Ls430 air suspension

[Chasdad]

I'm off to look at an ls430 today.  Can someone tell me how to check if the air suspension is OK 

[cruisermark]

flick the switch to high - you should hear the compressor  ( a dull humm) kick in - its located behind the osf wheel arch. the car then should slowly rise about an inch

[Chasdad]

Does it raise automatically when the car is running or do you set it to suit

[RgrWynne]

If it is working, and you will, I am sure know pretty soon if it is not, you just forget about it and enjoy the comfort that it brings.

At speed one of the benefits is that it automatically lowers the whole car.

Good luck and enjoy

[The-Acre]

It helps if you can sit it on level ground.  If it looks slightly lopsided it may well have a height sensor problem, and in my experience it's often the rear that gets affected most, but don't be put off by all the bad press.  When I went to see mine it was parked on a sloping drive which put me off straightaway, it looked bad until it was put on the level road.

[Chasdad]

2 hours ago, The-Acre said:

It helps if you can sit it on level ground.  If it looks slightly lopsided it may well have a height sensor problem, and in my experience it's often the rear that gets affected most, but don't be put off by all the bad press.  When I went to see mine it was parked on a sloping drive which put me off straightaway, it looked bad until it was put on the level road.

It's your one that has made me want one to be honest. Mileage is a bit high at 140 but it's supposed to be a good one

[9690phil]

That's not high mileage by far if it's been looked after

[Bluesman]

Posted by piasek on a duplicated thread.

 

Place car on leveled ground. Make sure thet gaps between wheel and wheels arches on each side are pretty much the same. Rear will seat slightly lower than front. Change suspension setting to "high" and listen for compressor to kick in. It will take up to 2 minutes to pump up. Then change to normal setting again and check the gaps. Do it 2 or 3 times.

If you have it then connect Techstream to check there is no errors in suspension controller. Take your time when viewing the car, make a list of things to check as there is a lot to check in LS. It took me about hour before I was happy with everything and asked for test drive. Good luck.

[Oldboy]

There is soooo much to check that i got bored !! (Keep to bluesman advice - check it all)

I hadn't experienced something so comfortable and quick on the test drive that I was smitten, So bought it on the spot. It was the first one I had seen and driven!!!

So far so good...just lucky I guess.

Good luck

Sent from my Iphone using Tapatalk

[Chasdad]

It was a nice car. Dealer wouldn't budge on price though so passed on it. It's on autotrader. Blue one if anyone's looking

[cruisermark]

its priced about right - it will sell on condition this one -  whats the service history like?

[RgrWynne]

I thought the price looked very good, if everything works, plus a dealer back up. Struggle to find better.

[Chasdad]

Service history is all lexus and up to date. Only thing that spoilt the car was a nasty touch up on the bonnet and a bit of lacquer peel on boot. It's not mint as the add says.  Lights are quite foggy too.needs two tyres too. 

[Chasdad]

I'm interested in the silver one up north. Only got one key. And not sure lpg works.also parking sensors not working

[The-Acre]

5 hours ago, Chasdad said:

It's your one that has made me want one to be honest. Mileage is a bit high at 140 but it's supposed to be a good one

The thing is I did get really lucky, it doesn't happen that often when buying cars.  Now that my radiator has been replaced and hopefully I've prevented gearbox failure I'll keep an eye on the suspension, which may well be fine for a long time to come, but because of the overall condition of the car I'd be happy to convert to coilovers IF necessary. 

140K is not a problem if the car has been well maintaned.

[RgrWynne]

Like all things you have to visit and see and get a feel for it yourself. If it is not right for you it is best to walk away as you did

[Chasdad]

I liked the car but I've told the wife I won't add much to the sale of her volvo so when he wouldn't drop it would have made it awkward. Funny though because I'd always wanted a blue one but I don't now. Think they look bigger than silver. Show every mark too

[The-Acre]

2 minutes ago, Chasdad said:

I liked the car but I've told the wife I won't add much to the sale of her volvo so when he wouldn't drop it would have made it awkward. Funny though because I'd always wanted a blue one but I don't now. Think they look bigger than silver. Show every mark too

My last one was blue, looked fab when clean, but as you say it shows every mark, especially stone chips.  It's a funny thing, they do look bigger in dark colours, although try parking it and you soon know it's big!!  Having said that, there's one that parks near where I work and that's silver, and it dwarfs most others parked near it.  Apart from that I think they look great in silver, a timeless colour.