LS430 Facelift.

[GibletPH]

On 06/12/2017 at 8:44 AM, mrdoofa said:

I’ve been in touch with the seller of the £4,500 one. He said he only has service history from last owner which is 2 stamps, no bills or receipts, the steering wheel adjust doesn’t move in any direction although he said you can hear the motor running, no evidence of cambelt change and it’s at 107k.

That’s good to know. It’s still for sale and fairly local to me. I may try and view it this afternoon. 

I’m planning a 6000-7000 mile roadtrip in a few months and a LS430 fits the bill. 

Having owned a ISF I am familiar with both Lexus build quality and the price for parts when things go wrong! Is there anything I should look out for?

[GibletPH]

Went to go see it earlier this afternoon. Clean looking car, all panels etc seemed to line up fine. Interior was in good condition. 

The service history consists of an aftermarket document holder with 2 stamps and 2 receipts plus a MOT certificate. There is a sticker in the engine bay saying the belt was changed on 14/12/12 at 57k miles. 

Went for a short drive. Car drove well, no clunks or bangs. A light grumble from the front brakes when coming to a stop. 

The motor on for the steering column is goosed, it makes a noise but doesn’t do anything. 

How much should the suspension raise/drop by when you press the button? I genuinely couldn’t see a difference when I set it to normal and raised. 

Zero movement on the price. Was told it will come with a fresh MOT and any advisories would be addressed.

[The-Acre]

6 hours ago, GibletPH said:

That’s good to know. It’s still for sale and fairly local to me. I may try and view it this afternoon. 

I’m planning a 6000-7000 mile roadtrip in a few months and a LS430 fits the bill. 

Having owned a ISF I am familiar with both Lexus build quality and the price for parts when things go wrong! Is there anything I should look out for?

1 hour ago, GibletPH said:

Went to go see it earlier this afternoon. Clean looking car, all panels etc seemed to line up fine. Interior was in good condition. 

The service history consists of an aftermarket document holder with 2 stamps and 2 receipts plus a MOT certificate. There is a sticker in the engine bay saying the belt was changed on 14/12/12 at 57k miles. 

Went for a short drive. Car drove well, no clunks or bangs. A light grumble from the front brakes when coming to a stop. 

The motor on for the steering column is goosed, it makes a noise but doesn’t do anything. 

How much should the suspension raise/drop by when you press the button? I genuinely couldn’t see a difference when I set it to normal and raised. 

Zero movement on the price. Was told it will come with a fresh MOT and any advisories would be addressed.

About an inch for the suspension, you really don't notice it much at all.

On 28/11/2017 at 7:21 PM, Smoother said:

 

[The-Acre]

1 minute ago, The-Acre said:

About an inch for the suspension, you really don't notice it much at all.

No idea why this other part of the post has appeared!

[GibletPH]

11 minutes ago, The-Acre said:

About an inch for the suspension, you really don't notice it much at all.

Thanks. For some reason I was expecting to be more than that!

The car reminded me of my old Honda Legend but with everything turned up to 11. Bigger in size, bigger engine, more toys and more performance. I definitely want one for my roadtrip! 

[The-Acre]

31 minutes ago, GibletPH said:

Thanks. For some reason I was expecting to be more than that!

The car reminded me of my old Honda Legend but with everything turned up to 11. Bigger in size, bigger engine, more toys and more performance. I definitely want one for my roadtrip! 

The thing that never ceases to amaze me is the turning circle.  It's far better than the Corsa my wife once had.  If for some reason mine doesn't sell I think I may take it on a trip to Austria in the spring.  The grumble from the front brakes is normal really, mine does it and so has every LS I've owned.

[GibletPH]

What sort of mileage can I expect on a facelift 430 at around 80 on a long run? Both MPG and miles range. 

[The-Acre]

2 hours ago, GibletPH said:

What sort of mileage can I expect on a facelift 430 at around 80 on a long run? Both MPG and miles range. 

Much depends on driving conditions.  Mine is a pre-facelift (5 speed) and very recently I managed 36.5 mpg on a trip up to Bradford at 65-75mph.  So I reckon 450 miles to a tank is achievable.

[GibletPH]

That’s pretty reasonable. The best I ever managed on my ISF was 28 MPG when I drove like a saint. 

[ambermarine]

17 hours ago, The-Acre said:

The thing that never ceases to amaze me is the turning circle.  It's far better than the Corsa my wife once had.  If for some reason mine doesn't sell I think I may take it on a trip to Austria in the spring.  The grumble from the front brakes is normal really, mine does it and so has every LS I've owned.

Phil 

I beg to differ on the grumble from the front brakes being normal I don't have it on My Mark4 and did'nt have it on my mark1 although the pistons in the calipers on the mark1 siezed up several time and reconditioned calipers were fitted twice before I started to service them myself.

I suspect the grumble could be worn discs as the lip on the edge and the middle of the disc gets deeper it contacts the sides of the pads  and causes them to oscillate transmitting  sound through the caliper housing.

As there is only a tiny edge on my Mark 4  mileage 37k and I fitted new discs to My mark 1 around 100k that is the reason for my conclusions.

[Newbie1]

My MkIV brakes are silent at all times. New Toyota discs, pads and shims about 3k miles ago.

[GibletPH]

Having reviewed the MOT history of the car I viewed yesterday it seems that the front pads were an advisory on the last MOT. That will explain the grumbling. It was only minimal mind. 

[The-Acre]

1 hour ago, ambermarine said:

Phil 

I beg to differ on the grumble from the front brakes being normal I don't have it on My Mark4 and did'nt have it on my mark1 although the pistons in the calipers on the mark1 siezed up several time and reconditioned calipers were fitted twice before I started to service them myself.

I suspect the grumble could be worn discs as the lip on the edge and the middle of the disc gets deeper it contacts the sides of the pads  and causes them to oscillate transmitting  sound through the caliper housing.

As there is only a tiny edge on my Mark 4  mileage 37k and I fitted new discs to My mark 1 around 100k that is the reason for my conclusions.

All I can say is every LS I've owned has done it.  The current one had new Blueprint discs and pads last year.  It's only very slight but I hear it just as I take my foot off the brakes to move forward.  It's also had new front calipers and they move freely.  My last Vauxhall did it as well.  My MK4 was the most noticeable and that had new discs.  To be honest it doesn't bother me really.

[Smoother]

On 12/30/2017 at 11:21 PM, The-Acre said:

Much depends on driving conditions.  Mine is a pre-facelift (5 speed) and very recently I managed 36.5 mpg on a trip up to Bradford at 65-75mph.  So I reckon 450 miles to a tank is achievable.

I run mine on LPG (Autogas) It cost me about 13p a mile.  For reference, my old 1.4 diesel Fiesta (yuck) cost 11p and my 1.8 Mazda MX5 costs about 16p. 

[dendonc]

1 hour ago, Smoother said:

run mine on LPG (Autogas) It cost me about 13p a mile.

Yes, so on a 6 or 7k run it would halve the fuel costs

[MLW]

Mine does 26-28 mpg on a fastish run.

Suspension goes up about 1-1.5 inches, at times difficult to see really.

Brakes totally silent on 'old' 50,000 mile discs  and newish Pagid pads. New front discs and pads are £130 this week with email discount.

https://www.eurocarparts.com/basket

They are apparently easy to do.

[mrdoofa]

I got 33mpg driving from Brighton to Leeds last week at 70-75mph. Not bad for a 4.3 V8!!!

[Smoother]

assuming petrol at £1.25 (I don't actually know as I rarely buy it) I get an effective (cost equivalent)  43.65mpg.  That's everywhere, not just on a motorway run. Did I mention I love Autogas?

[rz1c13]

On 18/01/2018 at 2:30 AM, Smoother said:

assuming petrol at £1.25 (I don't actually know as I rarely buy it) I get an effective (cost equivalent)  43.65mpg.  That's everywhere, not just on a motorway run. Did I mention I love Autogas?

+1, oh yes! I converted mine last summer (June), and already 5k+ miles on LPG. On the 8th of Jan. did a 2000km road trip from east of Poland -> Colchester. I'm not a speed junkie, but do drive fast, Polish motorways limit is 140km/h (about 90mph), but it's perfectly safe crusing at 100mph, however, Germany is a different story,  I drove off-peak traffic (evening and night) most of the time I had 180-220km/h. I love the V8 on the LS430, 200km/h and around 3200rpm ! Avg LPG consumption for the whole trip turned 17.5L/100km, or if you prefer 16mpg of LPG

My drivvo app (btw I recommend it) reported avg £0.166 per mile cost, but have to account that LPG in Poland is dirt cheap (compared to the UK, around 45p/l), also mainland Europe slightly cheaper too.

What is your urban LPG consumption on your LS430?

Mine doesn't look that good any more, I just had a couple or more full tanks, driving only in Colchester for the past 2-3 weeks, and it works out 13mpg of LPG (22L/100km), from which the drivvo app  computes a £0.25 per mile with LPG priced at £0.68 at a local station here. I compare that to 18-19mpg (15L/100km) of extra-urban (when I drive 60-70mph).

Fact is that, I do have a bit of a heavy foot, and the car weight is over 2 tons, so taking this mass off the traffic lights must cost energy. I don't think there is anything wrong with the engine or the LPG install.

 

[Smoother]

That's pretty fast.  Glad you're enjoying it. What LPG kit did you get and what did it cost? If you don't mind me asking.

Mine came with LPG, a top of the line Prinz kit.  Today's cost would be close to £3,000 to buy and install.  I basically bought the LPG system and got the car for free.

I don't have urban numbers, my figures are overall.  I keep all fuel receipt (3 years worth for this car) and calculate the cost per mile next time I fill up.  I'm not interested in MPG or Lpkm in Autogas because it's like comparing apples to oranges.  I'm interested in my costs per mile compared to other vehicles I own or have owned. My diesel Fiesta receipts said 11p/mile, My MX5 receipts say 16p/mile, and my LS430 receipts say 13p/mile. Obviously, there's the occasional petrol top up so maybe add 1p per mile.  Still cheaper than the tiny tinny light, rough and ready MX5.  It's a very respectable price to pay to ride around in such luxury.

Yes, it takes a lot of fuel to get these things out of the blocks.  I try to drive smoothly (with the occasional burst to overtake, or lose someone) and I frequently put it in neutral and coast down hills.  But I do that in all my cars so the cost per miles is still a direct comparison for my driving style.  BTW this thing is the dogs' bollocks of downhill rolling.  It just goes and goes (that weight and low CofD finally paying off) On one particular motorway hill that I won't name, I boost it up to a number that isn't  just under 100 then pop it in neutral.  Two miles later I'm still doing 75 as the hill flattens out.

 I know people have opinions about coasting in neutral, but I'm not interested.  It works for me.

Oh yeah, I keep my tires at 42psi.  Its perfectly safe for standard profile tyres, but an absolute no no for lwo profiles.  This reduces rolling resistance.  The recomended pressure (32psi is it?) is set for comfort leveles appropriate for the engineers design goals. Yeah, well those engineers  don't pay for my fuel.  There's no inherent safety peramiter based on the stock pressure (again, run low profiles at the correct pressure or you run the risk of spinning out). The ride is a bit stiffer but nothing unpleasant.  Try it yourself (if your tyres are maked for this pressure) for a full tank and see if there's any improvement.  I've been doing this for this car since I got it, about 30,000 miles ago.  If it was dangerous, I'd know by now.  And I'm still running the cheap already quite worn, Chinese tires, that were on it when I bought it.  So it doesn't even seem to be hard on the treads. 

 

[rz1c13]

On 26/01/2018 at 12:18 AM, Smoother said:

Mine came with LPG, a top of the line Prinz kit. 

Possibly you meant Prins ?

Anyway, mine at the time was the latest BRC Sequent Plug&Drive, installed in Poland (Warsaw) , under Lexus main dealer approved workshop.

Details here: 

 

[messi]

That's funny, I didn't think lexus approved lpg. I had an ls400 that I had converted to lpg and didn't approve of it and wouldn't replace things like cambelt or drivebelt or even change oil unless the lpg system was taken off

[rz1c13]

11 minutes ago, messi said:

That's funny, I didn't think lexus approved lpg

Well, I can only talk about Poland. LPG there is very popular, so much that the dealers (not only Lexus, but many other brands) team up with solid and trustworthy LPG installers. The result is that you walk in to buy a brand new, say Toyota, Mazda or Lexus, and tell them to deliver it with an LPG - and there you have it. Doesn't affect your rights, warranty, insurance, etc.

[rz1c13]

For example, here you can buy a whole fleet from Toyota, already gassed...

 

http://www.toyotadobrygowski.pl/flota/sprawdz-ile-zaoszczedzisz-na-lpg.html

[Smoother]

On 1/29/2018 at 5:51 PM, messi said:

That's funny, I didn't think lexus approved lpg. I had an ls400 that I had converted to lpg and didn't approve of it and wouldn't replace things like cambelt or drivebelt or even change oil unless the lpg system was taken off

That's good.  They identified themselves as ***** holes, so now you know not to give them any of your business. Which dealer was it?

 

@rz1c13 Prinz, Prins? Sounds good.  I Just get in and start it, just like you do. Don't think that much about it until its time to fill up.  It always amuses me how people think LPG is some mystery fuel.  It's cheap, and it's insanely clean burning hence a very green fuel as fossil fuels go. And contrary to old reports, it's not down on power compared to petrol; the ECU just squirts in 20% more to compensate. But that's more than compensated for by the ~50% lower price. It's hard to tell when the oil needs changing (without figuring out mileage), as the oil always looks clean; there's no smoke or soot in the exhaust.

The biggest downside is finding a station that stocks it.  The only station near me (Bromley) took their LPG out a few years ago.  Now I have to fill up when on a trip.  Fortunately, I don't use the car during the week, and on weekends I always drive past a station that not only stocks LPG but also gives progressive discounts on each fill-up, with a card they stamp.  Started at 1p/L and goes up 1p each fill up. Maxes out at 10p/L.  I'm on 6p next time so I'll be paying 54p/L. Hopefully, I will be able to get a new card at that point.

The other issue is the toroidal fuel tank replaces the spare, in the spare well, so now the spare is taking up space in my boot.  But I partly alleviated that by removing the A/C unit for the back seat, removing the drinks cooler, and pushing the spare into that space.  It's not perfect, and the boot is a bit untidy, but it works. One day I might spring for a cylindrical tank to better use that space, and reunite the spare with the spare well.