Dealer Wants $5400 For Repairs.... What Do I Need?!?

[tcho82]

So I posted that I just bought a 92 LS400 with 66k original miles.

Here is the whopper that the dealership told me I needed done after I dropped it off today.

So far I've agreed to the following:

Oil and filter change

Fender liner was ripped, so replacing the lining

Power Steering pump was leaking on my alternator

$1350 for all of it....

The rest of the list looks like this:

-Upper Control Arm needs replacement

-Timing Belt suggested to be replaced, along with water pump etc.

-Rear knuckle bushings?

- Antenna is broken(I'll probably never pay the money to fix this, either myself or someone else)

-Alignment needs to be done, but was told it would be useless without the suspension work being done.

-CV boots are leaking, not too bad, but leaking nonetheless.

I NEED YOUR HELP!

What do I NEED to get done, either now or later. And also can most of this be done by a mechanic? Is the car hard to work on by any means?

This is going to be a beater/daily driver so I do want to get it up to spec in terms of reliable driveability, but also don't want to pour too much cash into this car either... So please give me advice on what should be done.... Thanks!

[lexus400]

I'm looking for rear knuckle bushes myself, haven't found a source yet. Did they provide a part # by any chance ?

I wouldn't worry about the TB at 66k. Yes, it's overdue by age but these belts hold up really well and

it's not an interference engine if it does break. I would hold off on that and maybe do it next year. Nothing out of the ordinary, they're just trying to get you to do everything at once.

Bob

P.S. - you'll get years more out of the CV's. Mine have leaked a little for about five years. Once the joint starts to make a little noise I'll get a new one from raxles.com.

[tcho82]

That helps to ease some of my tension regarding all of this....

I wasn't planning on replacing the TB but since reviewing a lot of older posts from here, that puts my mind at ease a bit.

Do you think I'll be ok driving the car daily with just the Power steering pump replaced?

How do I know when it is REALLY time to replace the CV boots?

Should I really worry about the other problems?

[lexus082]

You will need to fix the power steering leak. Otherwise if you let it go long enough it will kill the alternator. Thus costing more money (provided your alternator is still ok). You can also use a re-built power steering pump which will save you alot of money. I would recommend having your car serviced at a Toyota dealer. Labor is not as expensive.

I replaced my power steering pump and it cost about $150 for a remanufactured unit. If you have your pump replaced make sure they clean the Power Steering Solenoid. There is a tiny metal screen that gets clogged up which can cause the P.S. system to have leaks. If thats all that Lexus found wrong thats not that bad as far as with the age of the car. Your mileage is still extremely low for that year.

Whats wrong with the antenna? May be a simple fix. CV Boots should be fixed also (sooner than later). I would say everything else can wait. Timing belt could last a while or it may not since the age of the belt. But like I said Toyota could do all the work above and it would be alot cheaper. As far as the parts I would not buy them from the dealer. I would order them online from Park Place Lexus in Texas sells Lexus parts at a discount. Other Lexus dealers are considerably higher. These cars are not very hard to work on at all. (Atleast what is listed above). I do the majority of the work myself and haven't found it to be no different than any other car, sometimes its even easier than other cars. Good Luck.

[Threadcutter]

tcho:

What do I NEED to get done, either now or later. And also can most of this be done by a mechanic? Is the car hard to work on by any means?

This is going to be a beater/daily driver so I do want to get it up to spec in terms of reliable driveability, but also don't want to pour too much cash into this car either... So please give me advice on what should be done....

First thing you need to do is to stop taking it to the dealer & find a good independant mechanic. Please do a search on this site for P/S Pump & read up on the intracacies of the system.

You are on the right track in not wanting to spend large sums of money on your car, but with a little prudence, some things can be done in a cost effective manner via an "Indie" mechanic. No, the cars are not difficult to work on.

I agree with what has been recommended by others so far.

[tcho82]

Thanks for all the responses thus far. I really should have come here first and posted, but I've already gave the go ahead for the PS pump replacement. Costly I know, but just wanted to get it done....

The rest of the stuff I will definitely find a good indie mechanic to do...

Is anyone here from the Chicago area that can give me a reference to a good mechanic?

[nc211]

Dealerships are to be used as a last resort....

Example: www.lexuspartsonline.com has your power steering pump for $388 bucks, your fender splash guard for $71 bucks "#6 in picture". Estimate $50 for a complete oil change "synthetic oil prices" at worse case, and you're at $509 bucks. You're paying $841 bucks for labor alone. The fender splash guard is easy as pie, so is the oil change. The steering pump is probably a 2-3 hour job at $105 an hour. So that's $824 for all parts and labor for pump only. That leaves $526 for labor only for an oil change and a few simple screws for the splash guard......

Not to pee on your parade, but take this one as lesson learned....dealership is for last resort problems, usually associated with vibration issues requiring skilled tuning of master mechanic.

Your best bet is to order your parts online from one of the vendors at www.parts.com "I use the one I mentioned above". Find an indi mechanic who will let you bring your own parts, and that you TRUST. AND, to save yourself a boatload of cash, get some tools and do some of these things yourself. The most expensive part about owning a lexus ls400 is not the parts....it's the LABOR. If the exact same car said "Ford" on it, it would cost probably 40% in labor charges. Just part of the burdon of owning a quote "Lexus"...

[tcho82]

Thanks for the info and links to parts sites.

I'll make sure to keep that in mind.

[Threadcutter]

tcho:

Your best bet is to order your parts online from one of the vendors at www.parts.com "I use the one I mentioned above". Find an indi mechanic who will let you bring your own parts, and that you TRUST.

nc's exactly right.........I buy all my parts online because the dealers in the greater Seattle area mark them up about 20 to 25% ABOVE RETAIL! Then, I take them to my Indie (for those jobs that I either don't have time for or can't handle) and allow him to "throw 15% on". He's happy because he makes a little extra and doesn't have to waste time ordering parts instead of turning wrenches. I'm happy because I get genuine Lexus parts, I control the prices & I pay less than the rip-off "Stealers" charge locally. It's a fair deal for aboth of us.

[JAXXXIX]

the thing is man with these cars...dont replace anything until u need it. u should fix the P/S first. You will know when u need to fix the cv boots because u will see oil leaking on the conrete. my cv boots have been leaking minorly for 35k miles...nothing serious yet and its at 80k miles. no matter what a dealer says dont replace the timing belt because he said so. get a second opinion...ive seen timing belts good for about 110k miles for needing to be replaced. i think i told u before i boughtmy antenna for $70 and put it on myself. jus ask the guy at the dealership how to do and u can do it urself. dont get dissappointed bout the car man. fix the p/s maybe then thats all that i would do for now. later bro and good l.uck

[LScott400]

You mentioned an upper control arm. Do you know if it was recommended due to worn bushings or because of the ball joint? The upper is a non-load carrying ball joint with a specification of "No perceptible movement". Upper control arms list for over $400, but with some shopping you should be able to get one for $325-350. Replacement is straightforward and this Link will allow you to decide if you are comfortable with attempting it yourself. It is true that wheel alignment will be of little value if there are worn suspension parts.

CV boots crack with age, but can be damaged by foreign objects. When a leak develops the rotation of the joint will produce a fine spray of grease on the surrounding components. Leaking CV's can go many months before expelling all the grease. Loss of lubricant and the accumulation of contaminates will begin to wear the joint. Wear will be noticed as a clicking sound when turning tightly, particularly during acceleration. Left unserviced, eventually the joint will break internally at which point the vehicle will no longer propel itself.

[SKperformance]

Some interesting points of views in this thread.

Get the parts online.

buy the service manuals

do some of the work yourself or get a local independent mechanic.

Tbelt ,need to know when the last one was not just because.

Leaking CV needs new boots now not when it turns a $50 part repair to a $600 one. PS pump needs to be repaired now as well.

[SRK]

First thing - if the T-belt has not been done, then it should be. It is over by time, not mileage, but the interval is seven years, and if its original, change it.

The PS pump will need replacing - use a Maval rebuild unit. Have a good auto electric shop rebuild YOUR alternator - don't buy a brand new one.

CV boots don't "leak a bit" -they tear quite quickly and leak a lot. Like an OP said, check for a grease spray. If there is one, that boot will have to be replaced. Do the BOOT, not the entire half-shaft. They are easily repacked with grease when the boot is being changed.

The suspension parts should be checked by some one else. At 66k miles, I doubt very much if there is enough play to cause a problem. That some play may be present doesn't mean you have to replace it. Lots of shops will claim that any play means the part is bad - in tie rods, yeah maybe, but ball joints no.

Ignore the antenna. Mine broke in the extended position two years ago. Now I wash it and polish it with the rest of the car. Big deal.

The way some shops and mechanics think, a new car would be "worn out" after six months. It's unreal.

[LScott400]

The spec for upper ball joints in the Lexus service manual is a minimum turning torque of 9 in/lbs. Non-load carrying ball joints are designed to have preload. Any "perceptible movement" would mean there is no preload remaining. Non-load carrying ball joints are smaller and lighter built than their load carrying counterparts. Once movement of the ball occurs in the socket, wear increases rapidly leading to a possible catastrophic failure.

On the other hand, the lower ball joints (load carrying) have a spec of .012" max. vertical play with allowable zero turning torque.

Unfortunately, the ball joints on this vehicle were not designed to accomodate grease zerks that would allow for regular lubrication, so both time and/or mileage lead to wear.

Reference - see paragraph 9. (This article covers SUV's, but the suspension component descriptions apply to all vehicles.)