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Comments
After speaking to a master mechanic at a Lexus dealer about the tire pressure indicators and run flat tires that are on the SC430, I am glad the LS430 doesn't have them. He said the transmitters mounted to the inside of each wheel (within the tire) have lithion batteries powering them that need replacing at long intervals. If you ever wanted aftermarket wheels, it would almost be impossible. My Goodyear tire dealer told me that the Corvette run flat tires have been almost impossible to fix a nail penatration on except at limited/specially equipped Goodyear dealers. Many Corvette owners wind up buying new and sometimes different replacement tires.
Where else can you find such useful info on the LS!
I have 17" Bridgestone Turanzas on my car...any comments from others who have these....?
jflx - According to the explanation of Edmunds- counting your post # 1000 was really 1031. 1024 might have been more appropriate for a computer based system. Thanks for your generous sharing of your prize in any case.
As for the time function, you can use the wheel reset button to reset it, but I agree, it's implementation is less than stellar. It just counts up continuously until reset. Not that useful. The S Class resets, as I recall, at each startup.
Found some new nav voice commands today, but I have been droning way too long. Besides, the Sopranos approaches in 16 minutes, as I write this!
Lastly, ljflx, thanks for sharing the prize, but since your post was directed at me, I feel obligated to share the expense with you!
My "hang-ups" are - I am only 31 - is this car too "old" and big for me especially having the 325i and the handling/steering of the BMW is great. On the down side, the BMW is rough and noisy especially in Atlanta with all of our potholes. The Lexus is bigger obvioulsy and feels (and probably is) safer - now a very important concern with twins on the way. It is a hard decision to jump from a sporty small sedan to a big luxury car when you are 31. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.
"I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger."
Don't get hung up on your age related image of what people shoud drive. The number of 20-30 somethings and 55+'s driving Corvettes is probably equal. You'll be more comfortable, safer and will avoid a major hassel every time you try to take your family in the car. You're thinking about car seats, but don't forget:
Diaper bags, stroller/carriages, food and clothing, all x2. The LS is a great car, and is large enough to meet your needs.
"Rough, noisy and potholes" don't match with the winding country roads you see the sports sedans drifting through turns on when you see their ads. I made the leap from coupes to sedans, and it really was so much more comfortable and convenient. You are still going to get performance because the engine is sized appropriately to the car. My LS430 is my first Lexus and I don't have personal experience with the 400. From what I've read the general feeling is that the 400 was too insular from the driving experience (you didn't feel the road or steering), but never that it didn't handle well. In the new 430 they've added an option to have a more european suspension. My last car was a MB E320 and I enjoy driving my Lexus (with standard suspension) just as much if not more. If you read some of the earlier posts you will see people talking about how they hear the coins in the change holder hitting each other when they make turns. That's how quiet the car is.
An option you don't mention is to just use the new minivan when you are taking the children and keep the BMW. If your sister-in-law lives near you try to switch cars for a few days and try it. My best advise is to go with what feel right and makes sense - don't let a misconception that a luxury sedan is the first step into middle age be the determining factor. You may regret a missed opportunity. Best wishes to you and your wife, and enjoy your twins.
Since I came out of a GMC Yukon, I am conditioned to the big fluffy Goodyears with no handling. I am just curious about the different tires that come on the LS and their varying noise characteristics.
I would recommend that you borrow the LS for a day and experience the reasons Lexus has such a following. It is possible that you may prefer the BMW. Some people prefer to feel and hear the road, nothing wrong with that, it is personal preference. If it turns out that you do prefer the 3 series, you have the minivan to haul the family around in and the 325 is yours alone!
I have a '99 LS400 and the ride is less firm as my previous '95 LS400. This took a month for me to get used to. The power increase the 99 has over the 95 was amazing, I would not be surprised if the LS is faster/quicker than the 325, but I will admit the 325 will slalom much, much better.
I agree with stevestein, do not let image guide you. Try it, see if you like it. Let the experience direct your decision. Hope it has GPS I get a kick out of mine!!
As far as the image goes - you're 31 first of all, not 21, and a 99 LS400 says you're successful more than a 95 325i. But if you want to be thought of as 'sporty and hip' then I guess the LS400 is not the way to go.
I have a GS400 with modified (much improved) handlng by the way - so I've got Lexus smoothness and reliability with performance that will beat anything from Bavaria except an M3 or M5. :-)
Lexus owners are generally a very tolerant bunch, but it just seemed odd apparently placing the LS430 in the same league as a C-Class and BMW 3 series. ES300 (and IS300) makes much more sense.
What I'd like to see is you do an article on why people who HAD been shopping for a Mercedes S-class ended up buying a Lexus LS430!!! I think you'll find plenty of 'quotes' from people in this forum! A loaded LS430 is $30K less than a loaded S500.
Thanks.
Borrow the LS for a day or two, put everything you would need in a typical day with kids (car seats, strollers, ...) and see how much you enjoy it.
Congrats on the twins and good luck in whatever decision you make.
hoos1 - comparing the two cars is a bit like comparing a great guard to a great center in basketball. They are two totally different animals. I'd never even think of taking a BMW 3 over any Lexus LS car. The LS is such a better family car, and much safer.
I've had them all, thought of buying an s class, but my service has been spotty and i wanted a car i didn't have to worry about.5500 miles and perfect...i've never had a car like this...perfect. My BMW's Mercedes. The only car that comes even close was my 94 honda civic ex, it just ran, but i had trouble with head room and wind noise but ran like a top and got killer mileage. My BMW's and MB service, service service, i really don't want to see the service guy. and when i do i want to be treated like i have been at lexus. today i called a local dealer not the one that sold me the car and asked for an appointment for an oil change...no big deal. he said we can do that for you today. I said no, but how about wed. and i'll need a loaner and change to the 7500mile interval. Yes sir, come in when you can and we'll be ready.
My local bmw service (st. albans, west virginia) took 5 visits and still couldn't get the grunting sound out of my clutch. I will never own a bmw. service, attitude, quality of the car, resale. I've learned my lesson. I don't trust the most engineered car on the planet (MB) (owned 2) and things should go better. I like a hassle free car, and that's lexus so far. My friend has a ML55, squeeks, and the command system stink. "how do you like spending 70+k for a vehicle that doesn't have automatic climate control and an abysmal location for the cd changer?" he said it's not a keeper. MB needs to rethink things, engineer to be simple not so complex to remind you of how difficult things can be. Ergonomics are class leader. I already have someone to buy my ls430 near lease end. They draw attention for quality, resale, and service. it works everytime.
Re: The locks -- nice to know they're programmable, my issue was that they auto lock and a passenger must "unlock" the doors to exit.
Re: the GPS system/ Why can't a passenger update a location while in motion?
As for GPS, it is mostly a legal problem. Lexus probably fears being sued by some idiot driver trying to be too interactive with the gps while going 80 on the interstate, etc. I agree it would be nice for the system to sense a passenger and allow such operation (after all, the climate control senses a passenger), but not yet. BTW, you can do quite a bit of changing while enroute, except for manually entering an entirely new address. You can reroute, detour, go to any of 10 previous addresses, etc. At least if you have a series of addresses saved that you navigate to often, you can do that, even by voice command. Of course you can always do a quick update at a long stop light or just pull over briefly. But agreed, it would be better if a passenger had complete control. (and by the way, it'll take you quite a while to find all the hidden little features in the car and the amazing nav system abilities - the fun goes on and on...)
Does anyone know if Lexus will be providing these manuals on line in PDF or (AutoCad , Visio, etc. ) format?
Any help is appreciated.
Pat
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On a more serious note - AC probably amounts to a negligible amount (perhaps not even measurable) of loss of acceleration on a car as powerful as a new LS430. These cars are designed to run the AC basically all the time to either cool or dehumidify.
As for them not offering the manuals, the LS430 has 20+ computers and fiber optics I believe, and I think you'd need a PhD in electronics to follow it all. I can understand them not wanting customers 'tinkering' any longer. It was inevitable sooner or later.
Does anyone have any experience in the proper operation of this feature?
I'm really enjoying my black cherry/bordeaux Ultra. I originally wanted the Custom, but I'm using the shades alot here in the South, and the back seat goodies will be nice on a long trip (with another driver, of course), so I have no regrets. I've driven 1600 miles of pure pleasure. On the other hand, whenever I drive my '95 SC300, I miss all those wonderful features that are in the LS: magnificent music system, lazer cruise, quiet cabin, auto wipers... I even like the way the LS handles on winding mountain roads better than the sport coupe! This is the first sedan I ever owned, and being in my 30s I was apprehensive having thought that the LS400 was old fogey. But the technological wizardry in the LS430 made me take another look; not to mention the variable air suspension that is either cushy on rough roads, or tight handling on mountain curves (maybe not the tightest available, but tight enough for me.)
Tires--I've had good luck in the past with Bridgestone Turanza Revos on the SC300. The coupe came with Goodyear which rode kind of rough and wore out quickly--15k-20k miles. After going through another set of Goodyears, I did some research and purchased Turanza Revos a couple of years ago for the coupe. They are made with a revolutionary new compound called Uni-ty (sp?) which was developed for race cars so that they would wear longer and still be soft and grippy. They ride much smoother and cushier than the Goodyears, and they also feel like there is more tire gripping the road--I like them alot. I wonder if the Turanzas that came on my LS430 are made of that same Uni-ty compound?
I admit I have not driven the 430. There seemed to be no need since it has the same power and about the same weight as my 400. I expect similar performance. It is not so much that the AC takes too much power, but that the rotational inertia of the compressor delays the RPM increase, keeping it out of the range where the power really becomes available for a longer time.
Flying by wire actually makes the modification easier since you don’t need another throttle position sensor.
As for waiting for a larger gap in the traffic: The gas pedal stomping location I referred to is an urban limited access highway in an old part of Queens NY. There are no gaps in the traffic. One is forever caught between the horns of cars behind you and the fingers of the drivers in the cars you force to brake hard. The only car I ever owned that managed the trick was my first one, a 365 horse 64 Chevy SS. (See how ancient I am) This car had great power, but all other attributes were abysmal. I will take the Lexus any day.
So I accept your advice, I will try to remember to hit the climate control before the stomp.
I meet the prerequisites you mention as a requirement for understanding the electrical manual. Thus I still would like to have the manual, even if I never make a single mod. There is one mod, however, that I will try to make to the 430. The manual for my LS400 allowed me to put in a voiceprint biometric anti-theft module integrated into the car electronics. I would sorely miss this convenience on the 430.
Thus I would like to renew my request for information on the LS430 Electrical Manual. Perhaps some other dealers would be willing to order one through the parts department. I know paper copies exist because I saw one on the dealer’s shop floor.
I meet the prerequisites you mention as a requirement for understanding the electrical manual. Thus I still would like to have the manual, even if I never make a single mod. There is one mod, however, that I will try to make to the 430. The manual for my LS400 allowed me to put in a voiceprint biometric anti-theft module integrated into the car electronics. I would sorely miss this convenience on the 430.
Thus I would like to renew my request for information on the LS430 Electrical Manual. Perhaps some other dealers would be willing to order one through the parts department. I know paper copies exist because I saw one on the dealer’s shop floor.
Does anyone know why those spurious character strings appear in the message? The text I entered did not have them.
Best way to avoid it is not to use Word. You could use a standard ascii text editor such as Notepad, or just type into the post box.
Hope this helps.
Pat
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Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
I hope that you enjoy the site.
It you're determined to follow through, you might find some Lexus technician who would be interested in looking up how to do something along the lines you suggest as an intellectual exercise or as a diversion, and use his access to the manuals. Another alternative is to see if you can use the dealer copy in his service area. My dealership has a wonderful lounge area (including virtual golf, free cafe and putting green) in his service department. It would be a nice place to pour over service manuals while you design your "fix".
I thank the moderator for explaining the spurious character strings in my previous post. MS Word is indeed what I used. I guess I am a more or less typical Lexus owner in that like "easy to use" things. MS Word, unlike keying into this text box directly, can accommodate verbal dictation, obviating keyboard acrobatics.
Not ideal, but it would allow you to use the Word features you like with the opportunity to correct the occasional problems caused by it.
Pat
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Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards