate if it has been replaced. When it fails, it can give really weird symptoms. All of this should also be in the service history. Check the bodywork very carefully for accident damage, it's a big car and prone to car park door slammers.

Thanks guys. Mark, the Avons don't seem to be available in my size so I'll keep looking.........

I just noticed the other thread here on tyres for the LS430, they seem to be recommending the Michelin Primacy 3. One thing that is a bit depressing is the difference in price between 18" and 19" tyres - £80 to £100, ouch!

Thanks for the warning! This is why I find buying tyres so frustrating, it's very hard to get definitive information on what works best. I may just stick with the Dunlops, unless anyone else has a better idea? Pat

My tyres are coming up for replacement shortly, does anyone have recommendations for an LS600? Currently, I have Dunlop 245/45ZR19 102Y XL fitted but I find them quite noisy and quick wearing. I was recommended the Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance tyres but they are not available in 19". Thanks!

Mark, my local Lexus dealer, Tony Burke Motors in Galway are offering a 1 year/15,000 kms hybrid battery extended warranty for €50 on my 2008 LS600hL. I assume this is available nationwide and according to the service department, I can renew it every year for the same amount. Good value for some peace of mind. Pat

Also, make sure you get three keys with the car - two standard fobs and one credit card sized key.

I bought an 08 LS600hL last year and overall I've been very happy with it. I didn't get it inspected beforehand, which I now realise was rather brave of me! However, I left it into my local Lexus dealer and they found a few minor problems and one major one - a loose suspension joint which was easily fixed. Given the complexity of these cars you really want to know a bit about them beforehand and be prepared to walk away if you have any doubts. Overall, I'm delighted with the car but having only two rear seats on the L model has been an inconveience on a couple of occasions. Also, this car is BIG! Tight car park ramps are a nightmare and I've managed to scrape one of the rims on one. Make sure you get a full Lexus service history with no gaps and check when the brake discs were replaced last as it's a fairly expensive job. However, overall these are very reliable cars if looked after properly and they really are a joy to drive. Good luck with it.

I saw some advertised on E-Bay some time back for around £80. I believe any IR headphone should work, but I can't guaranted this. I was missing one when I bought my LS600, but I was so disappointed with the sound quality that I replaced it with a wired one. The main problem was a lot of hiss, which changed in volume when you moved your head.

I had a couple of stents fitted to my heart about 16 months ago. I was in the gym at a spinning class (!!) when I felt a bit short of breath. I went to my GP who sent me to the hospital, my wife was away so I drove myself and parked in the hospital car park expecting to be out in an hour or two. I was kept in for six days (it was a long weekend, so no surgery) and the doctor who discharged me didn't seem bothered by my decision to drive myself home, he even arranged to get my car out of the car park for free!

Excellent, Arvid! I'm still waiting for Lexus to give me a price on a new battery. Does anyone have the specs for this battery or the Panasonic part number so that I can find an equivalent.

I upgraded from a 2006 GS450h to a 2008 LS600h L a few weeks ago and so far it's a decision I have not regretted at all. The car is definitely in a different league to the GS - no creaks and groans from the interior and the ride is extremley smooth. Being used to the tiny boot in the GS the extra space is welcome but I will only really need it when I go to Brittany next month and stock on some reasonably priced wines. The toys in the rear are a bit wasted but do add to the "bling factor", and I do have to think ahead when choosing where to park. There are very few of these cars in Ireland (less than 10, I think), but a chap down the road from me has also imported one from the UK recently. Arvid, the videos on fitting the LKA switch no longer work. Where did you get the switch from, and how do you remove the switch from the steering wheel? The presence of the airbag would cause me some concern if I have to dismantle the steering wheel!

Thanks guys. I got it checked at a local tyre & battery shop who seemed to think it was weak, but didn't want to touch it because of the extra connections, so I'm waiting for a call back from my Lexus dealer.

Thanks, Steve that's what I figured. The battery looks original with a 2008 date code, and there is nothing in the service history about it being replaced. It is likley to be a "standard" battery or is this something that only Lexus can supply? Besides the + and - 12V connections there is another connector on the side of the battery. It's reading about 12.2 Volts with the doors closed and 11.8 Volts with the doors open. I'll check the voltage if it happens again.

Yesterday when I tried to start my car all the warning lights on the dash came on, the heater fan came on full and the display between the speedo and the rev counter showed SRS System error, contact dealer. This is the third time since I bought the car in early June that this has happened. After two or three attempts the car will eventually start and it runs fine after that. The strange thing is that only happens afer the car has been worked on - twice when I was cleaning the car and once just after I had the steering alignment checked. Could it be the 12 volt battery being drained while the doors are open or am I looking at something more expensive? I wouldn't have thought that the interior lights would cause much of a drain on the system. Any ideas?

On my LS600 there is an option on the drivers display to open and close the roof-mounted screen. I think you have to press the "Display" button to see it. However, I suspect that if the remote doesn't open it then neither will this - assuming that the batteries in the remote are OK?!! Worth a try though, as at least it will confirm whether it's the remote or the display that's at fault As for a manual release, I can't see any reference to it and I'm not brave enough to try moving it by hand.

Found them! They were exactly like the photographs, towards the front of the seat and closer to the centre of the car. The best way to access it is to move the seat as high as it will go and then move it forward until you can get your hand underneath (from the front) to feel for the circular filter. This has to be done blind, and the filter simply needs to be rotated until it pops off. Putting it back was a pig, as you need to align the filter with it's clips in the very narrow space and then rotate it until it's locked in place. However, once I removed the filter it was obvious that it was reasonably clean, so a quick wash with some detergent (it's all plastic) and a rinse had it looking like new. So, even with the filter removed there was no improvement in the airflow. Either there is another problem or else this is the normal state of affairs for this model. Any other LS600h owners care to report how their seats perform?