LS 600h Excitement

The Sat Diver · May 10, 2017

Guys ..

Just been to view a 2008 LS 600h with 52000 on the clock and all the toys at £19990 and full Lexus service history

It is in truly stunning condition for the year and hardly appears to have been sat in or even driven ..

Questions .. is the dealer asking too much ? .. but more importantly does anyone know of any weaknesses this model may have .. bearing in mind the Battery pack is probably nearing the end of it's life now .. it's got me excited and "may" replace my current 2011 RX 450h

All replies in a massive hurry ... pleeeese as i'm due to go abroad for a month next week and would need to seal the deal asap.. I know and that in itself is probably a big mistake !!

mr2lad · May 11, 2017

Is that the green one on autotrader selling by aspire.... defo high high end on price

Malc · May 11, 2017

on Autotrader there's a brilliant looking one at £11k with Full Lexus SH with 22 stamps in the book and only 215k miles

Probably impeccably and expensively maintained BUT if you're only doing small miles it might be one to look at

Malc

ambermarine · May 11, 2017

I paid £19000 for my Mark1 back in 96 the car was then 6 years old and it had 50k on the clock the new price was about £37k so if you extrapolate those figures across the years and the difference in new and resale price on your model I would say you are about right on the price.

I had the Mark 1 for 16 years and apart from running costs it cost nothing to maintain that is why I have a mark 4 now and you are already a Lexus man so go for it.

With only 50k on the clock why would the Battery pack be on its way out.

sota · May 11, 2017

Not so sure about the Battery back, I have a 2008 LS600hL and my dealer says they have never had a problem with one. The main weakness at that age is the front suspension bushings which do wear and are expensive to replace. Also, check if the brake discs and pads have been changed recently, Have a look at the 12 volt Battery in the boot, it should have a date code on to indicate if it has been replaced. When it fails, it can give really weird symptoms.

All of this should also be in the service history. Check the bodywork very carefully for accident damage, it's a big car and prone to car park door slammers.

The Sat Diver · May 11, 2017

Thank you all for the feedback .. it's very interesting getting all your views .. and yes it is the one being sold by Aspire but there is another .. 2007 with 57k on the clock in dark blue .. same price being sold by LTV (Lancashire Trade Vehicles) one thing seems to be certain the 600 is loved by anyone and everyone who drives it but have to say doing some research last night it's had mixed press reviews fortunately I take those with a pinch of salt

Time to go and mull over what you all say .. with regard to the Battery pack .. it was my belief they were only good for 10 years .. not sure where I got that so reassuring to read that comment as I have been starting to worry how much longer mine will last as they are expensive to replace

Thanks all really appreciated the rapid replies

M

sota · May 11, 2017

In case you think I had any doubts about the LS600, it's the best car I have ever owned, absolutely no regrets!

cruisermark · May 11, 2017

Hi Malcolm

The 600 was as you know a very expensive car when new and limited in numbers compared to other models. We only have a handful of members owning one - For this reason there is not many posts on faults etc.

If the selling dealer agrees, I would get Lexus to do an inspection expecially the suspension to ensure everything is ok - it is a heavy car and with the added weight of the Battery pack the suspension has to cope with alot weight.

With regards to the battery: Its too old for a Lexus warranty or Hybrid Health Check - the cutoff is 10 years or 100,000 miles - this is something that you can talk to your dealer about.

If you do have a Battery fault - its normally just 1/2 of the many cells and there are specialists around who will remove and dismantle the Battery - check and replace the weak cells and recondition the Battery for around £700 - this is better than Lexus replacing the whole Battery which is around £2000 - 3000.

Hope this helps

Shahpor · May 11, 2017

27 minutes ago, cruisermark said:

Its too old for a Lexus warranty or Hybrid Health Check - the cutoff is 10 years or 100,000 miles - this is something that you can talk to your dealer about.

Sorry, I don't mean to be pedantic, but for information only, the extended warranty cutoff is 10 years or 140,000 miles, which I have been told will cover the hybrid Battery as well.

So, in this case, assuming the car was registered before today, it is correct that it wouldn't be eligible for a warranty, but it is somewhat reassuring to know that Lexus will warranty a car with 139,999 miles on it.

The LS warranty is very expensive though, so I do wonder how many owners actually buy it?

royoftherovers · May 11, 2017

13 minutes ago, Shahpor said:

Sorry, I don't mean to be pedantic, but for information only, the extended warranty cutoff is 10 years or 140,000 miles, which I have been told will cover the hybrid battery as well.

So, in this case, assuming the car was registered before today, it is correct that it wouldn't be eligible for a warranty, but it is somewhat reassuring to know that Lexus will warranty a car with 139,999 miles on it.

The LS warranty is very expensive though, so I do wonder how many owners actually buy it?

And with 139,999 miles on the clock at the at the start of the Warranty Shahpor, there is much room for Lexus to blame "wear and tear".

Regards

John

cruisermark · May 11, 2017

I stand corrected as Shahpoor has pointed out.

Shahpor · May 11, 2017

7 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

And with 139,999 miles on the clock at the at the start of the Warranty Shahpor, there is much room for Lexus to blame "wear and tear".

Regards

John

True.

For example, I wouldn't expect a claim for shocks to be successful with that kind of mileage, but I think that a majority of bits would still be covered.

As another example, mine is approaching 130,000 miles and had a couple of calipers replaced under warranty a few weeks ago without any issue.

Shahpor · May 11, 2017

Another interesting point also comes up with what you said John, namely that it is 140k at the start of the warranty.

So, since it is unlimited mileage, and let say you do 30k a year, there is the possibility of your car being warrantied until 200k miles

royoftherovers · May 11, 2017

So true Shahpor.

And I would still argue from now until Armageddon, that having been certified as fit to enter the Warranty at 139,000 or 169,000 miles, the vehicle`s Warranty claims cannot be dismissed as "wear and tear" if the subject of such a claim is the failure of a "protected part."

But that is another story !!

Regards

John

Malc · May 11, 2017

............... they offer a warranty on the 215k miles one by the way !

Malc

royoftherovers · May 11, 2017

2 hours ago, Malc said:

............... they offer a warranty on the 215k miles one by the way !

Malc

No surprise there as Traders must provide a Statutory Warranty !!

Regards

John

Malc · May 11, 2017

and it's for 12 months !

Malc

royoftherovers · May 11, 2017

Statutory Warranty will only cover the first 6 months.

Regards

John

Malc · May 12, 2017

so by offering a 12 month warranty ( to purchase ) then they must have quite some confidence ( or the Warranty company will have ) in that specific car ?

Malc

royoftherovers · May 12, 2017

13 minutes ago, Malc said:

so by offering a 12 month warranty ( to purchase ) then they must have quite some confidence ( or the Warranty company will have ) in that specific car ?

Malc

If only life were that simple Malc.

The Statutory Warranty will cover items which pre-existed the sale, but you can bet your bottom dollar that any other warranty will exclude such items.

Most warranties (excluding the Statutory Warranty) are designed simply to induce a sale by offering something (a warranty) which will turn out to be not worth the paper it is written on.

There is much to be said for buying from a Lexus Dealer or one of a very small number of honest traders.

Regards

John

Malc · May 12, 2017

I think I should stop writing on this Post now .......... I'm getting annoyed.

I just mentioned that specific car for sale coz it looked interesting and from the photos a well looked after example.

You nor anyone on here ( I guess ) has any knowledge of the " honest trader " syndrome with this specific car or trader

All I'm mentioning is that this car can come with a 12 month Warranty to purchase. with a full on-line availability of the detail of the Service History by Lexus.

Like any car, " buyer beware " but in this case with a 12 month warranty by a company who knows whom it may be, nor yet their adequacy in honouring their warranty.

Not many would take on the Ls600 with 215k miles but there's a price for everything in this world and who knows, everything that needs repair or service might well have been done. After all, a Ls400 with 215k miles could be full of potential life and last, like in the USA, an example approaching 1,000,000 miles.

Malc

royoftherovers · May 12, 2017

16 minutes ago, Malc said:

I think I should stop writing on this Post now .......... I'm getting annoyed.

I just mentioned that specific car for sale coz it looked interesting and from the photos a well looked after example.

You nor anyone on here ( I guess ) has any knowledge of the " honest trader " syndrome with this specific car or trader

All I'm mentioning is that this car can come with a 12 month Warranty to purchase. with a full on-line availability of the detail of the Service History by Lexus.

Like any car, " buyer beware " but in this case with a 12 month warranty by a company who knows whom it may be, nor yet their adequacy in honouring their warranty.

Not many would take on the Ls600 with 215k miles but there's a price for everything in this world and who knows, everything that needs repair or service might well have been done. After all, a Ls400 with 215k miles could be full of potential life and last, like in the USA, an example approaching 1,000,000 miles.

Malc

Very sorry Malc.I had no intention of annoying you.

I was speaking generally, not specifically and had not even looked at the car or the dealer in question.

I`m signing off too.

Regards

John.