215000 Miles On Ls430 2002 Model - Time To Sell Or Keep?

[amynaadi]

Hello, I'd appreciate your advice regarding my dilemma to sell or keep my LS430. It has 215000 miles on it. I have had routine and regular maintenance services done. The AC stopped working last month with a compressor leak and they had to replace the compressor for $1500. Now the engine alarm light came on with an initial fault code of of catalytic converter and now the dealer says that the exhaust pipe may have a leak. They are evaluating if the pipe can be welded to reduce the repair cost. The dealer keep emphasizing that the car has too many miles on it and many things can go wrong. Should consider buying another car? When I bought this Lexus for about $70000 in 2001, I was told by the dealer that the car can last for 500000 miles.

I am retired and would have consider cost of owning a car. Any advice will be appreciated if it is worth to keep the car and fix this and any future repairs versus getting a new car. Thank you in advance.

Regards

AN

[KeyKeeper]

Its just broke in. keep it.

[landar]

First off, welcome to the forum, Amy. Whether or not to keep the car vs. something else is strictly a personal decision. There are no hard and fast rules. Typically, it is less expensive to keep fixing an older car than to buy new. On the other hand, if you are getting 'tired' of this LS430 and want something newer, AND (perhaps) most importantly, have the money, you could buy a newer car.

You are now reaching a point when some expensive items may need to be replaced. I would advise you to find a very competent independent mechanic who is honest. You can save a lot of money over the dealer. As far as the dealer telling you the car could last for 500k miles, that is true, but they failed to mention that it may cost you some to get it that far. No vehicle over 100k miles is immune to needing new parts now and then. My counsel is to keep it and find a lower cost way of maintaining it via an independent mechanic or perhaps even a good Toyota dealer. You could easily shave the cost in half.

[amynaadi]

Thank you both for the advice.

[jainla]

I believe there was an issue with the LS430 where some kind of metallic interaction with the heat shield and exhaust pipe could cause pinprick holes in the exhaust. You might want to search this forum and see if you can find the post. I think someone figured out an inexpensive fix.

Never forget that the dealer also sells new(er) cars, so he's got a vested interest in having you change cars every few years.

+1 on finding a reputable independent mechanic. In my experience Indy mechanics are not only cheaper but better at caring for older cars. Most dealership maintenance departments are used to seeing fairly new cars, and most of their work is under warranty (i.e. paid for by Toyota), so their first inclination will be to replace parts instead of trying to rebuild or otherwise revive them. Also feel free to ask around here; many of us have figured out inexpensive DIY fixes for minor problems.

The LS430 is a pretty sturdy design; and unless you have the air suspension there isn't that much difference maintenance wise between it and the Camry of that era. Some of the parts will be more expensive but by and large the car's basic maintenance needs are not that exotic. The engine and transmission are almost indestructible with regular maintenance.

Of course you might want to run the numbers based on how much you drive every year, but if you like the car and there's nothing horribly wrong with it long term it's probably cheaper to keep it. Yes it may thousand dollar you every once in a while but a) you'll have no car payment and b) it will be cheaper to insure than a new car.

[amynaadi]

Thanks J

[Micah.Berry]

Amy,

I had a fault code come on recently in my '99 LS400. It was a code for one of the catalytic converters, which are enormously expensive to replace, event at a discounted cost available to us forum members through Sewell Lexus. I went to the mechanic that I trust, who said he doesn't really do exhaust systems, but recommended a local muffler shop to look at it. Once at the new muffler shop, the mechanic looked at it, but could not drill a hole in the bottom of the exhaust header because of the way the pipe is routed. He guestimated that the heated O2 sensor would be faulty, and recommended that I start with that before going further on replacing the catalytic converter itself. This just didn't sit well with me because the heated O2 sensor has it's own code when it becomes faulty. So I did not replace. I used an inexpensive infrared thermometer to verify that both pipes were hot (within about 25 - 50 degrees of each other, close to 500 degrees F), meaning the catalytic converter was working. Inefficient / clogged catalytic converters will not get to temperature if sufficiently clogged.

Additional internet searching uncovered an answer where the gasket that connects the catalytic converter to the exhaust pipe develops small holes, and subsequently, an exhaust leak develops. I went out to my car with the car idling, laid down on the garage floor, and carefully moved my hand around the bottom of the catalytic converter (it's VERY hot), and surely enough if I didn't feel just the slightest of air movements. With my flashlight, I saw a small pinhole leak in the old gasket. I applied some hi temperature sealant as a temporary fix around both catalytic converter gaskets until I find time to properly replace the original gaskets. Seems to be working well for me as I get no codes. Properly repairing the gaskets will require cutting the bolts off as they are rusted and essentially welded together through years of heat cycles (and my car originated in the north so I'm sure salt plays into it as well).

My point in going through all of this is that in my research, I found that small pinhole leaks can cause faulty fault codes (if that makes sense). Repairing a gasket, such as mine, required five minutes (though it took hours of searching for potential answers). There are a couple places where such pin holes can develop, such as at the base of the catalytic converter (in the gasket), as well as in the bend of the exhaust pipe before the pipes merge, near the center of the car.

As Landar stated, keeping the car is a personal decision. If it were my car that I had purchased new, I would be inclined to keep it as I would know the maintenance history from the time the car left the dealer's lot. No car is going to go 500k miles without some parts failing, outside of normal maintenance routines. Parts will be expensive, but I followed the advice noted on this forum, and the mechanic that I use charges about $75 per hour, which is much less than what I would pay at a Toyota dealer ($90/hour) or Lexus dealer (about a 2 hour drive, and I'm guessing near $125-$150/hr). He has no problem installing Lexus parts that I buy from Sewell (I checked first). This has been good as I will buy other things from him, such as tires and wiper blades at his normal mark up.

Hope this helps.

Micah

[Micah.Berry]

By the way, the muffler mechanic was going to drill a hole in the pipe to accurately measure exhaust pressure before and after the catalytic converter. The small holes would then be plugged once the measurement was taken. Excess pressure would indicate a clog. It is a more accurate way to measure whether there is inefficiency in the catalytic converter than simply taking the temperature. I found the temperature-taking method on YouTube. I purchased an infrared thermometer from Harbor Freight for $20. And while I wouldn't rely on the thermometer for precise measurements, it works just fine for measuring the general temperatures of the tops and bottoms of the exhaust.

Top of the catalytic converter: about 275 (give or take)

Bottom of the catalytic converter: about 475-525 (give or take a few more).

I did not have to raise the car in order to get to the bottoms of the catalytic converter pipes in order to measure their temps. I just needed to lie down on the ground and "shoot" the pipe with the infrared gun to get the temperature.

It's a useful little gadget that I have subsequently used to measure the temperature of the AC vents in our house and the deep freeze. I like getting more use out of my tools than what I originally bought them for.

Micah

[amynaadi]

Thanks Micah.

[Zett123]

Amy, I too had the fault code on my LS430 and there was an exhaust leak. I took it to Midas and the guy fixed it for $80.00. That was about 4 years ago and have not had a problem since then from the leak. Also, I am with landar on getting a good local shop in your area. The Lexus dealer doesn't fix anything, they "replace" instead which cost lots of money. I say keep your LS430 until you weigh the cost of another car vs spending a $1,000 here or there.

You might want to give your general location so someone in here might know of a good trustworthy shop in your area for you to patronize.

jz

[amynaadi]

Thanks Zett123.

I have taken the advice of everyone who kindly responded to my query, and am considering to use the Washington Crossing Auto Repair service from washington crossing, PA. I live in Central Jersey closer to the Lawrenceville, Pennington Ewing area. I will be grateful to hear feedback about this shop or recommendation for any other auto repair shop.

Regards, Amy

[butt-wheat]

I have 275,000 on mine and still running strong.

[Bob LS430]

Which Washington Crossing Auto Repair service do you mean?

[Bob LS430]

Bethman's Auto Repair in nearby Newtown PA works on my 2002 LS430 and does a great job at a fair price.