$140 For 2003 Es300 Timing Belt Change At Toyota?

[Barkley]

does that price sound right to everyone? I have never changed the timing belt on any of my vehicles, this will be the first time. However, i have had the timing belt changed in my wife's Acura and it was pretty expensive. I checked the Lexus dealership and they said the B change would cost me $550. Then i went to the Toyota dealership and they said that they were running a special and the TB change would cost $140. Will Toyota use the same parts as Lexus? sounds like a good deal, what do you think? Please advise....

[Step Hen]

You should definitely compare apples to apples and see what's included in a timing belt replacement at the Lexus dealership vs Toyota dealerships. As for the actual parts used, Toyota parts = Lexus parts as they have the same OE suppliers.

Just make sure what's included for the price as you will most likely want to replace secondary belts, coolant, water pump, etc.

[camlex]

some time in houston toyota runs special

$199 for 4 cylinder

$299 for V6.

that's how they get you. all they do timing belt.

then they add hours and parts for

Water pump

seals

outer belts..

etc..etc..

Hope that helps.

[SW03ES]

Yeah, I'd be dubious...

[busoptr]

Yeah, I'd be dubious...

That sounds really cheap. I think TOYOTA will use the same timing belt as the lexus dealer, but this price will probably be just for the timing belt replacement, not the water pump which is practical to replace while doing timing belt replacement.

[jet_a_jockey]

Yeah, I'd be dubious...

That sounds really cheap. I think TOYOTA will use the same timing belt as the lexus dealer, but this price will probably be just for the timing belt replacement, not the water pump which is practical to replace while doing timing belt replacement.

Yeah, with that kind of price they are only going to be changing that belt. They should still however let you know if you need any other things replaced as well. And getting the water pump done while they are in there isn't a bad idea. I would not be too worried about the "quality" of the belt. I've put dozens of various t-belts on different cars and i've yet to see a brand name belt that was of bad quality.

[gatogordo]

does that price sound right to everyone? I have never changed the timing belt on any of my vehicles, this will be the first time. However, i have had the timing belt changed in my wife's Acura and it was pretty expensive. I checked the Lexus dealership and they said the B change would cost me $550. Then i went to the Toyota dealership and they said that they were running a special and the TB change would cost $140. Will Toyota use the same parts as Lexus? sounds like a good deal, what do you think? Please advise....

BTW, how many miles do you have on your lexus?

[SAFRO.COM]

man there are a ton of water pumps i see in the garbage. they change them frequently

[Barkley]

Thank you all for your informative answers. I'll stop by the dealership tonight to see what's included in the price.

to gotogordo - i have 86k on my vehicle.

[dude7707]

Same issue just more money! Have 2002 ES300 with 35,612 miles went to Lexus dealer and they recommend I change

timing belt due to time rather than miles....quoted me $998.

Will try a Toyota dealer to compare!

Anyone else been recommended to change TB with low miles but 7+ years?

For most part, car has been garaged however last 6 months been parked outside...I'm sure the outside weather will probably play a factor in life of the TB......Yes?

[wlfng2005]

What I think you should do is....call around first, don't settle for just one dealership. I would call toyota dealers, along with lexus. A good deal at dealer for timing belt change+water pump is around 600-800. If I were you, I would call and low ball each one by saying something like "oh, this abc dealership gives me a quote of changing such and such for 700, can you beat that?" Then see how it goes from there. Also, try to go to a trustworthy garage mechanic instead (I did all my timing belt+water pump for 400 bucks while the parts already cost more than 200 bucks).

However, in my opinion, you should not get carried away or scared when the dealer picks on you about the timing belt change. The belt itself is made of very high quality rubber, unlike normal ones. My ES 300 is 1997 has 89k miles when I bought it, so clearly a car with 12 years timing belt can still be ok. My car is much much older than yours and it has more miles on it, and it is still ok. IF I were you, I would just ignore the dealer and bring that baby home LOL

[SW03ES]

I bet you can wait...but generally better safe than sorry...

[rv8er]

Same issue just more money! Have 2002 ES300 with 35,612 miles went to Lexus dealer and they recommend I change

timing belt due to time rather than miles....quoted me $998.

Will try a Toyota dealer to compare!

Anyone else been recommended to change TB with low miles but 7+ years?

For most part, car has been garaged however last 6 months been parked outside...I'm sure the outside weather will probably play a factor in life of the TB......Yes?

Yes, belts age as well as wear out. Think of any rubber type product that is brittle from age or exposure. Tire rot is a prime example. Weather/exposure certainly affects the life span.

I've often heard ten years or at the recommended mileage.....

[kashi125]

I think you can go two more years--but again, better safe than sorry. I recently changed the timing belt on my 99 ES300 with 150K miles. The belt "looked" OK but at this age the rubber has become pretty weak and can break at any time.

Your 2002 has an interference engine so if the belt breaks you are looking at big $ for repairs.

BTW, I bought the water pump + timing belt + cam and crank seals OEM online for around $130 and paid an independent mechanic to replace all these parts for $300.

[branshew]

They should still however let you know if you need any other things replaced as well.

You mean "They will let you know that you need many other things replaced as well." Dealership service writers get paid commission. They will try to convince or scare you into fixng anything that they can to pad the service bill. I'm sure that $140 would be the belt only and I'd bet that they would want to charge full labor to include in the water pump even though it should only add about 1 hour to the job max.

I wouldn't listen to the advice above in reference to pushing the change interval on the timing belt. You should be fine to the 90K recommended change interval, but don't push it to far beyond that. Your 2003 has an interference type engine so if the belt does break, expect to get your top end rebuilt for a significant amount of money.

[dude7707]

Update: Called Toyota dealer and he quoted me $750 but no need to do now since they don't have to be replaced until 90k so hold off for a least 2 years......so I will bring the car HOME! Yes there is always the chance but most mechanics tell me that would be rare......

[GrayES300]

Update: Called Toyota dealer and he quoted me $750 but no need to do now since they don't have to be replaced until 90k so hold off for a least 2 years......so I will bring the car HOME! Yes there is always the chance but most mechanics tell me that would be rare......

Call around...My Toyota dealer replaced the timing belt and the coolant for $350.00. I did not have him replace the water pump because I thought I was going to trade the car in less than a year. Wound up keeping it.

[griffon]

This is one of those items that is so mysterious. Why can't the belt be inspected to see if a replacement is needed? Some folks claim they have not replaced the belt in over 150,000 miles.

[kashi125]

This is one of those items that is so mysterious. Why can't the belt be inspected to see if a replacement is needed? Some folks claim they have not replaced the belt in over 150,000 miles.

The reason it can't be inspected is that a visual inspection doesn't tell you anything at this age and miles. When I replaced the original belt on my 10 year old car with 150,000 miles, the belt LOOKED practically brand new. I told the mechanic that "hey, this looks new even after 10 years" and he picked up the belt and bent it at which point it cracked in several places. Moral of the story, don't wait, especially if you have an interference engine.

[SW03ES]

You mean "They will let you know that you need many other things replaced as well." Dealership service writers get paid commission. They will try to convince or scare you into fixng anything that they can to pad the service bill. .

That is not always the case...there are honest service reps out there.

[k1joyce]

I have a 2002 ES300 with 148,000......bought the car used but pretty sure it is the original Timing Belt (finally decided to change it to be safe).....my mechanic is charging me 570 for TB and water pump change.

[Loyal_Lexinator]

I was told by 2 different mechanics that both the 92, and the 98 that i own are not interference engines... I know the 92 isnt for sure. I changed it out at approx 220K... our 98 has over 240K miles on it with the original. There is a huge safety factor built into the life/ miles on these IMHO...

I changed out the 92 myself... and now have the parts for the 98 when i get a round to it...

Hope this helps,

Ron

[George_Jetson]

This is one of those items that is so mysterious. Why can't the belt be inspected to see if a replacement is needed? Some folks claim they have not replaced the belt in over 150,000 miles.

Many times you can get away with putting it off. But the bottom line is you are betting on the timming belt, tensioner and water pump. How much of a chance do you want to take? At some time one of them will fail, a visual inspection will catch some but not all of the problems. If you feel comfortable pushing the service out, by all means you can do that. I personally am pushing my service out (presently at 120k), I am well aware of the risk (one of my certifications is ASE L1 advanced engine diagnostics). But on the other hand, my wife normally does not drive the car, and I use it for local trips only. As long you are aware of the risk, you can decide what is right for you.

[SW03ES]

I have a 2002 ES300 with 148,000......bought the car used but pretty sure it is the original Timing Belt (finally decided to change it to be safe).....my mechanic is charging me 570 for TB and water pump change.

Is he using an OEM pump and belt?

A member on the LS forum just had an aftermarket pump seize after 40k miles which caused $3k in engine damage. You get what you pay for sometimes.

[camlex]

I saw sometime dealer runs special

the lowest priced i saw $199 for I4 and $299 for V6, thats not included waterpump.