VolumeToo

Are to me a massive annoyance on this car. (Is it possible to get this feature de-programmed?)

When parking next to a kerb, going forwards, the natural thing is to tilt the mirror downward so you can see how close you are.
So, having tilted it down, you select reverse so as to go backward to get a little closer (probably). But unless you bring the mirror up first, it'll try to tilt down even more - driving the mechanism beyond its limits. (So ultimately you end up with a mirror that's not pointing where the controller thinks it is.)

Auto-tilting mirrors were a thing on the Mk4 LS400 - but not to the point where you couldn't retain manual control of whatever side you wanted by sliding the switch accordingly. Here, you can't.

Is it just me, or is this another dumb feature of this car?

demark1

It is just you, I suspect. There are a couple of missing features I would like (Parking brake automatic release, heated steering wheel, and battery protector). but overallm the LS430 is the most ergonomic car I have ever driven in, especially for one with a touch screen of any sort. My Cadillac XTS is a nightmare to change temperature, adjust radio. etc. without hitting the volume slider, and I can't see out the sides well. You are entitled to your opinion but there aren't a lot of "dumb features" on this car and most of us in this forum are fond of it and have owned it (for 15 years in my case) for a reason.

Perhaps to help: the mirrors do not tilt down in reverse if the mirror switch is in the center (off) position. They also do not tilt back up when you exit reverse. When mirror switch is in left or right position, the mirrors both auto-tilt down about as far as possible, then back up when you leave reverse. In my car, both modes work perfectly. I rarely set auto-tilt on, but I have on occasion for curb parking. A more common problem is that the switch itself gets corroded and manual control of mirrors gets tricky. There have been posts on cleaning with switch or replacing it. In my case I find that pushing the mirror to all 4 sides from time to time, (both left and right) seems to help keep the mirror switch working reasonably well. That is a separate issue from yours, and more a design-of-switch issue.

I see you have many posts on this forum, and I have not read them, so perhaps you have a long history here that I am not yet aware of, but this particular post the wording seems confrontational or disparaging. ("another dumb feature of this car.") I do not put the LS430 on some crazy pedestal. My car is nearly 20 years old and not perfect.. But, man (or woman), read the manual at least. Or ask. I believe this is a non-issue, unless I am reading you wrong or your particular car has an issue.

VolumeToo

I have owned four LSs since 2004, the first being a Gen 1 and the previous being a facelifted Gen 2 (a.k.a. Mk4). What I see with the 430 is an example of where designers don't know when to leave things alone, or think they are adding value by incorporating artificial intelligence or second-guessing the driver's intentions. (I'm also aware that current cars are totally off-the-scale in this respect, where the ongoing agenda is to gradually remove control altogether.)

Of course I know that the mirror doesn't tilt in the center position. But also that I might just want manual control of one or the other mirrors of my choosing, and have it stay put for the duration of a parking operation, without a lot of switch-fiddling. My point is that on the LS400 Mk4 it was much easier.

Incidentally, I don't find the touch-screen particularly logical - especially with the hard buttons around the edge and no clear rationale as to what's on the screen and what's not.

And believe me - over-the-shoulder visibility was way better in the 400.

I know I made a mistake in buying the 430. Yes it handles well, is quiet, comfortable and the audio system is fabulous. Unfortunately however, the ride is as hard as a rock by comparison, the telescoping steering motor is shot (aren't they all?) and I've already spent ££££ in repairs on a car that's done less than 90,000 miles. (No LED light-cluster failures yet; that'll be next.)

Perhaps 'dumb features' was a bad choice of words. 'Smart-*** features' might have been more fitting.

demark1

I see you've had a lot of troubles with your car based on post history. Sorry for that. Not sure what mileage/condition you purchased it in. But my parents had a 1990 LS and s 1995 LS (kept 14 years, 180k miles). They were great cars, but they were so afraid of driving them in snow ("no traction") that they used a different car to get around in snow. This nearly kept me from getting the RWD LS430. But I'm glad I didn't worry. With all season and now all-weather tires it has been fine. To gie a sense of things, My LS430 has had an alternator, starter, wheel bearing, ypipe, 1 cat, 1 o2 sensor, seat heater reattached and (just now) hood cable. About 6k USD in repairs primarily at a dealer after my extended CPO warranty expired in 2015. With 2-3 sets of brakes, 3 sets of tires, and fluid (trans, diff twice, power steering once, brake fluid several times), spark plugs, and 2 timing belt jobs with water pump, and probably 4 batteries, now around 17k-18k total USD in 15 years. Far from the cheapest, and overall my other cars have had fewer total issues, but they also didn't make it in good shape to the 20 year mark as well as my LS430 has.

I prefer the 430 to the 400 for spaciousness and the Nav system. My parent for last 15 years have had an ES350 which they love. It is "tighter" than my LS: even as a 2009 it's in better "shape". It feels newer. But I love the LS and have had minimal issues in the last 5 years.

"But also that I might just want manual control of one or the other mirrors of my choosing, and have it stay put for the duration of a parking operation," Had to really think on this, but I think I get it: If you push switch to left to adjust it while in reverse, mirror goes down automatically. So reverse + adjust mirror, you can't avoid the autotilt. Point noted. It was just never a significant issue for me.

People say the 460 is even worse in repair expenses, and yet most owners love them as well. A bit of luck with it all, especially buying used.

BaconLS430

Not a dumb feature, just being used in a manner inconsistent with the design and thus running into issues. You shouldn't need to tilt the mirror down when moving forward to know how far your passenger wheel is from the curb. That said, the Auto-Tilt should be a feature that can be disabled with a Techstream or some other scanners.

YoshiMan

Don't you just have to have the mirror selector switch in the "center" position? Seems to be the defacto standard on Toyotas and Lexus's

demark1

I think what's going on is he wants to adjust it by hand in reverse, so positions the switch off center. But then, in reverse, it does auto-tilt, which he does not like. There is no simple way to have car in reverse, set switch to left or right to ADJUST MIRRORS, and not have them autotilt, It just doesn't bother me, to the point that I had to read his response to even "get": it.

05ls430518

iTrader: (1)

You have had many LS's so money doesn't seem like an issue so get a beatsonic kit or grom v2 add a camera to the mirror for parking and call it a day. Your making it out like the 430 is a bare bones and 0 tech. Your trying to find things to gripe about for the sake of griping no vehicle does what you want also adjusting mirrors while reversing seems like a terrible idea just my opinion.

CA2WALS430

Yep, keep the switch in the center and they stay put. I like the feature, saves from curb rash.