Lextacy1

OK guys, I'm new to this forum.. I'm 18 and I just got a 2014 is350 f sport and my mom has a 2007 is350 that has been abused and not taken care of since day one. 120k almost on the car, we only changed oil a handful of times, never touched trans oil, plugs never checked, air filter never replaced. We have only touched oil, tires, brakes, and shocks. the car amazinglt thanks to lexus insane reliability hasn't given us any mechanical issues but sometimes it gives some check vsc error and we ignore it.. my dad originally bought the car second hand in 07 and it was almost in new condition. What do you think I should start replacing? I'm taking matters into my own hands..

Mike_1GO

iTrader: (2)

ever do the recalls? there was a recall for cam gears, that's the most important one. other than that, check if the water pump is leaking, replace the plugs, air filter, another oil change wont hurt, and you might want to replace the trans fluid since youre at 120k but if it doesn't slip and shifts normally, then you could leave it alone.

metaleckz

iTrader: (9)

Change every fluid, spark plugs, or just follow the service

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

If you have access to a basic set of sockets with a 6" extension AND a spark plug socket, you can do the plugs and filter change yourself. Basic maintenance stuff really; not changing those things over time with just degrade performance. Some members have mentioned never having changed their plugs and having MORE miles than that. The trans fluid is a "lifetime" fluid; so no change necessary there. You would want to consider a rear diff fluid flush though.

Lextacy1

Can you guys tell me the recalls I had? I called lexus and they never told me about new camshaft gears... I recently did trans oil and air filter, goING to do the rest soon

cruzinZ

No telling what or when the car may have issues. Preventative maintenance is all about keeping the car operational and good working order. It's MUCH cheaper to keep up on basic maintenance than fix mechanical problems due to careless ownership.

Read the maintenance procedures and start going through the list on what ones you want to start to tackle first. There is a really good how to section at the top of the Club Lexus page. I'm not sure of your mechanical abilities but start off now caring for your vehicles it will pay off in the long run.

cruzinZ

If you don't already have a toolset get a quality set. Spend a decent amount of money on one as you will have it for the rest of your life. The way I look at DIY maintenance is the labor portion of your bill will pay for a large portion of your toolset the first time you take it in. Depending on what type of work is performed and how much labor they charge you can buy quite a few tools.

A prime example is two visits of four hours of labor per visit will get you just about every basic type of tool needed for your vehicle.

Jack
Jack stands
Oil filter wrench
Catch can bucket for oil changes
Craftsman

When you get comfortable working on your vehicle you'll quickly realize how easy it is. You'll also learn your limits and boundaries. When you can do a job and when to take it into a shop.

One thing that I've noticed on this sight is there are quite a few people who think that their Lexus vehicle is somehow special or foreign like an alien spaceship. Hate to break the service advisors heart but we are driving a normal vehicle. There are some newer technology but noting so foreign that we can't fix or take into an independent shop for repair.

One example of a different system is the power steering. On our cars we have electric steering over the conventional hauldraulic system. When our electrical system starts going out like a bad battery or alternator we will get lights flickering on the dash and entertainment center. Your power steering will also become disabled due to a lack of power to operate it.

It's best to diagnose this problem immediately and fix the problem. A bad battery will put more strain on an alternator and can damage it. It's much cheaper to replace a bad battery than a bad battery and an alternator.

Another thing you can do to help yourself in the future is to remove the under panels and expose the engine and transmission. Clean off all oil and dirt from the underside. This will give you a clean slate to find future oil leaks and trace them back to the source. If you have a mix of old and new leaks it will be much more difficult tracing down the problem.

Get yourself a shop manual. For $15 you can get access for a few days to the online manual. I would highly suggest printing out everything you need to do your job. Also spend the time and save everything else to PDF for future use. Even the stuff you don't think you'll ever need as it may come in handy in the future.

You will be amazed at how a few minutes on YouTube can increase your knowledge of working on your vehicle. One of the common items that tend to go out is the waterpump. For under $200 you can replace it yourself with a few hours on the weekend. This job at the dealer usually runs $1100 to $1200.

Also check out the "how to" section of this sight. These do it yourself threads come with many great pictures on how to fix common issues.