Rough Riding Ls460l

[DLIGHT2]

Hello to all. I'm new to the forum and seeking help with a significant problem.

Has anyone experienced very rough ride quality in their LS460L? We just purchased a black 460L for my wife trading in a wonderful LS430 (after 2 LS 400's and an RX300) and find the car to ride very rough, and not at all like the demo cars we drove. The car has the standard suspension as did the demo cars we tested. With only 400 milers on the car, its been in the dealer's shop three times already. The dealer is clueless and Lexus Corp customer service (1-800-xxx-xxxx) is useless in dealing with the dealer. The dealer's service techs lowered tire pressure to 28 lbs, 5 below specification, and the car still rides like it's on rocks. It does not pull but shudders and vibrates at all speeds.

The service manager is guessing flat spotting from the boat trip while the dealer's sales side is saying that's how they ride when equiped with the 18" chrome Telius wheels. Seems odd that the tires are the same Bridgestones as on the demo cars, and the chrome wheels are the same size as the standard wheels, and those all road fine. Sounds to me they're just guessing and hoping we'll go away. Most recently they're talking about putting Michelin Pilot's on the car to soften the ride. I'm pretty familiar with performance riding cars as I drive a high performance sports car on a daily basis and while they're rough, they don't jarr as this one does.

Also does anyone know how to reach a regional manager with real authority at Lexus who could help with this issue? We're on the west coast.

I'd appreciate any help that could be offered with this.

[nc211]

Hello to all. I'm new to the forum and seeking help with a significant problem.

Has anyone experienced very rough ride quality in their LS460L? We just purchased a black 460L for my wife trading in a wonderful LS430 (after 2 LS 400's and an RX300) and find the car to ride very rough, and not at all like the demo cars we drove. The car has the standard suspension as did the demo cars we tested. With only 400 milers on the car, its been in the dealer's shop three times already. The dealer is clueless and Lexus Corp customer service (1-800-xxx-xxxx) is useless in dealing with the dealer. The dealer's service techs lowered tire pressure to 28 lbs, 5 below specification, and the car still rides like it's on rocks. It does not pull but shudders and vibrates at all speeds.

The service manager is guessing flat spotting from the boat trip while the dealer's sales side is saying that's how they ride when equiped with the 18" chrome Telius wheels. Seems odd that the tires are the same Bridgestones as on the demo cars, and the chrome wheels are the same size as the standard wheels, and those all road fine. Sounds to me they're just guessing and hoping we'll go away. Most recently they're talking about putting Michelin Pilot's on the car to soften the ride. I'm pretty familiar with performance riding cars as I drive a high performance sports car on a daily basis and while they're rough, they don't jarr as this one does.

Also does anyone know how to reach a regional manager with real authority at Lexus who could help with this issue? We're on the west coast.

I'd appreciate any help that could be offered with this.

Wait, so are you saying that you test drove a "demo", but bought this one w/o test driving it too? Would they not let you drive the one you actually bought, before actually buying it? If that's the case, then I, and the car, and if need be, my attorney, would be at the dealership 1st thing Monday morning, DEMANDING either a full refund and your LS430 back, or a cut price on the demo you drove, or the option to pick a different LS460L to test drive and see if that one is better!!! If indeed they would not let you test drive the one you actually bought, or led you to believe it'll be just like the demo you did drive, then I'd be calling "bait n' switch" on this one, as you clearly did NOT receive what you were led to believe.

Point of the matter is this: at 400 miles total, on a car that expesive, you should NOT have to put up with any of this crap from them, period! I'd communicate with the general manager via email, so it's in writing and time stamped from here on out. Print the emails out, and have them handy incase you need to prove anything. Don't, I repeat, DON'T let them treat you like you're bugging them and they're just telling you whatever to get you to go away. Hand them the keys, and tell them to prepare for a legal war and public embarrassement if they don't step up and fix this for you, NOW. Remind them of your ability to to buy an LS460L to begin with...aka...financial ability to handle yourself and hire the proper tools to do so, including advertising space in the local paper, if need be.

[SW03ES]

Well, obviously if you drove demos that didn't ride the way yours rides then something is wrong with yours. The Telios wheels won't make a difference since they and the standard wheels are the same size, if you had the 19s that might be a possible cause but you don't so its a moot point.

Another possible option is that the suspension stays they sometimes use for transport weren't removed...

If they don't get this fixed, I would demand a replacement car.

[RFeldes]

Obviously stays, as Steve mentioned, or I'm inclined to flat spotting on the tires. I would be so po'd if I did not have a resolution ASAP!!!

[DLIGHT2]

Obviously stays, as Steve mentioned, or I'm inclined to flat spotting on the tires. I would be so po'd if I did not have a resolution ASAP!!!

Thanks for all the replies and the idea of printing the emails. I've found other postings on another site abnout the same issue at 3,000 miles with tires being pulled off to correct so here's hoping. We do like the car but the treatment has been incredible. Once resolved I'll let everyone know about the dealer.

What exactly do the hold downs do in shipment and would the car be driveable safely with them still in place?

[SW03ES]

I have heard stories of dealers leaving shims installed in the springs during shipping in and it causing a rough ride situation once the car is delivered. I'd say that no, this is not safe since the car is not designed to be driven with those shims in place. My guess is "removing the tires" is dealer code for "we removed the shims that we should have removed prior to delivery"

[DLIGHT2]

I have heard stories of dealers leaving shims installed in the springs during shipping in and it causing a rough ride situation once the car is delivered. I'd say that no, this is not safe since the car is not designed to be driven with those shims in place. My guess is "removing the tires" is dealer code for "we removed the shims that we should have removed prior to delivery"

Latest news - the factory is sending in a rep to examine the car. The dealer's service folks are not exactly proud of that, particularly after they're top suspension man and best trained tech sayt he car rides rougher than it should. "Definitely not the Lexus luxury we'd expect."

The dealer now has 3 460L's exhibiting the same issue to some degree, one worse than ours, one slightly better. They're hunting for Michelin tires to retrofit but there is a shortage in this area. They've done one of the 3, not ours, but have no owner feedback as oif yet. It is beginning to feel like they (Lexus) have a real issue here and that our car is on the tip of the spear.

The dealer still contends the issue is only with people that have a lot of Lexus experience and are familiar with how they are supposed to ride - that makes me feel good all over and sounds pretty ironic.

Anyone else out there with a "rough rider"?

[blkls]

I have heard stories of dealers leaving shims installed in the springs during shipping in and it causing a rough ride situation once the car is delivered. I'd say that no, this is not safe since the car is not designed to be driven with those shims in place. My guess is "removing the tires" is dealer code for "we removed the shims that we should have removed prior to delivery"

Latest news - the factory is sending in a rep to examine the car. The dealer's service folks are not exactly proud of that, particularly after they're top suspension man and best trained tech sayt he car rides rougher than it should. "Definitely not the Lexus luxury we'd expect."

The dealer now has 3 460L's exhibiting the same issue to some degree, one worse than ours, one slightly better. They're hunting for Michelin tires to retrofit but there is a shortage in this area. They've done one of the 3, not ours, but have no owner feedback as oif yet. It is beginning to feel like they (Lexus) have a real issue here and that our car is on the tip of the spear.

The dealer still contends the issue is only with people that have a lot of Lexus experience and are familiar with how they are supposed to ride - that makes me feel good all over and sounds pretty ironic.

Anyone else out there with a "rough rider"?

I believe my car rides rougher than espected for a car like this. Also, there is a pronounced "thump" with sharp bumps/potholes that I did not expect. Please let us know what the Lexus rep does/recommends.

[rdrtkd]

hi,

a couple of points.

1) i just bought an ls460 with telios wheels.

2) i have owned 2 LS 400s and one LS 430.

With approximately 500 miles on my new LS460, so far it is the smoothest and quietest ride of any lexus i have ever owned.

good luck with your issue.

[DArustik]

Interesting...I work for a Lexus dealer and I have never heard of any types of problems with the new LS. I do know however that it is by far the smoothest ride Lexus has ever offered, but problems...Let me know what happens when you find out and good luck.

[DLIGHT2]

Today Lexus installed Michelin HX MXM4's all around after doing a full inspection of the running gear. We've only added 50 miles so too early to tell but they seem quieter although that was not the issue. We'll know more after a few days of driving and update all. Apparently Michelin is their answer to ride issues across the product line.

[07LS460]

Today Lexus installed Michelin HX MXM4's all around after doing a full inspection of the running gear. We've only added 50 miles so too early to tell but they seem quieter although that was not the issue. We'll know more after a few days of driving and update all. Apparently Michelin is their answer to ride issues across the product line.

To early to tell???? You mention in your original post that you've had the vehicle in 3 times in 400 miles so you should know immediately whether the vehicle is riding normal or not. Before your third visit, you should have insisted on driving another vehicle to see of the problem was present and if not, the service dept should have done a wheel swap allowing you to eliminate the problem being wheel/tire related. It's doubtful you had developed flat spots from the vehicle being transported or sitting for any length of time since this sort of issued generally takes much more time to develop. Lastly, the LS460 is one of the finest driving vehicles in the world and is one huge step above your older LSs for both comfort and ride quality. Good Luck

[DLIGHT2]

Today Lexus installed Michelin HX MXM4's all around after doing a full inspection of the running gear. We've only added 50 miles so too early to tell but they seem quieter although that was not the issue. We'll know more after a few days of driving and update all. Apparently Michelin is their answer to ride issues across the product line.

To early to tell???? You mention in your original post that you've had the vehicle in 3 times in 400 miles so you should know immediately whether the vehicle is riding normal or not. Before your third visit, you should have insisted on driving another vehicle to see of the problem was present and if not, the service dept should have done a wheel swap allowing you to eliminate the problem being wheel/tire related. It's doubtful you had developed flat spots from the vehicle being transported or sitting for any length of time since this sort of issued generally takes much more time to develop. Lastly, the LS460 is one of the finest driving vehicles in the world and is one huge step above your older LSs for both comfort and ride quality. Good Luck

The Michelins have 100+ miles on them and they chase after every crack in the road. Wear marks in the highway are a scare when changing lanes as the car goes where it wants to. While the ride is somewhat softer, the car's stability has been adversely effected. The sidewalls are so pliable that the car wallows. It's going back again. It is our expectastion we'll drive several other 460L's to compare. It may be that we are no longer destined to be Lexus drivers and will have to go elsewhere, but I hope not.

[rbhirsch1]

I have LS460 with about 2300 miles and a very rough ride. Include me in your "class action";

maybe there will be a fix for my car as well. If any resolution is achieved with your car,

please pass it on.

thanks,

richard hirsch

tampa

I have heard stories of dealers leaving shims installed in the springs during shipping in and it causing a rough ride situation once the car is delivered. I'd say that no, this is not safe since the car is not designed to be driven with those shims in place. My guess is "removing the tires" is dealer code for "we removed the shims that we should have removed prior to delivery"

Latest news - the factory is sending in a rep to examine the car. The dealer's service folks are not exactly proud of that, particularly after they're top suspension man and best trained tech sayt he car rides rougher than it should. "Definitely not the Lexus luxury we'd expect."

The dealer now has 3 460L's exhibiting the same issue to some degree, one worse than ours, one slightly better. They're hunting for Michelin tires to retrofit but there is a shortage in this area. They've done one of the 3, not ours, but have no owner feedback as oif yet. It is beginning to feel like they (Lexus) have a real issue here and that our car is on the tip of the spear.

The dealer still contends the issue is only with people that have a lot of Lexus experience and are familiar with how they are supposed to ride - that makes me feel good all over and sounds pretty ironic.

Anyone else out there with a "rough rider"?

[DLIGHT2]

I have LS460 with about 2300 miles and a very rough ride. Include me in your "class action";

maybe there will be a fix for my car as well. If any resolution is achieved with your car,

please pass it on.

thanks,

richard hirsch

tampa

Richard,

Happy to include you in the issue. Glad to hear we are not alone. I'll PM you as this develops.

Seattle

I have heard stories of dealers leaving shims installed in the springs during shipping in and it causing a rough ride situation once the car is delivered. I'd say that no, this is not safe since the car is not designed to be driven with those shims in place. My guess is "removing the tires" is dealer code for "we removed the shims that we should have removed prior to delivery"

Latest news - the factory is sending in a rep to examine the car. The dealer's service folks are not exactly proud of that, particularly after they're top suspension man and best trained tech sayt he car rides rougher than it should. "Definitely not the Lexus luxury we'd expect."

The dealer now has 3 460L's exhibiting the same issue to some degree, one worse than ours, one slightly better. They're hunting for Michelin tires to retrofit but there is a shortage in this area. They've done one of the 3, not ours, but have no owner feedback as oif yet. It is beginning to feel like they (Lexus) have a real issue here and that our car is on the tip of the spear.

The dealer still contends the issue is only with people that have a lot of Lexus experience and are familiar with how they are supposed to ride - that makes me feel good all over and sounds pretty ironic.

Anyone else out there with a "rough rider"?

[DLIGHT2]

I have LS460 with about 2300 miles and a very rough ride. Include me in your "class action";

maybe there will be a fix for my car as well. If any resolution is achieved with your car,

please pass it on.

thanks,

richard hirsch

tampa

Richard,

Today we returned the car to the dealer for a full refund. They threw up their hands and basically said that's how the car is going to ride and since we would not be happy with it, or with any other 460L they could swap us into, they should unwind the deal which we accepted. Too bad we lost our great 430 with only 49,000 but that seems a small loss as it was time to get rid of it anyway.

We're headed for an S550 which rides differently but well and predictable. The Lexus dealer did all they could and cannot be faulted for this situation. In fact, even though it took a long time, I think they were as good as one could hope for and we would defintiely do business with them again, just not on a 460.

I have heard stories of dealers leaving shims installed in the springs during shipping in and it causing a rough ride situation once the car is delivered. I'd say that no, this is not safe since the car is not designed to be driven with those shims in place. My guess is "removing the tires" is dealer code for "we removed the shims that we should have removed prior to delivery"

Latest news - the factory is sending in a rep to examine the car. The dealer's service folks are not exactly proud of that, particularly after they're top suspension man and best trained tech sayt he car rides rougher than it should. "Definitely not the Lexus luxury we'd expect."

The dealer now has 3 460L's exhibiting the same issue to some degree, one worse than ours, one slightly better. They're hunting for Michelin tires to retrofit but there is a shortage in this area. They've done one of the 3, not ours, but have no owner feedback as oif yet. It is beginning to feel like they (Lexus) have a real issue here and that our car is on the tip of the spear.

The dealer still contends the issue is only with people that have a lot of Lexus experience and are familiar with how they are supposed to ride - that makes me feel good all over and sounds pretty ironic.

Anyone else out there with a "rough rider"?

[FTE]

We have a 460L with 7k miles. We drive (slowly!) on six miles of gravel road to our home. And when we hit pavement, it's smooth as silk. We do have the wind noise...

[Robert L]

We have a 460L with 7k miles. We drive (slowly!) on six miles of gravel road to our home. And when we hit pavement, it's smooth as silk. We do have the wind noise...

Wow...Interesting read here about the rough ride. I have to say...I am a first time Lexus buyer/driver. I am so impressed with the Lexus brand in general. From the sales department to the car itself (2008 LS 460), I have never been more impressed. Our new '08 460 has 100 miles on it, it drives like an absolute dream. My wife and I fell in love with it the instant we sat in it for our first test drive. I do have some questions/concerns about the HDD that I thought I was getting with this 2008 but I will post that question in the appropriate thread.

Robert

[anazaz]

I am from Dubai, UAE, and i have bought a 2007 LS460 SWB in Sep. 2007. For the first month the car was perfect, but soon after i started to notice a slight vibration coming through the seats, and latter it became very apparent and visual vibration in the passenger seat. By the third month the glovebox started rattling, and i could feel the whole car flex over any broken pavement, this in spite of the dealer changing all four tiers under warranty. i have the 19 inch rims with 245/45R19 tiers and the steel suspension (not air). I have been reading many forums and talking to other owners in the UAE and abroad, with steel suspension or air, 18 and 19 inch rims, and all the three different kinds of tiers, and this is more common than it is appearing in this forum, This is not my first Lexus nor my first premium brand (BMW, Mercedes, among others). I am not disappointed in Lexus as much as the LS, but if Lexus dose not do something to fix the problem soon i will return my car and shop elsewhere.

[TSB]

Hello Everybody,

I’m a newbie to this forum but I have purchased and enjoyed two LS430’s over the last 5 years so I’m familiar with the great ride in that model. Last Friday, December 14, I purchased a new LS460 from Bredemann Lexus in Glenview, IL. Several days later I realized the ride in my new car on less than perfect roads was terrible compared to my two LS430’s. Every time I hit a pothole or other defect in the road I heard and felt it significantly. I went back to the dealer and was told by the service manager that “This is the ride that the customers want.” He adjusted the air in my tires but that had no effect on the quality of the ride. Obviously, I was stupid not to have checked out the suspension more carefully on the demo drive I took several months earlier before ordering my LS460.

Recently, I drove my new car on several nearby expressways and could hear and feel every expansion crack, pothole and other defect in the roads. Prior to buying my first LS430, the salesman said that I would love the way the car handles on expressways and he was right. Every summer, my wife and I love to drive up to Lake Superior for a few days. I now dread the thought of making that drive in my new LS460.

There is a solution to the problem but it’s too late for me. If you find the ride in the LS460 is as bad as I found it, you can solve the problem by buying the LS460L and ordering the adaptive variable suspension. That combination gives the same luxurious ride as the original LS430. The problem is it will cost you over 12K more than a LS460.

[TSB]

To follow up my post from yesterday:

I took my new LS460 back to the dealer to try to get my LS430 back but it was sold. They did have a loaded ’07 LS460L they offered to sell me. The car was in great condition, had less than 12,000 miles and was equipped with adaptive variable suspension. The drive was as good as the LS430.

Unfortunately, they wanted $77,000 for it (original list price was $88,046) and would only give me $53,969 for my car; they claimed that they would have to sell my car as a used car. A few days earlier I paid $70,655 when I bought my LS460. That’s a loss of $16,686 after driving the car for 60 miles!

Any suggestions on what I can do?

[SW03ES]

Thats madness, you could sell the car yourself for way more than that! It would definately have to be sold as a used car.

I drove the LS460 a couple months ago and it certainly seemed to ride the same as the LS430. Have you driven another LS460 to compare yours to? I bet theres something to this, moreso than just the difference between the standard suspension and the air suspension.

What PSI are the tires aired to?

A $17k loss is crazy. You can sell it yourself for $65k easy I would think. It will have to be sold as a used car. Hell I'd pay you $54k for it right now...

[TSB]

Thats madness, you could sell the car yourself for way more than that! It would definately have to be sold as a used car.

I drove the LS460 a couple months ago and it certainly seemed to ride the same as the LS430. Have you driven another LS460 to compare yours to? I bet theres something to this, moreso than just the difference between the standard suspension and the air suspension.

What PSI are the tires aired to?

A $17k loss is crazy. You can sell it yourself for $65k easy I would think. It will have to be sold as a used car. Hell I'd pay you $54k for it right now...

Several days ago the service manager reduced the tire pressures to 33-34 PSI but there was no improvement in ride quality. Today he replaced the air in my tires with nitrogen but that changed nothing. I did drive another LS460 before ordering my LS460 but during that short ride I didn’t notice the harshness of the ride.

It’s a shame such a great car with perfect fit and finish has such a poor ride. Yesterday, a guy in a Mercedes next to me in a parking lot said that my car was beautiful. That’s a first for me.

[IS400]

Sounds to me like there is something to this on an assembly level. There must be something that gets put in backwards, torqued wrong or upside down or missing. I drove the demo LS460L at Meade Lexus in Michigan and it was flawless. That is saying a lot about the car considering the mine field roads we have here.

Someone on some shift is putting it together wrong. Someone on another shift is getting it right. That is my two cents.

If something is not torqued to specs and then after a couple hundred miles of jarring it comes loose or out of alignment then you get a screwed up ride. My car just needs to wear out two little bushings on the carrier and the rear end starts wagging and thumping like a rap star on drugs. It does not take much play to get a harsh ride in these cars.

Good luck and you have convinced me to NEVER buy a new lexus. Dealers are some fun huh? :chairshot:

[SW03ES]

I did drive another LS460 before ordering my LS460 but during that short ride I didn’t notice the harshness of the ride

You should drive another LS460 now for an extended period to compare the ride to yours. What we're trying to figure out is is yours typical or is there something wrong with it.