TennesseeLexus

Pictures?????

I realize to alot of you out in LexusLand this color on a car is boring. I happen to like it but when I was looking at '03 LS430s I would pretty much take any color but black. Now I stole my present CPO LS430 (under $35k) and it happened to be white soooooooooooooooooo It doesn't seem to show scratches or swirls and that is my delimma; how do you evaluate the paint on a white car? The car has been garaged and still is being garaged.

I have stumbled across an interesting tool to help wash your car. Now usually I use a high quality open hole sponge with lots of suds or I may try the sheepskin mitts but what about the foam gun? It looks like it could really generate nice suds to start working on your car before you then start to "wash" the car. Anyone have experience with this? I saw the Foamaster Foam Gun for around $60. Also is the sheepskin mitt better than MF? or is the sea sponge the way to go????? Thanks as always.

Thank you for your advice!!!!!!!! I can't wait to tell my wife I am dropping another 2 bills for everything else. :chairshot: But I can point to you guys on the board as saying that my list is necessary. :whistles: BTW any advice on the door paint scratches behind the door handle which you pull out. Also would you use any sort of "California Jelly Blade" for removing the water after a wash or the drying towels?

Guys/Gals, I have a '03 LS430 that is Crystal White with Tan Leather. Here is what I want to order to keep the paint and interior in excellent shape for the next 4-5 years. The paint seems to be in excellent shape and it has been and is garaged. Porter Cable 7424 (own it) Lexol Leather cleaner and conditioner (own it) Stoner glass spray (can)(own it) Mother's Powerball and mini powerball plus powerball metal polish (own it) Most everything below will be from Autopia Sonus SFX Ultra-Fine Detailing Clay Sonus Glyde Clay Lubricant Sonus Paintwork Cleanser Concours Finishing Bonnet Sonus Acrylic Spritz Sonus Dual-Action System Foam Pads: Sonus DAS Pad Kit Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze Klasse ALL-IN-ONE Polish 303 Aerospace Protectant, 16 oz. Sonus Complete Detailing Towel Kit Am I missing something or is something not logical in my list?

This August when I bought my CPO 430 and I was driving it back from Ann Arbor to Nashville and had the A/C on the entire trip. Around 100 miles into the trip I noticed when I had the radio off I heard a "swishing" or a "psssst" sound that seemed to be coming from my driver's side A/C vent. When I turned the A/C off it went away. I took it to my dealer when I was getting the oil changed and naturally I could not duplicate that noise but I do still have it when I use the A/C. I am not real worried since it's a CPO car and will get it addressed in the near future but could it be water dripping or condensation in the A/C vents? Thoughts?

Cleaner and I am REAL anal when it comes to keeping my car clean! B) Very nice cars! Just curious, did you sell your ls400, how much are you asking for it? or if sold, what ballpark figure did you get for it. Nope, It's still for sale..........well I haven't been pushing it very hard. I'm asking $9995 for it. If you are interested let me know and I can give you a link to pictures and more of a description.

Cleaner and I am REAL anal when it comes to keeping my car clean! B)

Here you go:

I arrived back in Nashville about 3 hours ago. All I can say is............WOW! :) It was unbelieveable! I thought my LS400 was quiet but dang it was like sitting in a tomb...and the stereo----------the ML was spectacular. I kept it at around 75-80 mph all the way home.........OK maybe I did get up to 100 mph or so :whistles: on a couple of straight aways but I went over 500 miles on less than 1 TANK of gas! Now the hard part is putting some final detailing touchups on the LS400 to sell. Hopefully it'll sell fast............

As I sit here at Midway Airport in Chicago waiting for my flight to Detroit where I will then travel to Ann Arbor tomorrow to pick up my new (to me) car, I have thoughts about an old vehicle that served my well. My 96 LS 400 with 176k miles is ready for a new home. I have cleaned her up and will be putting out the for-sale sign next week. She had every service on time (or relatively on time) and was a blast to drive. My new car is a 2003 LS430 (CPO) white with tan leather and navigation and only 34k miles. I am really excited about getting behind the wheel of my new ride and driving the 500 miles back to Nashville. I will be using the navigation (if I can figure it out before I leave) and listening to the kick-!Removed! ML stereo. I looked high and low for this car that fit my criteria (CPO, white and NAV) down to the price of $36k. I had my LS400 for 5 years and it was a joy to drive. I shall keep this one for 5 years and then the LS460 will becken. I have learned a lot about my LS400 on this site and I am look forward to learning even more about my LS430. It's tough to part but I want someone else to experience the wonder that is the Lexus LS series.

What does that do to any warranty on the radio/NAV system?

Hi, I live in Nashville and will be buying a 2003 LS 430 with Nav/ML in the next few weeks. I am interested in the ipod system you have installed in the Prius (and have one for your LS430). Do I buy the unit from the manufacturer and have it installed at a local stereo shop or what? I really don't want just "anyone" working on my car but I know my limitations and car electronics is ONE of them. LOL Just so I understand, you are saying that it only costs $100 for a LEXUS Dealer to install one of these systems. I don't know of ANY Lexus Dealer that does ANYTHING for only $100!

Hi, I live in Nashville and will be buying a 2003 LS 430 with Nav/ML in the next few weeks. I am interested in the ipod system you have installed in the Prius (and have one for your LS430). Do I buy the unit from the manufacturer and have it installed at a local stereo shop or what? I really don't want just "anyone" working on my car but I know my limitations and car electronics is ONE of them. LOL

WOW, I appreciate all the feedback but first a few things: 1) I NEVER said ANYTHING about LA! The poster after my initial post made that assumption 2) I know what I WANT to pay for a car I was JUST curious------that's all really. I am VERY confident that my dealer will get what I want.

Thanks but I live in Nashville and I can't be flying to CA for an auto auction. BTW, my dealer will be calling me and conferencing in the buyer who will be looking at the car before he bids. Plus he said that there will be no problems or I can walk away (within reason of course).

I am contemplating buying a 2003 LS430 from a dealer(not Lexus)...........he has been around for around 9 years and has sold over 8,000 cars in that time. He is well known and has a good reputation. I want a 2003 LS 430 white, w/Nav and less than 35k miles. I have a price in mind (around $35-36k). He thinks that his full-time buyer can find one like the one I want. He will be going to Manheim Auctions to find the car. My question is how much do dealers actually buy these cars for? I know they have to make a profit but I am curious as to what "auction" prices are. I realize a more popular car will command a higher price but other than that what profit are we talking about? $2k, 3k.......................

MarioC The senario that you experienced happened to me 1 month ago. On my 1996 LS400 (176k miles) my P/S pump leaked on my alternator causing it to fail. I was driving back from Birmingham, AL at 12:00 midnight and pulled into my garage and it died!!! Talk about LUCKY. They are right about the price to repair. Good luck and I know your LS will bring you many, many years/miles of fun and enjoyment.

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! B) Can't wait 3-4 years when I will buy one probably 2008 LS460.

I am looking at replacing my 1996 LS400 (175k miles) sometime within the next 3-4 months. I use it as a company car since I travel a lot but have never missed a scheduled maintenance. I have looked at 2003 LS430s with and without the navigation. Obviously the cars (with approx equal miles) cost $1-2K more. I am looking at cars that have between 30-40k miles. I know a lot of people really like the navigation package but I have also seen many reports (on this site) talking about problems so I guess my question is over the long-haul (next 4-5 years of car ownership) will it be "worth it"? It looks to me that I will have many more "fixes" with the navigation system. Thoughts? Opinions? Finally, people on this board have been talking about a "flood" of LS430s this fall when the LS460 comes out. So do I wait until this fall (Oct/Nov) to look at cars and will the 2004s be "any better" than the 2003s? In terms of buying a car I have been looking at eBay motors and autotrader. I see that a lot of the eBay motors sellers do have a fairly long track record of sales but I am leery. Anyone who has purchased lately where did you get your LS430s/400s? I have been on here awhile and have come to valuable opinions on this board so fire away!

I have a "dead" alternator that was shorted due to the PS leaking. I have a 96 LS400 with 172,000 miles. That was the exact cause. It also caused the alternator to "short" which fused/melted two sensor wires together which made my check engine light come on. My IM charged me $800 for the alternator and labor. To replace the sensors (I didn't get exactly which sensors were needed but I trust my mechanic) I am having him replace my TB and WP since the engine is torn down to that level anyway. He is charging me $75 for the TP and around $210 for the WP. It is expensive but this means that my TB is now changed. When I sell the car in around 5 months all service will be done.

For the LS, I would add: - Falken Ziex ZE-512 - Toyo Proxes TPT - Yokohama Avid H4S & V4S (depending on the speed rating you want / need) - Goodyears new 'Assurance' line which are either the Comfortreads OR Triple Treads. (the GY Triple Treads trump the Michelin Hydroedge because of the ice traction they are capable of) B) I have the Avid V4S on my 1996 LS400 and they are great. they are also inexpensive from tirerack.com around $78/tire.

It is the 2004 model. 2004 LS430 Recall

I see some units that have air suspension and/or a Ultra Luxury package (vibrating seats etc) and I want to know if it's worth the extra money. I have seen a 2001 with the Ultra Lux package for around $28,500 (58k miles) and wonder if buying this car would be buying major problems down the road. I have seen 2002s with around 55-60K miles around $30k. Does anyone know what options/features that came on the 2001/2002 that have been proven to be a major headache in terms of ownership. I am looking locally in Nashville but also on autotrader.com and cars.com. Any other websites that might be helpful? I do carfax any car I am looking at but I know that is just a cursory overview. I like to see the chain of ownership of a car. I have a 1996 LS400 with 165k miles and the only thing I didn't have on it was the air suspension (my mechanic was disappointed with that since he told me he could have put his son through private school with it :D ) Suggestions, websites

I currently own a LS400 ('96) with 165k of mostly highway miles. It is in great shape but I drive a lot for my job and have had the car for 5 years. Do I HAVE to change cars?-------no but I just love the LS430s (2002,2003). My dilemma is that my lovely wife, Mrs. TennesseeLexus wants me to look at the GS430 (or GS300) because she thinks since it is a smaller car it will cost a lot less. I am looking at around $28-30K for a LS430 but I know next to nothing about the GS line except that the GS430 (2003 and above) are really fast and more of a sports car than the LS430. I realize this is a GS430 forum but any feed back would be appreciated---pro or con. I really don’t know what I am going to do. YOU MUST KEEP THE MRS. HAPPY THOUGH. I would be looking at a 2004 and above for the GS430. I am also posting this same message on the LS430 forum. Thanks and happy motor’n.