MikeP

Steve, Prior to my '04 LS430, I owned 3 cars with electronic throttles, BMW 330Ci, Jaguar X-Type and Jaguar S-Type. None had any hesitation, including my new LS. Maybe I'm just lucky. Mike

Thanks for the reply. I'm not surprised, Lexus doesn't seem to skimp on anything. Mike

It doesn't look like the Lexus logo, so I would say it's fake. Looks more like a "7" if you turn it upside down. Mike

Just wondering if the center armrest is covered in leather or vinyl. I checked the Lexus website, but it doesn't say anything specific about the armrest. I want to condition the leather and didn't know if I should include the armrest. Almost 2 weeks with my '04 LS430 and I still have to pinch myself every time I drive it. I applied two coats of Meguires NXT Tech wax and even though it's Mercury, it shines like glass. Life is good. :D Mike

Personally, I think the size is about right. I had a '98 LS400 and the '04 LS430 I now own, seems to have much more interior room, especially rear leg room. Lexus should consider adding a long wheelbase version along with the current size, like BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Jaguar offer. If I could get all the comfort and features of the LS430 in a smaller Lexus model, I would seriously consider it. Mike

If you had the opportunity to sit face to face with the designers & engineers working on the next generation LS, what recommendations would you have for them? I would suggest a slightly bolder style (nowhere as radical as the BMW 7 Series), add adjustable foot pedals, improve fuel mileage while maintaining the same or more power, install 18" wheels as the minimum size and hold the prices steady. Mike

I think Chris Bangle, BMW's chief designer, had a lot to do with carving BMW's tombstone. The current designs are a complete about-face to those that brought BMW such success. And what did BMW do to punish Bangle, they promoted him. In a sense it's unfair for Motor Trend to criticize the LS430 because it was a little soft in the handling department. They did test the "Ultra Luxury Package". To be fair, they should have also had an LS430 with the Sport Suspension as an example of the choices Lexus gives their customers. Thanks for posting some tidbits from the article. Cheap as I am, I'm waiting until MT posts the test on their website. Mike

I've owned several different European brand cars since my last LS, so I have gotten used to cleaning the wheels, especially the front, every few days. I've had my LS430 now for a week (it's hard to believe) and the wheels have stayed clean. What kind of "magical" brake pads does Lexus use that makes brake dust invisible? When you see Audi's, BMW's, Volvo's, MB's and Jaguar's, they can be spotless except for their front wheels. Why wouldn't they use the same materials for their brake pads as Lexus? A luxury car loses some of its pizzaz with dirty shoes. Clean front wheels....what a luxury. Mike

It's also possible that because your A/C has been having to deal with a lot of moisture, it has developed mold or mildew. I don't know the name of the product, but there is a spray do get rid of it. Also, you might want to change your A/C filter to be on the safe side. When you park in the sun with your windows up, do you see condensation on the inside of the windows? If not, your carpets are probably pretty dry, as you said. Mike

My '04 LS430 has a constant rattle when the sunroof is opened. I think I have eliminated the sliding shade as the culprit because it doesn't rattle when opened and the sunroof is closed. Also, when the sunroof is open, I can stop the rattle if I put a little pressure on the leading edge of the sunroof with my hand. Has anyone else had the same problem & if so, was it fixed? I also have a slight intermittent buzz from around the shift. I think it's coming from the trim plate (with the shift slot and gear indicators) as it touches the wood on the console. If I pry the trim plate up slightly and hold it there, the buzz/rattle stops. Other than these 2 rattles, the car is rock solid and extremely quiet. The silence makes the rattles even more noticable. I'll ask the service advisor about the rattles when I bring it in for its first service. I hate rattles Mike

I just took delivery of mine on 6/26 and recently cleaned the windows. They all had a light film, especially the rear window. It's only been a couple of days since I cleaned them, so I have not noticed any buildup yet. Mike

I know it seemed impossible, but even Rome fell :D Mike

I haven't seen the issue yet, but the September issue of Motor Trend has a comparason test of 6 luxury cars: Audi A8L, LS430, VW Phaeton, MB S430, Jaguar XJ8 and BMW 745Li. The reviewers chose the cars in the order I listed them, with the Audi in 1st place and the Jag & BMW tied for last place. I'm going to pick up a copy of the magazine, but if anyone has seen the review, please share the highlights. Mike

Sorry I missed that post above where you say you bought from LexNO. That's great that they are treating you so well and making sure you are satisfied! Do you know what body shop they used? Do you have any pics of the new rig? Enjoy your wonderful new car!! B) Blake, no pictures yet, but I'm planning to detail it starting tomorrow since the paint has been taken care of. They used Rusich on Delaware (I think that's correct) in Kenner. Bryan worked on my car at Rusich and did a great job. I still have to pinch myself each time I see my car in the driveway. I am amazed at the attention to detail Lexus has put into the car. I'm finding something new every time I get in. I've owned some pretty nice cars in my life, but none comes close to this one. Like the Carnival organizations that start planning for next year's Mardi Gras the day after, I used to start thinking about my next car the day after I buy a new one. With the LS, I can't even imagine what could be better. I'll post some pics as soon as I recover from waxing my car. Mike

I don't because I dream about the Lexi!! :D Thanks, Blake. I bought from Lexus of New Orleans. I wound up getting around 8% off MSRP and they had the exact car I wanted. I knew I couldn't come close to that on an '05, so I signed the papers. I always prefer to support a local dealer if their price is fair (not like your experience with the RX) and it's a bit of a hassle buying out of town with a trade. Mark McCoy, the Sales Manager and Bill Woods, my salesman treated me royally and pulled a lot of strings to get my car fixed quickly. So far I would give them excellent marks. Mike

I just got home from picking up my car from the dealer. They took it back to the body shop and re-buffed the area where they had previously removed the scratch on the trunk lid. They also swapped out the rear bumper cover on my car with one from another "Mercury" LS430 so I would keep a factory paint job. I've gotta say I was disappointed when I saw the paint problems on my car, but Lexus of New Orleans jumped through hoops to quickly get my car fixed and make me a happy camper again. So far, the Lexus experience has exceeded my expectations. I think I'll start waxing it tomorrow morning early and hope I finish by at least Sunday or Monday !!! As a side note, I checked with Lexus Customer Assistance today to find out if my car is subject to the transmission and fuel pump recalls. I was surprised to see that they already had me in their database since it's not quite 2 days since I bought the car. After giving my VIN#, I was told there are currently no recalls on my car, so it is not included in either recall. My build date is 6/04. Mike

Thanks to all of you for the congrats. I have tested the Lexus dealer's service this morning though. When I washed it this morning, I noticed a few scratches on the lower rear bumper cover and as I was drying it off, I saw what I thought was a long hair on the top of the trunk lid. Not so lucky......it's a scratch. I called my salesman and brought the car over for him to look at. I let him know that I was not at all happy with the condition of the car and that my 2 year old trade had no scratches on it. The Sales Manager came out to look at the damage and immediately called someone from the body shop they use. I took my car to the body shop and had them buff out the scratch on the trunk. It looked great in bright sunlight, but the bumper looks like cr*p since they used touchup paint. When I got home and pulled the car out of the sun, I could see buff marks from where the scratch was removed. I tried waxing the spot 3 times, but the buff marks didn't budge. It looks like the surface is smooth and glossy, but there is a dullness below the shine, like the clearcoat has been burnt. I'm really pretty sick about this. I called the Sales Manager back and told him that I was not going to accept a car that I haven't yet had for 24 hours, that had to have half the rear end painted. He said he understood and told me he wanted to swap my rear bumper cover from another car and asked if I would let the body shop have another look at the trunk lid. He told me if I was not satisfied with the result, he would take my car back and replace it with another one. So I'm pretty bumbed out about my car, but the dealership seems to be bending over backwards to try and make it right. I'm bringing it in tomorrow morning to have the cover replaced and to see what can be done about the trunk lid. I'll let you know how I make out tomorrow. Mike

Yesterday I took delivery of my '04 LS430. W O W . I had made an appointment with the Sales Manager to pricing and availability, not thinking I would actually buy a car. Well, he had the exact car I wanted on the lot and he agreed to my price. What could I say, but Y E S. Since he did agree to my price, I might have gone into the negotiating process higher than I should have, but I am satisfied. I wound up with an 8% discount off MSRP. We have been having draught conditions for several weeks, but as you might have guessed, it stormed yesterday afternoon as I was driving away from the dealer. The car is absolutely perfect, no rattles and the smell of the interior is better than coffee aroma in the morning. I am so excited about having the car, I woke up at 3:00am this morning and went outside to stare at it. So, thanks for answering my questions and keeping me busy while I made my decision to buy. After I get some miles under my belt, maybe I can start giving back some of the help/advice you have given me. Mike

O U C H !!!! You guys are scaring me. I was expecting at least $2500 off. I guess the price dealers are getting is a testament to the demand for the LS430. Also, by selling close to the MSRP, it keeps the resale values high. It's still amazing to me that with almost $8000 profit, dealers aren't willing to discount more. On the minus side for me is there is only one dealer here, so no competition, but on the plus side, this will be my 4th Lexus purchased form this dealer. I'm hoping this makes a difference. Maybe that's wishful thinking. What does scare me are the comments about an increase in MSRP. If that happens, I presume Lexus will also increase the '06 prices so that when the new design is introduced for the '07 model, the price jump won't be as great. I just hope Lexus doesn't price the car out of my range. It's close now. Mike

Just thought I'd ask the group how much off of MSRP would you expect on an '05 LS430 with Premium Package, Smart Access and 18" wheels. I know the answer will vary depending on location, but I'm trying to establish some figure to approach my dealer with. Thanks for the advice. Mike

Actually, starting with MY 2005, Mercedes Benz will no longer offer free maintenance. I would not be surprised to see MB starting a trend with BMW following next. With the value of the dollar being so low against other currencies, manufacturers are looking for ways to hold the prices of their cars steady. On the E-Class for '05, MB is also reducing the content and raising the cost of options. The MB board is full of complaints about those decisions. I think Lexus was wise not to follow the trend with free maintenance. Once you offer it, customers are very unhappy when those perks are discontinued. Mike

I suspect another factor is the continuing increase in Lexus sales. I think the figure I saw for 2004 was an increase in sales in '04 of 17% over '03. I also read that Lexus continues to keep the number of dealers low for maximum profit, so maybe waiting time for service is increasing. My local dealer is building much larger facilities and will demolish the old structure, which seems perfectly good. I would bet the JD Power rating has shocked Lexus and will set the tone for some changes. Mike

Lexus dropped to 5th. To see the entire report, use this link and click on "Press Release". http://www.jdpower.com/cc/auto/releases/search.asp?CatID=1 Mike

I bought my '98 LS400 new and it had a slight hesitation when slowly accelerating from a "rolling" stop. It was nowhere near as bad as my '98 GS400. I didn't notice any difference when turning in either direction. I learned to live with it and forgot about it. It could be that the service department loaded a reflash to the transmission when I had it in for routine maintenance. I assume the transmission on a '98 LS400 is computer controlled, so you might want to ask your service department if you have the latest update. But then again, I could be dead wrong. Did your transmission always have the hesitation or did it start recently? How many miles on your car? Mike

I recently regestered also and I am still Lexusless at this time (Hopefully for just 2 months). For me, starting to post in a new discussion group is like being the new kid in school. For a while, you feel like an outsider, without anything to contribute. It takes time to get familiar with the active posters, the interests of the group and learning to moderate your disagreements. So far, I have found the members of this forum very interesting and welcoming. I look forward to learning a great deal from those of you who have 'been around the block" and hopefully at some point, I can contribute more than just pose questions. Mike