mrdoofa

Just had the low tyre warning come back on tonight, I suspect the NSF is either leaking or has a slow puncture as that one was down to 25psi when I did them the other day. I’m going to take it to the local tyre shop tomorrow morning and see if it can be repaired or needs a new tyre. Another slightly annoying thing is the front brakes are a bit squeaky under light braking!!! Do you think pads or discs or both? Really loving this car, just these couple of niggles to sort. I got stuck in a traffic jam on my way to work today and it was fantastic to get through it without using any fuel whatsoever!!! I’m absolutely willing it NOT to go wrong because I like the car that much!!! There was nothing wrong with the LS430 Phil, in fact it’s been a brilliant car!!! I just wanted to try again with a GS450h because I loved that car last year and decided I’d like one again despite that one going very wrong. I just hope it’s a decision I won’t regret and that lightning doesn’t strike twice!!! I love the colour too and think it looks great with the cream interior.

Checked tyres today, they were at the following: OSF 42psi, NSF 25psi and both rears at 39psi. I’ve set them all to 35psi and reset the base level with button under dash and hey presto, The warning has now gone!!! Just glad there isn’t a fault in the TPMS. Steering feels better now too with both fronts being equal.

Just had the warning message “Low tire” appear on the dash, I’m going to check the tyre pressures on my way to work tomorrow and make sure they are all correct then press the reset switch under the dashboard to store that as the base pressure as it says in the handbook. The dealer fitted 2 new rear tyres for me because they were advisories on the MOT. Could the new tyres cause the message to appear? The message doesn’t say there’s a malfunction just low pressure.

It’s an SE model but unusually for an SE has a sun/moon roof which is a bonus as I like the extra light it gives you, it doesn’t have radar cruise but appears to have everything else. It’s done 137k and so far it’s been brilliant!!!

Cheers guys, I just wanted to check what’s normal, I’m a bit paranoid now after the last one I had!!! I love this car though, What kind of MPGs are you guys averaging just out of interest? Mine says 33mpg at the moment but I’m expecting it to go down as I do more trips to and from work which is about 10 miles each way on mainly 30mph and 40mph roads and also the acceleration is very addictive!!! One more thing, the highest I’ve had the hybrid battery charged so far is when the bars turn green but one bar from the top, does this sound about right? I’m going to have to stop being paranoid and stop watching that screen aren’t I lol? I haven’t taken any of my own pics yet but here are some from the dealer. I love the colour combination and found out today that the air conditioning is absolutely ice cold which I really like!!! The air conditioning in the LS430 wasn’t working too well although it might’ve just needed a regas. The 14 speaker ML stereo sounds fantastic. I’m just so pleased with it, I’m just hoping and praying that it stays good. I will be taking my own pics soon once I’ve cleaned, polished and detailed the car although it’s actually very clean already.

Hi, I’ve just bought another GS450h, some of you may recall I had one briefly last year that went disastrously wrong which I returned to the dealer and he gave me a refund. I bought an LS430 in January this year but decided I wanted another 450h after how much I loved my brief time with one last year. I’d forgotten just how fast they are, the LS430 is no slouch but this makes it feel very sluggish!!! The whole car just feels much sharper and more responsive. It seems to drive better than the last one I had from what I remember of it, the hybrid battery seems to charge quicker and you can run the car on electric power alone much easier than the last one I had, the engine is also much quieter. After about 120 miles of mixed driving since I got it the trip computer reckons it’s doing about 34mpg which I’m very impressed with. I do have a couple of questions though... When you come to a stand still with the GS450h does the engine always stop? I’ve noticed only a couple of times that even when the engine is warm and hybrid battery has plenty charge that the engine doesn’t always stop, the on screen graphic shows nothing happening, I could only tell because of very slight vibration through gear lever, the Idle is that quiet!!! I wondered if it maybe to keep the cabin heater warm. It’s only happened a couple of times. Also, I know these cars use regenerative braking and very occasionally when you gently press the brake pedal the car will sometimes feel a little bit “lumpy” slowing down if that makes sense!!! It isn’t bad but just wanted to mention it. The brakes are so sharp and responsive that it only takes very little pedal effort to stop the car, it makes the LS430 brakes feel very soft. I love this car and I just hope it does better than the one I had last year. Cheers guys!!!

Hi, As many of you may know I bought Phil’s (The acre) LS430 in January and it’s a brilliant car, however I am being increasingly tempted to get another GS450h!!! I’ve had one before which went very wrong and the dealer ended up giving me my money back but what’s the chances of lightning striking twice because I really liked that car. I loved the power whilst still achieving good fuel figures because of the hybrid system. Just for the record I’ve also had another LS430 in the past which also went horribly wrong when the gearbox failed however I bought this one off Phil and had no issues. My biggest concern is the hybrid system so the big question I want to know is there any way to tell if the hybrid system is faulty or about to go wrong or do they just fail without warning? What do you check for on test drive etc? I know many will say keep the LS430 and I still might yet, this is Just at the idea stage because I really do like the GS450h. Below are links to 2 potential cars I’m considering. The red one is about 70 miles away whilst the black one is about 200 miles away. Thoughts? https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201804235816221?radius=1501&advertising-location=at_cars&make=LEXUS&postcode=ls211dg&sort=sponsored&model=GS 450H&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=New&price-to=5000&page=1 https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201804235815646?radius=1501&postcode=ls211dg&make=LEXUS&sort=sponsored&advertising-location=at_cars&model=GS 450H&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=New&price-to=5000&page=1

The LS430 you sold me won’t be getting neglected like that!!!

Welcome to the wonderful world of LS ownership, I’ve had an LS400 and now have an LS430, they are quite simply the finest machines on the planet, everything else is just transport compared. Enjoy!!!

Still really pleased with it Phil. It’s a brilliant car!!!

I think one of the most common reasons for the engine management light is a bad lambda sensor(s).

I don’t think any warranty company will cover a car with that mileage, if they do there will be so many exclusions and any excess you might have to pay will be so high that it won’t be worth the paper it’s written on.

Taking the back seat out isn’t that difficult, there are numerous “how to’s” on the web explaining the process, only a handful of screws and bolts and a couple of electrical connections. I read somewhere that the job is possible without removing the seat. Apparently you can lever the shelf up enough without removing the seat, apparently the parcel shelf will bend but not break whilst doing it!!! I’ve never tried it though so do that at your own risk lol!!! The music I listen to is very bass heavy so a working sub is a must. Mine does have a slight rattle developing ( probably because I overdid it a bit!!!) and am considering one of the ones from Paul Frost on eBay as they are straight plug and play replacements and are supposed to be an upgrade from the original.

Incredibly over priced!!! The word delusional comes to mind!!! £3k to £4k at the most.

Paul Frost is selling these direct replacements for the subwoofer on eBay, could be worth considering. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lexus-Ls430-Upgraded-Factory-Fit-Subwoofer-Speaker-800w-Facelift-New/202266957057?hash=item2f180cd501:g:-WAAAOSw4shYAgRP

I am thinking of upgrading the red puddle lights on the doors of my 2001 LS430 to white LEDs. Does anybody know where you can obtain the clear lenses from to replace the red ones? I’m also going to change the interior lights to LEDs except the footwell and door handle lights as I like the soft yellow glow they give already. Cheers!!!

MOT history looks quite good too, currently tested until August with no advisories. If it’s got some decent service history and cambelt been done could be a bit of a bargain for somebody and a lot of car for the money.

This one is staying firmly with me Phil. It’s a fantastic car!!! Unless of course I get made an offer I really can’t refuse but even then I’d think very carefully because I think I’d struggle to find another as good as this to replace it. As for this LS400, I’d leave it especially as there is no movement on the price. To pay anything like that price I’d want the boot sorting and cambelt done at the very least.

I know a £25 seal may stop the problem but all the rot and mould etc still remains unless you tear out the wheel well liner and clean it all out and hope rust hasn’t started underneath, also if you look closely the plugs are missing which means water can still get in from underneath. Is the choice purely restricted to LS400’s, wouldn’t you consider either an LS430 or even a GS?

It’s interesting that the last set of front springs lasted less than 10,000 miles unless extremely cheap parts were used.

Been for sale for quite a while, my nephew was interested in it as it’s local to us, it was £2,000 then. These are some pics of the spare wheel well that looks a bit manky which put him off.

I’m the one who bought Phil’s LS430, I can tell you the interior is cavernous no matter which seat you sit in and I’m 6’3” and it’s also extremely comfortable. Its also one if the few cars with a sunroof (or moonroof as Lexus would have it) where I have enough headroom. I’ve had a LWB W220 S-Class and yes it does have a bit more rear legroom but I think the LS430 is more than ample and is a much better car in just about every other respect.

I can vouch for how fast these cars are!!! The acceleration is phenomenal thanks to the instant torque of the electric motor and seamless CVT transmission and not much can keep up with it. I had one briefly last year but ended up returning it to the dealer who gave me a refund after the hybrid system failed. I really enjoyed the car though and found it an extremely comfortable wolf in sheeps clothing. However it has to be said that the LS430 which I bought from Phil is now 17 years old and done 125k miles and doesn’t have a single creak or rattle anywhere, silence really is golden!!! I love this car.

Bit of a bargain there, only cosmetic issues it seems. If I had somewhere to keep it I’d be down there buying it!!!

These are seriously quick cars!!! The combination of the instant torque of the electric motor and seamless acceleration through the CVT transmission means not much will keep up with it. However, if the hybrid system goes wrong it can get very expensive very quickly too. At this age I’d like to either see evidence of a Lexus health check on the hybrid components or see if the seller will get one done for peace of mind. The shocks are prone to leaking and are a very expensive dealer only item. The engine is chain driven but the chain can sometimes rattle and oil leaks aren’t unheard of, as Lee says check for seized calipers and exhaust leaks. They are an excellent car but also very complex, many say it isn’t one of lexus’ most reliable cars but I’d probably have another if a good one came along although I’m more than happy with my LS430 right now, they are well equipped, very comfortable and did I say quick? There isn’t much difference between SE and SE-L models except a sunroof and radar cruise. Bear in mind that the batteries take up a lot of room in the boot if luggage carrying is a concern.