2ton

As a friend (who was also a car dealer) told me before purchase, make sure EVERYTHING is in working order prior to purchase. Fixing even small things on the LS 430 can be expensive. LOL

Not an engineer...just a guy with too much time to kill. By the way, I just ordered rotors and pads from Amazon for the LS430 (taking advantage of the month of free shipping). Tired of the pulsating brake pedal that shouldn't happen on the Lexus. Will start a new post when installed with comments on quality / performance.

Trunk struts arrived today (StrongArm 6415) for the '04 LS430. Appearance and fit are the same as OEM struts, but with a smaller diameter piston. They made quite a difference in lifting effort. The new struts now take over the lift load and raise the lid fully and easily. On the downside, they do make a noise, kind of a rasping sound, when opening the trunk (as a previous member experienced). Below are measurements on lifting force (applied by your hand) on the trunk using a spring scale: 1) With no struts attached, @25 pounds of lift effort needed to lift the lid to @45 degrees, where then the force reduces to @20 lbs, then finally, 6 lbs needed to hold the lid up when fully raised. 2) The OEM struts (9 years old) reduced the starting lift effort to 15 lbs, then 12 lbs at @45 degrees, and 0 lbs to hold up the trunk. 3) The new StrongArm 6415 struts start also at 15 lbs initial lift effort. but then quickly taking over all lift effort, raising the lid automatically when half-way open (45 degrees). The upside of the new struts is that it is no longer a pain in the (fingers) to load up the trunk, and its kinda cool to let go half-way up and have the auto-lift take over. And for just 47 bucks! The downside is in being in a big hurry to slam the trunk, thus possibly bending the support brackets. :cries: Oh, by the way, the old struts compressed at 100 lbs each (on the spring scale). The new struts were almost double that.

Thanks Joseph. Just ordered 2 "StrongArm 6415" struts from Amazon.com, total cost $47(went with the "free month of shipping" offer). Will post the SKINNY on performance in a few days.

Congrats on the '05 purchase. I've driven an '04 for years, and it is still our go-to car for comfort on long trips. Speaking of struts, the trunk struts on the LS430 do not seem to provide much lifting force, although they will hold the lid up. Anyone know if putting new struts on the trunk lid will make much of a difference in lifting effort?

I did check tire rack as I have ordered there before, but of course I was in a hurry to have new tires for a trip, and Tire Rack takes time and was way more costly (with shipping) as I recall than Costco.

Hey, I found a McGard key registration card in the glove box with the key numbers. I called McGard and they are sending a new key, total cost $15.00 The rep said use NO lubricant on the lug threads, just clean and dry. Torque to same torque as the normal lugs, which is 76 ft-lb (103 N-m) for the '04 LS430. Using the torque wrench, use BOTH hands, one on the end, the other on the head of the wrench. Push IN and tighten to torque setting. DO NOT let the wheel changers use the IMPACT wrench to tighten any alloy wheel lug nut! TIP: stand outside the tire shop first and watch them put on someone else's alloy wheels, BEFORE you let them do your car! If they are using the impact wrench to TIGHTEN alloy wheels (like they do at Costco and other low-cost tire dealers), go elsewhere or demand to have hand torqued wheels on your car WHILE YOU WATCH. Keeps them honest. Keeps from breaking another tool as well. Wish I did! (Did I really save $200 going to Costco for tires?) :chairshot:

Each wheel on my '04 LS 430 (17"rim) has a special lock lug requiring a special tool to remove. My wheel lug (lock) tool broke yesterday trying to remove a wheel. The lug was on really tight, requiring a breaker bar which broke off the inside part of the tool. The tool was contained in a small blue pouch in the trunk. Is this a Lexus tool or a generic brand? Has anyone had a similar issue and a remedy? Thanks

Each wheel on my '04 LS 430 (17"rim) has a special lock lug requiring a special tool to remove. My wheel lug (lock) tool broke yesterday trying to remove a wheel. The lug was on really tight, requiring a breaker bar which broke off the inside part of the tool. The tool was contained in a small blue pouch in the trunk. Is this a Lexus tool or a generic brand? Has anyone had a similar issue and a remedy? Thanks

Both myself and another 2004 LS430 owner have had tire issues with Dunlop Lexus (OEM) tires. Mine had a front right tire imbalance with a broken cord, a back rear left showing metal cord on the inside. All tires still had usable tread, however, with @40K miles. No alignment problems ever. Is the Michelin MXV4 the best replacement? (17" rim).

I had a problem with smart key as well a couple of weeks ago. A new battery did not solve the problem. CAREFULLY reading the owners manual concerning smart key solved my problem with smart key. Oh, by the way, if one of the 4 door lock mechanism fails, you will need to manually lock it each time you leave the car for smart key to lock with the signal beep.

Hey Steve I've got the same problem with my '03 passenger door lock. I plan to DIY but would like to have (buy) your old lock assembly if the dealer gave it back to you. Did they say what went wrong with the lock assembly?

Does a fuse protect individual lock motors?

Thanks. It's helpful to know the mechanism is motor driven (not vacuum).

The passenger door lock stopped responding to lock/unlock signals remotely, LS 430 '04. All 3 other doors respond correctly. Touching the passenger door handle with smart key in hand makes a faint noise in door but no beep like the other doors using smart key, no movement on lock lever. The only way to lock/unlock passenger door is manually pushing the lock lever inside the door. Also, the beep-beep stopped working when locking the car with the smart key, and no beep-beep when pushing the outside passenger door button. Anyone have the same issue with one door not responding? Any help appreciated!

My guess is that spring or the 2 gas struts have lost their charge and are not forceful enough to lift the trunk. I had the latter occur in the hood of a Ferrari.

Hello all Is there a best location to place a floor jack under the LS430 in order to raise the front for an oil change? My floor jack is a Lincoln 2 ton with a 6"diameter lift disc.

The PDF file is exactly what I have with the 2004 console. As the center console seems to go under the control switch panel, I will remove the switch panel first. Seems like a piece of cake,if it wern't for coaxing six years of stationary clips along with settle-in goo to come apart...remove fry...put back like it was...try not to scratch and dent everything. Thanks for the diagrams. Will post photos of my removal on this post if anyone is interested.

Thanks for the advice. The center panel.. is it a press fit-in or are there screws to remove? Will a plastic pry bar be needed or can this be done without tools?

I don't know, Billy. It could be an onion ring. ;) Seriously, Billy's right. Hard to say what kind of junk is gumming up your cupholder.

Hello all, I'm new to this post having purchased a friend's LS430 last week. The car is in perfect condition except: the cup holder's catch is not strong enough to stay back in the console. It is always in the popped out position. You can feel the catch try to hold it in, but the spring's force overcomes it. The Lexus dealer wants $360 to fix it?? Is this a D.I.Y. job? Any tips on just getting to the catch part to adjust/replace the catch is welcome.