Opinions wanted.

Upstairs Chris

Upstairs Chris

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I am leaving at the end of next month for a cruise and me and the lady's family will be convoying down to Miami, about 1k miles each way, there will be about a week in between each leg. I am getting ready to do my front brakes because they are creaking pretty bad. My question is this, I have an 06 with 84k and I haven't replaced any of those dreaded plastic components, is this a significant enough issue to take a different vehicle or do you think I'll be okay? In between this vacation, currently moving, and other large expenses I am not in the best position to buy all those components. I'll be taking my small tool set with me just in case and worse case scenario I could drum up some type of temp fix.

I obviously know the risk is there and I am not looking for someone to tell me it's not, basically is 84k to early to worry about this type of failure to the point of keeping me from taking it on this trip? I plan to replace all those parts this summer after the move is completed, just not in the best position to do so right now.

All opinions welcome.
 
Upstairs Chris said:
have an 06 with 84k and I haven't replaced any of those dreaded plastic components, is this a significant enough issue to take a different vehicle or do you think I'll be okay? opinions welcome.
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Which components are you talking about? Suspension parts etc? Or brake components?
 
I would check for signs of cooling plastic failures , my 06 has 86k on it and it has air bubbles in the degas bottle so that means either somewhere I have a small hole letting air in or my cap wasnt tight enough , regardless in my condition I wouldnt take a 1k trip , if you havent done a coolant flush yet might be a good time to do so , I will be doing mine next week at the dealership for 140 , anyway if you have kept up with regular trans maintenance , 90k is the marker to do a trans flush , so a trip like yours will push the deadline closer , as long as you dont drive the car hard all the way there im sure you will have no issues with cooling parts failing on ur trip
 
I developed a hole in my radiator around 60k and had the radiator replaced at the dealer, which obviously involved new coolant. I haven't seen any bubbles or other signs of coolant failure recently.
 
I agree with what ghost says. I have 76k on my 03 and will be taking a 1000 mi trip in one weekend in June. I am also flushing my coolant with a machine this weekend and feel fully confident that I won't have any problems. All my cooling system components look pretty good but I was also unaware that we had common cooling issues.
 
Ghost_Ls8 said:
I would check for signs of cooling plastic failures , my 06 has 86k on it and it has air bubbles in the degas bottle so that means either somewhere I have a small hole letting air in or my cap wasnt tight enough , regardless in my condition I wouldnt take a 1k trip , if you havent done a coolant flush yet might be a good time to do so , I will be doing mine next week at the dealership for 140 , anyway if you have kept up with regular trans maintenance , 90k is the marker to do a trans flush , so a trip like yours will push the deadline closer , as long as you dont drive the car hard all the way there im sure you will have no issues with cooling parts failing on ur trip
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Also I wonder if those bubbles could be a head gasket. I would think your notice other signs if that we're the case
 
well then I think you are clear to go ,do a quick inspection for a coolant leak and if there isnt any you shoudnt really worry to much about it , my friends upper and lower radiator hose failed at about 95k on his 04 v8 , but you really cant pin point a exact time of failure for these coolant parts ,some will last more than 100k , depends on your driving style too
 
the issue is the Ls is notorious for overheating and sometimes its hard to pin point the exact problem and that leads us to replace all the cooling components at once which on some thread I read costs 750 for just the parts alone ( not from the dealership)
 
Ghost_Ls8 said:
the issue is the Ls is notorious for overheating and sometimes its hard to pin point the exact problem and that leads us to replace all the cooling components at once which on some thread I read costs 750 for just the parts alone ( not from the dealership)
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It's not so much that it is difficult to determine which part is leaking, it's that they all fail at close to the same time. Do them all at once, or have to drain, replace, refill, every few weeks for a while until they're all replaced anyway.
 
I don't think it's possible to predict if you have ten miles left or 100K more miles before it's a problem.

I don't have any reliability concerns with my cars. I feel like I am pretty on top on things maintenance wise, and have never been left stranded. However, when I have a long trip to make, I usually rent something. (Okay, I usually fly, but not always.) There are two reasons for me to rent. One, often there are too many of us to be comfortable in any one of our cars, and two, what if something happens while we are a thousand miles from home? That something could be a wreck (hopefully no fault of mine). If I was in one of my cars, would I have to fly home and fly back a couple of weeks later when it was repaired? Would that end my vacation or trip? Instead, I rent. If something happens, I leave that rental there and get another one to finish the trip. Yes, it costs a little more, but it's worth it to me.
 
Well it just will be two or three of us in the LS, or a rental, or a civic. The civic is like riding in a shopping cart compared to the LS, and I just want to avoid that if possible. My girl's parents are renting a 300, mostly because her dad is interested in buying one, but I do understand your logic.

The only reason we are not flying is because of luggage restrictions on a plane that do no exist for the cruise.
 
I understand everyone's logic and concerns. I would just do a general inspection of the coolant parts and make sure they look ok. As much as I was so obsessed with having such a low mileage LS, I always remind myself I bought the car because I like driving it. So I drive it whenever possible. You never know when a problem will come up but if one does hey it's just another story to talk about in the future. I usually fly to go places, but then I always wish I had my car with me after I land. I have rented rentals before but would prefer to be in my car that I'm familiar with when I'm driving in an unknown area. I've driven cross country in an LS and it's an enjoyable ride. (2009 Long Island to Illinois, and LA to Illinois 2013). I think you'll be fine. I know these problems are common, but some people don't expierence them until over 100K or so. I think it depends on the car, how it has been cared for, the climate where it's spent its life, etc.
 
Here's another reason to rent rather than drive. You're going to park your LS a thousand miles away and leave it for a week while you go on the cruise? It may not be there when you return.
 
I believe that if a car can be driven for 20 minutes without an issue, there's really no reason why it wouldnt make a long distance drive. A few years ago, I bought a car and the first thing I did was take it on a hour long drive each way. I figured if it was going to be my daily driver, it needed to be able to make that trip. It did with ease. But I always have a nice chunk in my savings account. Ya never know!
 
I would consider a membership to AAA more for peace of mind in case something dumb happens on the way. Stop and get gas, then the tranny pukes is going to be bad enough 500 miles from home if you don't have a backup plan.

Per the cooling system, it's either going to work or not and they fail so randomly I wouldn't obsess about it.
 
When I drove mine across the country it had 125k on the odometer. Before I left I had a bunch of maintenance done (ball joints, engine mounts, shocks, tires, brake rotors / pads), but they were all wear items I already knew needed to be done.

For a couple of thousand miles you don't need to worry about it if you've kept your car up over time, and don't have any known issues, in my opinion. I have roadside assistance through my insurance, but that's good to have regardless of your vehicle.
 
You could always throw caution to the wind and drive it until it drops (hopefully after your own driveway on the return trip). j/k - Should be fine but sometimes if you start replacing things as PM before a roadtrip, where do you stop?

Rental isn't such a bad idea. Load it up, put on a roof top carrier and you're all set. You can fit a lot in a 300
 
Get AAA, perform a thorough inspection and then go have fun.

My 06 performed like a champ on it's several cross country trips and numerous runs from DC to Miami (I do prefer flying). My failing coolant parts gave me pretty fair warning. It started with the degas bottle. Just check fluid levels every time you get gas and stay away from the numbskulls that drive in Miami. (I know, I was once one of them...:cool:)

Also, my LS has 124k +/- miles on it. 1st sign of failing coolant parts was probably at 115k.
 
Anyone in this thread know where I can get an engine v8 3.9 for a 2000 LS? A real low price under $1000 if possible.
 
MyLSkillinit said:
Anyone in this thread know where I can get an engine v8 3.9 for a 2000 LS? A real low price under $1000 if possible.
Click to expand...

Not in this thread. Try posting in the "parts wanted by members" section. And also look in the for sale section.
 
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