ahxks1

I am looking at a 2-owner 60k mi 2004 LS430 that was in an accident years ago under the first owner. Carfax reports rear impact, no airbag, no structural issues. The servicing listed on Carfax at a Lexus dealership a few days later indicated "driveshaft serviced". Does this seem like a red flag to anybody or would it merely be a sensible precaution after a minor rear impact? It is too vague for me to draw any conclusions.

Johnhav430

Because cars can have accidents that don't appear on CarFax, any CarFax that has an accident is totally out for me. We all know that as a general rule, all body work can be seen if one looks hard enough. So I don't want that, not on an old car. If somehow the selling price reflects it, then its personal choice. But the one I saw at a Lexus dealership, clean carfax, but to the eye, hit on both rear left and mid to rear right, overspray on rims and plastic gouged on right, repair records show right rear shock and right front strut replaced, NO THANK YOU!! LOL my .02

In other words why not get a car that has nothing on the CarFax...

TriC

Carfax utilizes police crash report language which varies from state to state. How would a responding officer know whether there is structural damage or not unless it is plainly evident? "Driveshaft serviced" is a strange entry, but it's hard to see how it could be related to the crash if there was, in fact, no structural damage.

While I disagree that any Carfax accident entry should automatically disqualify an LS (these aren't collector vehicles after all), in this case I would urge you to proceed with caution and perhaps have a frame shop inspect the vehicle if it is otherwise what you want at a good price.

jimbosr1

I wouldnt worry too much because it was years ago and the owner didnt unload it right after the accident. How many times a accident isnt reported to carfax?I would bet that at least once in our lives we have bought a used vehicle that has had some body work done and you never knew it .

Johnhav430

I don't like that on repaired cars, the paint while matching perfectly in color, does not match in texture. That's just me.

My buddy was rear-ended in FLA, and the officer refused to take a report. I don't know the law on that, I thought when I was in NYS there was a very low threshold where a report is taken, also, you cannot just hit a dog and drive away. This may apply to cats today.

I remember when we were kids and my buddy took his car to a foreign car specialist who did Ferraris etc. When he went to trade the car in, they said who the *** fixed this, Earl Scheib? They showed how mangled the inside of his porsche was when they removed the fabric inside the rear, it was amazing.

My uncle broke it down like bass and drums and maybe he said the same as what you're saying--you're not dealing with those $200k restorations that you see on tv. Anything is possible, if you pay for it. But for normal body work, even on brand new cars, no, the texture of the work will not match. Not everyone pays attention or even cares like you do. Most higher end cars are leased.

ahxks1

Thanks for your input. The dealership followed up with an explanation of the vehicle service as follows:
"Driveshaft service performed in 2008 was a routine inspection. It is a procedure to re-torque drive shaft flange bolts. It is a 2 minutes service, not a major repair"

Not a mechanic here, can anyone explain "re-torque drive shaft flange bolts" in baby talk, please?

Johnhav430

No different than say using a torque wrench on your wheels, where a tech would use a torque wrench to make sure they are all set to the value they should be. I assume they only tighten, the will not loosen, then tighten. So they're making sure none are loose. this has pics

http://www.justparts.com/Auto_Parts/...N-OEM/31064042

....if you go to Costco, they have a disclaimer asking that you come back within so many miles to retorque the lugs to their proper numbers, on our cars, 76 ft. lbs. What I've found is the fronts absolutely need to be redone for me 3X. I believe this is because I cannot fully tighten them in the air, the front wheels spin freely. They are finished on the ground. The back is locked by the tranny, and may have a lug here and there that needs tightening, but not all, unlike all 10 in the fronts.

edit link

Jabberwock

Re-torque drive shaft bolts is a very standard normal service item listed in the LS430 maintenance guide. Typically performed every 15k I think. Absolutely not related to an accident.

In terms of accident on carfax on an LS430 - if the car looks right cosmetically and structurally, and if it was driven for a long time after the accident, it very likely was correctly repaired and should not be disqualified as a purchase candidate as long as it is not priced like a mint condition no accident car. An accident report on carfax is way more concerning on a newer car with low miles being sold and listed as in perfect condition - especially if owner dumped it soon after accident and repair.

Last year when my car was 11 years old someone hit us going about 3 mph. Extremely minor read end accident but we chose to have police report filed to be safe (always call police for any accident). So my car may have an rear end accident listed on carfax. A buyer would be absolutely nuts to avoid buying my car because of the carfax. . The damage was 100% limited to a 2 inch paint scrape and a 1/2 inch high no depth minor crease of the plastic on the rear bumper cover that I repaired to 95% invisible with hot air gun and a little touch up paint. I took pictures of before and after so if I ever sell my car I can show the perspective buyer the extent of the accident "damage".

05ls430518

iTrader: (1)

My ls430 had a accident that wasnt on carfax or autocheck the dealership lied about no accidents. My LS430 is fine drives straight and has 0 issues just because a car has had an accident does not mean it should be written off. Its like saying you wont date a girl because she had a broken arm once lol

Johnhav430

haha broken arm....we were in a meeting, closed door, so our boss goes, "I would give my right arm for you guys, remember that." We also have the video conference going for our west coast guys.

I go, "Hey *****, how about your left arm too, because you seem to be left handed?" Everyone was laughing....it's good to be able to laugh at work....

Bocatrip

Yes it is true that many cars are sold regularly that have had accidents with no mention on car fax. However....for me personally, who happens to be fanatical about everything, once I see anything on a car fax mentioning accident I'm long gone. I feel there are still enough cars out there that can be found without body work. . Body work for me is the biggest turn off. My 2001 still has original paint other than the bumper covers which were redone last year. No dings are evident and the car presents itself as new from the outside other than the standard paint chips on the front hood and fenders after 135,000 miles. I won't buy a car that even has a single body panel repainted. Original is always original and at least we know what we have. I was recently thinking of replacing my 01 with an 06 found locally. I happened to find the car parked in a nearby mall parking lot and noticed the rear quarter was redone. The owner did mention a rear bumper hit and I noticed the trunk having some difficulty closing at the original inspection. I lost any interest. Bottom line is I know after 9 years of ownership what I have now... unless I can find something better for the money, I'm sitting still for any replacement. PS... Sorry for wandering off the main subject.

ahxks1

05ls430518

iTrader: (1)

Sweet man and I live in very hilly area and I get around 16mpg average when I am in the city its usually 18-20 so depending on were you live and the driving conditions you should get decent mileage. I love the car though looks super smooth.

ahxks1

The Gentleman flaked out on me and never showed up to buy my ES hybrid; so had to cancel the purchase of the LS. What a shame. Was a nice LS too

05ls430518

iTrader: (1)

Next time make them put a $500 deposit down, separates the bull****ters from the go getters, talking from experience.