mrdoofa

I read somewhere, it might’ve been on a US forum that the heated and cooled seats were improved on the facelift, is this the case?

Here is a link to a handy little guide about how the hybrid system works.

www.lexus.com/pdf/models/GSh_driving_performance_guide.pdf

36.5mpg!!! That’s impressive. Was that mainly on cruise control? 

Apart from the 6 speed gearbox and slightly revised styling what other benefits is there to buying a facelift LS430 over a prefacelift model?

Also, do you feel much benefit from the 6 speed box in terms of performance or economy? 

On the GS450H I used to have the engine always turned on when it was cold. Once warm the engine shut down when decelerating or braking and when standing still, the car would run on Battery power alone up to around 20mph if you had a very light right foot but as soon as you want to make any real progress the engine would fire up and both would run in tandem. I think the system in the Lexus is set up a bit different to something like a Prius as that is an economy hybrid whereas Lexus is more of a performance hybrid.

Sounds like the cooling system needs “burping”, I had a similar problem with my old GS430 and that worked. If you decide to replace the waterpump you might as well do the cambelt whilst you are in there and vice versa.

Yet another LS430 has shown up, this time a prefacelift model, expensive at £4.5k but only done 51k miles, thoughts?? I’ve messaged the dealer to ask about the usual LS430 foibles like steering column adjust motors, air suspension issues, blown speakers etc, also asked how many services and if cambelt has been changed at all, awaiting response.

http://www.davidgraves.co.uk/cars/lexus/ls/430/164101/0

The guy selling the pre facelift one says he’s taken a deposit for the car and is expecting the buyer to collect on Thursday, he said if it falls through he’ll let me know.

I’m hoping to view the facelift one in the next few days.

Big car+RWD+Automatic=Poor in the snow!!! We once had a crappy little Fiat UNO that was superb in the snow, left everything else standing, the only time it would leave everything else standing though lol!!!

Hi,

On my ongoing search for a good LS430, 2 more potential candidates have shown up, 1 is a prefacelift and the other is a facelift one. Have a look and see what you think!!! I’ve sent messages to both asking the usual stuff about these cars and am just awaiting responses, the prefacelift states that the steering tilt adjust is a bit hit and miss but in and out is fine, am I right in thinking this is quite an easy repair on the LS430?

Here are links to both:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lexus-LS-430-Full-Lexus-Service-History-2-private-owners/272971375720?hash=item3f8e5ca468:g:MF0AAOSw3fZaKAM2

https://www.centralmotorco.co.uk/used-cars/lexus-ls-430-4-3-4dr-bradford-201710070066430

Thanks everybody for your continued help and advice!!!

I’ve been in touch with the seller of the £4,500 one. He said he only has service history from last owner which is 2 stamps, no bills or receipts, the steering wheel adjust doesn’t move in any direction although he said you can hear the motor running, no evidence of cambelt change and it’s at 107k.

I’ve seen this pre facelift one on eBay, they say the steering goes in and out and rear sub weak but everything else works apparently!!! It’s bidding at £1,300 reserve not met and told me he wants offers over £2,100. What are your thoughts on this?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/lexus-LS430-Full-service-history-with-22-service-stamps-lots-of-invoices/132420492602?hash=item1ed4e05d3a:g:O~kAAOSwYVlaItst

Just spotted this for sale, what does everybody think?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201711201416014?make=LEXUS&model=LS 430&advertising-location=at_cars&radius=1501&postcode=ls211dg&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=New&sort=sponsored&page=1

Thanks for the advice so far, is there any way to check for the transmission fault? Roughly how much does it cost to replace the radiator? How good are the heated and cooled seats on the facelift cars?

These are a couple of examples I’m interested in:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201710180426272?postcode=ls211dg&make=LEXUS&model=LS 430&advertising-location=at_cars&sort=distance&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=New&radius=1500&page=1

This one doesn’t have any photos yet

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201711201416014?postcode=ls211dg&sort=distance&radius=1500&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=New&advertising-location=at_cars&model=LS 430&make=LEXUS&page=1

Hi,

You May remember I started a thread not long ago about buying another LS400 on gumtree, I decided to give that car a miss because it seemed a bit too rough for the asking price and it looked like corrosion had started in the boot thanks to a leaking seal and a rubber plug being missing.

I do now quite like the idea of a facelift LS430, there are a few nice looking examples on auto trader at the moment. My biggest concern is that I’ve had an LS430 before that suffered gearbox failure which I think was due to water leaking into the transmission fluid so this has made me a bit wary but I still really like the LS430!!! The one I had was a 2002 prefacelift with 200k on the clock, the ones I am looking at now are much lower mileage than that.

Is this still an issue on facelift cars? Is there any way to tell by looking at the coolant and dipping the gearbox oil to see if there is a problem? 

I heard that the heated and cooled seats were improved for the facelift, is this correct? How well do they work because they hardly worked at all on my old car lol!!!

Finally, is the air suspension any more reliable on the facelift? It never went wrong on my last car but I know it can be a problem.

Many thanks guys,

Martin.

Awful, just awful. To think these were once fine luxury cars, it’s a crime seeing them treated like this.

They haven’t uploaded any photos yet but even with that mileage I’d say it’s a bit expensive.

All my cars I’ve had for the last 10 years or so have had automatic climate control and I just leave the AC on all the time, it’s beneficial in both summer and winter. The last LS400 I had needed the air con regassing and it was absolutely fine after I got it done with no leaks etc, same for a Vauxhall Vectra I once had and a Ford Mondeo. They all regassed just fine and stayed fine afterwards.

The guy selling the LS400 has sent me a picture of the spare wheel well and also where the rubber plug is missing in the boot. 

@Spacewagon52I had an LS430 once before as well which went terribly wrong too, the gearbox failed on that!!! I don’t have much luck with cars yet I keep coming back for more lol!!!

I really liked the GS450h, I thought it was going to be a real keeper, it was extremely comfortable, looked good, just the right size,  had all the toys and was ridiculously fast and being a hybrid the fuel economy wasn’t too bad either. I’d love another one but after the last one I’m a little apprehensive. If there was some definite tests you could do to ensure the car will be ok I’d get another in a heartbeat.

Cheers for all the help guys, it does seem a little strange that the coil springs have been changed twice in less than 10,000 miles. It’s not very far away so may arrange a viewing this week. I did have an absolutely cracking 99 LS400 which I sold in January, I wish I’d kept it, especially as the car I replaced it with (GS450h) went so badly wrong!!! You live and learn though.

I emailed the guy to ask about the usual faults like steering wheel motors, damp boot etc. He said all electrics including steering wheel are working, there is a rubber plug missing which allows some road spray into the boot area. He said he’s going to check the service history to tell me how many services etc it’s had and details of any bills and receipts and get back to me. I’ll keep you posted!!! Thanks again everybody.

Hi guys,

I’ve just found this for sale on gumtree, does anybody have any knowledge of this car? Also, what do generally think of it? The mileage is good, cambelt done, 4 new tyres, there’s a few imperfections shall we say around the car.

cheers everybody!!!

https://www.gumtree.com/p/lexus/lexus-ls400-96-234-miles/1269971150

As nice as the LS430 to me they feel like a ticking time bomb with air suspension worries, gearbox worries (this is what finished mine off), what happens is the oil cooler for the tranny is fixed to the bottom of the radiator and the radiator rusts allowing coolant into the gearbox oil which messes the gearbox, many owners replace the radiator but just make sure you aren’t shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted, steering adjust motors are a common failure point, double glazing delamination, speakers can blow especially subwoofer,.rear climate pipes can corrode, heated and cooled seats are very ineffective on these.

I had a mk2 GS430 and that was a great car, never had a problem with it, really fast, smooth and quiet, a real wolf in sheeps clothing, could do 33mpg on motorway and 23-24mpg day to day. I haven’t driven a GS300 though. I changed the GS430 for an LS430 and wish I hadn’t!!! 

15 hours ago, Newbie1 said:

Fortunately, diesels are depreciating like hell which will discourage people from buying the poisonous things. 

Ooh, salty!!!

I had a diesel once that rolled coal like you wouldn’t believe, that was great fun, especially when passing cyclists!!!

On 03/10/2017 at 10:21 AM, Newbie1 said:

It ranges from OK to pretty bad, but it is a big old beast! Comfort yourself with the knowledge you are not one of those awful people driving a diesel around.

At least in my diesel which does 76mpg and £0 road tax I’m not a slave to the chancellor so I comfort myself with that knowledge lol!!! 😂😂😂

My mk4 used to average 22-23mpg day to day, I could get 30-33 on the motorway, in heavy traffic down into the teens but as others have said it’s a big 4 litre V8 driving a 2 ton car!!!

I just find it ironic that a car brand that has built its whole reputation around quality and reliability has been anything but in my experience!!!