Leaderboard

Today I picked up a dark metallic grey RX300 SE with Navigation. The car has 124k miles and at a shade over £3k I wasn't expecting too much but thought it would make for a reliable, comfortable option when the weather gods see fit to do their worst. Today was a bad day to buy a car because of the rain but that's the way the cookie crumbles! The car had been unused over the last winter and I noticed a bit of mildew on some of the surfaces., however the carpets seemed dry and there were no obvious signs of leaks. What surprised me was that absolutely all the bells and whistles worked exactly as they should and the test drive was super smooth engine / gearbox wise, there were also absolutely no creaks, squeaks, knocks or bangs. It came with a full service history (Lexus & independent) including cambelt and plugs. Suitably impressed, the deal was done and I drove my new toy the 50+ miles home using mostly motorways. It was raining and I was driving like Miss Daisy but was still surprised to achieve an indicated 35mpg on the info screen! By the end of the journey I couldn't believe how tight the car felt, it literally drives like a brand new car! The RX was going to be a utility vehicle but I'm starting to really like it already... all that mildew is going to go and it's going to get a fair amount of TLC inside and out when we get a few sunny days! I just hope the supercharged vx220 doesn't get too jealous! Thanks to all the members here for the wealth of information on these great cars! I wouldn't have known what to look for without you guys and gals! I even know what to do to reset the sunroof limits....or at least I will when I find that post again! lol Now to search for the best cleaning products for the interior! Any recommendations are much appreciated but of course I will be searching too! Thanks again folks, I'm unexpectedly ecstatic with my new toy! r

Hi Martin The question is simply answered in terms of reliability the LS400 is the better option ,several reasons for this the main one being it was 18 years in development. From the initial concept of the LS400 in 1983 right through to the last uplift on the Mark 4. With that kind of lifespan on a model the niggles were virtually all ironed out. The LS430 was basically a stop gap in the Lexus march forward before the all new design of the Ls460 was properly developed and to that end the LS 430 failed on several points most of which have been mentioned several times on this forum. I was very fortunate to get probably the best example of a LS400 mark 4 when I moved up from my 20 year old mark 1 and I did a lot of research before opting for the mark 4 against a 430 and 460. I believe that the Lexus LS400 mark 4 is the best car that Lexus have built to date.

Had the Check VSC message and engine management and the DSC lights come on last Thursday on way home from work. The AA took it Lexus Hedge End Friday morning. Diagnosis was new DPF required. Was told they wouldn’t know if the extended warranty would accept the claim till Monday. It’s a 2007 IS22D with 91,000+ miles on the clock. They told me to go to the local Enterprise car hire and there would be a car waiting for me. Indeed there was, a Jag XE R Sport (more about that in a mo). Had that for three days then collected an IS 300h from LHE. On Monday was told the DPF is covered and no bills to pay! Excellent service from the Lexus warranty folk and Lexus Hedge End (as usual). About the Jag - on paper it was what I was thinking of replacing the Lexus with but having driven it back to back with the IS 300h, I’m sticking with Lexus. A better car all round. And with the Lexus customer service on top, a no brainer. Was also interesting what the car hire people told me. They apparently have agreements with all the premium brands to supply cars when dealer courtesy vehicles are not available and they hardly ever get any trade from Lexus but get plenty from BMW, Audi and Mercedes! Goes to prove that Lexus reliability is a fact. Must admit I have had a few little niggles with my IS but all have been resolved with no fuss or cost.

And yeah thanks for the comments chaps just to re-iterate this is not the final ride height its too low for me personally I agree with you both I like a more uniform gap around the arch, once the springs do their settling in thing over the next week or so I will work out the exact final heights

Theres no way of checking for potential problems with the radiator and gearbox, just need to replace the radiator. Even if you buy the face lift model, you will have the same issues. Remember the air suspension problem aswell which is £700 a corner, but apart from that and the subwoofer issue, the steering column issue and rust on the doors issue, and the vsv sensor issue which is 4 hours labour, and the air con pipes corroding, they are nice cars, but if you want a complete reliable car, its the mk4 ls400.

Happy to say i put a deposit down on a 2008 Cadoxton Slate example today from Lexus Coventry. 42k, fsh and just had the major 60k service done costing £1800 with new discs, pads etc. Can't wait to collect it!

There's no doubt that for overall reliability the LS 400 comes out on top. It has faults but these tend to be less expensive to fix than for the 430 (e.g. gearbox,air-suspension). Having said that, the 430 has an exceptionally nice cabin compared to the 400 and in my view is only marginally behind it for reliability, (if maintained properly). My 400 has the half-wood steering wheel so the cabin doesn't look quite so plasticky as the regular cars. Having to choose between the two cars is a nice dilemma to be in though.

That's what I have on my IS250C.

i've had my 430 for over 3 years and the only problems i have had is one parking sensor not working - door speaker blowing - fixed cheaply (£12) and the amp packing up which cost £285 to get repaired. other than that all the electrics work including the steering motors - no suspension problems either. Thats not to say the ls430 does'nt have it's weak spots, - it does such as radiator, suspension an steering motors. The Mark 4 400 is a very reliable car ( I owned 2) - but its not as refined as the the 430. I think everybody has different preferences, expectations and attitudes therfore will have a varied judgment of the two cars. My advice is take a lengthy test drive in both preferably one after the other and that way you will be able to compare and decide between the both.

You don't hang around, do you? I think Rayaan might be on to something. Entirely up to you of course, but perhaps a more uniform gap around the wheel? The rear spoiler looks interesting. Reminds me of what BMW did with the M3 CSL.

Should look great when its done. The spoiler is something new - hats off to you! Maybe its just me but the ride height does look a bit too low. Also have you got 3 people to sit in the back to ensure no rubbing?

Where did you buy the car from a dealer or private sale? It could be many things from a faulty height sensor to an air strut problem. Have you checked the tyres are at the correct pressures?

Luckily it doesn't blink 71 times You will get seven blinks, short delay, one blink, long delay, repeat (or another error code).

MOT today, no advisories, brilliant. I had really expected the offside UCA to need replacing at 184,252 miles after the n/s UCA last year at 173,994 ( miles not £££s ) Relief reigns Malc

. ......... air filter clean and good ? Malc

I'm not sure id consider the gs450h unreliable. I have read a few isolated cases of such issues but they seem rare in my oppinion. i have had mine a year and it never misses a beat. i would however agree that unless you are very mechanically minded then take out a Lexus warranty for piece of mind then no matter if you should be unfortunate to experience a problem it will all be put right in a professional manner. i have no regrets and still enjoy driving my gs450h on a daily basis. carl