Striker223

Control arms
Engine mounts
Valley plate leak
Brake actuator failure
Engine hesitation

They all have risk of these and the newer ones didn't solve it, they are the same systems.

Striker223

No, that's the dropped valve issue, the issue I am talking about is the hesitation from chain stretch or the headgaskets failing. Usually it's the chains but we have a few cars on here that have had head gasket issues leading to hard to pin down hesitations, both can be checked for but both are also quite annoying to repair.

Oil burning is from an entirely separate issue, the engine uses low tension rings and combined with too long/lower quality oil changes and owners who never run the engine hard enough. Mine had oil consumption to the tune of a little over 1QT per 1000 miles but I used my usual tactic of pulling the plugs and dropping B12 into the cylinders and turning the engine 90* every 3 hours for 12 hours then running it extremely hard afterwards. Now it can do over 5k miles with zero issues or consumption once the rings were freed.

HushedRide

Interesting that some other EV owners recently acquired LS460s.

I’ve owned an Audi e-tron SUV, and Ford Lightning prior to my ‘16 LS 460L. The LS is far quieter and more comfortable than those EVs. It’s been a joy to relax and cruise in on long trips. The ML sound system also whips the butt of anything I’ve experienced.

FlexnLexus

The LS460 sorta feels like an EV since it’s that smooth! Especially at idle and with the A/C turned on sometimes I can’t tell that the engine is running.

After owning my 07 LS460 for a little over 2 years now, I will admit that the melting interior is extremely annoying and you really have to be careful on how you touch things.

For instance I recently replaced the original glove box since it was so marked up with scratches and smudges that couldn’t be buffed out. I tried cleaning it with no avail so I bought a perfect conditioned used one off EBay that I installed myself and it looks so much better now.

The problem is, the interior of the 07-12 is so delicate that I have to be very careful not to scratch or poke my finger against the glovebox since I don’t want it to get marked.

Even the dash itself like everything around the center screen you have to be careful when touching. I hate that aspect of the car, even now my center console below the center armrest on the sides are all marked up and it looks nasty! My interior is tan so everything shows. The material is crumbling away on top on the edges where the armrest is located.

So I definitely recommend anyone looking to purchase an LS460, to stick with the 2013+ models and avoid the 07-12 with the poor quality interior materials. UNLESS the entire interior was replaced under the warranty.

Many Lexus vehicles during the 07-12 generation took a huge nosedive in quality.

The LS430 has much better higher quality interior materials that feel more solid and sturdy especially the center armrest which is thickly padded, including the seats which are also more comfortable and thicker and softer feeling than the 460’s. No crumbling
melting interior to worry about either.

xjokerz

I felt that the 2010 LS saw significant quality improvements inside. Not everyone is crazy about the mouse pointer in the 13 models. You also have the beginning of the dreaded spindle grille, so there are plenty of reasons to stick with the 10-12 models. I also think the control arm issue got sorted out for 2010, but certainly improved by 12 to where nobody would have to worry like if they bought an 08, for instance.

I agree about the 430. The interior felt much more solid and luxurious.

Striker223

They never fixed the control arm issue, they can't. It's a design problem with the whole front suspension and even then ANY multilink will never last as long as an A arm setup.

Gerf

They will never fix that style of upper control arms, that was a problem with ls400's and other models as well. They're like chicken wings up there.
The lower control arms on a awd aren't the flimsy little aluminum ones like on the rwd and it would be easy to replace bushings if they are available, those forward and rearward arms I'm not sure about...time will tell.
I worked at the Toyota/lexus dealer in Winnipeg for 2 yrs 2000-2002 and drove all those cars that people really like now...I never liked most of them Haha.

Striker223

They don't seem to listen on here....the arms are just not designed correctly and they can't exactly fix the issue with parts that are so similar they all interchange lol!

trogdor113

I think this is the key... BMW 3 series owners all think their generation was the last "good" generation of the 3, whether it's the E30, E36, E46, E92, etc. Every car has its inherent faults that get blown out of proportion by owners: Porsche 996 IMS bearing, BMW E60 V10 crank bearings, Subaru boxer valve seals, and so on.

The truth is that modern cars last longer, with longer maintenance intervals and higher average speed limits. ECU's can self-diagnose and suggest possible faults to guide troubleshooting.

No, they don't make them like they used to, and thank goodness for that. If absence of problems is your priority, buy a base-spec Corolla and you'll be quite pleased 😋

user 710812323

This is generally a good take. But what bugs me about a lot the common issues are that they aren't complicated/uncommon/luxury components and are components Toyota/Lexus should know how to make.

Striker223

No they aren't, the issues the LS460 has are typical advanced car type issues related to some of THE most complex systems Toyota ever put into a car. Name me the other Lexus cars with true multilink suspensions?

FlexnLexus

The reason why the older LS’s didn’t have suspension issues nearly as bad, is because they had a basic upper A and lower A-arm setup which does look to be more beefy and sturdier in its design over the LS460’s multi-link weak chicken wing setup.

The old school design works perfectly fine, if you think about it, all the old classic Cadillac, Buicks, and Lincoln’s that rode so smooth used the basic A-arm front suspension with a 3-4 link rear coil spring suspension, and those classic cars ride so much better than even the LS430 or a S-Class that has all kind of sophisticated suspension technology.

You can’t beat a very long wheelbase, full-frame, heavy curb weight luxury car with soft couch like plush cushy seats from the past in terms of comfort and total isolation from the road.

xjokerz

That I agree with. When I had my Avalon just recently, I wanted to go down to 15 inch wheels so I could get the fattest possible tires. I hate how every single car sold these days is sport-oriented.. none of them resembling even the LS430 (which as you said, wasn't even the same as a 70's Cadillac as far as road comfort and pillow soft seats that were more comfortable than a high end bed). They completely ruined the 5th gen LS with this approach. Matter of fact, I can't even access that forum. Probably because I told it how it was, which is the fact that the LS500 is a horrible car in almost every way.

FlexnLexus

I’ve never been a fan of these larger wheels which severely affect ride quality. The 18’s on my 460 like most have, I personally feel don’t have enough rubber on them being a 50 series tire compared to old school cars of the passed. This is why I too installed slightly taller tires by going with a 55 series which has helped in the ride quality department.


The best tire size to absorb most road shock, are very quiet, and to smooth out the ride is a 60 series tire and above. The fatter the better.

We are also being ripped off as well by paying a fortune for smaller diameter tires. Less rubber for more money. 🙄

The LS430 rides better than most sedans including our 460’s. They were engineered to be silent inside and better isolated compared to the 460’s. I just test drove an 04 LS430 not long ago that I was considering buying, and that thing rode amazingly smooth, better than my 07 460L with air suspension which was a shock to be honest.

The days of the old school floaty ride in a modern car is long gone unfortunately because those old classics big American cars rode supremely smooth. Nothing can compare.

I hear that Lexus messed up with the 5th gen LS460’s by making the car ride much more sporty. That was a very bad idea upon Lexus part to engineer the car to ride harshly and is even less quiet compared to the 460 from what some reviews state.

xjokerz

Yeah, I've never been a fan of wagon wheels with 35 series tires either. If I wanted to whip around corners as fast as possible, I'd get myself an older M3 and call it a day. Doesn't surprise me the 430 rode better than the 460. Not many cars in history do.

It is my belief that cars with a floaty, soft ride don't exist anymore because the public doesn't want anything to do with them. Well 99% of them. Why? They are all in a hurry to get somewhere and feel they have to cut in and out of traffic, go around turns fast, pass everyone, speed up like crazy at stop lights, brake aggressively, etc.

The days of smooth, calm driving are over, unfortunately. I also cannot stand seeing big giant behemoth trucks with skinny tires. It makes completely no sense at all.

Lexus did indeed screw up the 5th gen LS. They had a perfect opportunity to develop a TTV8 like the Germans had years prior, but they decide on a V6. It's beyond comprehension. Lots of folks would have bought a 2018 LS if it had a fire-breathing TTV8 in excess of 500 hp. Also doesn't help the 500 has less interior room than the ES, yet it's 9 inches longer.

To count the mistakes on the LS500 would require a thick notepad. I would be there a while, writing everything down.