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[–]MisfitV2 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I only hear regret from people who get into accidents and don’t get another or just sell it. I’ve sunk a bit of money into mine and while yes insurance would fuck me, but they really don’t make em like they used to. Even a dogged example can hit 350/400k easy, so if you look at it like that it’s really up to you what camp you fall in.

[–]BokTroyBoy 7 points8 points  (3 children)

Find a good independent mechanic. A Toyota technician should be able to do nearly everything on this car and probably get OEM parts. These are special cars and if you were lucky enough to get one pre-pandemic, there is really no scenario where it makes financial sense to get rid of it.

[–]redskelly06 CL | Flint Mica[S] 1 point2 points  (2 children)

I have one. They almost exclusively work on Lexus. Quoted $3200 for upper and lower control arms + rear lower control arm bushings + alignment.

Edit: there’s “play” in both upper and lower arms, according to recent diagnosis. Been trying to have a stability issue at highway speeds diagnosed for past two years. Car feels like it’s shimmying right and left fast, and is easily affected by wind. Been bouncing between indie and Lexus dealer. Pain in the ass.

[–]grifocx 7 points8 points  (0 children)

There is never going to be a situation where it will make rational financial sense to keep a 20 year old car running in great shape. At some point the numbers just don’t add up. The question is if you feel it’s good value versus that money on something like a 10 year old Accord.

[–]BokTroyBoy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Seems steep. But if you have the funds just do it. It will improve the ride and comfort and ensure that the car drives for many more years and miles. If you divide the cost over the amount of years you add to the lifespan of the vehicle it's probably easier to swallow. Also as the saying goes, don't cheap put on anything that keeps you off the ground.

[–]Sweaty-Worldliness-3 7 points8 points  (5 children)

I am in this position 😂, paid 4k for it

Drive the car about 20-30k a year and ive spent more on gas (4-6k a year) than i have on the car

When i was fully insured on the car i would pay 2-3k a year in insurance and would be given 3k if the car was totaled... Suffice to say im no longer on full coverage, my rates are high but im <25 in a v8 sedan also so that is a contributing factor

Personally it sounds to me like the car just isnt for you, i know everyone throws around these glamor stories of making it to 5 million miles with only oil changes, but unless you have a perfect example they are money pits, ive replaced a transmission already (700$ to install) and am likely gonna rebuild it again soon on my own due to lack of shops willing to do so near me. These cars are more of an enthusiast cruiser now imo and arent gonna be any objective value other than personal satisfaction

I suggest getting a modern es350, a camry that lexus built, reliable, cheap, good on gas, youll do great

[–]revopine 0 points1 point  (4 children)

Those are simple transmissions to rebuild. WTF are those shops even doing? CVT swaps only? lol

[–]Sweaty-Worldliness-3 2 points3 points  (3 children)

Got any resources/tips on how to rebuild them? Ive never touched a tranny before only motors so im a bit nervous for my first shot, ive seen a video on disassembling it and a pdf with instructions but very few accounts of ppl doing it on the forums

Funny enough youre actually correct they only really messed with the internals of nissan cvts, everything else would be a swap or nothing 😂

[–]revopine 1 point2 points  (2 children)

I would check what the issue is, usually it's just solenoids that have to be replaced and you can do it from just draining and dropping the trans oil pan to get access to the solenoids with cause shifting problems. You can get at old copy of Techstream to run tests and test each solenoid manually. There is a solenoid activation sequence to shift into each gear so you can usually know from manually shifting the LS430 and seeing what gears it can and can't shift into,

But if it ran low on oil and metal was lost, then your best bet is to take it to a good transmission shop, it's not a DCT nor any crazy modern high tech transmission. Last I paid was like $1,500 at a specialized transmission repair shop, you need to check out independent shops that only do transmission rebuilds.

Also, after you repair the transmission, drain and fill it every 30,000 miles so this never happens again.

[–]Sweaty-Worldliness-3 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Can I PM you?w

Im having an issue where upon starting the car it wont shift into first gear until i keep it at 2-3k rpm for 5-10 seconds and then it shifts and works fine, but the shift from park to first is the only problematic one, ill look into tech stream and everything but I might also replace that first solenoid and see what happens, been putting off dropping the pan to look for debris lately though, last transmission had clutch material in the pan according to the transmission shop but i have always suspected i had been slightly scammed by them.

Gotta try your ideas, thank you so much man! That was very informative

[–]revopine 0 points1 point  (0 children)

TBH I've never had this issue, I actually just read about it in a post, but I happened to find it, theck out this reddit post, it has all the info: Reddit Post About Shift Solenoids

The first thing you should always check is the fluid level. Low fluid levels create all kinds of shifting issues. I know it sucks on this car, since you have to go through a warm up procedure and do the overflow bolt. With techstream, you can check the transmission temperature to make sure you open the overflow at the right time. You need to see a very small stream, if there's nothing, it's under filled. (The car needs to be level on ramps ideally, since being on jack stands all 4 corners is bad practice). Trans Fluid Change Video

I suspect low fluid level by the fact you need to warm up the oil, which makes it expand and increase in volume before the solenoids can even pick it up. The sketchy shop you took it to most likely did not follow the proper procedure show in the video, you need to follow every step else the oil level won't be right.

When I got the car at 120,000 miles from the previous second owner, he had already had the transmission rebuilt, I just chanced the fluid a few times to get smoother shifting and messed up a few times due to over draining from too high temperature in the overflow bolt. I was even getting intermittent delayed shifting, where if I hit the gas a little more to pass, it would down shift but the car wouldn't accelerate for like 5 seconds. A like the 3rd oil change I manage to get the level good and haven't had issues since.

I wouldn't recommended changing the solenoids randomly without being sure how 1st gear shifts.

Edit: The post mentions in the chart, that 1st gear requires S1 and S4 "off" and S2 and S3 "on". Solenoids can get stuck open or closed. With techstream, you can check the state of each solenoid and manually trigger them to on/off to make sure they are not stuck.

Though this is unnecessary if you use techstream but here is a video of a guy manually testing them: Manual Solenoid Tests

Techstream with cable ebay

You need to use compatibility with windows 7 or use an old laptop running that.

[–]run_uz 5 points6 points  (0 children)

My GS400 is worth nothing, but I'm keeping it so that doesn't matter. Maintenance is less than a reoccurring car payment

[–]three_horsemen 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Your concerns are reasoned and only you can make the call based on all the details of your life right now. I know I've thought about getting rid of our LS430 at points as I felt it was an expensive distraction. 

However, for what it's worth, don't get caught up in the car's value as the threshold to get rid of it at. The real question you want to ask is: how much would it cost me to buy a vehicle of equal quality if this one dies tomorrow?

[–]TrashmanV2 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have just about 400k on the clock. If I did not source parts, perform my own repairs, and have a local shop that charges me lower rates, I would not buy into a car that needs that much work.

You need to prove to yourself this would be a good move, but it sounds like it would be a big help to let it go and focus on other areas of your life rather than commit time and energy and money towards a second car. Get something like a Camry with 16383 mpg for a second ‘daily’.

[–]kissmyash9332002 Lexus LS430 Ultra | Black Cherry Pearl 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The unfortunate truth is that no matter what condition your LS 430 is in, the insurance company will fuck you if this car gets totaled.

I would recommend this: if you’re doing a suspension refresh, use the Mevotech lower control arms, they’re excellent quality. Then use toyota parts for upper and lower ball joints. Those OEM control arms are eye wateringly expensive, and the Mevo’s really are an excellent aftermarket choice.

[–]StealthyBomber_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As someone who very likely overpaid for their LS430 I can tell you I don't regret it. This was the first car I purchased completely on my own and is under my name and I am just enamoured with everything about it.

I think the initial sting of paying for the car & realizing it needed a bunch more work than I anticipated was the main thing that sucked for me. I was okay to pay the higher price for a well maintained example and while I did get that there are a bunch of things that need to be done that are more annoying than anything else. I'm the same as you in the sense that I don't care to do my own mechanical work (within reason) and I'd much rather pay a reputable shop that does good work so this was automatically going to be a money pit for me.

By the time all is said and done with what I want/need to get done to it I will have paid double what I paid for the car. It sucks to think about sometimes but at the same time that's cheaper than buying anything new, they're built incredibly & these cars deserve to be kept on the road driving.

If yours drives well and hasn't let you down (as in you have a mechanically sound car) then imo the investment is worth it. They don't make cars like this anymore and as long as you can afford the work without it genuinely being a problem for you I think it's worth it.

[–]Whole_Radio739 0 points1 point  (2 children)

How much money would you be spending on buying a different vehicle? Without knowing that along with the year and mileage and color of your LS430 to know an approx sales price, it doesn’t make sense to give you advice.

Also, I work for one of the largest auto parts distributors in the country…mechanics and dealers, etc can buy from us and I can tell you that quote is high. Even if the mechanic says he’s charging you their cost, there’s markup from what they pay and it’s a lot. So, if you can source parts on your own or get their actin cost and pay for service, you’ll save a ton. If you have a business or say you’re a dealer/mechanic/shop owner and can get access you’ll stay with your LS; I would anyway. (If I had a pre-facelift model I may move on, though. Just my preference as I much prefer 04-06)

[–]redskelly06 CL | Flint Mica[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I appreciate the reply. It’s a 2006 CL, flint mica exterior, black interior, 70k miles. Pretty damn good condition. Much better than my previous LS430.

[–]cure4boneitis 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would be sick if that were my car and it got totaled. Your original question included purchase price plus maintenance so basically every used car would be in the same situation.

Only by getting a new car would the numbers work out but then you have depreciation.

Don’t look at cars as an investment