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Comments
Oh well, at least it hasn't caught up with me yet at 6200 miles.
I've had 4 Toyota cars (3 of them Lexi),1 Mercedes(ML),5 BMWs(325td,325,330,540,MINI Cooper S) and this is the most major replacement recall I've ever experienced. Some of the cars I had were first year cars-ML(worst for MB) and MINI S(near trouble-free)-tells you that sometimes,it's all about DUMB LUCK.
Harry
Thanks for the info. The shop the Lexus dealership uses is their own. They claimed to use all the latest tools and techniques. But, since I have the silver metallic, which is one of the hardest to match, I am not holding my breath until I see it again later this week.
The only good thing is no one got hurt and I am just another 'bull market' away from trading in this LS430.
Make sure you inspect the car in full sunlight when complete, it will instantly show any blemishes which indicates subpar work. Pearl white is one of the toughest colors to match and look not repainted.
I am afraid of this again. The Lexus shop agent even said something like this was possible as the mechanical arms that paint the Lexus at the factory are all shooting at the frames at a certain angle. The people who do the body shop painting just cannot replicate these angles.
Sounded reasonable to me, but I couldn't see the scientific backbone of that explanation.
(BTW I'm not asking for this information to solicit gratuitous bragging rights as much as to determine what kinds of other automobile tastes this forum has)
P.S. me: 2001 LS430, 1998 Landcruiser, 1997 Miata, 1973 Mustang convertible
Had 2001 Mercedes S500 for 3 years before that.
Had 2000 Mercedes ML430 for 11 months before that.
1998 Lexus ES300 for 1.5 years
1985 Honda Prelude for 11 years
1985 Honda CRX-Si for 2 crazy "single years"
Seriously thinking about that phantom V-12 LS nowadays.
On my recommendation he had the work done both times at the Lexus authorized body shop. I can tell you his car looks flawless. Even in direct sunlight you cannot tell his car was repainted, and as I said he has silver. You shouldn't have anything to worry about.
I'm a current LS430 owner (2002) and Ls400 owner (1992). I've owned the 1992 from new, and love to brag about it's spotless reliability record. I had a 98 LS from new and traded it for the LS430..I traded a 1989 Buick Park Avenue for the '92 LS...I'm predominately a Lexus fan, though my enthuasiasm has been tempered by the trouble my LS430 has given me. I'm likely to sell this car next year and get a '03 Jaguar XJ unless the '06 LS is a real looker...
SV
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/recallsearch.c- - - fm
I have also noticed a shift pattern that drops the transmission into first gear when turning a corner. If I try to accelerate, the engine revs to 2500 rpm's before shifting to a higher gear. If the transmission is placed in "snow" mode, this does not occur. The service representative states that the new transmission will be installed with new software management. That should eliminate this problem.
it now has about 40,000 miles on it, about 35000 of them highway miles. new tirest at 18,000, new front brakes at 18,000 (ridiculous)? new rear brakes at 36,000, replaced front brakes have 5000 miles left left!? correct me if im wrong but arent brakes(the worst of the worst) supposed to last at least 40k? each time i go in for an oil change the dealer gets me for something. also, my nav system, virtually useless, GPS signal 5% of the time, otherwise im in the ocean, and thats when i dont get no disk detected 50% of the time. i talked to the dealer and they said they would order a replacement harddrive? that better be under warranty. has anyone else experienced this or is the dealer really ripping me off?
I think I got a good deal at end of month on LS (about 6500 off).
I am Very happy with my choice. I really wanted Blue Tooth, and the ML system and those 2 items alone make the Lexus the clear winner for me.
I was able to down load my phone book from my Sony Ericsson phone in about 3 minutes once we figured it out (call customer care from Sony if you need help). I bit the bullet and went for the factory installed Sat. Radio which is too expensive but my 20 year old son said it best, "This is awesome!"
The ride is sublime and the acceleration is terrific.
The dealer was not what a luxury experience should be about, however. The negotiations were "old school" meaning full of voodoo numbers and old tricks ("we made a mistake on the calculation, you must take delivery by tomorrow"), high pressure tactics, double teaming etc. Very disappointing I almost walked but it was the car I wanted, so I bit the bullet. Next time I will not even enter a dealership to purchase a Lexus but do all via phone and fax. BMW and MB were much nicer experiences.
Same with delivery experience. Sat radio was not activated by dealer and when I called to do so was told that dealer needs to do it so that I can save on activation fee and free first month. No luxury aspect in picking up car. Just sat in lot with salesperson and he went over car with me. They were delivering many cars that day and it was a bit stressfull as they were running way behind schedule and I had to wait a bit. We did not finish and I had to go back the next day.
But love the car so far.
One thing I don't understand is the shift options.
If you put the button in power mode does that hold the gears longer for a sporty type of drive?
By putting lever to left I know you can "manually shift" but I don't really get how the ranges (1-6) work or why and when you'd use).
With gear shift lever to right (normal position) will the car use gears 1-6?
Maybe someone can explain better than the manual.
Thanks for everyone's help and input in the past which was useful information in making my decision to "join the club".
1. smooth quiet ride
2. I don't go more than 80 miles per hr
3. I have 17 in wheels
4. Pretty good handling
5. I live in So Calif so weather is not a factor...it's always summer here.
6. I don't care about cost; but like most Lexus people, I don't want to spend more money than I really need to.
7. Good life span...durable...I've got 31K on my original Dunlops, and probably have another 5K or so left.
HELP!!
It does sound as if their is a glitch in your Nav system and that should be covered... Good Luck
topspin - good luck. You really did your homework. The extra power button just gives you added 0-60 power and torque and I don't think it has any noticable effect on gas mileage.
I drive my 01 in the NW states the only place I had even a minor nav. reception problem was in Salt Lake...I have driven in Canada Washington Oregon Idaho Montana Arizona California and Except for Salt Lake...and then only for about 20 minutes....
IF I HAD THE BAD LUCK YOU HAVE HAD I WOULD BE DRIVING A DIFFERENT CAR...MAYBE A NICE DEPENDABLE AUDI OR BMW OR MERCEDES.
1993 Ford Ranger PU
1994 Ford Aerostar AWD
1992 LS400
2001 AWD(??) RX300
2001 Porsche C4
The 78 was my first Porsche and wife will not let me sell it. 93 PU is for garbage and yard waste/work. Aerostar is company hauling vehicle and backup for the RX, the Aerostar AWD actually is. LS is still around because it is perfection. C4......well, you understand.
RX300....test mule.
I copied the following from the edmunds site above. Looks to me like they may replace the entire transmission. 13,000 involved in the recall, that sounds like the total production for that period but I'm only guessing.
Corrective Action:
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT LEXUS AT 1-800-255-3987
1) Check prices using Edmonds and the country wide listings...The two top dealers in the country are JR lexus (I think that is right) is So Florida and Longo Lexus in So California. I flew 1500 miles to Longo to buy my car and would do it again. From my research the above 2 dealers and dealers in the Mid-West seem to have the best deals.
2) It will be difficult to find just the right car in the right color...If you can I would recommend finding an Ultra...a used (pre-owned) Ultra can be a great deal because you get everything but the additional cost is only about 20% of the orginal mark up. I really could care less about the vibrating seats but like most everything else on my Ultra and if you are going to buy a car that will last 10 years if you want it to ...Get EVERYTHING.
3) Get a Certified Lexus gives you an additional 3 years of what amounts to a new car warrenty...Remember to certify the car costs the dealer between $1000 and $2000 and that will be in the price.
4) As with any used car look for the lowest miles you can get...Yes LS430s are good for Lots and Lots of miles but low miles is always better...you should find something easily with less then 40,000 and probably with less then 30,000 if you look hard enough and are willing to fly somewhere to pick it up.
They are really great cars...all the little stuff like the eye glass holder and the coin thing, and the garge door and fence opener, and the auto windshield wipers and the button that lowers the rear head rests after someone has been in the back seat, and the side mirrors dimming automatically as well as the rearview mirror and the puddle lights and the side view mirrors that automatically fold in when you turn off the car depending on how you want to set it. The upper and lower bulsters for your back, the cooled and heated seats, the button that raises and lowers the rear sun screen, the button for raising and lowering the head rests, The laser cruse control, the compartment for your cell phone, 2 glove boxes and storage under the seats, and it just goes on and on and on IT TRULY IS AN AWSOME CAR.
the Nav. system is a must as far as I am concerned. My guess is the car also has MK since it was usually sold as a package with Nav.
If you haven't spent any time driving the car maybe you could get your brother-in-law to switch cars with you for a weekend. Once you drive it you will know you want it....
If you want to know how far these cars can go - a friend bought my 95 LS400 and it now has over 250K miles, is still going strong and just needs to be maintained. But the mileage is rural and highway - not city. Be advised though - once you cross 125K miles the maintenance isn't cheap.