Dealer told me I needed a new car

[kmammas]

I've owned my 2003 lx470 for 14 years now, driving for 261,000 miles. Never had any major issues. I went to the dealer for just a routine service and for an ongoing air conditioning issue of loosing gas and complaining about the car shaking. Also, for about a year, I had been complaining about something loose on the bottom of the car, that I could feel tapping under my feet. I was always told that they couldn't find anything loose underneath, but I kept complaining.. Next I know I received a phone call while at my office telling me of many issues which included: leaking water pump, leaking steering wheel pump, needing new breaks, rotors, needing a new evaporator, a few other things that I don't remember and finally finding the cause of the rattling and tapping I would feel under my feet, a swing arm that had rusted and broke off the body of the car. Basically I was told the car would cost over 9000 dollars to repair and it wasn't worth it and Not to bring it back for service. I was then taken to the showroom to sit with a car salesman and taken for test drives. I actually like the drive of my 2003 lx470 more than the 2016 or 17, not sure what the new model is. I told them I needed a couple of weeks to think about it. I went to a local mechanic in my town and gave him the list of things the dealer said needed to be taken care of. He gave me a price of 4900 and I decided to do it since the new lx is going for 97,000, I figured I could repair it and use it for a few more years. After changing the evaporator, the mechanic told me the old evaporator looked fine, it needed a part that attached to the evaporator that was leaking the gas. The swing arm was repaired also.

When I picked up the car, it was driving very smoothly, like new again, except for one thing, it was still shaking while idling. The mechanic told me it needed a "tune up" to change spark plugs and everything else that needed to be done. So I agreed to it, that cost about 300, much less than lexus would charge me. When I picked up the car, he said it was still shaking at idling and that the motor mounts needed to be changed and this would take care of the shaking, so I agreed, that cost 700. Now today, when I picked up the car, he said that the vibration was better but still there and that the transmission mounts need to be changed. The violent shaking definitely improved, but now there is a different type of shaking that feels different. Would the transmission mounts do this? I also noticed that after the motor mounts were changed, the rpms are a little rough, increasing then decreasing while idling. I know I have a lot of miles and from my reading, it's probably right to change the motor mounts and now the transmission mounts. I just worry because I've already put in 5600 in repairs and now must do the transmission mounts.

I'm wanted to know if the transmission mounts would make the car shake while idling? I've read yes in some places but read that the shaking happens while driving? Also, why would my idling be a little rough after the motor mounts were done when it was running very smoothly before? If someone could let me know and maybe give me some advise. After spending this much, if it would help, I would spend a few more hundred to do the transmission mounts bringing my total spending to about 6000 and hopefully having it for a few more years. When I was with the sales person, a new one would cost me about 1300 a month after putting 30,000 down. The 6,000 would only be about 5 payments on a new one and I really still enjoy driving my car.

[1990LS400]

Worn transmission mounts might cause you to feel vibrations through the steering wheel but won't cause what I would cause shaking.

We've driven several vehicles to near or just over 200,000 miles including one Honda Accord, two Lexus LS400's and one Mercedes Diesel sedan and my view is that it takes a lot of patience and money to continue on to higher mileages..

[plrod]

they don't call them $tealers for nothing - they may not all be bad but you are just prey to them.  the bigger your bank account, they bigger the prey and they know it.  you trust them and that trust is unearned in most cases.   i do most of my own maintenance and keep up with my vehicles religiously; last time i took my ls in for service, asked for very specific things to be done and it never fails, the adviser always calls back with a laundry list of stuff that my car needs which i know it doesn't bc like i said, i keep up with my maintenance and am very quick to notice the slightest noise/vibration on my car so i know what it needs.  i've explained this to my advisor a couple of times, that i'm not your typical lexus customer, but it just does not matter or register, he will still call me to try to upsell me on what they want to do, and then tell me that some of the things i've asked to be done are not required.  i'm so done with kendall lexus service at this point, they just don't get me or my business.