Well, I got my car back yesterday and I must say I'm pleased with the work the TOYOTA (not Lexus) dealer did. The engine that my insurance company found was supposed to come from Mass. but ended up coming from California. It turned out to be 1998 w/85K + miles on it (instead of a 2000 w/72K + miles on it). So far so good....I guess time will tell. What problems do you think I may have (initially)?
So far so good on my engine replacement. Although I'm pleasantly surprised that this older engine (1998 w/85K+ miles) appears to be getting better gas milage than my old one (1999 w/73K miles). How is this possible?
It has been some time since you posted about how your Lexus is doing? Any report? I recently registered with Lexusownersclub.com because I too have a similar problem. My '98GS400 has been diagnosed with possible bent piston rods or valve arms. This is a mystery to me how it happened since the car was, and always has run perfectly.
I have a couple of questions for you if you'd be so kind.
1. How was your insurance able to help you out in this matter? My car has been covered the whole time since it has stopped running.
2. How much (ball park) should I be expected to pay for a small block engine replacement as suggested by the Dealer?
ps I can't stand taking an out of warranty luxury car to the dealer - they'll get you every way they can it seems. When I originally towed it in - they chargeed me a $110 initial diagnostic fee. Then after they had it a couple of days they wanted to charge me $330 on top of that just to "further" diagnose the car. They told me that I had very low compression which was a sign of possible bent piston rods or valve arms and suggested to my personal/private mechanic that I had run the car extremely hot for a long period of time - which wasn't the case - I am not an idiot and love my Lexus but I am super frustrated as it sits in the driveway and I am in need of advice. By the way, after paying the $110 initial diagnostic fee to the dealer I had the car towed home - trust issue - after all, my private/personal mechanic had already sort of told me the same thing and suggested I take the car to the dealer because he wasn't getting a read from the computer and thought the dealer could help me more which hasn't been the case. Any advice you could give would be exponentially appreciated. Thanks!
