2ton

Change the trans fluid. I wish I had in hindsight after my transmission in the"04 LS430 went south. Traded it in with 230K showing on the odo, but it was a great car. The new one I bought just doesn't feel as rock solid as the "04.

Our '04 LS430 is a great car. Powertrain is well designed and will last 300,000 miles + if cared for. I would want to see service records before purchase. The timing belt 100,000 service is costly. Michelin tires are great if installed. The optional GPS electronics package seem marginal, as is optional ride control. I would stay away from a car so equipped. We bought the car 8 years ago with 100,000 miles on it, and knew the original owner. Car was always serviced at the Lexus dealer, a GREAT find on a used LS. Things that went south on our LS in 8 years: tires, brakes, O2 sensors, passenger door lock, headlight movement, steering wheel movement, back window screen, hood and trunk struts, driver seat leather.

Hi James We just took our '04 LS 430 to Key West and back, with 240,000 miles showing before the trip. No Issues whatsoever. Get the tires first. I like the Michelins- great ride and good tread life. The other stuff can wait a while. Maybe cruse control next if planning long trips. The LS is a great car, and should run for many years. Electronic glitches are to be expected, however. I choose to ignore mine rather than spend the bucks.

More Lexus "beater" evidence (quick checks) - oil black on oil stick - air filter dirty - brake fluid black - tire pressures low/inconsistant - a/c cabin filter clogged - spark plugs worn, rusted/never changed - owner used 87 gas (instead of premium) - gas purchase receipts tell all- (yes, it will run on low-test) - oil/filter change records incomplete/missing

Joel Do spend a buck on a Car Fax before you commit to ANY price. If the Fax is clean, spend another buck on a mechanic, preferably one familiar with Lexus, for an unbiased mechanical opinion ( negotiating these costs in the purchase price is not unreasonable). Best of luck!

More evidence of a "beater" Ls: - spare tire gone or worn-out, used - missing owners manual (originally in nice pouch with Lexus pen) - missing tool box, first aid kit, both in trunk (mine were never used, like new) - missing cargo netting in trunk - 2 Lexus owner keys and a valet key that came with car missing. Although these items are not really necessary, they do indicate the past owner(s) car care, or lack thereof

I've got an "04, same car basically, 230K and still runs great. No major mechanical issues, but consider this: - Timing belt service, recommended at 100K. Expensive job and must be done. - Tires, battery, possibly brakes (more$) - air shocks, a big $ shocker! - Really unusual wear on the steering wheel shown in your pic. Same on console. Leads me to think car was not really taken good care of, like regular oil changes done? I would go $1,500 max or walk away. The car would get less at auction.

I've done basic repairs, things like tires, brakes, spark plugs, oil and filter, cabin a/c filter, fresh antifreeze, fresh brake fluid. My O2 sensors showed up on the trouble code at @150K, and I had my mechanic replace all 4 ( they're hard to get to).Thats about it. Best car I've ever owned, now have 240K and runs like new. Do have your mechanic check it out, including trouble codes showing up. I'd stay away from crash-damaged (body worked) cars. Good luck!

Timing belt done at 100K?

Service records?

The panel is held by push-in plastic clips. Pops out with upward pressure using the paint can tool (#3 instruction above). You may need more force using tool, or try using 2 paint can openers on a corner of the panel, pulling up. Mine had gunk around the edges of the panel, making it a bit harder to pop up.

Duracell is my battery of choice for the smart key. My '04 came with 2 owner keys and a valet key. One of my owner keys has some issues with battery life-so I use it as a backup key, kept in a zip- lock with battery removed.

The door latch will close at times on my Chevy, causing the door not to close and latch correctly. To fix, I have to pull the inside door handle out with one hand and open the closed greasy latch with the other hand. It's like a little flip catch mechanism. May be the same with the LS

I use 10/40 summer, 5/30 winter. Frequent oil & filter changes is probably more important than weight, however. My '04 LS430 has oil & filter changes every 3,000 miles, Mobil One synthetic, and runs great after 235,000 miles.

I bought OEM floor mats from the Lexus dealer in Va Beach a couple of years ago, all 4 for @ $100 or so, which came with the plastic hold-down clips. Very reasonably priced. Still rug on rubber, however.

I would first contact liftsupport.com and explain the issue with what they sent. Sounds like you need stronger struts (more gas charge) than you were given. They were very helpful with a strut issue I had on my LS430 at no charge. Worth a try before going OEM.

A hand mirror and flashlight makes it easier to see the 2 buttons, which are labeled, while sitting in the driver's seat. Low tire warning is removed by turning on ignition (but not starting engine) with key inserted in key slot, if you still have issues with smart key , then holding in low tire button until the warning goes out. Smart key button, next to low tire button, will have 2 positions, either in or out. I believe in is active, and out is off, but my car is not here at the moment to check.

I had my independent mechanic run the codes when this warning occurred on my '04. A single O2 sensor near the engine was tripping the code. Of course, this one (of 4) sensor was in really in a tight area of the exhaust pipe. I let the mechanic replace it. I bought the sensor at Advance Auto, reasonably priced, and went ahead and replaced the other three sensors myself (as the car is 12 years old), @ a 30 minute job.

Keep the LS430. Ours has over 200K miles with only brakes, tires, and O2 sensors replaced in the last 4 years. We just drove it from NC to FL, spent @ $120 in gas roundtrip. Quiet and comfortable on the long trip. And SAFE doing 70+ MPH on I-95.

The cup holder unit that I bought online was an exact original replacement. Spent $145, lowest I found for a new part replacement. My cup holder would not stay down as it had worn a grove in the plastic by the metal pin. If you just need to replace a broken spring arm, it appears to be replaceable, held in by a screw underneath. You will still need to remove the assembly to get to the screw holding the spring arm.

I finally ordered an original cup holder assembly unit for my '04 LS 430 online as mine had one broken spring arm AND would not stay closed. It is extremely easy to replace! Only 2 tools needed- a phillips screwdriver and a cheap metal paint can opener, a 10 minute job! 1) Unscrew the gearshift knob counter-clockwise. Hand pressure only (1 minute). 2) Pop out the control switch panel using the paint can opener. Just lip the tool just under the plastic and pull straight out, left side then right side. leave the wire harness attached and move the box to the left side of the gearshift knob. (this box sits on top of the front of the plastic wood grained panel and hinders its removal). (1 minute) 3) Push in the cup holder and lip the paint can tool under the right rear plastic panel and lift up. this light pressure will release the clip underneath. Then pop the left rear side, then pop the front right side. (no clip on the left front) Lift the panel over the gearshift knob and hang to the right side (leave cigarette lighter wires attached) (2 minutes- TAKE YOUR TIME AS THE ACCUMULATED CRUD AROUND THE PLASTIC NEEDS TO RELEASE AS WELL) 4) Now the cupholder is exposed, 4 black screws holding it in place. Remove the 4 phillips head screws and lift out the cup holder assembly. (2 minutes) 5) Screw in the replacement cup holder assembly, pop the plastic panel back down (finger pressure) and pop in the switch control panel box. Hand tighten the gearshift knob. (4 minutes). DONE! 10 minutes max, unless you want to clean up the crud on the edges of the panels with a damp rag (warm water only)- add another 5 minutes. Piece of cake! :D

We purchased an '04 LS430 with @100K on the odometer. It now has @200k and still runs as well as at 100. It is a superior car. Comfortable, well made, extremely reliable. We also have a Toyota FJ that the wife loves. Over the past 8 years what I've done: - regular oil & filter changes every 3000 miles (I use Mobile 1) - K&N washable air filter, regular cabin filter - new Michelins (4) 2013 - 180K timing belt/water pump - new brakes and rotors, 2014 - O2 sensors. (one went bad, so.I replaced all 4, keeping the other 3 And thats about it. Our Daughter now drives the car and will take it to college next year. I expect that she will still be driving it until she graduates from college.

It may be the same as my '04. Some models have both a front and rear cabin filter (also known as an A/C filter). The warning message is pre-set to come on after x number of miles (just like the maintenance needed warning message). Replacing either filter does NOT reset the warning light, just like changing the oil does not reset the maintenance needed light. Reset procedures to turn off the warning messages are located in the owners manual. If not, most mechanics know these reset procedures as they reset almost ALL makes and models when serviced. Usually, it is as simple as "hold x button down for y seconds after doing z (like turning ignition to on position).

My local mechanic just replaced the timing belt, water pump, belt tensioners, spark plugs as well as flush and refill with Toyota antifreeze (I bought the antifreeze) on my '04 LS430. Bill came to $850. He is an excellent mechanic who I use when I am too lazy to wrench turn myself. I would imagine the dealer would quadruple this bill.

Struts should be replaced in pairs for front or rear of the vehicle. Get another mechanic's opinion on condition of struts/options for replacement, and preferably not from the Lexus dealer's mechanic. Leaking strut? I would get under the car and see what's going on before doing anything. You could clean all struts like new and see if struts actually leak. Food for thought.