ARfan395

My grandparents are car shopping and they are looking strongly at several CPO LS 460's. The prices are good and they're all under 20K miles, and they are the colors they like. My question for you is, would now be a good time to buy one considering the valve spring recall, or should they look elsewhere?

An important note is they don't live near a Lexus dealer so this may be a problem, but this is the only car they seem to really like and agree on. They tend to keep vehicles a long time (10 years or more), so I would feel bad if they got into something that could be trouble down the road.

JFNash

Let them get an '09. The benefits justify the difference in cost. They're planning to keep the car for a long time, so it's better to have a factory-sealed engine for the entire period of ownership.

Besides, they'll escape all the other works and fixes to be done on the car (the front seats cushion, the fuel pipe or whatever it was, the rattle in the dash (which has been annoying me for some time), ...etc).

For the valve springs recall alone I'd get an '09+.

ARfan395

Ok so the valve spring recall doesn't affect 09+, is it all of 08 or just some? All the 09's with the pricing they want are out of state so finding one is gonna be tough. One of my good friends dad is a GM of a Toyota dealer, maybe I'll see what he can do.

JFNash

The LS460's affected by the valve springs issue are '07's & '08's. So by getting an '09 LS460 your grandparents will avoid the mess altogether.

Now this issue will be covered by Lexus' warranty and the repair will even result in an extended warranty for the engine. But I'd buy the peace of mind with a little extra money, especially it's a pretty big investment that will be kept and taken care of over a long period of time.

JSTALEX

Did it affect ALL 2007's?

JFNash

This is a small app I made to run a VIN and check if it's included in the recall: http://www.4shared.com/get/RKW0ymJa/...l_Checker.html

The app assumes you've entered a valid VIN. So it doesn't checksum the VIN to determine the validity of it (I'm just too lazy to make it perfect, but it works pretty well!).

Hope you get the green result (I'm red ).

ARfan395

Well unfortunately all four of the cars they have picked out are included in the recall. There is a 2009 in their price range with less than 20K miles but it's about 400 miles away If the 2008 models were manufactured later in 2008 is there a chance it can not be? I just don't see how an '08 model that's manufactured in say October 2008 is included, and not a 2009 manufactured in December 2008??

JFNash

The official announcement by Lexus' local agent in Saudi Arabia said the recall includes all the LS460's manufactured in the period between August 2006 and August 2008.

There is a dedicated thread here in this forum where the guys discussed this issue quite extensively. Check it out. I believe it's a must read before anybody makes a purchase.

Nospinzone

I just don't see how an '08 model that's manufactured in say October 2008 is included, and not a 2009 manufactured in December 2008??

I'm not positive about the 2008 year models, but they almost certainly stopped production by July, 2008 at the latest.

Typically what happens at the change of a model year is the entire production line is closed down for re-tooling. All the robots used in the assembly of the vehicle are checked, reconditioned and/or replaced at this time. Reported here was that the spring recall is the result of a faulty robot. My guess is this robot was fixed or replaced during the model year shutdown.

elite7

You might as well wait another week or two to see if 2011 will bring any changes. However, Now is a great time to buy. If you find a nice LS460 with low miles and a great price might as well jump on it. Just make sure its not rebuilt/salvage/frame damage .

The valve spring recall is only on 138,000 vehicles which is extremely minor and on top of that its not only on the LS model.


"Lexus estimates that the likelihood of a customer vehicle experiencing this condition is two-tenths of one percent (0.2 %)."

http://www.lexus.com/recall/#lsRecallSection

Its replaced at no cost .

Also: "Lexus announced that it has informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of its intention to file a Defect Information Report (DIR) regarding approximately 138,000 Lexus vehicles, powered by 4.6 and 5.0 liter V8 and 3.5 liter V6 engines in certain 2006, 2007 and 2008 GS, IS and LS models in the U.S. The formal report will be filed the week of July 5. "

138,000 is not a big amount considering its not only the LS model. Also i havent received a notice in the mail telling me to replace my valve springs. I prefer to not change them .

ARfan395

Seems like Lexus would check these robots more frequently to eliminate these problems. I saw a video on lexus.com of how the LS engine is put through a CAT scan to see any errors...neat stuff.

Here's some information I got on the cars they have picked out:

Car 1: 2008, 14K miles, clean CarFax showing one owner no accidents

Car 2: 2007, 15K miles, clean CarFax showing one owner lease return

Car 3: 2008, 17K miles, clean CarFax showing one owner personal vehicle

Car 4: 2008, 18K miles, clean CarFax showing it was a corporate vehicle

*All are Certified except number 3

All of these cars are between $45-52K, good deals in my opinion, and I would hate for these good deals to pass them up, especially since the cars are relatively close by.

elite7

Sounds pretty good.

Keep in mind the fact that the carfax is clean doesnt mean the car has never been hit.

One LS460 that someone on this forum was looking at was Certified Pre Owned and the Carfax was showing that the car was clean. I ran an autocheck because the price seemed to cheap and it showed it was in an accident.

Bear in mind the fact that the Carfax or Autocheck is showing clean doesnt mean the car hasnt been involved in an accident.

However if all checks out those seem like excellent prices .

ARfan395

I can't imagine them putting a Certification on a car that has been involved in an accident, but I'm sure it happens.

Also, does anyone know if Lexus has begun repairing the valve spring recall? Do you think they are going ahead and repairing cars that are on their lots, or just waiting for someone to buy them and then drop the bomb that the engine in their new car has to be torn down?

miniz

It happens almost every day by lots of dishonest dealers across all brand lines. Never EVER buy a used car without having it inspected by another mechanic (not the dealer's own in-house service dept) AND a body shop (who can show you where/if it has been repainted). Carfax/Autocheck are not God. They do not show cash repairs that did not have an attached police report......ever. Dealers will and do try to pass cars that do not quality for CPO status. Remember, you can make your own CPO for less then a dealer! A CPO is nothing more then a used car, that may or may not meet CPO standards, had an extended warranty slapped onto it, and its a price jacked way, way up!

LexBob2

You didn't say how far away the dealer is. If it's a long distance it could be quite inconvenient for your grandparents if/when warranty work is needed.