Lexus LS 400/LS 430

lenscap · October 2003

Just to clarify: The second photo you posted is of the LF-X SUV/wagon (previously shown to the public as the HPX), not the LF-S sedan.

bluestar1 · October 2003

wwest · October 2003

all it seems to need is yet a BIGGER logo....like the original Infiniti.

anthonycecil · October 2003

I would seriously doubt the new look. A departure from the tried and true. Tony

carguyay · October 2003

Looks like lots of wind tunnel to me.Just keep up the quality.

barry5 · October 2003

I WAS STANDING OUTSIDE MY 2001 LS430 ULTRA AND FOUND THE ENGINE MAKING A GREAT DEAL OF NOISE AND INCREASINGLY THERE IS A "BUNCH OF CRICKETS" SOUNDS. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY DEALER WHO STATED THAT THESE WERE NORMAL SOUNDS. I MUST DIFFER THESE SOUNDS WERE ATYPICAL FROM THE NORMAL QUIETNESS OF THE ENGINE AT IDLE. THE SOUND DOES NOT TRANSMIT INTO THE CABIN AND PERFORMANCE REMAINS THE SAME.
DOES ANY ONE HAVE ANY INSIGHT?

bitkahuna · October 2003

Hopefully you're using premium gas for one thing.

There's a TON of motors, actuators, pumps, sensors, fans, etc. under the hood of your car. Any of them could be 'doing its thing' at any time.

I wouldn't sweat it, unless you're trying to skimp on gas. Even if you're using premium, you might want to try another brand.

paulchiu · October 2003

Try Sunoco Ultra 94. Think this is the quietest gas. Next is probably Amoco's. I have found Exxon's to be quite noisy in my Mercedes S500.

I have not used anything other than the Ultra 94 in my 2003 LS430 since July, and has no engine noises.

There was this one time that the entire car vibrated strongly at idle in the morning. It was for 3 seconds or so, and I have not experienced this since.

The only other noise is from inside the front door insulation; which I have mentioned here 5 million times. These minor disturbances are common among luxury cars of this caliber no matter what the brand.

pat · October 2003

Check out the First Drive piece on the 2004 LS 430 that has recently been posted - you can get to via the Helpful Links box on the left side of the page.

"The Bottom Line: Subtly improved, the LS 430 easily measures up to the German competition in terms of safety, technology and acceleration. A smart buy for the typical full-size luxury sedan buyer."

rgsw · October 2003

2001 LS430: I had the same steering sheel noise while the wheel was going into the park position after the wheel was turned off. The dealer fixed it under warranty with no questions asked. I also had a "hum" in the heater/air conditioning system that was attributed to a "vane" making air noise. The took out the entire dash and heater/air conditioning system and replaced the offending item under warranty.

barry5 · October 2003

Thank you for your input regarding my engine noise and "gang of crickets,chirping". I use Premium Mobil gas. After examining under the hood I located the Cricket noise to what appears to be a compressor. I noise is increasing in volume and I suspect a bearing is going. Also the car has developed a rattle noise which I think is coming from my instrument cluster but the car interior is so live it is hard to pinpoint. The car continues its excellent performance.
When I take in the car next service visit I will have them check out these aberrations. Thanks again.

pai7 · October 2003

7 year 100,000 miles with $0 deductible is listed at $2375 for 2001 LS.Are discounts available? If so where.Input would be greatly appreciated.Thanks.

ron36330 · October 2003

Pai7;
The price of Platinum(and all other extended warranties) are negotiable from dealer. The price you stated is list price. I paid $1800.00 for a Platinum7/100,00 "0" deductible on an 03 LS 430 UL.
Good Luck
Ron

bluestar1 · October 2003

I purchased my '99 brand new in Nov 1998. It now has 75K miles over 5 years of ownership. Total repairs: new brakes ($300), new tires (Dunlop Pilot A2, $650), oil change at 5K intervals ($58 each), scheduled maintainances (@30K ($250) and 60K ($600) miles). That's it, in 5 years of ownership. Am I lucky with my '99 ? Don't think so. That's why I purchased a Lexus and not a Mercedes in the fall of 1998. The car drives like it's brand new, and everything works flawlessly till today. No complaints whatsoever.

I'll buy an extended warranty if the dealer will refund the money after 100K miles and 0 repair. Knowing that won't happen, I'll pocket that $2K+ in warranty cost, and hope for the best. Just MHO.

pai7 · October 2003

The main reason I would like to consider this warranty is to cover NAV and ML Stereo/cd changer.Even though Lexus builds good vehicles the NAV and other electonic accessories may not be trouble free over an extended period of time.Replacing these might be expensive. Ron thank you for your input

jrasskul · October 2003

Anyone else have the Euro sport suspension? I am getting ready to order the car with this and the modern luxury package.

Also wonder if instead of the 18" summer tires I can get it with 18" all season tires. I may be able to get away with no snows that way.

Thoughts?

jrasskul · October 2003

So far I have gotten a committment to sell me this car at $3400 over dealer's invoice. Since I am ordering the car should I push for a better deal? Have 3 local dealers bidding on my business. Two opted out when I told them my best price.

jrasskul · October 2003

Update!!! Best price just went down to $3000 over invoice in the NJ area. Just went back to the other dealer and told him to give me his best bottom line price so we can finalize the thing.

Thoughts?

Anyone order and car and know about how long?

lehighlexus · October 2003

They will probably keep you at the back of the line for one. Normally it should take a month at most.

Rictra · October 2003

I am wondering if an '04 LS430 Nav car in silver exterior with black interior would have as good or better resale value later as would a silver with ecru interior. The '04's have the air conditioning flow through in the front seats as standard equipment this year. I live in the south where it can get hot as hell in the summer, but so far I have had no trouble cooling down my current '02 LS430 which is silver/ecru. I just wonder about the black interior. But it is so good looking!

anthonycecil · October 2003

My car has the very dark almost black interior. It is a soothing interior,and after two years has aged well. The dark exterior colors are really a pain to keep up, so be mindful of that. Tony

ljflx · October 2003

I don't think it will matter. The silver color itself is the key. I think most women will prefer the ecru interior and most men will prefer the black interior. I also think just about everyone will love it with the ash interior so that is worth a look as well.

Silver with black interior is an awesome combo from the outside on just about any car with beautiful leather. But after having a black on black LS400 in 1998 I don't think I want to live in a black interior anymore. It is simply dark and not easy to find things that you lose sight of plus you get tired of it or at least I did. Lastly I don't think the black accents the wood all that well but that's just my taste.

bluestar1 · October 2003

pai7:

I do not mean to hurt your feelings. Sorry if you felt that. I was just offering an opinion about my ownership experience. In addition, I firmly believe that Lexus cars in general hold up quite well up to 100K miles before you'd expect major troubles to show up. In general. But I can understand that there are people who want that extra assurance an extended warranty gives.

rennybosch · October 2003

I went to a Toyota dealer to buy a Platinum extended warranty on my 2001 LS 430, for $1240. (The Lexus dealer had quoted me a little over $2000).

When I received the fine print contract, I discovered that it did not cover the Nav or ML or anything else that wasn't basic on the car. So I canceled it and went to the Lexus dealer again to ask how to get everything covered. He said because my car already has over 50,000 miles on it, the Lexus warranty does not cover the expensive options, but they sell a warranty from Millennium which does. I paid $2188 for 36 months, 36,000 miles. Since I put about 20,000 miles on the car per year, the 36 months is irrelevant, and I am paying $2188/36,000 = 6 cents a mile for the coverage.

My main message is: Read the fine print; The Nav/ML etc. is not necessarily covered.

motownusa · October 2003

How long is Lexus going to continue with the 4.3L engine for the LS? Is there any LS500 or LS600 planned for the future? Since both MB and BMW have V12 engines available in their top of the line product I think Lexus should follow suit. I know Toyota does offer a V12 powered sedan in Japan called the Century. Maybe they should offer a Lexus version for the North American market.

wwest · October 2003

What is the failure history of your Lexus?

I never buy warranty coverage on electronic devices.

daryll40 · October 2003

Ok, today I checked the air pressure in the Nokian WR tires that were recently installed on my '03 LS430. It was 30PSI which ain't right. Looking in the glove box, it says to use 32 PSI (all four tires) if you have the P225/55R17 95H tires and to use 35 PSI (all four tires) if you have the 225/55R17 97W tires.

Well, my Nokians are NEITHER. They are 225/55R17 101V tires. I assume they are, however, still a correct tire for the car. The question is what
pressure to use. I guess I could put 33.5PSI in and split the difference...1.5 PSI too much or too little should not make much difference.
Nevertheless, if there IS a correct answer to my question, I'd like to know it. I don't totally understand the whole tire numbering thing, but my guess is that the tire that I have is a whole lot closer to the second tire listed (the one requiring 35PSI) than to the first tire that I listed. Can anyone who understands this help me make a good decision about this?

syswei · October 2003

There have been rumors that the next gen LS might have a bigger V8, possibly 4.5 to 5.0 l, and there have also been rumors that they will someday have a v12 in the US. Also, keep in mind that they will add hybrid powertrains, which will boost power and acceleration considerably.

whybuy1 · October 2003

I have a 2001 LS430 UL with silver exterior and black interior. The interior is very nice. (I really do not like the ecru) I have the seat coolers. See my post #4543 where I describe how well they work in hot weather. This car has no trouble cooling down, expecially with the rear A/C. My wife and daughter complain that it is too cold!

rennybosch · October 2003

Hi Willard,

Your question may have been rhetorical, and indeed in my first 60,000 miles I have only had two services that this warranty would have covered: replace the rain sensor for the windshield wipers, and repair a squeak in the steering column. Nevertheless, it's the next 36,000 miles that concern me, having read some scary stories about Nav screen "leaks" and the like.

On the other hand I also agree that those selling the warranty expect to make a profit, and so statistically I should be better off being self-insured. Now that I think about it, I probably made a mistake. Oh well.

Renny

wwest · October 2003

Do you actually mean nav screen. Two of our LSs have developed LCD problems, $200 each to fix, but I have not heard of nav screen problems.

At the moment we have 4 LSes with our company and family, all with over 100K, and one oxygen sensor failure (DIY) and one rear main seal failure. I'm convinced that the dealer caused the latter, just don't know how.

Not planning to do the timing belt maintenance schedule on any of them until at least one breaks or they reach 150k.

b4z · October 2003

?
Are you saying that they have already been done, and you will wait until 150K miles?
Or are you saying that none of them will have it done until 150K miles?

Kind of scary if it that is true. But judging from your previous posts you are far more mechanically astute than I.

b4z · October 2003

Why doesn't lexus move away from this timing belt thing?
Almost every other manufacturer has.

wwest · October 2003

in operation are a lot quieter that timing chains.

I have seen several Lexus timing belts that were changed out at 60K, some at 90k and one at 150k. The 150k one was the only one that looked questionable for continued operation and that was only on the backside.

So mine will wait until at least 150k

And they are all still running quite well with the original factory transmission, power steering, and brake fluids, and anti-freeze.

And I wouldn't ever consider changing out the diff'l lub.

chuck107 · October 2003

I live is Hilton Head SC and own a Silver 2003 LS Ultra with Black interior. With the cooled seats and the excellent air conditioning I have no problems whatsoever. I love the combination and find it easy to keep clean.

b4z · October 2003

I am in Charleston. I couldn't consider a black interior in the South. In fact their resale value is dismal.
Your windows must be tinted.
Will be down your way for the Hilton Head Concours d'elegance this weekend.

agent0986 · October 2003

Where else can i purchase a navigation disk for my ls430? My promised free upgrade from the dealer was never given to me and lexus customer service was extremely rude and declined my request, almost without even looking into it. They hung up on me! The dealer appears to be charging me a high price, and i do not want to buy it from them anyhow. I think I've had it with lexus with this experience.

agent0986 · October 2003

sorry one more question about the disk. I was told by the dealer that the new look of the 3.1 version disk will not appear on my 2001 model. Only the points of interest will be updated? Is this true?

feverhart · October 2003

I agree with WWest that the timing belt lasts a long time in the LS. I changed mine in the '90 LS400 whether it needed it or not at 120k. However, that engine was the non-interference type not subject to damage if the belt broke on the road. The LS 430, as I understand it, has the interferance type of engine, so that any breakage of the belt can ruin the engine and that's big bucks. I'd go for 120-130k on the LS 430 for a belt change, but I don't know if I'd risk it to 150k.

feverhart · October 2003

Flint, I believe it was, kindly shared that the latest NAV upgrade for the LS 430 (October 03) was available from Lexus-Parts.com for $288. I checked with two local Lexus dealers and both said it wasn't available yet and one quoted $500 and the other $300--just for the disk. Needless to say I ordered mine for $288 and it is due today for delivery from UPS. They also give you information about the disk that indicates that it offers more than additional POIs. Can't wait.

ljflx · October 2003

Has anyone seen the 2004 LS in Cypress pearl or Flint mica? If so how did it look in those colors.

newlexi · October 2003

I just received and installed the 2003 NAV DVD update on a 2001 LS 430. Few pointers:

1. I purchased it from lexus-parts.com for $288 plus $10 UPS shipment
2. Followed the procedure in msg #4769, thanks to flint350.
3. Be careful when removing the screws. I had to spend 20 min. retrieving one screw that fell underneath the DVD player.
4. The DVD player is difficult to handle in the limited available space. Re-attaching the screws was not easy.
5. The new DVD has many updates for the northern San Diego area (where I live), so I feel it is well worth it.

wwest · October 2003

Bellevue Lexus parts department expressed reluctance to sell me an update since new revision will be out soon.

michael_mattox · October 2003

I saw flint Mica at my dealer on the show room floor...I liked the color chip in the 04 brochure but just HATED the color on a full sized car.

It has been about a month but as I recall it just looked like kind of an ugly dark brown.

The dealer people liked it, so please keep in mind this is just my opinion and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

ljflx · October 2003

That color looks good on an MB s-class so I thought it would look good on the LS. The color that intrigues me the most is the Cypress pearl. I'm very curious to see it in that color. Even car and driver indicated a preference for the color in the lux comparo they just did. I thought the briarwood pearl would have that dark brown color.

michael_mattox · October 2003

I'm sorry...It was the Briarwood....you are absolutely right.

bluestar1 · October 2003

For those with 2nd gen LS (1998 - 2000), this may be of help:

I just had my HD-based Nav updated to the 09/2003 version on my '99.

The good: I really like the update. The changes are subtle but give it a nice touch. Two key changes: font size, and screen brightness. Not to mention the 1million POI on the updated version. The white background is very nice indeed ! I like it a lot. I am going to try it out on the newer communities built recently (2001 and up) here in the north county of San Diego, and see if how well it locates these.

The bad: I drove into my garage and wanted to mark it as my HOME. Rather it marked the house with a wrong house #. Yikes !

Two local dealers gave quotes that were $140 apart. One quote was $300 (part) + $100 (labor). The other quoted $230 (part) + $30 (labor). The point here: Shop around.

lehighlexus · November 2003

My opinion is that neither the briarwood or flint do the car justice. I believe you need to go with a traditional color for it, such as black or white, etc. My opinion. And briarwood is awful

agent0986 · November 2003

yeah sorry one question i dont think anyone really clarified was: does the update also update the system's new look with new icons and stuff?
I was told by the dealer to not bother because only POI's will be updated because I have a 2001. He said the look and everything else will stay the same.

zdude · November 2003

I think it is a beautiful color. It looks black in low light and kind of a metallic dark gray in bright sunlight. I also ordered with euro sport package.

Lexus LS 400/LS 430

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