lukestanke

Hi Guys I'm new to this community & I've been in the market for an LS430 as of recent. There's one I'm pretty set on & I've done all the regular checks when buying a used car. My only question would be what mechanical issues to look out for most. I read up that the Transmissions last between 130k and 180k & this worried me slightly as the car I'm planning to purchase has 169k on the clock. Along with this the steering rack gaiter is damaged but still prevents from dirt, is this something I should be concerned about leading to future issues with the rack itself. If anyone can help me with the main issues that can likely happen with a 430 around this milage. Thanks & I'll appreciate anyone who helps me gain more knowledge about these beautiful machines & enlighten me with your own experiences. Cheers.

Luke.

Striker223

Link the car or at least tell the year please

Gronemus

I don’t know where you got your information about the transmissions but that little factoid was incorrect. In the four years I’ve been here I occasionally run into a thread where somebody has an issue with their transmission but that can be expected. People generally come to forums to either look up information before they buy a car or if they are having a problem with one.

The early batch of 2004 models were recalled due to a transmission issue that could keep the car from going into park. All of those were replaced.

There was a recent thread where someone posted that he has 550k miles on his LS430 and he hasn’t even changed out the fluid. What does that tell you about the durability of them???

All of the other information that you seek is plentiful on this forum. Scroll down to the last thread in the sticky section and then scroll down to the last item in the list and that is a poll that asks members what they have fixed on their cars. The thread doesn’t come up that often because people generally don’t have too many issues with this car.

I let others chime in but the most frequent items that generally need attention are door lock motors, speaker foam surrounds needing replacement, timing belt replacement (maintenance item), tilt or telescopic motor replacement. The best thing you could do is to make sure that the car that you want to buy is thoroughly inspected either by you (if you know what to look for) or a mechanic.

Good luck and keep us posted...

AronH

I wouldn't worry too much about the transmission's longevity if the car has a good maintenance history.

However, you should be financially preparing for maintenance. I bought an 05 with 108K miles last April and have already put over $2K into parts/labor (new Lexus rear struts, rebuild ML amp, new O2 sensor). It's a very nice car for its age, but more expensive to maintain than a Camry.

JffGRY706

if you are looking at a car, check if the windshield is original Lexus glass or a replacement. the original windshield is made with titanium and is water repellant. worth over $1,000 but a replacement will be Chinese glass worth only maybe $200 at best.