Yingyz

On 5/9/2024 at 9:09 PM, SSUR said:

I have the post 2013 facelift LS600hL or "The Beast".  Around one third of the parts were new for 2013 including more durable suspension components.  The main difference is a totally new interior/dashboard with the 12 inch screen which to my eyes still looks modern today with exquisite build quality and finish.  This is such a good car that I am genuinely struggling with a replacement, not sure I'll get on with the smaller V6 in the 500h.  My friend recently test drove the new electric RZ and was most impressed until he tried the Beast.  He was astonished at the refinement of the V8.  Any ideas of where to go next friends?      

What’s your budget?

If it’s not a concern then i7. Nothing will beat the smoothness of an EV. 
 

If not a fan of EV then perhaps an A8 or S class. 
 

Not that many large saloons in production anymore and the current gen LS is reviewed to be the worst amongst the competition. 
 

Ditto the above, pretty sure the LS460 is also compliant for ULEZ.

The 4th gen LS is a bit smoother than the 3rd gen and overall luxury is a bit higher but maintenance is also more expensive. 
 

Watch this video on the LS460 to get a taste of what owning the LS600h will be like.

Good news is that unlike the 460 the valley plate leak is much less common on the 600h but it does suffer from the front left timing chain tensioner rattle. The issue is well documented and I believe Lexus themselves came out with a TSB in 2016 to address it. Didn’t really do much for the LS600h which stopped production in 2017 but did help the RCF and IS500 and all the cars with thr 5.0 V8.

High mileage isn’t too much of an issue for the LS600h, just make sure that it has had a transmission fluid service if buying 100k+ miles and the plugs have been changed.

Most important control arm to check is the lower front control arm due to the air strut and steering knuckle both being connected to it. If it goes bad it’ll wear out all your other control arms. The car has 4 control arms per wheel and they’re not cheap so set aside some money for new arms if they have never been changed. 
 

Air struts can also go bad, they’re £1k a pop from Lexus but doesn’t go bad often, again will cost you dear if they all go. Consider going to springs if more than 1 go bad. 
 

Fuel economy isn’t the best, expect low 20’s driving in town and low 30’s driving on motorway. 

Funnily enough I’m considering selling mine and going to electric. You fancy a LS600hl?

2013+ is more of a cosmetic facelift rather than any big changes under the hood.

You want a 2009+ facelift model as that one has the better suspension as the earlier models had issues with premature bushing wear on the front control arms.

You also get 6 pot calipers on the 2009+ models vs the 4 pot on the 2006+. Driving style doesn’t change much between the generations that much unless you go for the 2013+ LS460 F sport which has firmer ride and tighter handling (rare in the UK, more common in the US).

Not too much goes wrong apart from the usual Lexus 5.0 V8 issues. (Valley plate leak *common, front control arm bushing *somewhat common, timing chain tensioner rattle *somewhat common).

Overall it’s a decently reliable car. There’s a good video from the car care nut channel on YouTube with a recent video on the LS460 common issues. Pretty applicable to the LS600h as they share a very similar engine and pretty much the same body and suspension (LS460 had an RWD variant which is different to LS600h which is AWD only).

If you do buy a LS600h make sure to listen for the timing chain rattle, it’s a costly job to fix (rattle doesn’t seem to cause any damage to engine however from what I can see on Club Lexus forums. It’s expensive due to the 21 hours book time that Lexus will charge you for it because it requires disassembly of the front of the engine.

Facelift is better than pre-facelift.

Believe the facelift for the 600h is post 2010.

7 hours ago, Newbie777 said:

Hello,

I was in the process of purchasing a replacement battery for my LS600hl. I have the original Panasonic which is 13 years old!

Please note, it is not just about what size fits, it has to be an AGM AND have the built in sensor, this is really important (just can't remember what the sensor does, but it is to do with the hybrid battery!)

I would go and get it purchased from the dealer only, free next day delivery, you are then not taking any risks and have peace of mind.

In the end my original battery was fine and new one not required, even Halfords, who love to sell you stuff could not supply me a battery.lol

FYI the Battery does not have the temperature sensor built in. It does however have a groove specifically for the sensor.

For the 12V Battery a decent AGM Battery with similar dimensions will do the same job whilst costing you much less than going to the dealership. 
 

Link for the curious: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/hybrid-technology/904124-ls600hl-12v-battery-replacement-get-this-one.html

Hi mate,

I have a LS600h as well and can tell you the sound is because of a timing chain tensioner issue. 
 

I have attached the TSB from Toyota on the issue but be advised that in order to fix this issue outside warranty is 20 book hours excluding parts. 
 

Your engine will not be blowing up and I don’t expect the issue to cause issues for the near future, the issue is covered in depth in this video. The LS600h has the 2UR-FSE however the design is the same as the 3UR-FE hence the same issue with the timing chain tensioner.

 
Hope this helps.

We should really make a sticky with all the common issues as another issue is the valley plate coolant leak which affects the Toyota V8’s as well. 

EG-0031L-0516.pdf

Yes the brakes were later revised to brembo. 
 

We have the same brakes as the F models - the ISF,GSF and RCF.

Hi both,

No the car isn’t a 22 plate - wish it was though. (It’s a a LS600h from 2012 and the warranty is expired).

Hi all,

2 weeks ago I had a hybrid system malfunction appear with the EML light when starting up in the morning. EML light disappeared after switching the car on and off again and have had no issues since then.

Took my LS600h to get its hybrid health check done today and they came back with a fail due to a P2799 code.

No EML light on currently and the dealer is asking £204 to clear the code and investigate and will redo the HHC after 350 miles.

Do I:

A: Pay the dealer £204 to clear the code and investigate the issue and redo the HHC.

B: Go to another mechanic to clear the code for £50 and see if it happens again before going back to Lexus to redo the HHC.