Lexus LS 400/LS 430

jimxo · October 2001

Is there a board or link here to find out what people have paid. My folks are looking to find a good lease deal(36 months), MSRP is 61K.

TIA

agent0986 · November 2001

on the ls430, what are the specific functions of the 4,3,2, and L positions on the gear selector. i know one of them is for climbing hills, but what are the others used for?

bitkahuna · November 2001

Those positions just limit the maximum gear the car can go into. Don't know which one you mean for climbing hills - the trans will keep it in the right gear anyway.

edarte · November 2001

I am asking this again in the hope someone will take the time to help me out.

My '91 LS430 just has the basic sound system (i.e. non ML). The owner's manual clearly suggests that the ALS function should alter the sound level to compensate for changes in ambient noise. (It says nothing about changes in vehicle speed - just noise level changes due to road noise, outside noise, etc.)

I have done a test with the ALS on (ALS displays on radio LCD)and I have set the volume so it is just audible. I have then opened the windows where there is a lot of noise and, rather than detecting any volume change, the sound is just drowned out by the noise. In fact I have never noticed any compensating changes in volume.

So it appears to me that the ALS function is not working.

Now when I explained this to the service guy his first reaction is that the ALS does not make that much difference - but they would check on it.

Can those of you with the basic radio let me know - does your ALS make a noticible difference or is this a useless function?

Other that this the car has been flawless

Thanks in advance.

barry5 · November 2001

I NEED YOUR INPUT. I OWN A 2001 LS430 ULTRA WITH 17INCH TIRES. THE TIRES ARE CALLED SUMMER TIRES WITH A TRACTION RATING OF A. I LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY AND TRAVEL FREQUENTLY TO THE SOUTH FORK OF LONG ISLAND. MY QUESTION IS ARE THESE TIRES SUITABLE FOR THE SNOW AND RAIN OF THE WINTER MONTHS? IF NOT WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES. I CALLED MY LOCAL LEXUS DEALER SERVICE MANAGER AND HE DID NOT KNOW....I NEED YOUR ADVICE..THANK YOU.

wwest · November 2001

rmginsburg · November 2001

I have 225/55hr17 dunlops on my 01 ls430. I just purchased (from tire rack)and had mounted earlier today Dunlop Winter Sport M2 size 225/55r17 on my vehicle. Just drove about 50 miles, no noticable difference in handling or road noise. Very aggressive directional tread design. I have previously purchased Blizzaks for other vehicles, but Bridgestone does not make this particular size for the LS, and my Lexus dealer advised against using the 225/50 17 which was the closest that Bridgestone makes.

antiosama · November 2001

barry5, I suggest you get snow tires or all-season tires for the winter. The summer tires will not be good at all in snow.

edarte, I have a 2K LS400 with the base stereo with ALS feature. It works. When I lower the windows at toll booths or in the City, I don't have to raise the volume manually. The ALS system compensates.

edarte · November 2001

Thanks again for the response. When the volume does change is obvious? My service guy says it is a really subtle volume change - this is why it may appear to me to be not working.

I don't need/want to make a big deal over this.
But if the ALS has actually failed perhaps the unit is flawed and something else will go next.

Thus I would like to be clear on what I should expect when the ALS does kick in.

sfmartin · November 2001

While driving on the highway, switch ALS on and off. You should notice a difference. I had a '91, then a '98, and now an '01. It's definitely noticeable when driving 40-60 mph.

rennybosch · November 2001

I asked my dealer (Tustin Lexus in Southern California) today if a new Nav system disk is available. He said no. Then I asked when is it going to be available. He said, "Never, unless you buy it on the after-market. You can only get it on a new car. They just came out with a new one about two weeks ago."

I said, "Wait a minute, they told me I would be able to upgrade when the new one came out." He said, "Well, if you want to pay for it -- it's $350 for parts and labor, and we'd have to order it for you -- but there is no free upgrade."

Needless to say I am disgusted with all this double-talk. Do any of you know if and when the next Nav system release is available, and what it should cost?

Mine is the one that came with the car, identified as "2000, version 1".

Thanks -- Renny

wwest · November 2001

Go back into the dealer and complain to the service manager that your current DVD and its associated firmware is oftentimes misleading you.

1. During guidance following it suddenly "jumps" from one roadbed to another parallel one even thought IT guided you to the one you're currently on. Definite firmware flaw.

2. Tell them it oftentimes appears to successfully "compute" a route and then after you are somewhere along the computed route (maybe lost in the backwoods) it "bails", telling you that due to lack of map resolution in this area you must now use "dead reckoning".

3. Sometimes it will compute a "quickest time" route which is as much as an hour longer in time than the "shortest distance", computed route.

Seattle to Condon, Ore.

quickest: 311 miles, 5 hrs 58 min.

shortest" 268 mile, 4 hrs, 36 min.

antiosama · November 2001

edarte, the volume change isn't obvious. It raises slowly, not suddenly. but if you roll the window down in heavy traffic you can still hear the music playing on the stereo at about the same level and then when you raise the window back up the volume stays up for a little while before going back down a couple of notches. I can notice it more when the ALS lowers the volume because, I guess, it takes the system a little bit of time to recognize the lower noise levels in the cabin.

jeffmust2 · November 2001

and don't forget to tell the dealer or service manager that while driving you had to look at a map because you don't trust the NAV system and then you hit a deer.

Right, wwest?

wwest · November 2001

I didn't think I had to say it outright but I was giving him a foundation for getting a "no-charge"
DVD update.

bitkahuna · November 2001

On my GS it's called ASL (automatic sound level), not ALS. It's subtle, but it does make a difference.

edarte · November 2001

Thanks to bitkahuna, antiosama & sfmartin for responding to my questions on ASL.

I guess I was only half awake when I typed my last couple of posts. Yes, it is ASL and I have a '01 LS not a '91 as I claimed in my post.

Just got the car back from the service and I still do not detect any ASL effect. I will test it out more prior to the next service and then, if I still believe it is not working, I will insist on a demonstration in other vehicles.

Thanks again to all who took the time to help me with this.

ljflx · November 2001

My asl works fine but I doubt anything can compensate for the noise of the wind through an open window on a highway. The car is so quiet that wind noise is never an issue provided the windows are closed. I can't handle cds sloshing around in my glove box let alone wind noise from an open window. But given my enjoyment of music and a quiet interior I do notice that the asl kicks in when you go from a virtually noise free tar road to a more gravelly road - but I think you have to have the volume at a level higher than a very low audible sound. The noise in the cabin increases a bit as does the sound from the stereo. I find the difference is subtle in radio mode and more noticable with the cd player on.

rennybosch · November 2001

I called South Bay Lexus in Torrance, CA (where Lexus USA's headquarters are) and spoke with the parts department. They said there will not be an upgrade to the 2001 LS430 Nav system until March 2002, and then it will cost $474.56.

He also told me that the 2002 LS430 has an upgraded Nav system drive, but not a new database.

If any of you have heard otherwise, would you please post. I still feel unsure that I now have reliable information.

lateralg · November 2001

Does anyone know if the LS 430 and GS 430 Nav. systems use different DVD's?

We're getting totally different messages on the updates of the two.

rennybosch · November 2001

What message are you getting about the GS430?

jimxo · November 2001

The new Infiniti Q45 looks and drives great, however sales are lagging behind. What would it take for Lexus owners give up there LS for a Q?

wwest · November 2001

A Marilyn Monroe lookalike?

ljflx · November 2001

It's not what Infiniti has to do - it's what Lexus has to do - like breakdown which has a snowball's chance in hell of happening - that has to occur for most LS buyers to even consider a Q. But if that small chance came true then many of us would probably go over to the MB S not the Q. Infiniti's Q has to attract upcoming people and/or GS, 5 series and E buyers not existing LS, S or 7 buyers. As well Lexus has long moved past Infiniti and is competing with MB first and BMW second.

bcleepe · November 2001

With the light Ecru color, the floor mats in my LS are getting dirty very easily. My dealer (Pleasanton, CA) just came out with a clear color plastic floor mat set. It temporary solves my problem, at least maintenance wise, but I hate the plastic feel. Are there any better alternative out there?

bcleepe · November 2001

When I bought my 2002 LS430, the dealer at Pleasanton, CA told me that Lexus will provide first Nav DVD update free. If I have to pay for it, it will cost around $500. However, he advised me to wait at least 2-3 years before doing that because there aren't much change from year to year.

wwest · November 2001

For about $110 you can buy a set of ivory mats that are darker but will still "match" your ecru.

antiosama · November 2001

I wouldn't give up a LS400 for a Q45 for much. The 2002 Q45 is a okay car but nothing great. It's not a car in the same leageu as the LS430.
I have a 2000 LS400. I didn't consider it after a short test drive. It was slow, handled poorly, and it's styling was down right 80s Buick.

Haven't driven a 2002 Q45. But I still doubt I would buy one given poor resale value and lack of image.

bcleepe · November 2001

Thanks! I will consider that.

greasykid1 · November 2001

Have checked Tirerack which has no satisfactory wheels that I am interested in. Any info would be appreciated.

antiosama · November 2001

greasykid1, You can also try discounttire.com . which is the website for discount tire direct. Also, you may want to pick up some issues of some of the tuner magazines. I run through my son's magazines and they have tons of ads for wheels. I think one is called Sport Compact magazine and one is Tuner or Import Tuner magazine.

wwest · November 2001

You didn't like the 17x8 BBS-RX or RXIIs at Tirerack?

Beautiful on my 2000 GS300.

rmginsburg · November 2001

I have 4 OEM 17" rims with inserts from a 01 LS430 with Dunlop summer tires that still have the nubs on them.. Tires have about 15 miles on them. If interested, leave a post

flint350 · November 2001

The Lexus website STILL shows the phone as available for the LS and also says the Nav database is updated twice yearly. They have most assuredly dropped the ball on these two issues, to say the least.

I was under the impression the 1st 2 nav updates were to be free and am now reading elsewhere that they are expecting to charge around $400 for them - when they finally become available.

They really ought to be embarassed about that phone issue and at least remove mention of it from their website. It borders on dishonest.

rennybosch · November 2001

When I was in Seattle recently, the Lexus dealer (in Bellevue) had signs in the showroom announcing the built-in phone. I asked if it is actually available now and they took me to the parts department to show me the actual phone -- a Sprint, if I remember correctly -- and said yes, it is available now. Cost: $2500. I said thank you very much.

Maybe something special for the northwest only?? Somebody up there has a lot of pull.

lateralg · November 2001

Lexus told me that the update for the GS 430 will be available this fall. See post 1488 on the GS 430 board.

hschen · November 2001

Are these wheels made by Lexus or after market? Will it fit on a 1998 LS? How much?

drcomputer · November 2001

Since Lexus can't figure out when, if, and how much the DVD update will be, maybe we should just call Denso directly (the company that manufacturers the database).

As for the floor mats in the Ecru interior, I got my dealer to replace them with the darker gray mats for free since the standard off-white ones showed every speck of dirt after the first two weeks of owning the car. If you complain, they will usually give-in and give them to you for free.

greasykid1 · November 2001

Please send me your e mail address.
Mine is in my profile. Thanks Greasykid 1.

wwest · November 2001

will not give you the time of day.

rmginsburg · November 2001

Hschen These are Lexus 17" OEM wheels off a 01 LS430. I do not know if they will fit a 400

lateralg · November 2001

Doesn't Denso make the hardware and someone else the data?

uofmiami · November 2001

NavTech makes the maps on the NAV system

ljflx · November 2001

Are you watching the sky show tonight?

greasykid1 · November 2001

Please e mail me for info on your LS400 wheels

anthonyp1 · November 2001

Of all the gimmicks, I find the laser control to really be usefull. It is not perfect, but most of the time very helpfull in heavy traffic. I get in middle or right lane set it about five miles over spped limit, and don`t then have to anticipate traffic ahead. Those that go faster can pass easily and even if they cut back in front if they are going faster than me the laser does not slow car down. Makes a long trip much easier.
Because of the higher mounting of the map display, at night people fly by and then slow down and play meek. They think the map is a radar detector. To be nice I turn it off. Nothing worse than passing a policeman. Tony

flint350 · November 2001

ljflx - yes, my wife and I went out at 4:30am and sat in her Miata with the top down and watched the show. Despite some ground fog down here in Md., the show was pretty spectacular. We probably saw over 80-100 streaks in about 75 minutes. Thought about using the LS but the moon roof was too restrictive - the top down was the way to go.

I see you're still trying (valiantly but unsuccessfully) to convert merc1 and arcoates. Good try, though. Plus, I happen to agree with you

nealm1 · November 2001

Took my son out at 5:00 and despite the light pollution here in Alexandria VA, we were able to see a spectacular show. Trapsing onto the athletic field at my son's elementary school, we joined maybe a dozen others oooohing and awing over the white streaks and red embers. Really something. Telescope is definitely around the corner.

nofeer · November 2001

Do you think lexus will make an AWD sedan, for the ls or gs line to compete with audi and MB e320 4matic?

vencio · November 2001

I am looking to buy a 1990 Lexus LS400. It is in very good shape and has 129713 miles. I am getting it from a dealership for $6950 Any comments on things I should be aware of? And the few things that are wrong with it (antenna motor, air conditioning), should I expect that those things are fixed by the dealership? Thanks.

Lexus LS 400/LS 430

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