LS430 facelift vs pre facelift.

[mrdoofa]

Hi,

I've no doubt this has been asked before but I just wondered if there are any other benefits to getting a facelift LS430 apart from the 6 speed box and rear camera.

Ive read somewhere that the heated and cooled seats were improved, is this true?

Is the air suspension reliability any better and do they still have the radiator/transmission fluid contamination problem?

Cheers!!!

[cruisermark]

I have a facelift 430 and have driven a pre-facelift

• The ride quality is margianally better in the pre - this may be down to tyres
• The Keyless function in the pre I found was a bit hit and miss - in the facelift its faultless
• Thepre suffers from quarter glass de-lamination - facelift does not.
• The pre suffers from door and boot lid rust which starts on the inside - there has been mited reports of this on the facelift
• The pre has aluminim dash inlays - the facelift has wood ones which I think look better
• The suspension and radiator problem is present in both albiet in very limited numbers.
• Reference the seat cooling - I did not notice any difference and seats are identical
• Some facelift models have Radar Cruise Control (look out for clear square around the "L" on the front grill) - The pre did not have this option
• The pre sufferes from broken bonnet release cables - the facelift does not

Hope this helps

I have had mine for over 4 years wiithout any major engine or suspension problems

[The-Acre]

I agree with the above although my keyless function is fine. The facelift does have a sharper front.  Some of the later pre facelift cars have the wood rather than aluminium trim, I think from 2002, just before the facelift.  I think the aluminium looks nice as long as it's scratch free. Like any car though, much is down to care and maintenance.

[mrdoofa]

Thanks for the info!!!

My GS450h is being looked at by Lexus tomorrow after it became undrivable because of a hybrid malfunction. I've only had it 3 weeks so the dealer I bought it from is paying for the £85 diagnosis tomorrow and then says they will pay for whatever repairs are necessary. My concern is that depending on the problem it might prove so expensive that the dealer may end up giving me a refund!!! I think most jobs with hybrid parts run into £thousands very quickly!!!

I am just weighing up my options should that happen, I did have a 2002 LS430 that suffered gearbox failure because of the contamination issue (No, I don't have a lot of luck with cars!!!).

Is there anyway of checking the gearbox is OK before you buy the car, the one I had failed without any warning, in fact it went halfway across a roundabout and I had to coast it off the roundabout!!! I've heard that many owners change the radiator as a precaution but isn't there a risk of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted?

[aviator888]

22 hours ago, cruisermark said:

I have a facelift 430 and have driven a pre-facelift

• The ride quality is margianally better in the pre - this may be down to tyres
• The Keyless function in the pre I found was a bit hit and miss - in the facelift its faultless
• Thepre suffers from quarter glass de-lamination - facelift does not.
• The pre suffers from door and boot lid rust which starts on the inside - there has been mited reports of this on the facelift
• The pre has aluminim dash inlays - the facelift has wood ones which I think look better
• The suspension and radiator problem is present in both albiet in very limited numbers.
• Reference the seat cooling - I did not notice any difference and seats are identical
• Some facelift models have Radar Cruise Control (look out for clear square around the "L" on the front grill) - The pre did not have this option
• The pre sufferes from broken bonnet release cables - the facelift does not

Hope this helps

I have had mine for over 4 years wiithout any major engine or suspension problems

+1

Facelift looks better

 

Owned MK4 LS400, pre- and facelift 430s

While the 430 has more toys and maybe generally better place to be in.. nothing beats well looked after MK4 with black leather interior :)

As for the radiator issue- on my facelift 430 i replaced the radiator the next day i bought it just for peace of mind. Used the cheap one off eBay £80 + few hours diy to fit. Other option is to fit separaate oil cooler for the gearbox.

[The-Acre]

14 hours ago, mrdoofa said:

Thanks for the info!!!

My GS450h is being looked at by Lexus tomorrow after it became undrivable because of a hybrid malfunction. I've only had it 3 weeks so the dealer I bought it from is paying for the £85 diagnosis tomorrow and then says they will pay for whatever repairs are necessary. My concern is that depending on the problem it might prove so expensive that the dealer may end up giving me a refund!!! I think most jobs with hybrid parts run into £thousands very quickly!!!

I am just weighing up my options should that happen, I did have a 2002 LS430 that suffered gearbox failure because of the contamination issue (No, I don't have a lot of luck with cars!!!).

Is there anyway of checking the gearbox is OK before you buy the car, the one I had failed without any warning, in fact it went halfway across a roundabout and I had to coast it off the roundabout!!! I've heard that many owners change the radiator as a precaution but isn't there a risk of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted?

The transmission failure is quite rare.  I would just fit a new radiator and be done with it, that's what I did when I bought mine.  I did fit an oil cooler to my last one, but changing the radiator is sooo much easier, took me just over an hour.

I did very briefly go back to an LS400 last year but it just felt aged by comparison.  That wouldn't of course stop me if a really nice genuine one came knocking on my door!