Is This Lexus Quality?

[Jacob]

A few days ago, I replaced the front parking light bulbs, and I was shocked by the bad shape of the back of lenses. They were so brittle and cracked that little pieces started to fall off. Is this typical of LS400? Or what?

Jacob

[SKperformance]

year?

[Jacob]

1996 LS400.

I think those lenses shouldn’t deteriorate this fast. Don’t you agree on that?

Jacob

[SKperformance]

I want to agreee but if it is on a car that sits outside all day then it is quite possible,

Look at the 95-96 ES they changed the plastic to a nicer lookign one when new but it yellows after a few yeasr compared to the 92-4 ones.

[SW03ES]

The car is 9 years old now. All materials, regardless of how high quality they are or how well put together they are they still have a life, time marches ever forward. Those lenses are subject to not only variations between hot and cold weatherwise but the drying effects of UV light and heat from the lamps being illuminated ESPECIALLY where you live in Arizona. They're going to age, Lexus or not.

A big pet peeve of mine is when people come in here with approaching and beyond decade old Lexuses and rag on Lexus as a brand because they have begun to decay, its just not fair.

[blake918]

I had something similar happen to a corner lense(the one next to the headlight) on my '95. The plastic arm through which the screw passes just cracked off-it was severly dry rotten. The part that broke basically turned into dust. Was I upset to pay $65 for a new corner lense assembly? Yes, but like Steve said these cars have gone through 10 years of southern wrath(heat and pot holes mainly).

I am very proud of where my LS is for it's age and mileage-9.5 years and 235k miles respectively. With age and miles one has to come to accept some things breaking/annoying oneself; it took me a while! My car has some soft sounding rattles in the headliner and clunky suspension(what I refer to as annoyance problems, but what's Lexus Premium Sound for?? lol!), but the engine is ghostly silent, consumes no M1 Super syn 5w30 ever or any other fluids, the tranny is smooth, and the entire interior looks brand new other than some soiled carpet(which isn't Lexus's fault). Lexus did an alright job by me! B)

[silvermate]

AGreed.............come on now, if all you have to worry about is a plastic piece thats fragile on an 8 year old car you are in good shape......

like said above you can't question the quality of Lexus when you are talking about a 8 year old car with some brittle plastic

no matter what the brand is things like plastic, and rubber hoses and such, just go bad over time, its innevetibale.......doesn't matter if its ford, lexus, ferrari,ect.....

[99lsguy]

Guys, I've got the solution!!!!

After watching a few minutes of an QVC "foodsaver" info-mercial, this is the answer! Get the manufacturer to make a Lexus-sized version of this and we could Vacuum Seal our Lexies for storage. :D

No air, No corrosion, No deterioration...............

[silvermate]

sign me up..............lol

[Jacob]

Thank you all for your responses. I’m aware of the fact that plastics deteriorate with time and that heat and UV light can accelerate this process. The problem is that I have a 1991 Saab and it doesn’t have this problem. So, does Lexus use inferior quality materials? Probably not. But I know for sure that my car used to sit in the Arizona sun all day long with windows rolled all way up (That’s how it was when I first saw it at the used car dealership). Besides, this is an 8-years-old car, and who knows, maybe somebody had cleaned the engine before with some sort of strong chemical that’s not safe for plastics. Who knows

Jacob

[ArmyofOne]

when i moved here from anchorage alaska (to DFW) in june of 03, i thoyght..."cool, no more ice, snow and sand on the roads (Alaska didnt use salt beacuse they would use so much, it would alter the sodium content in the oceans)...anyway...

when i gt here, it was a complketely different story. my ford contour, was in MINT condition before i left.

now, a year later, the clearcoat on the Gold Metallic paint has begun to fade and the headliner has decided to unstick..all due to heat and sunlight...

the lexus i now have, has been here since it was built, and there is NO clearcoat peel or fade on this car. not only that, but the exterior (other than the paint peel which i have determined to be poorly prepped before paint) is almost flawless. and its 15 years old.

my ford had 340,000 miles of harsh alaska winters (9 months at -20 degrees farenheit will kill an engine if you dont plug in the block heater) and then a year and a half of harsh texas summers (sometimes over 105 degrees...in the shade) and it was just starting to show problems.

but guess what, all it takes is a little TLC and time.

my cars get a coat of wax once a month, washed once a week and an oil change at 3K on the dot, unless they use synthetic. (3 of which, the contour, the concorde and the ram do, the lex doesnt cause its elaking right now, once thats fixed, in goes mobil 1 10W30)

if you want to keep your headlights looking new WAX THEM. its that simple.

the chrysler concorde limited is 2 years old now, and the headlights still look brand new...because i wax them, same with the 4 year old ram truck. same with my 15 year old lexus, same with my 10 (almost 11) year old contour.

my buddies 97 civic (stock) has headlights so hazy you cant see at night...he has NEVER waxed his headlights. there is something to be said for MAINTENANCE.

now i realize that you bought this car recently, so this isnt nessecarily your fault. but there is something (short fo buy new headlights) that you can do...

http://www.meguiars.com/store_meguiars/pro...l.cfm?sku=g-123

Meguiars plastiX will take alot of that oxidation off of your headlights. if its bad enough, it wont cure it, but it WILL help, i stand by that.

you can get enough (1 packet) at your local Autozone to do both headlights and then some for $1. so go do it! lol. ask the autozone guy for meguiars Plastix...he wil get you some.

then keep them waxed, and keep in mind that if you buy new ones, not only are they gonna cost you a fortune (likely to be 500+), but they will rehaze in less than 3 years if you dont wax them. i promise this.

so long story short, even ifd you dont wax the whole car, wax the headlights once a month, it only takes a few mi8nutes. you will save yourself $$$ and ugliness in the 10 minutes a month it takes to perform this maintenance

[SW03ES]

The plastic will definately haze quickly if you don't keep them protected, but I don't think this is what Josh's problem is. I think he was discussing brittle interior parts of the lamps. You CAN wax them to protect them, but using something that is designed to protect plastic and has UV inhibitory properties will work even better. I'm sure the PlastX has these, as does Plexus which is what I use.

[Lexusfreak]

Lmao 99lsguy!! B)

[VMF]

you might have aftermarket tailights, in my 96 they were like new on the inside and just a lil faded outside. i have to agree on the front cover lights, i got the same problem with them, but taillights are in perfect condition.

[W201 sweden]

I have to comment on this one!

"Luxury car quality" often means absolutely nothing, in terms of actual quality!

OK - interior may be nice, wood, leather, an engine smooth as silk etc...

But when it comes down to actual QUALITY, MB, BMW or Lexus can be beaten by other brands.

My father has a -91 SAAB 900i -16 with over 250 000 km on the clock (80 000 when he bought it).

This car still has original shocks, coils, steering rack, water pump, clutch, gear box, cat, ALL FRONT END PARTS, alternator, fan motor, heater core, headlight reflectors etc, etc...

I do all service on his car, and it has been super reliable - many old cars are.

Radiator, exhaust system (once), one head gasket and a battery, have been replaced beside normal brake and service parts.

Interior looks VERY good, seats are firm, cloth and belts are just great.

Engine uses no oil between changes (every 15000 km or so.)

Volvo 900/700 are no worse in these aspects.

I have been working at a Mercedes Benz dealer, and especially the new MBs are really disappointing...

just my 0,02 euro...

/Alexander

[nc211]

Not to be a smartas* or anything, but can your father have a whisper conversation at 80 mph in his Saab, like you can in a Lexus LS400 with 250k miles? Maybe they make Saab's better for their home country, but over here, well, they're OK. I've met many people who have cursed that convaluted ignition system at the tune of big bucks. However, it would be unfair of me to make these comments without acknowledging the fact that I have also met several people who LOVE their Saab's and have owned many models. I have also met several Volvo finatics too. But they spend more on repairs than I do on my mortgage. Me? I'm into super quiet interiors with no exhaust/engine and minimal wind noise myself. I've never experienced that in a Saab, especially one with a 6 digit odometer.

[SW03ES]

I've heard many people say they love Saabs for their personality, but if you look at the reliability ratings compared to...a lot of other cars Saabs are not nearly as reliable as they are.

[W201 sweden]

No offence taken! :)

But my point is that noise level is not mainy a material quality issue, it is a design issue, right?

BTW, due to the rather coarse road surfaces used in Sweden, the LS is not very quiet in normal speeds (50-80 mph). This is not an opinion, it is a fact. I was a bit disappointed when I tested the LS for the first time, too much road noise. Very quiet drivetrain, though...

On the swedish roads a Park Avenue -91 will transport you more quietly than a 90-96 LS, at least below 80 mph.

But brittle plastics (Ohhh MB), worn out seats and steering wheels, bushings/rods/joints whatever can be more common on expensive cars than on some more modest priced ones.

I think no less of these excellent cars, but spare parts sale generates GOOD money for the Toyota company.

[SW03ES]

Have you sat in a 15 year old LS400 vs a 15 year old...anything else? Nothing takes miles and years like an LS400. As for the road noise that has a LOT to do with the quality and PSI of the tires. Look at the members we have here with old, old LS's and look at how they look and perform.

Sure they make money on the parts, any car is a machine and they all require maintenance and repair. I bet you though that, dollar for dollar, a well maintained LS will cost less to repair and maintain over 15 years than any other car on the market, regardless of the price. It'll probably retain more of its appeal and drivability too.

[blake918]

No offence taken! :)

But my point is that noise level is not mainy a material quality issue, it is a design issue, right?

BTW, due to the rather coarse road surfaces used in Sweden, the LS is not very quiet in normal speeds (50-80 mph). This is not an opinion, it is a fact. I was a bit disappointed when I tested the LS for the first time, too much road noise. Very quiet drivetrain, though...

On the swedish roads a Park Avenue -91 will transport you more quietly than a 90-96 LS, at least below 80 mph.

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I think noise level is partially a design issue as well as a quality issue. You can design a car with the lowest coefficient of drag, but if you put a $10 piece of weatherstripping on the door, it's going to be all for nothing.

I have to agree that my LS is not very quiet on the freeway either. Then again, it does have ~270,000 miles. My problem is the wind noise, and I can't pinpoint it (and the weatherstripping on the front doors is new). I drove a new Town Car the other day, and if my LS was half as quiet as the TC, I'd be thrilled!

But brittle plastics (Ohhh MB), worn out seats and steering wheels, bushings/rods/joints whatever can be more common on expensive cars than on some more modest priced ones.

I think no less of these excellent cars, but spare parts sale generates GOOD money for the Toyota company.

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All very true.

I bet you though that, dollar for dollar, a well maintained LS will cost less to repair and maintain over 15 years than any other car on the market, regardless of the price. It'll probably retain more of its appeal and drivability too.

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I can vouch for this!

[RFeldes]

Hey Blake,

Have you tried duct tape on each door, separately, including the sunroof to eliminate and pinpoint the noise. Hell, you can pretend you are testing a new car in cammo. PS... don't leave the tape on too long. SWO3 will kill me for this. :whistles: The LS should be as quite as Gov. Blanco's bedroom at 10 P.M.

[VBdenny]

Agent 99, I have always thought they should make giant sized ziplock bags. You could seal snowmobiles, tractors and all kinds of things in them.

My 1990 LS has often fooled people into thinking it is new. I usually have to show them the registration to get them to believe it is 16 years old. They do wear well. My brother has a 96 Saab with around 200,000 miles on it and it still runs great. The only big problem he has had is with the AC. He swears the Saab is a great car

[RFeldes]

Also, if I may, The 430 has the lowest cabin DB in the Mass Produced market and lowest drag co-efficient, I believe .025. (Could be the Alzhiemers) My 430 has the 17 inch tires and although quiet, Still not as quiet as my 90, mainly road noise due to the performance tires on the 430. But the handling is much better. Not a perfect world, is it? Neither have wind noise to speak of. Also, the 430 has a lot more POWER!!!!!

[blake918]

Hey Blake,

Have you tried duct tape on each door, separately, including the sunroof to eliminate and pinpoint the noise. Hell, you can pretend you are testing a new car in cammo. PS... don't leave the tape on too long. SWO3 will kill me for this.:whistles: The LS should be as quite as Gov. Blanco's bedroom at 10 P.M.

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I'll try that tomorrow! Thanks for the suggestion! My sunroof rattles like hell sometimes, but evenso, I don't find that the cabin gets any quieter with the shade closed. After Steve finished with you, he'd come after me since he spent so much time in teaching me how to restore my paint! LOL Just the mere thought of Blabineaux-Blanco's bedroom makes my stomach churn!

[SKperformance]

Just thought it would be funny to add

Guys, I've got the solution!!!!

After watching a few minutes of an QVC "foodsaver" info-mercial,  this is the answer!  Get the manufacturer to make a Lexus-sized version of this and we could Vacuum Seal our Lexies for storage. :D

No air,  No corrosion, No deterioration...............

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