Lexus LS400 Needs Major Repairs, What's the Cost ?

[simple_gifts]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: dparm
For a 20 year old car I'd say he's doing pretty well, actually.


My 30 year old Mercedes cars havent needed those parts at those mileages!


Probably been 30 years since that was the case too... 8)

 

[HTSS_TR]

I will talk to the manager/owner if I buy all parts myself and pay him $300 labor, I think I may be able to buy all name brand parts includes antifreeze for a little less than $400, may be $100 less. The only thing I could not find anywhere for less than $150 is the used but good condition Coolant Expansion Tank, so that his price of $75 is very good.

But, then he may not be so happy that he doesn't make any money on the parts and he may raise the labor cost to make up for it. My guess it may be more than 4-5 hours labor to do all these things, especially most plastic parts are very easy to break after 20 years with the heat under the hood, so that they have to do it more slowly.

It's very clearly that I'm not capable to do these things, I don't have the tools and skills to do this big job. Some of you are much more capable than I am, I know my limit and it's fairly low. I tried to replace the front brake pad for E430, I couldn't do it and had to take it to my mechanic with my part and he charge $50 labor which is fair.

The car is in So Cal all its life, we usually have less than 6-8" of rain a year so no rust anywhere I can see.

 

[Rolla07]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Lexus, and lots of repairs sounds scary to me.. Any luxury car and lots of repairs=$$$$

Although, i guess if you use aftermarket parts and do it yourself... might be a way to save money. Sorry cant help much on how much it would cost.. depends where you buy the parts and who does the labor..


For a 20 year old car I'd say he's doing pretty well, actually.


That wasnt my point. My point is it comes down to where its done. Typically repairs and parts on luxury cars can be expensive. Also, as someone else mentioned you dont want to spend 1500$ and than have something else go. I would fix it as cheap as possible. Try to find oem parts from scrap maybe and find an indy guy to do the work.

 

[JavierG]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: dparm
For a 20 year old car I'd say he's doing pretty well, actually.


My 30 year old Mercedes cars havent needed those parts at those mileages!

So you've never replaced the timing belt or water pump? Let me guess...original brakes and tires too?

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: GenSan
HTSS-TR I can highly recommend a Toyota/Lexus shop that my cousin swears by out in the West Coast. Talk to Joe and he should be able to do the job right for a fair amount. Here's the info: LINK.

Good Luck and keep us updated.

Thanks for the link. I will check that shop out. Thats shop was recommended by several So Cal Lexus owners in various Lexus forums.

 

[HTSS_TR]

When the LS400 had upper radiator hose replaced for the first time 3-4 years ago when I was there for something else, the mechanic at the shop had a warning at that time that the plastic radiator neck was getting very weak and need to be replaced soon. Other than the neck getting weak, the rest of the radiator was in good condition.

The water pump failing is a little surprise, it was okay just few weeks ago.

Timing belt was long overdue, the recommendation is 80k miles and I had it changed at 80k and around 190-200k, the current belt is in service for more than 150k miles.

Something is fairly unusual about this Lexus LS400, I got 15-16 MPG for combined HWY/City the first 150-180k miles, then it gradually improved to 17-18 MPG and now it get 19-21 MPG. The oil consumption is always at around 1/2 quarts every 3-4k miles.

 

[rjundi]

Originally Posted By: hypervish
A timing belt kit with OEM parts, including water pump + gasket, thermostat + gasket, crankshaft, camshaft seals, serpentine belt, timing belt tensioner, tensioner bearing, and idler bearing is around $300 on ebay.

A radiator is about $100-$150. I'd get the coolant expansion tank from a junkyard.

The only thing out of this that I would consider a repair is the radiator and expansion tank, aside from that it's just maintenance.


Is there any warranty for parts sold on ebay? Also for a job like this done by someone else it seems like going with a place that warranty's their work would be best. Typically supplying your own parts with mechanics means, they essentially do the job by the hour and have no recourse and deal with missing, defective and failed parts yourself. Also redo is on you since you supplied the [censored] parts.

Ebay makes sense for certain items but an internal part that potentially can destroy an engine, seems highly risky.

 

[hypervish]

Originally Posted By: rjundi
Originally Posted By: hypervish
A timing belt kit with OEM parts, including water pump + gasket, thermostat + gasket, crankshaft, camshaft seals, serpentine belt, timing belt tensioner, tensioner bearing, and idler bearing is around $300 on ebay.

A radiator is about $100-$150. I'd get the coolant expansion tank from a junkyard.

The only thing out of this that I would consider a repair is the radiator and expansion tank, aside from that it's just maintenance.


Is there any warranty for parts sold on ebay? Also for a job like this done by someone else it seems like going with a place that warranty's their work would be best. Typically supplying your own parts with mechanics means, they essentially do the job by the hour and have no recourse and deal with missing, defective and failed parts yourself. Also redo is on you since you supplied the [censored] parts.

Ebay makes sense for certain items but an internal part that potentially can destroy an engine, seems highly risky.


They are OEM parts, as long as you buy from the correct seller. And, yes they do have warranty.

 

[hypervish]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
When the LS400 had upper radiator hose replaced for the first time 3-4 years ago when I was there for something else, the mechanic at the shop had a warning at that time that the plastic radiator neck was getting very weak and need to be replaced soon. Other than the neck getting weak, the rest of the radiator was in good condition.

The water pump failing is a little surprise, it was okay just few weeks ago.

Timing belt was long overdue, the recommendation is 80k miles and I had it changed at 80k and around 190-200k, the current belt is in service for more than 150k miles.

Something is fairly unusual about this Lexus LS400, I got 15-16 MPG for combined HWY/City the first 150-180k miles, then it gradually improved to 17-18 MPG and now it get 19-21 MPG. The oil consumption is always at around 1/2 quarts every 3-4k miles.


The water pump failing shouldn't be a surprise, it is generally recommended to change it every second timing belt change (160k miles). I'm actually surprised it lasted this long.

My 91 LS400 used to get around 19 mpg in the city back when I had it in the early 2000s.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Lexus, and lots of repairs sounds scary to me.. Any luxury car and lots of repairs=$$$$


For a 20 year old car I'd say he's doing pretty well, actually.

Agreed. I wouldn't even call it repairs. It's maintenance.

My 530i needed all of those and more at 70K miles (8 years).

 

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
But, then he may not be so happy that he doesn't make any money on the parts and he may raise the labor cost to make up for it. My guess it may be more than 4-5 hours labor to do all these things, especially most plastic parts are very easy to break after 20 years with the heat under the hood, so that they have to do it more slowly.


I wouldn't beat the guy up on price anymore. Many said the work would run around $1500 and you're getting it done for $700. Keep pushing him and he won't want you as a customer. He already gave you a discount with a cash price. If he makes an additional $50 on parts so what.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: satinsilver
I wouldn't beat the guy up on price anymore. Many said the work would run around $1500 and you're getting it done for $700. Keep pushing him and he won't want you as a customer. He already gave you a discount with a cash price. If he makes an additional $50 on parts so what.

+1

The price he's getting already sounds like a steal. Actually, suspiciously low, but maybe this job is not as labor intensive as on some other cars I've seen.

 

[tdpark]

I have a 96 and getting to the timing belt is not that bad especially if you are also taking the radiator out. Since the care is RWD the belts are in the front of the car right behind the radiator.

 

[hattaresguy]

Other people need to eat as well, I can't beleive they are willing to work so cheaply.

$80-$100 an hour plus parts markup is standard.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: satinsilver
I wouldn't beat the guy up on price anymore. Many said the work would run around $1500 and you're getting it done for $700. Keep pushing him and he won't want you as a customer. He already gave you a discount with a cash price. If he makes an additional $50 on parts so what.

+1

The price he's getting already sounds like a steal. Actually, suspiciously low, but maybe this job is not as labor intensive as on some other cars I've seen.


Sounds a bit fishy to me, too. No way I would do it for that!

 

[Vikas]

Can the mechanic speak English? Does he pay taxes? That price is an absolute steal. Even in Mexico, it would be considered cheap.

The Mercedes reference:- Do you have 350K miles on it? I thought yours was pampered and had very little miles for being a 30 year old car.

 

[HTSS_TR]

I priced these parts from Rockauto:

DENSO Radiator #2213122 $92.89
GATES Thermostat #33983 $14.10
AISIN Timing Belt Component Kit with Water Pump #TKT010 $170.89

All part are shipped from the same warehouse, ground shipping cost is $30.94, no tax so the subtotal cost is $308.82. The expansion tank is $75, 2 gallons of concentrate AM/AM antifreeze is $30. The total parts cost is $413.82.

If he still charge $300 for labor, it will cost me $13.82 more. I think I just go with his promise of $700 cash total for parts and labor. I will make an appointment to drop off the Lexus early Saturday morning so his mechanic can work on the car all day.

Note: The expansion tank of this first generation LS400 are prone to crack, the used parts are almost impossible to find at local junkyards. They removed it to sell separately, they know that this expansion tank is in high demand.

 

[artificialist]

I wouldn't do it. I dealt with one of similar mileage that had failing valve stem seals. Combined with other things the car needed, replacing the car was better than saving it.

I also remember working on one that had multiple electrical failures. It needed a computer for the headlights, and the only place to get it was from a Lexus dealer. It was $700.

I would just drive it until it dies.

 

[SatinSilver]

Hoy - hoy,

All information is deemed accurate as of the date posted. I'd bring a lawn chair with you and stay with the car and watch them work on it. To make sure:

A. They use quality parts. Inspect them first and maybe notify them ahead time by phone you'll be doing this.

B. Make sure the quality parts will actually be installed on your car.

C. Ensure they're not goofing off and having a grand old time at your expense.

 

[andyd]

DIY is out of the question? My 25 yr BMWs wouldn't be worth keeping if I didnt fix them myself.