Ed Darte

I never buy the insurance offered on most of the things I buy - except with the Lexus. My LS430 was near flawless as well but I sold it when it had a year left on the extended. The LS460 series has not been as reliable so I am again glad I have the warranty. A number of other owners have opted for the extended warranty. While Lexus drivetrain reliability is pretty good (although I have had transmission problems - now solved) it is all the other technology that could fail that will drive up ownership costs without a warranty. If the display screen fails that alone would cover the extended warranty cost. Not to mention other big ticket items like sound system, radar cruise, suspension, etc., etc., etc. If you plan on keeping the vehicle for sometime the extended warranty buys a lot of peace of mind and most are transferable which is a good selling point.

It has been over three months since I had the TSIB I mentioned in my previous post in this topic and I believe it solves 95% of the AWD vibration problem. (I have heard from other owners who also had it applied and it was successful for them as well) I still notice a slight vibration under light acceleration in the higher speed ranges 75-80 MPH+ but I can live with that. I suggest that anyone who has an AWD with this issue get the TSIB applied.

I have just had this TSB (L-SB-0013-12 AWD Vibration between 30-75 MPH) applied to my 2011 LS and I am feeling pretty confident that this finally fixes the AWD transmission vibration problem. On inclines at speeds around 60 MPH under slight acceleration I would get quite severe vibration that was even noticeable to passengers. After this TSB was applied I could not detect any vibration. I think I need take more time to be sure this is a permanent fix because when I first picked up this 2011 I could not feel any vibration but after about 4000 miles the car was vibrating worse than my 2009. I suspect that this was a result of changes to the transmissions's shifting algorithm after "learning" my driving behavior. But if this fix does work it will have solved a problem that has plagued my ownership experience since June 2010.

Well I have just had the TSB that I posted in my previous post applied to my 2011 LS and I am feeling pretty confident that this finally fixes the AWD transmission vibration problem. On inclines at speeds around 60 MPH under slight acceleration I would get quite severe vibration that was even noticeable to passengers. After this TSB was applied I could not detect any vibration. I think I need take more time to be sure this is a permanent fix because when I first picked up this 2011 I could not feel any vibration but after about 4000 miles the car was vibrating worse than my 2009. I suspect that this was a result of changes to the transmissions's shifting algorithm after "learning" my driving behavior. But if this fix does work it will have solved a problem that has plagued my ownership experience since June 2010.

I think I have good news for AWD owners. There is a new TSB that deals with the specific issue of vibration/shudder with AWD. It is "L-SB-0013-12 AWD Vibration between 30-75 MPH" and it was released by Lexus in March, 2012. ( I suppose this could be the same fix (Transmission update #EG1206) mentioned by Andiamo918 back in April but I am hoping it is an improvement.) I have attached the actual TSB. I have not yet had a chance to have it done to my vehicle but hope to have it done within the next month or so. I will post the results. L-SB-0013-12 AWD Vibration between 30-75 MPH.pdf

NJTAZ No, I have not been back to my dealer recently (My dealer is a two hour drive as well) but will raise it the next time. Given the lack of success I had at getting the vibration problem fixed in my 2009 I am not optimistic for the 2011. I went back and re-read these posts and see that your problem was actually at parking lot speeds which is not the same as mine. Mine was around 50MPH and 70MPH, uphill grade, and the shuddering could be quite severe if I kept the speed in the "sweet spot". I guess I will just have to continue in my "pursuit of excellence"

NJTAZ or anyone else please provide the Lexus TSB number for this recent computer fix as I am very interested in finding out if it will fix my 2011 LS AWD. I am one of the few people that got lexus to do a buy-back for this problem with my 2009 AWD. Now my replacement 2011 is showing the same symptoms. They replaced the ECU and the transmission on the 2009 with no improvement but I always felt it had to be computer/ECU related. In my case I spent a lot of time paying attention to what situations caused the problem and it always occurred under light acceleration, slightly uphill, at speeds around 40 -50 MPH. I was able to reproduce the problem on cue and this convinced the Lexus tech rep that it was real. He said "If this were my car I would be very disappointed and want it corrected"

Trust me - it is probably not the tires. I wish it were that easy to solve. In my case (2009 LS 460 AWD) they switched tires, ECU, transmission, torque converter and nothing worked. After much negotiating with Lexus they did a buy back (which my dealer told me is rare). I thoroughly road tested a new 2011 LS460 AWD to make sure it did not also have the problem and I could not detect anything so I bought it. However around 6000 miles the problem has now resurfaced. I am convinced it is an AWD/8 speed complexity issue. I think it is revealing that Lexus did not put the 8 speed in the new GS and I am waiting to see what they put in the next LS model change in 2013.

Check out this post of mine on another site. http://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls460-ls460l-and-ls600h/578750-closing-the-loop-on-my-2009-awd-transmission-problem.html regards, Ed

Glad your problem was solved so easily. Others are not so lucky. In my case Lexus did the right thing and did a buyback but this was after checking tires, alignment, replacing transmission and two computers without any improvement. I am now driving a vibration free 2011 AWD

This switch looks very similar to the mirror switch on my 2001 LS. If so, maybe you don't need to replace it just clean it. On some other site someone was kind enough to suggest opening the switch (it just pops open). If you pay attention to how it is put together you can open it, clean any dirty contacts (very, very light sanding with an emery board) and put it back together. I had no problem getting mine to work.

What you are probably hearing is what most owners believe to be caused by the high pressure of the indirect injection. My 2009 LS had a mild "valve tappet" sound and my 2011 is slightly quieter. My 2001 LS was whisper quiet. Note, some very knowledgeable owners due claim the Indirect injection is not the cause but I am not aware of anyone having this noise ever having it eliminated. The one other, slim, possibility is the infamous valve spring failure problem. Lexus has issued a recall on this problem where there is a slim possibility of a spring failure that could cause engine failure. See this site http://www.lexus.com/recall/#hs3RecallSection

Southender, I agree that you would think by now that Lexus, like some other manufacturers, would design their dash displays to be easily switched. I suppose they can't replicate their luminescent displays (for which they get a lot of praise) in a panel display. Plus it does make it harder for buying across the border and maybe Lexus likes that. I had purchased a US vehicle while living/working in the US and brought it back home. It was not that hard to get used to as both Miles/kilometers are displayed, plus I was more comfortable in Fahrenheit than Celsius anyway. As to the XM reception I would blame the technology rather than Lexus. XM relies on satellite and for that it needs to see the horizon. I know NB well and I suspect it is due to all the trees there. I have the same problem here on Vancouver Island. Now, if you are having problems in open spaces then, yes, something is wrong with your system.

I just want to follow-up on what has happened regarding the transmission problem I was having with my 2009 LS460 SWB AWD that I purchased used in 2010. If you are interested in the details they can be found in my posts here:http://www.clublexus...-low-speed.html here: http://www.clublexus...awd-owners.html and here: http://www.clublexus...lease-help.html In summary, I had a severe transmission shudder over a wide speed range. After convincing the Lexus rep, the transmission, torque converter, transmission computer and engine computer were all replaced but there was zero improvement. I know others on this board have reported similar problems without any joy from Lexus. I am not sure why I was successful in getting these parts replaced other than the possibility that my car's problem was significantly worse. After some negotiating, that eventually involved personal discussions with Mr. Octavio DaCosta, the National Manager of Lexus here in Canada; we arrived at a buyback deal. I paid a total of $24,700 and, in return, I got a brand new 2011 SWB AWD that had the technology package (MRSP$9250 - my 2009 was only the standard vehicle) and includes the maximum ECP warranty of eight years/200,000 kilometers. I would have preferred if my original car could have been repaired and wish it had not taken a full year to eventually solve the problem but, in the end, I am happy with this arrangement with Lexus. Throughout this process my dealer (Metro Lexus Victoria) has been fantastic. They kept me informed all the way and I really felt they were on my side. I also think Lexus has given me a fair deal, especially when you consider they have already put over $15,000 in parts alone into my old car. I also want to thank the other members on the Club Lexus board who were kind enough to take the time to provide me with detailed feedback on how their own AWD performed. It convinced me, and may have convinced Lexus, that the behavior of my car was not "normal". The nine years that I owned my LS430 convinced me that Lexus is capable of producing flawless vehicles and I now look forward to a long problem-free period with this 2011. PS – I have noticed that the engine noise (often attributed to the high pressure direct injection) was much louder on the 2009. It is still present on the 2011 but not all the time and very faint compared to the 2009.

Well over the last week I had my first experience in serious winter conditions here on Vancouver Island (not normal weather for this time of year). I have a 2009 SWB AWD with Michelin X-ICE 2 winter tires. The car handled perfectly in, at times, 6 inches of fresh snow. At one point I was stopped on a moderately steep incline due to a serious accident up ahead. Once we started moving the LS moved off without a problem while cars all around were spinning their wheels. My previous LS 430 was good with winter tires (but really bad on all seasons in snow) but the 460 AWD with winter tires is a much better combo.

I have a 2009 SWB AWD with approx 17K and have not heard any such rattle.

Beniffnee, Glad that your problem is now bearable, if not totally resolved. I hope that my cause is similar. I would much rather it be due to bad rubber than a bad tranny. I have yet to get it checked out as I am still trying to clearly document the problem and, as I am more than two hours away from the dealer, it is not something I can easily do. Ed

Beniffnee I would be really interested in hearing if you had any success in solving your vibration problem. Regards, Ed

Beniffnee I have a 2009 LS460 AWD with only 7500 miles. I have posted topic "2009 LS460 AWD – Bad Ride Quality..." in this forum on a similar if not identical problem. I at first suspected a "gear searching" problem around 20-25 MPH where the car had a continuous,mild hesitation as if the car was searching for the right gear. After driving the car more I now see it also very often occurs at 60-65 MPH. I have also noted in another Lexus forum other owners who report similar vibration/hesitation sensations in the AWD model. From my reading of the TSIBs the 2009 and later models should not have the earlier transmission and driveshaft problems that occurred with the 2007 and 2008 years but there does seem to be definitely something wrong that is still unresolved with 2009+ AWD models. I have only had the car a couple of weeks so I need to drive it more so I can tell Lexus service when the problem does and does not occur. Nothing worse than going in with an intermittent problem that refuses to appear during the service. Regards, Ed

I believe the lug pattern is 5 - 120. Check out this site to be sure http://www.myboltpattern.com/

A week ago I traded in my 2001 LS430 for a 2009 CPO LS460 AWD and already I am experiencing buyer's remorse. I am hoping this forum can help me. While I love the styling of the 460 (the one aspect of the 430 I was not thrilled with) and all the tech toys, I am having a real problem with the ride quality of the 460. I bought the 430 new and put 190,000 kilos (120,000 miles) on it over nine years without a single problem and I got to know what an LS rides like. I know the 460 is a firmer ride and, for the most part, I appreciate that. However driving along, mostly in the 30-90 KPH (20-55 MPH) range, it often feels as if the transmission is in too high a gear and the car is almost about to stall. If I step on the gas the problem goes away. If the road is level and I put the cruise on and set to 90KPH (55 MPH) you can feel a continuous, intermittent, mild hesitation. Before posting I searched all prior posts for similar problems but nothing seems to match. I read some people have experienced what feels like drive-shaft vibrations but, IMO, my problem feels more like bad gear selection. I have also read that some people say the car wants to be driven hard but I have a hard time accepting this behaviour as "designed-in". I also tried using the "S6" gear setting thinking this might limit how high a gear gets selected but this gave no improvement. I live in an area where e the road has numerous curves and low rolling hills (one that was very enjoyable to drive in the 430) but the ride in the 460 is most unpleasant. I purchased the 96/160,000 kilo (96/100,000 miles) extended warranty with the car (it only has 11,000 kilos on it now) so I am hoping I have nothing to worry about. I was hoping to find a TSB on this problem but no luck. It would be great if I could get some advice before I go back to the dealer so I don't have an uphill battle to convince them there is a problem and they don't have to spend a lot of time looking for a solution. PS. Our driveway slopes down to the house and when backing out (i.e., up) the drive the car wants to roll forward between the time I take my foot off the brake and put it on the gas. I know I can use the auto parking brake (APB) feature but I don't recall this problem with the 430 which did not have APB. As I recall, the 430 did not roll at all (as if the idle speed alone was sufficient to keep it in place). Is my 460's behaviour normal? TIA, Ed

I have been having the same problem over the past four days. FYI I am running IExplorer 8.0.6001 on vista. Regards, Ed

Okay, just to close the book on this. I finally got under the car and found the two (in addition to the radiator drain) coolant drain !Removed! and they are nowhere near where the alldatadiy.com site says they are. The toyodiy.com site that steve2006 directed me to is much more accurate. Not sure if this is the same location as the previous model but they are on either side, lower down on the block, just ahead of the bell housing and close to the catalytic converters. In addition to removing the front plastic engine cover (under the car) you also need to remove the smaller cover that is a little closer to the back of the car to access them. Once found, they are not too difficult to open and attach drain hoses.

Okay, just to close the book on this. I finally got under the car and found the two (in addition to the radiator drain) coolant drain !Removed! and they are nowhere near where the alldatadiy.com site says they are. The toyodiy.com site that steve2006 directed me to is much more accurate. Not sure if this is the same location as the previous model but they are on either side, lower down on the block, just ahead of the bell housing and close to the catalytic converters. In addition to removing the front plastic engine cover (under the car) you also need to remove the smaller cover that is a little closer to the back of the car to access them. Once found, they are not too difficult to open and attach drain hoses.

Does anyone know for sure where the engine block coolant drain !Removed! are on a 2001 LS430? (Note: they are not in same location as earlier model) TIA, Ed