2006 Rx330 Timing Belt

[Bobcuse44]

I have 110,000 miles with no problems. Dealer recommending I change the timing belt because the life expectancy is only 100,000 miles. I am starting to hear some chirping but don't know if it is related. I travel alot and don't want any problems on the road. Would appreciate comments/suggestions. He says it's a 5 hour job and will cost $550+.

[joe913]

I have 110,000 miles with no problems. Dealer recommending I change the timing belt because the life expectancy is only 100,000 miles. I am starting to hear some chirping but don't know if it is related. I travel alot and don't want any problems on the road. Would appreciate comments/suggestions. He says it's a 5 hour job and will cost $550+.

You have been blessed. Had mine changed at 99K miles. You certainly don't want to have a failure while traveling. Plan on changing the water pump at the same time since doing it later is pretty much a duplication of labor.

[code58]

I have 110,000 miles with no problems. Dealer recommending I change the timing belt because the life expectancy is only 100,000 miles. I am starting to hear some chirping but don't know if it is related. I travel alot and don't want any problems on the road. Would appreciate comments/suggestions. He says it's a 5 hour job and will cost $550+.

My bet is it looks in excellent shape when you take it out. "This is not your fathers timing belt". Whole different animal than timing belts used to be.

[Bobcuse44]

I have 110,000 miles with no problems. Dealer recommending I change the timing belt because the life expectancy is only 100,000 miles. I am starting to hear some chirping but don't know if it is related. I travel alot and don't want any problems on the road. Would appreciate comments/suggestions. He says it's a 5 hour job and will cost $550+.

My bet is it looks in excellent shape when you take it out. "This is not your fathers timing belt". Whole different animal than timing belts used to be.

Does that mean you think I may not really need the belt changed just because the vehicle has 110k mileage? Also....wouldn't the belt exhibit some warning signs if it were worn excessively? Appreciate all comments here.

[boatguy]

There's no sounds of ware. If you could see it, you might see a missing or warn tooth. I believe the rx 330 has an interference engine though, which means if the belt breaks, the way you'll know is it will suddenly stop working with a very expensive noise. I had mine changed at 96K at the Toyota dealer in town. (under $400)

[code58]

I have 110,000 miles with no problems. Dealer recommending I change the timing belt because the life expectancy is only 100,000 miles. I am starting to hear some chirping but don't know if it is related. I travel alot and don't want any problems on the road. Would appreciate comments/suggestions. He says it's a 5 hour job and will cost $550+.

My bet is it looks in excellent shape when you take it out. "This is not your fathers timing belt". Whole different animal than timing belts used to be.

Does that mean you think I may not really need the belt changed just because the vehicle has 110k mileage? Also....wouldn't the belt exhibit some warning signs if it were worn excessively? Appreciate all comments here.

"Bob"- This has been beaten to death and as long as time exists there will be differences of opinion that are at extremes. I changed the TB in my DIL's 99RX at 97k mi, and got after my son for letting it go so long thinking it was in danger of breaking. I was amazed when I removed the belt (original) because it looked like it had no more than 20k mi. I have since read about these belts and how they are made and what they're made of and I understand why they hold up so well. There was a post a year or more ago by a man who said he worked for a company that did testing to determine length of life of different products. He said they would determine normal point of failure and then set the replacement time at half of that. By those standards the belt should last a minimum of 180,000 mi. I have only ever read (on the Lexus forums that I frequent) of 2 people who CLAIMED to have had a belt break in a Toyota/Lexus w/ the 1MFZE engine. One said his belt broke when the water pump froze up and the other stated no reason, only the claim. I questioned both of them concerning details and neither of them ever responded. That's why I say CLAIMED. With what my DIL's looked like at 97k mi, I personally doubt that many would ever break in the average life of the vehicle. I worked with a fellow who drove a Ford Ranger PU. His belt broke one day at (who knows how many miles because the speedometer broke at 180,000 mi, a year or two before). The belt was supposed to be changed at 60,000 yet went WAY over 200,000 mi., and he didn't even know it had a belt on it! These belts are the reason I said "This is not your fathers timing belt". Whole different timing belt these days. I mean the FACTORY timing belt. All bets are off on aftermarket belts. Make your own decision, this is just my experience. I still have the TB off my DIL's RX. If I knew how to post pictures, I'd show you what it looks like, absolutely NO sign of wear or deterioration at 97K mi!!!

[Bobcuse44]

I have 110,000 miles with no problems. Dealer recommending I change the timing belt because the life expectancy is only 100,000 miles. I am starting to hear some chirping but don't know if it is related. I travel alot and don't want any problems on the road. Would appreciate comments/suggestions. He says it's a 5 hour job and will cost $550+.

My bet is it looks in excellent shape when you take it out. "This is not your fathers timing belt". Whole different animal than timing belts used to be.

Does that mean you think I may not really need the belt changed just because the vehicle has 110k mileage? Also....wouldn't the belt exhibit some warning signs if it were worn excessively? Appreciate all comments here.

"Bob"- This has been beaten to death and as long as time exists there will be differences of opinion that are at extremes. I changed the TB in my DIL's 99RX at 97k mi, and got after my son for letting it go so long thinking it was in danger of breaking. I was amazed when I removed the belt (original) because it looked like it had no more than 20k mi. I have since read about these belts and how they are made and what they're made of and I understand why they hold up so well. There was a post a year or more ago by a man who said he worked for a company that did testing to determine length of life of different products. He said they would determine normal point of failure and then set the replacement time at half of that. By those standards the belt should last a minimum of 180,000 mi. I have only ever read (on the Lexus forums that I frequent) of 2 people who CLAIMED to have had a belt break in a Toyota/Lexus w/ the 1MFZE engine. One said his belt broke when the water pump froze up and the other stated no reason, only the claim. I questioned both of them concerning details and neither of them ever responded. That's why I say CLAIMED. With what my DIL's looked like at 97k mi, I personally doubt that many would ever break in the average life of the vehicle. I worked with a fellow who drove a Ford Ranger PU. His belt broke one day at (who knows how many miles because the speedometer broke at 180,000 mi, a year or two before). The belt was supposed to be changed at 60,000 yet went WAY over 200,000 mi., and he didn't even know it had a belt on it! These belts are the reason I said "This is not your fathers timing belt". Whole different timing belt these days. I mean the FACTORY timing belt. All bets are off on aftermarket belts. Make your own decision, this is just my experience. I still have the TB off my DIL's RX. If I knew how to post pictures, I'd show you what it looks like, absolutely NO sign of wear or deterioration at 97K mi!!!

[Bobcuse44]

Thank you for your candid and refreshing opinion and experiences. You have convinced me to hold off for several thousand miles more!