Tulpen

Phil, https://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/document/omnav-s/OM50684U/pdf/OM50684U.pdf, this is a pdf of the 2005 LS 430 Navigation Manual. It has details of the Self Park System which might help you. Start at page 108.

I'm quite friendly with the Service Manager at my local Lexus dealer. He tells me they have never had to change a battery in a 600.

Hi Phil, I've just had a look at the manual and the 'Intelligent Parking Assist System' section is 60 (yes, SIXTY) pages long! This is not in the Owners Manual but in the Navigation System Manual. You can see why I never use it. You might be better advised to see if you can get one on Ebay.

Tomorrow, I'll scan the relevant pages from my 460 manual and post them on here. From experience, I can tell you that it is quicker just to park it yourself. It is a 'parallel parking' system.

In my 460, it's the self-parking screen. I never use it...…...I let it have a go once and, while it worked well, I didn't trust it!

For what it's worth, here in Holland, my local Lexus dealer just updates the discs from the car - it takes 2 hours - and costs about £120. I'm having mine done on the 5th Sep during the annual service......I'll let you know how it goes. I'll, also, ask if they could do the same thing for UK cars. You might consider a day-trip to The Hague. :)

I have the same year as you and I get an overall consumption of 10.3l/100km. There really is something not correct with your machine. Even in the city, I only use 13l/100km. I hope it is something simple and am amazed that the reader didn't throw up something. Have you tried ignoring the display figures and doing a full-to-full tank comparison? In your part of the world, there are lots of 'non standard' things done to cars. Has it, for instance, had extra safety shields inserted in the doors? It might be an idea to get it weighed accurately.

God, that looks good!!!!!

Steve, my 400 didn't use any oil, either. On the US 460 forum, they talk about 'up to 2 pints' being normal between services. I wonder what is different about the 460 engine.

For what its worth, I was talking to the local Lexus Service Manager about this just last week. He said that it was OK to use ANY of the oils in the table at the back of the Owners Manual. Just pick the temperature range which suits you. He did, however, recommend the use of synthetic oil at all times. My 460 has done 80,000 miles and uses less than a litre of oil between annual services. Hope this helps.

I have to say, Peter, that having spent a lot of time on both this and the US forum, there are only a few people who agree with you about the 460. It's an LS! Of course, I agree that it is 'horses for courses'.

I had an LS400 for 15 years then, 6 years ago, went for an LS460. I cannot comment on the 430 or 600 as I have never driven either. The first thing to say about the 460 is that it's an LS. That, in itself, means a lot. It does have lots of goodies on it ……...but a couple of them (the self-park for instance) I never use. I do like the automatic parking brake and the, many, programmable features. I can't really comment on the power because I didn't use all the power on the 400 and, certainly, haven't done so on the 460. I want to keep this car for a long time and, therefore, I look after it. Let's just say the power is 'sufficient'. It certainly upsets the odd Golf/Corsa/Seat driver who annoys me at traffic lights :) The 460 has a timing chain, not a belt, and does not have the oil cooler/radiator configuration as the 430 does. They do have air suspension and, according to the US forum, this does cause problems. I have done 40,000 miles in mine - it is my daily ride - and the car has a total of 80,000 miles on it. I get the annual service done at my local Lexus agent here, in Holland, the prices are reasonable. Up to this point, I have had no problems with the suspension and the service manager says they have changed one set of shocks on a 460...……...at 210,000 miles. I would add a word of caution here: I live in Holland, the roads here are great. I don't know how long the suspension would last on those awful road surfaces you have in the UK. I come 'home' twice a year and am appalled at the road conditions. The discs in my satnav are 6 years out of date and I thought I would have to spend a fortune to get them updated. I hate to think of sticking a TomTom on the dash. Imagine my surprise when the Lexus garage told me that they just update the discs I already have. It takes two hours (time for coffee, biccies and a drool over the new cars) and costs 128 euros (£110). A good reason for using a Lexus garage is for the many computer updates issued by Lexus. You can always tell when there has been an ECU update; it takes the car a couple of days to re-adjust to your personal driving style. At the end of the day it is up to personal choice. Best of luck.

I've had mine since 2013 and don't recognise those symptoms. Like Graham, I have never heard of it. What was the trader trying to sell you?

I'm glad my post triggered so many interesting replies. Colin, thanks for the engine info - because I live in Holland, I wasn't 100% sure that my engine was the same as that in the UK. John and Paul, I completely agree with you about 'sealed for life'. How many times have I tried to fix a washing machine, tumble drier or hob......only to be told that they are 'sealed for life'. And all I wanted was brushes for a motor. 10 years or 100,000 miles are nothing for an LS. There are lots of folks on this site with an LS which has 20+years or 200k+ miles. We love our cars and want to look after them. But this does mean we have to put extra effort in to it. The OP asked another question about auxiliary belts. The 460 has a timing chain but that doesn't mean that belts and pulleys can be ignored.........I suggest that 100,000 miles is a good time to have them checked. But I could be wrong 🙂

Hi there, I have a 2007 LS460. First of all, I would echo what Phil said. With an LS, there are some things for which you should use OEM parts. If you have an Owner's Manual the spark plug details and all oil specifications are there. Note there are two types of engines on the 460 (1UR-FSE and 1UR-FE) and they use different plugs. Lexus/Toyota say they have 'sealed for life' transmissions systems which do not require oil replenishment.......but that's just silly. Most of us want to keep our vehicles for a long time so changing the transmission oil is just good sense. It's not an easy job to do properly and garages recommend it after 60,000 miles. I get my engine oil changed every 5,000 miles - but that is probably being over-cautious. The number of cabin filters depends on whether you have rear aircon or not. If you have seat conditioning, there are extra filters in the seats. A really good website for servicing info on any make of car is https://repairpal.com In my experience, these cars are ultra-reliable, but they are highly sophisticated machines. So, in the unlikely event they do go wrong, you have to be prepared to fork out a bit of money for spares/repairs/servicing...........and you will ALWAYS get help on this site.

'Tulpen has tried one.' I've tried, and fitted, two. It really is an easy job. If part of the plastic drive is stuck in the motor, it really is no problem to remove the side panel on the motor and remove the offending bit.

Do you need the complete aerial (including the electric motor) or just the extending insert? If it's just the insert, it is the same as the one for the Toyota Camry of the same year. Pretty cheap and easy to fit. When I had my 400, I took it through a car wash with the aerial extended..........twice ☹️ Yes, I know.....................

In-line versus transverse engines are part of the problem. The RX is a great car.......but the turning circle is poor.

Been an LS owner (400/460) since '97 and they have always been my daily drive. They are wonderful machines, capable of prodigious mileage.........why would you want to drive anything else?

I had a couple of problems with the AC when I had a 400.......... My AC stopped working. One of the great things about the 400 is that you can't hear the engine. To check the AC operation, I started the engine, lifted the bonnet, and got my good lady to select the AC. If the system is operating, you will hear the AC clutch engage and the engine RPM will drop slightly. Mine didn't......the clutch had failed. This meant a new pump - not cheap! After a while, the AC lost effectiveness, I took it back to the garage who had fitted the new pump and they re-gassed the system, then did (another) leak check. It looked good. A month later the system stopped cooling. At this point, I have to commend the mechanic. He had changed the pump and was not happy that things were not going well. He spent a day checking out the whole system. He found that the problem was a leaking charging valve. I had no problems after that. As others have said, the system uses the fluid to lubricate itself and, when it's empty, the seals dry out and fail.

I don't know what spec your 430 had but, if you have the rear seat conditioner in the 460, the boot space is compromised. I don't have it in my 460 and the boot is huge.

I've posted a few things about owning a 460. I have no adverse comments. You might like to check my posts.

Hi Bob, I had the same problem on my 400. Although oiling the mechanism will work, it can take a while for the oil to work its way into the cable and lock mechanism. I found a way to get it to close first time, every time. If you look at the lock mechanism, just forward of the radiator, you will see a cable which actually does the operation. The problem you have can be caused by one of two things: the sliding bit of the lock is jamming or (in my case) the cable was jamming in its sleeve. I poured penetrating oil into the cable at the lock mechanism end and, eventually, it operated normally. However, while I waited for that - it took a few days - I found that if I tugged on the cable, the inner part slid into the correct position and the bonnet closed straight away. I'm sorry I haven't got pictures to illustrate what I mean because I now drive a 460 but it was a very simple solution.

You might like this Malc.......... I've just spent a few months in the USA. One day I saw this old gentleman getting out of an immaculate black LS 400. We got talking and he told me that he had bought it brand-new, in 1994, from a dealer in his home town of Amarillo. He bought it on his 69th birthday !!!! Now 92 years old, it is still his daily-use car. He was in the middle of a 2,000 mile round trip to visit his daughter. It had 180,000 miles on the clock and he calls it his 'LFT' - Lexus from Texas. He still gets it serviced at the dealership where he bought it. He told me that, last year, while picking up his car after servicing, a young salesman tried to interest him in an upgrade to a 460/600. He said something like.....'Thanks son, but I'll stick to the 400. After all, the engine is only just getting loosened up'. So, as long as you can keep idiots from doing any damage, you should be OK for a few years yet'

Steve, like you, I use my local dealer to do the servicing because they are so good. As far as your suspension problems are concerned, is it possible that the appalling state of the roads in the UK were a contributory factor?