03whiteLS430

This is the manual you need to maintain your Lexus. $90 on eBay, I'll sell it for $75 plus shipping to the lower 48. With it I was able to replace my brake pads and save $800 and replace my struts and save $900. Excellent condition.

I recently sold my 2003 LS430 and the buyer took it to a local shop for a 120 point inspection before finalizing the transaction. I would highly recommend considering that type of inspection before you buy any used Lexus since he informed me my car had been in an accident and there was body work on the trunk panel behind the rear door on the driver side. They also discovered one of the front struts was leaking and offered to replace them for $900. I think the dealership was more like $1200. I confirmed one strut was leaking, ordered a pair at Irontoad for $230 and with a friends help and a maintenance manual got the job done in 1 hour and 42 minutes. I took it for a wheel alignment the next day so total out of pocket was $310. If anyone in the DFW area needs front struts, PM me and I can help you with it. Of course I had sellers remorse after replacing the struts, the car rode really nice afterwards! I also believe if you have the air ride system that you can switch to standard struts instead of paying something like $3000 to fix that. After looking around for a replacement car, I realize there isn't anything I really want or like because I won't spend $40K+ for a new car and most other used cars in the $25K range are not as reliable or nice as the LS430. I should have just spent the extra $$ for a 2005 LS430 with NAV and ML stereo a year ago when I bought this car which is what I really wanted. I also learned that you should never fly to a city to buy a car you found on eBay cause you allow yourself to overlook some details that would have kept you from buying the car had it been local and you just drove to see it. I knew I should never had bought the Lexus I had - it looked good in the ad but the dealership lied about the car not being in an accident and I was dumb enough not to notice that. I might have to keep a look-out for a good deal on a 2005 or 2006, preferrably with leaking front struts so I can get them to knock $1200 off the asking price.

Price reduced to sell $18,995. New battery, new brakes, new front struts.

42,645 miles, 2-Owner, Immaculate Texas Car with Lexus Dealership Service every 5,000 miles, Non-Smoker, Original Sticker $57,852 4.3 Liter, 5-Speed Automatic Transmission, Gas Pressurized Shock Absorbers with Front Rebound Springs, 4-Wheel Power Assisted Ventilated Disk Brakes MPG City: 19, Highway: 25 OPTIONS: 17” Chrome Wheels, Climate Control Front Seats with Heat & Cool and rear Heated Seats, Power Tilt and Slide Moonroof with Sunshade, Trunk Mat, Wheel Locks, Premium Window Tint, Front and Rear Clear Custom Floor mats, Lexus 7-Speaker 178 Watt Premium Audio System w/Cassette Player With Auto-Reverse, In-Dash 6-Disc CD Player and AM/FM Stereo Asking $21,749 OBO 214.534.0337 Reduced to $18,995 - Below Blue Book

Same issue here in Texas, just paid $50 to have each wheel fixed. 03 LS430 with OEM chrome wheels from Houston that I bought a year ago.

Had the same issue on my 03, bought the caliper bolts and pads for a DIY project. I discovered you only need the caliper bolts if you remove the rotors to turn them. I scuffed both sides of my rotors since they were OK and never removed the calipers so my bolts are sitting in the garage. They have to change the pads with about 50% remaining due to the wear sensors. I was thinking about tieing off my sensors and letting the pads go longer. I replaced mine for the first time when the car had 35,000 miles on it and did all 4 wheels. Very simple job and huge savings. I have better ways to spend $900. From what I understand you definately need to replace the bolts once you remove them because they stretch.

I just replaced the brakes on my Ls430 several weeks ago for the same reason, was told by the service dept that I was ready to wear out the sensors but lots of pad left at 35,000 miles and still the original pads. I replaced them anyway and tied off the sensors so I can get full usage from the new pads. Some folks here will not agree but if you keep an eye on them I don't forsee any problems. You can easily get the sensors off and tie them off but that is not what the manual instructs so you are doing that at your own risk. I bought the pads for about $100 plus caliper bolts but after inspecting the rotors decided they did not need to be turned so still have the bolts. I just burnished the rotors to remove the glaze and it's stopping as good as new. I'm not much of a mechanic but the whole process only took about 2-3 hrs with a friend who is a little more savvy.

You can't go wrong with a LS430, I wouldn't care that it's an 04 either. You can buy a lot of cars that are newer but none that are more refined. I paid that for my 03 with 32,000 miles and am happy with the car. Was driving a Chrysler 300C SRT8 and was surprised how much power the LS430 has, althought I won't be taking it to the track. You mention a lot of different cars and SUV's - have you decided what the primary purpose of the car is that you intend to buy? I would agree that looking at the BMW's, Mercedes, M45/35, are all in the upscale luxury and performance category. The LS is not exactly a performance option but if you are looking for the most refined (quiet and smooth) ride with plenty of room and more wood that you can polish in the interior, you've arrived at the best decision. I never considered an SUV, although my wife drives an Acura MDX so we already have one in the family. Once you decide on a sedan vs SUV and luxury over performance, you'll take your cash and buy the LS430 and won't ever regret it . . . unless you want to go to the 1/4 mile track with friends. :)

If the 03 and 04 caliper bolts are the same, if you are interested I'll sell you mine since I did not use them. The front and rear have different part numbers. I paid $5 each.

Looks like we do our shopping at the same place. They had the best price by far of anyone out there. I bought the caliper bolts just in case but looks like I'll be hanging on to them for the next brake change. VB, Did you notice how much pad was left when they are at the wear sensors? I was thinking of tying my sensor up behind the wheel and not reinstalling it, figure I would have easily got another 10-15K miles on the pads.

I bed the pads early this moorning and everything seems fime. Brakes work well, no squeals, no pedal issues, I'm good to go. Here is the bedding procedure I used and got it from Dave Zeckhausen when I used his pads on my SRT8. How to Bed your brakes

Sorry no pictures but it was a very easy job so save yourself $500 and DIY. My car has 35,000 miles and the original pads had a lot left on them but the Lexus wear sensors were ready to be wore into. My rotors looked great so I just burnished them with an air tool to take the glaze off them. I'll head out early tomorrow morning to bed the pads in and will let you know how they feel. I reused the anti squeal shims, they were good as new after cleaning them with brake cleaner and then put grease on both sides of the inner shim. (New shims are as expensive as the brake pads!) The longest part of the job was looking for the cap of the brake fluid resevour that slid off the engine and dropped onto the lower plastic pan. TIPS: Be sure to check your brake fluid level before starting because mine rose about an inch so if it's full it could overflow. Factory spec for the wheel lug nut is 76 ft/lb. If you are going to remove the rotors to turn them, you must buy new caliper bolts.

My first trip to a Lexus dealership for service. My 03 LS430 just turned 35,000 miles so I knew it was going to be a relatively painless experience, if you think $140 is painless for an oil change and tire rototation. While waiting I was told I needed front and rear brake pads. $325 per axle but thanks to this site I already knew I was going to do it myself so I ordered Lexus front and rear brake pads and caliper bolts today from irontoad.com So first thing this morning I thought I'd take a look at the car to see what I would be getting into. Imagine my surprise when I could hardly remove the wheel lug nuts. The service manual says 76 ft lbs and they had to be 90-100 ft lbs, although the wheel locking nut seemed to be around 80 ft lbs. I called the service advisor and asked what they set them to and he said he would check and call me back. On the call back, he first told me he never heard of anything like this in his 7 years as an advisor. He went on to tell me I had the senior mechanic who had 10 years experience and won lots of awards. He then told me that some of the info in the service manual was not correct and the factory reps told them that 80 ft lbs was better and they used a 80 ft lb torque stick (Whatever that is???). He asked me how I knew it was 90-100 ft lbs and I said I had a torque wrench and he said it was probably out of calibration. I checked the tire pressure and found all 4 tires to be different, 32.5, 33, 34 and 35 psi. The front tires were the most different, 32.5 on the drivers front and 35 on the passenger front. Since I was re-torqueing all the wheels I decided to remove them and clean the inside of the tires and wheels since I'll be removing them again next week when the brake pads arrive. The chrome wheels went from black to shiney and everything is back together again at 76 ft lbs of torque and 34 PSI. I guess all dealerships are alike, these guys are no better than the Chrysler techs that worked on my 300 SRT8 who stripped the covers off the lugnuts on that car. Doesn't anyone know how to put wheels on correctly?

killer deal depending on Carfax, maintenance history, color and condition. For that price I'd guess it was leased, previously wrecked, green and from up North in the snow and salt regions ;>) Tell us more! BTW, I know I paid too much for mine but got it from a Mercedes Benz Dealership on eBay and for a comparison: 33,000 miles, one owner (Texas), Lexus maintenance by the book every 5,000 miles, perfect interior, very good exterior (no dings, just a few small scratches), no NAV or ML, 17" Lexus Chrome wheels with 90% new tires, Carfax history confirmed everything, owners manual, 4 original keys, original window sticker. $22,700 ouch. Did you see this one? 2003 LS430 with NAV and ML

i have not figured out the ride difference between an 01 and an 02 or 03 but believe some of the variables are in the size of wheels, 16 vs 17 and the manufacturer of the tires on the car. You might want to do a search to see what you find here since a lot of folks know much more than my limited experience. My car has the 17" chrome Lexus wheels and drives as nice as anything I drove with 16" wheels. My best advise is to drive a lot of cars before deciding you gotta have one now.

I'd steer clear, too many other cars in great condition. I was where you are a few months ago. Decided not to go with an '01 after riding in some '02's and '03's that rode much better and the seats felt much more comfortable. I was checking eBay, Craigslist, Cars.com and AutoTrader.com and you need to be patient and find something better taken care of. Patience is the hardest part of buying one of these cars since they are so great and you want to buy the first one. I know, I had to get out of a deal on an '01 where I put down a $10K deposit because I talked myself into thinking it rode as good as the '03 I had test drove and when my wife came with me for a test drive she said why doesn't this '01 ride as nice as the other one. I still have a bit of buyers remorse since I wanted an 03 with NAV and ML stereo and 90K miles and I wound up with a sweet looking 03 with 30K mikles and no nav and the standard Lexus stereo, which is actually a nice sounding unit IMO. I also wanted a one owner Texas car that was not leased and one with immaculate Lexus service records and the car I bought had both. Good luck, Sewell Lexus in Dallas has some nice used cars regularly and a lot of folks fly in to DFW and they will pick you up. If you see one you like over there, I might be able to go look at it for you and give you my impression. Regards, Wes

Good story and good deal. I wanted to buy an '01 with 120K miles on it and lusted after a '03 with 30k miles on it and bought it, paying about $10k more than I wanted to spend. Oh, and my daughter just had my first grandchild on March 13, her name is Alexis. I told my daughter it will be easy to remember her name as that is just what I bought.

Having recently purchased a used LS430, there are a few factors that should influence your asking price: 1. Who did the maintenance? If you have Lexus records showing Lexus recommended service every 5,000 miles you can ask a bit more. The fewer records, the lower the asking price should be IMO. 2. How many owners? If you are the only one, you can get more. 3. Where was the car driven? If up north with snow then worth a little less vs a car from Texas or other desert-like location. 4. What kind of condition is it in? I saw several with 90K miles that were close to showroom condition inside and out. I also looked at some with 40K miles that were dinged and scratched pretty bad and needed $2k of body work. 5. Did you smoke in it? 6. Do the tires need to be replaced? 7. Assume the timing belt/water pump needs to be replaced soon? Buyer will be paying $2K for that. 8. What color? I wouldn't buy the green one. 9. Were the brakes recently replaced/rotors turned? A $350 bill if soon needed. 10. Do you have all the keys, OEM manuals and window sticker? If yes to all, it's worth a hundred or so more. 11. Got chrome . . .wheels? Add a bit more. Just my opinions based on trying to be fair, I'm sure there are a lot of other ideas.

Don't have the answer but try this link. $39 bucks for an owners manual. 05 owners Manual

I have a problem with my 2003 drivers outside mirror so I've been looking around for one, they are about $800 new from the dealer and come in color matched paint or $500 from irontoad.com, you can also find them on eBay for $100 or so. If both are inop, I'd guess it might be a switch problem, that would be a cheaper fix. I heard those switches are only $399 (just kidding). That's all the help I can be, I just bought my car 2 weeks ago and love it. And congrats on the new car, first Lexus? This is my first one.

I sold a Chrysler 300C SRT8 and bought an '03 LS430 and was surprised with the power the LS had when I stomped it. It's not a race car but it'll get up and go fast enough to merge onto the highway. Be sure to look around and test drive 5-10 before buying one. Apparently there are deals out there if you are patient. I wasn't and probably could be driving an '05 for what I paid for my '03 without NAV. Good luck on your search. I was checking Craigslist, Autotrader.com, eBay and Cars.com several times a day. (That was unhealthy, probably better to check once or twice a week) From what I learned here, be sure to investigate the potential tranny issues on the 04 before buying that year.

I just ordered some Lloyd RubberTite in crystal from All weather floormats I have a white car with tan interior and looked at the brown Lexus mats and they didn't look right for me, either. The nice thing about the crystal clear rubertite is the carpet is protected and shows through clearly. They will send you samples and that is how I decided on my order. Most mats recommend you remove the carpets and I disn't want to do that either. These will sit on top and are cut to match the carpet. I'm supposed to get mine in 1-2 weeks, am in Garland if you want to see them when they arrive. They alsp price matched a better price i found on the internet and got them for $75 incl shipping.

Congrats Dan and IMO you got a heck of a deal. In my impatience, I wound up with a nice one owner Texas car with 32,000 miles for $22K from a MB Dealership, except it's an 03 with Lexus Chrome wheels and no other options except a/c seats and sunroof, plus it has been serviced at the Lexus dealership every 5K miles. I heard of deals this good but now seeing them I know I overpaid. The only thing I can comment on is the warranty. A guy at Sewell Lexus in Dallas said he would sell me a Lexus extended warranty, but don't know any of the details. You might check with him as he is their eBay salesman. Oh, and my trunk does not open fully when I press the remote. Be sure to get everything you can fixed under warranty!

Steve, I should have listened to you. I was too anxious to get into an LS430 and paid the price, pun intended. The only buyers remorse I have is paying too much and not holding out to get NAV and a ML stereo, although the stock stereo sounds very good. Of course Lexus just came out with their CPO lease deals and low interest rate, too, although buying from a dealership seems to jack the price way up. I've considered listing mine on Cars.com and going back to the search for what I really wanted, an 03 with 90K miles or so with NAV and ML from a private individual but figure I'd lose my shirt in the process. Wanted to stay around $15K so I could pay cash. Oh well, lessons learned. I'm going to just drive it and enjoy the ride. I need to quit looking out the rear view mirror. I think I'm in for a brake job in the not too near future, after searching I'll install OEM pads for $45/set. I did the brakes and installed stainless steel brake lines on my 300C SRT8 so figure it could not be too hard on the Lexus.

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