Ls430 Issues

[ccodls430]

I have had a few issues w/my 2004 LS430 - has anyone else had issues and how did you handle:

1) At speeds of greater than 70 MPH, my steering wheel vibrates.

2) Recently my fuel filter failed such that I would stall freqeuently after driving long distances. Nearly stalled on Route 495 going 70 MPH!!! Yes, I bought my LS new.

3) I am having a recurring low tire light come on. I checked the pressure and everything is fine. Thisa is the second time - previously I did have a low tire but not this time. It was properly reset after the frist time.

[SKperformance]

If you have a vibration then you might need a wheel alignment or your brakes cheked.

The only way for a fuel filter to be bad is for you top have been going to bad gas stations causing it to clog which Lexus cannot control where you buy gas.

The low tire is odd but may be related to wheel balance if a wheel sensor was damaged.

All sounds like a normal part of driving to me but i may be missing something.

[ccodls430]

If you have a vibration then you might need a wheel alignment or your brakes cheked.

The only way for a fuel filter to be bad is for you top have been going to bad gas stations causing it to clog which Lexus cannot control where you buy gas.

The low tire is odd but may be related to wheel balance if a wheel sensor was damaged.

All sounds like a normal part of driving to me but i may be missing something.

SKperformance,

Thanks for the reply. Please understand as a Lexus owner, my baby gets nothing but the best treatment - therefore none of the issues you described are relevant.

When I brought the car in after nearly stalling on Route 495, the dealer took two days to isolate the problem to the fuel filter - they couldn't figure it out in house and had to access their offsite Tech source.

I am writing to this forum, because I already had the dealership look at all these issue and I am still having problems and wanted to get a sense if anyone else is having these issues - they said the vibration is normal for that speed for wooden steering wheels - however, I have jhad the car two years and this just started to happen to me(although I don't go over 70 MPH very often.) I wanted to see if anyone else experienced this problem going over 70 MPH.

I am somewhat irritated w/Lexus - I spent a ton of money on the car and am having problems lesser priced cars would have. Plus if things hadn't gone my way on 495, I could be wrting from a hospital bed or worse.

[SKperformance]

I wasn't saying the vibration was normal infact it should have none wooden steering wheel or not. That sounds like a load of BS from the dealer saying it is normal to vibrate because your wheel is made of wood.

Also not sure what kind of tech needs to contact a master tech to find out about a filter being plugged.

[RFeldes]

If it is an 04, There is a recall on the fuel pump. Sounds like you need another Dealer or call Lexus direct and ask for your area rep's number. Wooden Steering wheel my A$$. I have one and no shaking going on.

Tenneseelexus was kind enough to provide this link,

http://autorepair.about.com/library/recall...ecalls-358a.htm

[ccodls430]

If it is an 04, There is a recall on the fuel pump. Sounds like you need another Dealer or call Lexus direct and ask for your area rep's number. Wooden Steering wheel my A$$. I have one and no shaking going on.

Tenneseelexus was kind enough to provide this link,

http://autorepair.about.com/library/recall...ecalls-358a.htm

Wow! Thanks for the info - the Tennessee Lexus post show two recalls. I checked my records and I have not had any recall work done since I have had the car which I bought previous to these two recalls.

Sounds like I have dealer issues - I will call my area rep as you suggested and see what he can do.

Thanks again for your help. :)

[SW03ES]

The vibration is certainly a wheel balance issue. It is VERY difficult to properly balance the wheels on a Lexus, and in my experience only one place has ever done it right the first time, you might be surprised to know it was Costco.

Anyways even the slightest lack of balance in one wheel is enough to cause vibrations at speeds in excess of 65MPH on these cars. Since you're also having an issue with the tire pressure monitoring system the sensor may have become dislodged which may be throwing the wheel out of balance and may be also causing the vibration.

I'd ask the Lexus dealer to dismount all the tires and inspect the sensors for the tire pressure monitoring system.

As for the fuel filter/fuel pump. There is a TSB for that concern, but thats just an unfortunate isolated incident.

Sounds like you need a new Lexus dealer.

[RFeldes]

SWOE3...HUH???....Am I missing something? The tire balance issue is right on...well done ...the tsb issue was addressed...incident? Did you read the whole thread?

[Rx330driver]

just wondering swo3s, why are lexus cars harder to balance, like you said. Were u talking about lexus cars in general? why then are they different from other cars. Also, i agree that the tire press. monitor sensor has something to do with the vibration. tell them to change the sensor and to do another wheel alignment. If that doesnt work, then go to a different place and ask for the same thing lol :P

[ccodls430]

The vibration is certainly a wheel balance issue. It is VERY difficult to properly balance the wheels on a Lexus, and in my experience only one place has ever done it right the first time, you might be surprised to know it was Costco.

Anyways even the slightest lack of balance in one wheel is enough to cause vibrations at speeds in excess of 65MPH on these cars. Since you're also having an issue with the tire pressure monitoring system the sensor may have become dislodged which may be throwing the wheel out of balance and may be also causing the vibration.

I'd ask the Lexus dealer to dismount all the tires and inspect the sensors for the tire pressure monitoring system.

As for the fuel filter/fuel pump. There is a TSB for that concern, but thats just an unfortunate isolated incident.

Sounds like you need a new Lexus dealer.

Thanks for the info - you have been very helpful. I am surprised about wheel balancing being rather difficult w/Lexuses - it shouldn't be so with the money we spend on these vehicles. I am contempalting trading mine in. Didn't expect these kind of issues.

[jbarhorst2]

I believe what SW is referring to is the method that Lexus uses to balance the tires. Acura does nearly the same thing (and they also have the same issue - several members of my family work for American Honda).

Not many people are properly trained (or take the time needed) to accurately balance the wheels with the recommended method.

SW - is that what you meant?

Tom

[SRK]

A wheel and tire assembly is a wheel and tire assembly. Given a quality tire and a Lexus wheel that is machined nearly to perfection, balancing should pose no problem at all. However, that said, the smoothness of a Lexus vehicle in general, and the LS in particular, causes the "Princess and the Pea" syndrome, where one feels a vibration in a rotating assembly simply because the rest of the car is so smooth you can then detect it. A Mack truck at 60 mph will feel quite smooth for a Mack, even with a severe out of balance condition because of the level of background vibration.

What you need to do is find a shop that has the best equipment, and skilled operators. Around here Costco was in fact one of those places, until they started hiring kids who knew nothing, except for a belief that they should argue with me. Which is not good....

So I found a shop with a Hunter brand Road Force Variation machine, and operators who know everything about tire balancing. Find a shop like that, and when they are done you won't believe the difference.

So much of poor balancing is masked by new, high quality tires, like we put on these cars. Within a year or so the tire takes a set, and the vibration appears in a tire that was once considered in good balance. A road force machine can balance such a tire, and you'll be happy with that car again.

[monarch]

I agree with SRK. I also feel tire rotations every 4-5,000 miles help prevent tire vibration and noise problems from developing as the miles pile up in almost any car, not just Toyota's and Lexus's.