Lexus LS 400/LS 430

mheni1

I recently purchased a 7yr/100,000 mile extended warranty for my LS 430 which I purchased new about a year ago. The extended warranty effective date (11/14/2001)is 7 days earlier than my new car purchase date (11/21/2001). The extended warranty effective date is supposed to be the sales date according to the warranty contract. Have been quite unsuccessful in getting an explanation for the date discrepancy from my Lexus dealer. Anyone have an explanation for the date discrepancy or ideas on how to proceed? Thanks

drcomputer

helmar - When the car is is "normal" mode, you will experience a delay when stomping on the pedal. This is the normal shift pattern and how Lexus can achieve better gas mileage ratings for EPA tests. If you flip the switch on the center console on POWER/ECT you will notice that the car responds much faster to downshift requests and also disengages the torque converter much more often. It's all a driving taste preference.

szeff - Tire life depends on the tires that are installed on your car. Lexus uses several different brands. Mine came with the Dunlops. The lasted just over 19K miles before needing replacement. I replaced them with Bridgestone Z-Revo tires. These are a bit stiffer, but give much better performance and handling. They are also rated at 50K miles and far less expensive than the Dunlops too.

bcleepe - I too have an Ercu interior (blue exterior) and experienced the horrible white floor mats. After about a month of owning the car they were black with dirt. I complained to the service manager at my dealer (Glendale Lexus, CA) and they just traded me for the nice dark gray ones. Problem solved...no cost to me.

pcbrs

Hi-
We are looking to purchase an extended warranty for our 2001 LS430. I was wondering what other people are paying for an extended warranty from their dealerships. Supposedly these can be negotiated on. Any help would be very much appreciated. Thank you. =D

-Jeff

mheni1

in response to pcbrs, msg #3406. I received 2 quotes--$2600 and $2375--for the 7yr/100,000 mile-Platinum protection plan. Plan covers practically everything and has -$0-deductible. Note that 7yr/100,000 miles begin from vehicle purchase date and not protection plan purchase date.

twreit

Hi, I am in Northern NJ and looking to buy an 03' 430.My GS-400 is off lease in Feb.03'.If anyone knows where they think I can get a good deal I would appreciate it. Thanks Wayne

kl3415

Does anyone know what the idle speed is on 1990 LS400? My car indicates about 2200, could that be correct?

trentpa

I was told the same thing about my 17" tires on the LS430. Had the car in for state inspection and service at 22,500 and the dealership said my tires were in great shape and have at least 15,000 miles left. Don't let the tire life deter you from getting the 17" tires . . . car looks better and drives like a dream (in my opinion).

lenscap

The list price of the 7/100,000 extended warranty ($0 deductible) as listed on the Lexus web site is $2,375.

Usually you can get a dealer to come down off this price with a little negotiation. The one quote you received of $2,600 is a dealer trying to rip you off.

pcbrs

Hey-

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I appreciate it.

-Jeff

tombjr

I took my 99 in to a local garage that advertised full replacement of transmission fluid for $85. They told me they could not do my Lexus (49,000 miles) as the only transmission oil available to use on this transmission was from Lexus at $30 per quart. Does this makes sense? I do not think the Toyota cars have a unique must use oil. Thanks

b4z

No.

maxhonda99

kl3415, your idle speed should be under 1,000RPMs.

trmga

tombjr: Believe DEXRON III is suitable for all Lexus 1982-2001. See below site

http://www.pennzoil.com/penn/products/car_truck/pdfs/gearoil/MultiVehicleAutomaticTransmissionFluid.pdf

ljflx

You said you were missing the old days and there is some fun going on over at the luxury comparative board. So I'm giving you an alert.

What do you think of The Soprano's so far? By the way James Gandolfini had a few bids on homes in my town but I don't know if they went through. We've got Chaz Palmaterri (not sure of spelling but remember "analyze this") already so maybe the "Hollywood Mobsters" are taking over.

Stay safe down there.

flint350

Yeah, I've been following it. Interesting, but mostly rehash of old issues that will never be agreed upon - too much subjectivity. I always find it interesting though that the Benz fans decry unfavorable comparisons as being personal or about the owner, while claiming their very personal attacks are "brand" related only. And some of the evidentiary comparisons are downright silly - apples to oranges - as you pointed out on the AMG vs. LS430. Ridiculous.

As for Sopranos, I've liked it a lot so far, save for the silly Columbus Day Parade episode supposedly written by Imperioli, the guy who plays Christopher. Actors don't always make good writers, even though they often think they do.

We're keeping our heads down for sure. One of the shootings occurred less than 5 miles from my home. Good thing your trip down I-95 was a few weeks ago. Traffic jams on there now are huge after a shooting and they close it down. By the way, I did see a Md. Trooper leap out into the road the other day on Route 50 between Washington and Annapolis. Guess they're still doing that! Thanks for the update. I may post if it continues and stirs my juices.

I've been a little quiet lately, tho reading, bcz we tragically lost our 8 month old Golden Retriever puppy recently and we're just getting over the shock and grief of his death.

pat

flint350, I'm so sorry to hear about your puppy. I know how that feels. My thoughts are with you and your family.

flint350

Pat, thanks, I appreciate it.

carfan4sure

Thanks for everyone's help. Took delivery via internet from a dealer halfway across the country a new LS430 Mystic Sea/ecru interior with NAV/ML. Great anxiety about an internet purchase, but no one could beat their price, even with the delivery cost.

This was a great pick me up as we had to put our family's border collie to sleep after 16 years.

Now all I have to do is sell my white one owner 1990 LS400. Anybody interested? 168,XXX miles and meticulously maintained!

nofeer

is the ext warranty dealer specific or once bought any dealer can service. so you can get a great deal at one dealer then get service at another if that is the case then you can check the internet and work the deal. the markup should be substantial therefor the deal could also save $$$$$$$$

jbianco12

Extended warranty purchased through Lexus is good at any Lexus dealer. I purchased the plantinum plan at a local dealer, but the final agreement came from Lexus headquarters in Torrance, CA...not the dealer.

ljflx

It's hard to lose a faithful dog and when its a puppy it's all the more worse, My sympathy to you as well. I have a 15 year old dog nearing his end. I actually thought we were going to lose him a few weeks back but he has bounced back with the vets treatment and medicine.

Let's pray they get this guy down there soon. Stay well.

merc1

I tried to not say anything, but you as always come into the conversation or debate late and get it all wrong. You don't know the difference between one talking about a car or brand and one's decision to by said car?

M

flint350

"...I tried not to say anything" - Next time, try harder.

Your usual personal characterizations, demonstrated above, just go to prove my point. I do not intend to argue with you. It's kind of like mud-wrestling with a pig - totally useless in the end and then you realize the pig just enjoys it.

acco20

well said...

mmccloskey

Yea - Flint350!

Ditto - VERY Well Said!

pcbrs

Flint-

Great comment (#3426). I agree with you also. Love the analogy.

-Jeff

merc1

Then why do you say anything at all? You're wrong and now you'll hide behind that holier than thou bs. What I said is true about you, period. Now say something else of such high caliber so all your groupies can pat you on your ___ again.

M

maddogg27

My father has always wanted a LS400 and I'm going to be purchasing one for him for Christmas, I was looking for feedback and advice on how well they hold up, and any problems with them, please respond! Thanks

wwest

If used I would buy a 98 or later with HID headlamps and VSC/Trac. Avoid the nav if you can, its a definite safety hazard, can be VERY distracting, and it has serious firmware flaws that make it virtually useless anyway.

I would avoid the LS430 altogether unless your're buying new.

LS400, wonderful, beautiful, quiet, comfortable and extremely reliable car to own and drive.

Except in the wintertime north of the snowline. The climate control can make you VERY discomforted and can easily become a threat to your life and those of your passengers. It automatically goes into cooling mode on the coldest day in the dead of winter when the radiant cooling effects on your body are already causing it to yell "give me more heat".

And the windshield defog/demist functionality?

If you live through your first few attempts to use it in the wintertime on a cold humid day you should consider yourself damn lucky. It extends the fogging over of the windshield on initial activation more often than otherwise.

maxhonda99

RE: post 3430,

Never anything constructive to say, heh.

syswei

What was list on your ls, what did you actually pay (before taxes, tags), and what dealership and salesperson, please?

pat

Um, you folks who are picking at each other, let's just move on now, okay?

It is so much more mature to ignore the irritants rather than to allow them to draw us down to their level, seems to me.

ljflx

What!!!

I live north of the snow line - 100" of snow in 1996 is a good qualifier - and never had any such problem.

LS400 - It's everything you say except I disagree with the winter problems you mention. The car is great and it's a tank.

LS430 - great improvement over a great car. I love the LS400 but the LS430 beats it handily and the Nav is fabulous.

Flint350 - don't waste your time - it's not worth it. Glad they got the guys but I am shocked as to who they turned out to be. I was expecting another Tim Mcveigh. By the way hang onto Microsoft - in a year it'll be back in the 75-85+ range. Wish I had bought even more than I did when it got into the low 40's.

carfan4sure

syswei: $56,300 for a LS430 '03 Nav/ML/chrome wheels MSRP $64,307 car, an invoice of $54,943, according to www.kbb.com. Contact:
cory-williams@lexusriverside.com or Gilbert Chang at lexusofglendale@salesenhancer.com

Cory had my color combination, but they both offered the car minus chrome wheels at $55,700. Cory couldn't trade the wheels, so he sold them to me for $600.00. Pleasant experience. Didn't send a check until the car arrived and I could inspect it.

Irritants: Pat is right. Let's ignore them. I am most happy with my purchase; it suits my needs: reliability and quality.

feverhart

My experience suggests that you will not go wrong in purchasing a "98 or later LS400 WITH NAV.

I bought my wife a '98 LS400 with the Nav and was so pleased with it that I subsequenty sold my "90 LS400 which I had planned to keep for another 10 years and bought a LS 430, mainly because of the NAV system.

Now there is nothing perfect and I'm not either. Lexus doesn't quarantee perfection, only the pursuit of perfection. Lexus lives up to that claim with both the car and the Nav unit in my experience and opinion.

brtmd

Question for those of you with the Nav system (which has the clock and calendar features tied in with the system) and living in a region using daylight savings time: There is a setting for daylight savings, either "on" or "off". I had assumed this feature would work the same as with a personal computer and would autmatically adjust the clock for dls time on the appropriate dates/times. Didn't happen though--had to go to the menu and turn dls "off" which did adjust the clock back an hour. Is this how this feature is supposed to work (ie. simply a manual "toggle" switch for dls time changes)?

Thanks.

jbianco12

I went through the same thing yesterday morning too so I guess that's how it works. Turn off daylight savings time and then the clock moves back 1 hour. I would have expected it to make the adjustment automatically. Oh well.

brtmd

Thanks.

pat

about how the clock should have adjusted itself like PCs and VCRs do, but having reset very many digital clocks yesterday, the thought of a digital clock going *back* an hour (as opposed to forward 23 hours) sounds like a good deal to me!

;-)

chuck107

Had to go in and turn it off manually. No big problem but also was under the impression it would be automatic.

r1_97

Has anyone purchased an '03 w/ sport suspension and care to give opinion re body roll around corners? The local dealer didn't have one available yesterday when I drove a regular (non sport) model. It felt a little soggy making a U-turn.

helmar

I'm in New Hampshire, and have an '03 LS430 custom on order, with Euro suspension, which means 17 inch wheels.

Any advice on what winter tires to use? My dealer is recommending 4 Nokian tires at an installed cost of about $900.

wwest

The dealer should be willing to swap, at no cost, a set of all-season tires onto your LS, anything more agressive is over-kill for an LS430.

The next step is a really good set of cable chains.

jsb16

For all you 2001 owners, you might like to check out this ebay auction for the 2002 DVD which is currently at $36 and closing soon:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1871015651&rd=1

I am not the seller and have no interest in this but found it while searching for my LS400 replacement. BTW, wwest, why do you say not to purchase a pre-owned LS430?

brtmd

See post 3384. I would venture that if you are even considering the Eurotuned option, you will like it. Hope this helps.

superman5

i am not sure just because it is from 2002 LS430 doesn't mean the disc is 2002, can anyone confirm this?

chilly_palmer

I am currently leasing a 2002 RL which I am considering trading back in for personal reasons. I have so far been very happy with the car, very solid. Like most RL owners, I chose the car because of the value, it certainly can't be beat. I have narrowed my choice down to the 2003 RL or the LS 430. I know there is about a $20,000 difference in the price (this includes the options I want on the LS). What I would like is some feedback from anyone who was considering both and chose the LS over RL and the reasons they made the choice. Did you feel the significant price difference was worth going for the LS? (i.e. Was the performance that much better? Did the car feel that much more luxurious?) I would also appreciate some feedback on how Lexus service is as well.

Thank you!

wwest

Used vs new. Not enough depreciation on the used to justify taking the chance.

Vs RL, I have never EVER considered buying a FWD car, too dangerous in low traction conditions.

ljflx

Another in depth gut wrenching well written story in todays NY Times about the collapse of the towers on 9/11. You may want to check on-line. It's must reading. Also great story in science times about multiple universe theories. Great reading if you're into cosmology.

chilly palmer - I swapped out of an Acura Legend into the LS400 in 95 and have been Lexus ever since. Been in the RL several times but its not in this company - not even close. RL is an excellent car but this is top shelf. My bet is you'll find the experience is a different league with the LS just as I did in 95.

Tires - I'm pushing close to 40k miles on my 2001 and probably want newer tread for the winter. Recommendations? I've got 16" wheels.

feverhart

For tire replacement, you may want to consider Bridgestone Turanza LS-H with UTOG of 400 AA A, LS-V with same UTOG (better traction) or the top performing LS-Z with UTOG 320 AA A.

TIRERACK rates each of these over all other tires in their respective categories. I put the LS-H on my wife's LS400 and there was an outstanding improvement over the OE tires in both ride comfort, cornering, quietness, and traction. The V or Z may have been even better.

Check out TIRERACKS comparison.