MileHIFcar

As everybody knows I've been on the lookout for an IS F and was perusing Cars.com last night and was looking at some of the cars that have over 100k+ miles. Some of them seem like they're in great shape, but was curious as what to look for when an F has that many miles? When is the timing belt/plugs etc....recommended to be changed out? Is that a big service $$ wise? I can get a significant discount with an 08 with higher mileage, so it's something that I might consider if the car has been taken care of and is well documented.

Thx

MK4Sup_isF

iTrader: (10)

look to see if the water pump is leaking or not. There is a recall on the radiator fan bolts. That is pretty much it for what you need to lookout for. My car is at 112k miles and I love it

MileHIFcar

^^^When is the timing belt service needed on this motor?

I'll keep that in mind about the water pump recall and ask to see if it's been done. If it hasn't will Lexus still do that since the 08's aren't under warranty anymore??

USB_F

iTrader: (11)

There are no timing belts, only chains.

MileHIFcar

^^^Well that settles that issue lol I thought somebody told me that the car had a timing belt and not a chain. So there are no major maintenance items per se that I have to look for to have been done? What interval does Lexus recommend spark plugs be changed out.

KSLAM

I myself am also pursuing and F. Uncertain if I want one with low miles and shed out $5-7k more than one with 100k miles.

kiryu

my dealer service adviser told me every 60k miles to change the spark plugs
they also said the transmission fluid doesnt need changing coz it's a sealed system. And timing chain as mentioned above, plus the cams dont need adjustments

so i will check out the water pump, which is probably already replaced by the time it's over 100k, look for coolant leaks anywhere in the system and the rest should be covered by recalls (engine cooling fan, upcoming fuel line thing). I also heard the starter is a pricey fix, maybe look into that

I believe the car is pretty bulletproof from what everyone is saying, I honestly think a F with over 100k miles is a bargain

MileHIFcar

The ones that I've been looking at have been 10-12k less than an 08/09 with low mileage. An example would be one that I've test driven local to me is an 09 W/26k and they want $39,998. The ones that I saw last night were all 2008's with over 100k miles and they wanted anywhere from 25k-29k! Big difference in price for approx. 100k more miles.......

MileHIFcar

I agree with you and will look for those maintenance items to be done to the car if I get one that has over 100k miles. It sounds like the car is bulletproof from what I've been hearing and with the fact that it has no timing belt or clutch to be replaced sounds like the car will run for a long time as long as the maintenance items are done.

Miqueaseli

The 09 at carmax with 26k has been for sale for a while over three months . I'm also going to get a high mileage F which there's a lot more to choose from in 2015 than in previous years .

MileHIFcar

^^^Wow didn't know it had been sitting on their lot that long! Anyhow I asked them if they were going to lower the price and they said it's all up to corporate and they didn't think so? Plus they weren't too keen on letting me know how long it had been sitting on their lot and told me around 38 days?

As nice as it would be to have a lower mileage F I don't know if the $10-13k more is worth it in the end. If a higher mileage 100k+ car is documented well and runs good it might make more sense to go that route instead.

HollywoodF

Just thought I'd chime in since the starter was mentioned...

I'll admit I didn't research much about IS-F issues before purchasing mine, and my starter did in fact go out at 60k. I haven't really found much online about other owners having this issue. It can definitely be a pricey repair. I was fortunate enough to save a significant amount of money by avoiding going to Lexus and a few other local dealership alternatives. I happen to have a wholesale account at O'Reilly auto parts, so I was able to get an OEM remanufactured starter with LIFETIME WARRANTY for $120ish with core. Most shops were going to charge me $800+ for OEM new with only a one-year warranty, and would NOT let me provide the starter, even if I had them do the labor. With labor I was looking at around $2,400 through Lexus and the alternative shops. Instead I checked a few local mechanics and found one that did it for $75/hour in 8 hours, rather than the $100+ per hour and 12 hours labor that the book says it takes to do the job. I got lucky that I paid a little over $700 instead of $2,400, although it would have been nice to have been covered under warranty.

MileHIFcar

^^^Holy cow! 12 hours by the book to replace a starter?? Where is the starter located on the engine? Do they have to drop the engine just to replace it? I've never heard of a starter replacement on any car requiring so much labor, curious to see where Lexus engineers placed the starter at?

Good for you that you found a cheaper way around that situation.

MK4Sup_isF

iTrader: (10)

Starter is wedged behind the header. Need to drop the motor down a few inches to remove the header and then the starter. Pretty much a header swap job. An experience private mechanic would charge about 500, same price as he would do headers swap. Dealership will go by the labor book so it will be pricey.

I8ABMR

no way in hell I would let anyone other than the dealership drop the engine in my F. Scary stuff