Wandl

I actually had Craig work on my car and he's the one that noticed the split cracks on the control arms...

Devh

A great day for LS460 owners.

Check this out.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LS460-LS600h-Front-Upper-Lower-Control-Arm-Poly-Bushing-Kit-07-13-460-461-/221602840393?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3ALS460&hash=item33988eff49&vxp=mtr
Maybe I never mentioned this to anyone here but I sell my own bushing tool specific for the MR2 Spyder along with a DVD.

From my own experience and the hundreds of kits I sold I can tell you that these bushings would be relatively easy to install without a hydraulic press. They also come with a lifetime warranty.
If you need to change out one of these bushings it would be much easier then the OEM sleeved ones.

AznRacer

iTrader: (2)

Just had all 8 of my control arms replace under warranty for $5000. I don't notice any difference in ride quality however I still have a small knocking noise at low braking speed. Car going back Monday for them to inspect. Btw I have a 09 SWB with 111k miles. Thank god for extended warranty so far they spent over $13k on repair for this car.

Wandl

I think that's what everyone has said; its more of a "running at optimal operational metrics" rather than an impactful hindrance to the driving/performance of this car...
And I second your extended warranty notion
Did you have it done at a lexus dealer in WV?

AznRacer

iTrader: (2)

I had it replace in south Florida. The dealership in wv is a joke they never have any parts for this car and they doesn't even want to touch it when it's warranty related. I don't understand why not it's not like they doing it for free. Maybe their techs isn't train well enough to touch the ls460 hahaha

Wandl

My wife is from WV, lived there for a number of years and I agree with you...it seems Mercedes Benz is the luxury game in town. Service is downright appalling..moving here to Dallas is a new experience, especially since (according to Lexus) the DFW area is one of the top markets in the US for Lexus. Service variety, service maturity and halfway decent pricing

Carnut

I did NOT buy my Lexus Platinum Extended Warranty from any local dealership. Lexus paid MY SHOP, not a Lexus Dealership $5,000 to replace my lower control arm bushings. When you go to trade in a car, they usually run it down to their shop, look it over for paint work, any obvious problems with it and have it back with an appraisal in about 20 minutes or so. I doubt they put all trade-ins on a rack and inspect them...........but yes, they may. So, in reality, my Warranty paid for itself several times over but NOT from any area Lexus dealership. I paid $1,750 for it. So I don't care if Lexus pays MY SHOP $10,000 to replace the lower control arm bushings, my Warranty pays it. I think at this point I'm ahead of the game $$$ wise.

Devh

No problem I understand and it's a personal choice. I'm just happy I don't have to finance that pool of payouts when I have affordable options.

R Z

I have a clicking sound when I press the brakes. But the car rides smooth and stays nice and straight when I press the brake. I'll leave it alone for now.

Carnut

Not quite sure what you mean by "Financeing that 'pool of payouts", as I have more affordable options. I paid cash for my car, paid $1,750 for a Lexus Platinum Extended Warranty with $0 Deductible. The Warranty has paid $5,000 for lower control arm bushings, $1,750 for an "Amplifier" that controls the radio, Hands-Free Talking, GPS etc. I'm trying to figure out where I went wrong by buying that CHEAP extended warranty for $1,750. ????????

Devh

I'm just writing that what works for you will not necessarily work for me. I would be better served without a warranty for my car. If I had a warranty my cost would be used to finance others that have to pay inflated dealer cost for parts and labor.

Carnut

I guess I'm just missing the point. I just don't see how you could rebuild your transmission, or a "thrashed" engine for $1,750 bucks. OR, if you have a navigation screen than goes south on you, I just guess you know a lot more about electronics and mechanical issues than I. The radio amplifier is $1,700 +/- at Lexus, but I assume one could find something that would work in a Lexus to power your radio, Hands-Free talking and navigation for less. I'm just not able to replace a transmission or rebuild an engine for $1,750. I admire your talents. My warranty paid off, I'm sorry to say. I've NEVER had a pre-460 model break. I would not drive my LS-460 around the block unless I had it under warranty. When this one hits close to 75,000 miles, it's being traded for a newer one, and I'll pay $1,700 to $1,800 for a Lexus Platinum Extended Warranty with a $0 Deductible and drive with lot's of peace of mind and money in my pocket should something break on it, like has happened on my 2009 LS-460. I just prefer to have it under Warranty, drive their loaner cars and go pick it up when it's repaired. That's worth $1,800 to me over about a 5-year period. I hope I never have to use the Warranty again, but if I do, no money out of my pocket. Good luck with yours.

Devh

Here is my rational and it's based on my car. I purchased the car used and it had a year of warranty left on her. The only thing that was benefited from the factory warranty was a battery replacement. This is something I could have purchased from an auto parts store out of pocket and not crib about it.
I chose a car that was free of problematic options like the air suspension and the ML. I also chose the RWD for further simplicity.
When it comes down to it the problematic areas would be the control arms and the Brake actuator are my only known Achilles heal which does not occur in all cars but if it does I have cheaper alternatives. The NAV and all electronics is not a weak point but yes you can statistically have a problem but the chances are low however there are places that can service it for a reasonable cost compared to the dealer.
When it comes to the core reliability Lexus is the main reason I purchased this car over a BMW.
The engine and transmission are reliable but if I do have a problem I have two years of powertrain on the car already and after that the chances of having a major malfunction goes down as parts wear in and manufacture defects are no longer in the equation to take me to the next milestone where an extended warranty would have expired. If I have bad luck all at once then yes a good argument can be made but it's highly unlikely. If it does happen I will certainly pay more then the cost of the warranty but not the cost of grossly inflated dealership prices that makes it seem as if the warranty is paying ten or fifteen times over what it would cost me to get it done on my own.
Lexus is already soliciting the extended warranty to me and they know the chances of using it would be statistically low and the house always wins.

I don't want to take anything away from a warranty and if I owned a European car I would certainly pay for the best warranty they had to offer but my choice of not having to have a warranty is one of the main reasons why I chose this car.

Carnut

Thanks for the clarification on your theory. You are a much better "Gambler" than I. I like "Certainty" more than "Chances". Your theory is the longer you drive your car, the less chance of something major breaking, and I feel just the opposite. Miles = Wear ! I buy a Lexus Extended Warranty for as long as it will go (from a dealer that DEEPLY discounts them) so yes, I do pay about $1.00 a day to have TOTAL coverage on ALL my car and to me, it's just worth it to me. I'm just a bit more conservative and do NOT like to pay out large repair bills should they arise. Lexus is as you say, one, if not THE, most reliable car made. I've never had ANYTHING break on any of my other Lexus cars prior to the LS-460. Lexus messed up when they replaced the bullet-proof LS-430, in my opinion. The 460 just has too many bells and whistles to go wrong, and over time, they will. As for me, I want reliable transportation in a Lexus and not worry about ever having to spend any any major payouts on BIG repair bills. I can handle $30 bucks a month for a Warranty that affords me the peace of mind I don't have to worry. Thanks for the chat and exchange of philosophies and a Happy 2015 to you.

Devh

Happy new year to you as well. I'm far from being a gambler and I literally don't engage in that activity at all because I never found the trill of playing against the odds. The way I see it is that the warranty only covers you for a limited amount of time after the factory warranty is up. This period between 60-100k or the additional three years coverage is the period where most premature failures due to manufacturing faults are least likely to happen and the wear and tear aspect of the part generally doesn't happen until well over 100k miles. Most Asian cars and trucks generally don't have these issues and I have never encountered a problem in this regard except with BMW because of poor engineering and complexity. What I was merely pointing out is the gross distortions in the industry when it comes to the cost of warranty work akin to how I find it absurd that my health insurance company pays $20 for a Tylenol or the government having to pay for a $50 for hammer. This is the company store trap that loops you into believing you had the advantage when behind the curtain their actual accounting always has them coming out ahead. This is why dealers will show you fake invoices when you go to purchase a car.
I worked at a dealership long ago and they always coerce the customer into believing they got the better of them.
This is why I'm happy the aftermarket and salvage takes this advantage away from the dealership for people like me.
But I completely understand your point of view and I would consider a warranty if I found a weakness in their math and the odds greatly tipped in my favor.