Excellent point, makes a lot of sense. Glad you pointed it out. I'm a Lexus lover in part due to reliability.

 

Thats part of whats so ridiculous about the arguments these people make against the 460, that "Its unreliable" and that "you'll spend more time in the shop". NO Lexus is "unreliable". Might it be marginally less reliable? Perhaps...but it's still one of if not the most reliable cars on the road...all the data supports that.

 

I would imagine in the beginning, the LS400 drivers panned the LS430 as unreliable and boxy. And so it goes . . . . .

 

They did. It always happens that way. After a while though, it generally slows down...it hasn't done so really in the 430 forum. The 460 is regularly discussed in there, if you go into the 3GS forum for instance, or the 2IS forum for instance, they don't discuss the newer models really anymore.

 

The last Escalade my BIL owned was very reliable and only needed a door handle which came apart. I believe it had almost 100k before he traded it in for the new one. That model started on it's path of being loosey goosey American around 50k.
I think that is the lesson with American cars and not much has changed except for the big bump in initial quality when they are relatively new.

 

I've put another 6,000 miles on this car since I first started this thread (a little over two months ago), and I must say the car still has had no problems. Zero.

109k miles and knock on wood, no repairs other than maintenance....oil changes, tires, spark plugs, air filter, transmission service, wiper blades, headlight bulbs, and a coolant change.

I probably should replace the serpentine belt at some point, but I'm worried once I do the water pump will go and I'll have to replace the contaminated belt. I can't imagine the water pump should last much longer, could it?

 

Don't underestimate the water pumps even though there have been reports of a few failing. This type of design is very reliable but if it were to fail it will fail unexpectedly and not necessarily millage specific. You might even get 200k out of it..

 

DB:
Again, I love hearing about the mileage you put on your vehicle and the maintenance you've performed and the fact that it just keep going w/o issue.
It's just unfortunate that we don't have a few other members that drive this model as much as you do and report their experiences.
I'm sure your ownership experience thus far has only cemented your initial rationale for buying the car, which is what any consumer desires when they purchase anything: they want it to perform/last with little to no issues.
How has the vibration issue been over the last few thousand miles?
I know Toyo/Lex products are made to last, but I find it self fulfilling to feel that you simply have a tank that will execute for an unforseen amount of miles needing only prescribed maintenance.
Awesome man!

 

I know there's a couple members on here with well over 200k miles, but they don't post much, which is too bad because I'd love to hear their stories.

As for my vibration, it's slight at 70...I probably could stand to replace a couple control arms, but I'm in no rush because it's not really something that's bad. It probably would be no better or worse for another 20-30k, but I know the control arms are a problem with these cars. I haven't done much research on which aftermarket ones are best, but I imagine I could replace them all for $600, but call me crazy, I'm only going to replace th ones that are worn out.

 

Well then I probably have a decision to make on the belt. I probably have a decision to make on the coolant too - I was thinking about changing it out again because 35k miles ago I only did a simple drain and refill - plus I have a few gallons of the Toyota Long Life coolant laying around. It's good stuff...pretty high quality coolant. Honda has high quality coolant too.

 

Actually, many do. Not by any means arguing here, nor starting a 430 vs 460 war, but...

When I lived in Knoxville:

-My Lexus Service Advisor
-The Service Manager, who said to me, "these cars are in such high demand that if one came on the floor it would be gone in hours."
-The master tech (whom I spoke with personally when he was changing my timing belt)
-Another tech when I had my oil changed (I always like to talk to whomever is working on my car, regardless of what's being done).
-Lexus of Knoxville also sent me a letter in the mail offering me I think about $1,500-2k more than blue book value. (They probably wanted to charge an outrageous price and flip it bc of said high demand).

Here in LA:
-The service advisor in Beverly HIlls.
-The tech when I had my rotors turned
-The master Toyota tech (Lexus certified, had previously worked there) when I realized not to be a sucker and pay for Lexus service prices anymore, lol.
-BH Lexus also sent me a letter emphasizing how in high demand my then 10 year old car was, and again offered above market value with "no purchase necessary." I'd post a pic of the letter but IDK how on here and don't have the editing tools to black out my name, address, etc.

Just sayin....there are people who say this.

 

Well that's great ajt, I'm happy for you. Tell me, what do you think of the LS460, do you hear horrible things about it? Because what I'm finding is that I bought it for its reliability - along with the looks and comfort of the car - and thus far it's delivering in all those categories. I'm also finding that the fuel economy is as good as my 4 cylinder Honda Accord (which I wasn't expecting).

So for me I've been pretty happy. I never considered the LS430 because it's a bit dated at this point, but then again that's just a natural progression...the LS460 will have a similar fate soon enough. I can buy a LS430 in my area right now for $7,000...160k...needs nothing (or so the add claims). Hard to believe that was once a 55k dollar car. Lexus sends me "offers" every month to purchase my car, they're good like that, I imagine it has something to do with them wanting me to purchase a new 70k dollar LS460. It kind of makes me laugh.

 

I don't know if I'd consider my LS460 a "beast". I'm reserving judgment. I've owned the car 5 months and have driven 5K miles. Not counting certain having the Nav unit and disk drive replaced because of certain buttons around the screen not backlit -- a condition I believe existed when I bought the car and was fixed for free -- I've encountered the following maintenance problems:

1. MIL light came on with a DTC indicating the camshaft actuator circuit was open:

http://www.revbase.com/BBBMotor/TSb/...dPdf?id=172396

This looked to be a fairly quick fix.

2. Brake system warning lights and messages displaying. DTC C1391 was detected, and, per Lexus, the dealer replaced the brake actuator. The service advisor didn't know if the replacement was the redesigned actuator or not, and the invoice doesn't show a part number. I'm going to have to follow up.

I'm happy I bought a CPO vehicle!

3. I might need a new battery. I needed a jump (my bad for listening to music too long with the engine off), and and the roadside assistance successfully jumped my car, but said the cold-cranking value was 0. I've driven the car several times since this with no problem, so who knows?

I'm not sure how old the aftermarket (Centenniel) battery is, but I won't fault the car this time if it needs a new battery.

It's premature to form a conclusion yet, but I'm wary about the car's reliability.

 

I like it; very pretty design, and....it's a Lexus LS....a great car. Like I said, I was not arguing nor even saying anything negative. But I would not trade my 430 for one, unless it were 2012 or newer, and even then I'd still have trouble parting with my '04....I love that car just that much. To me, the 430 is the W126 of S-Classes.


Not necessarily horrible, but certainly things unbecoming of the LS name (from people who work on these cars).

I'm glad you like your car!!!!!!! Yes, the 460s get stellar economy. I thought 28MPG hwy in mine was impressive.

Yeah, they are old. I purposefully bought the one without the nav, extra bells and whistes, etc., just to minimize the datedness, etc. The only thing I wish the car had, honestly, was a blind-spot monitor. That's it. Navs get obsolete and dated (lol) within years.. Smartphones in the holster are the way to go for Nav.

Glad you like your car! And, again, I wasn't coming here to argue, but to simply counter what SWLS15 said. Because, actually, lots of techs DO say the LS430 was the best Lexus ever made. But, of course, they're ALL good cars.

 

Interesting to see this thread pop up again. Figured I might as well give an update since i've had the car roughly 5 months now, and put 6k mi on her. I still 100% stand with this thread's title: the 460 is a beast! I loved my 430, and continue the love for my current 460. The car drives like an absolute dream - all the good parts of the 430 but IMO made even better. It hasn't missed a beat, and that V8 in the 460 pulls quite impressively . I have nothing but good things to say about my 460.

As far as techs go, my dealer in Ann Arbor said the 430 was the best etc...until they saw me with my 460. Now they say the 460s are the best lol, they gotta play the game and make you feel good so you keep giving away your $$$ right?

And on a side note: AJT - congrats on the move back to TN. I know when I went from Chicago back to MI cost of living dropped dramatically (but so did the excitement and food lol). It's a good feeling to avoid excessively heavy traffic and save money at the same time!