LSGarry

Brought my '05 in for the big 90K service (94500 on clock) to my local indy lexus guy (Lexology in Redondo Beach) for timing belt and oil & filter and oh what a surprise I got. Was expecting to pay about $950 for the job but after he found all these other misc items that needed attention, it came to over $2900!! Yikes! I got a quote from my local Lexus dealer for the same job and it was over $4500.

Anyway, Mike is a certified Master Tech from Lexus that opened his own shop a few years ago and I have been going to him now for a little over a year and I have learned to trust him and his judgement. Here's what he did:

• Replace Timing Belt (it looked brand new), water pump (it was leaking), tb bearings, thermostat, crankshaft seal, idlers, gaskets etc.
  
• Replace original plugs with iridium plugs
  
• Transmission flush and replace + conditioner. Old fluid was really burnt and dark even tho this is a non-maintenance item per Lexus. Glad I did this as the alternative is really big $$.
  
• Flush brake system
  
• Differential service
  
• Rear Camber arms needed to be replaced as the wheels were out of alignment from factory specs.
  
• Engine oil & filter - synthetic
  
• Front lower control arms needed to be replaced due to torn bushings.
  
• Full 4 wheel computerized alignment.

I probably could have gone another 20K with the old plugs but they were 7+ yrs old and fouled. Could have gone without the rear camber arms but then my new tires would have worn out faster. I'm gonna keep this car for a long time and as many have stated "It's the best car I've ever owned".

So there you have it. $2K more than I expected but I have peace of mind...and an empty checking account.

jimbosr1

i called butler lexus in macon ga and they said they will not change the trans fluid in my 06 ls.i called a toyota dealer and was quoted $190-10% military discount.why in the hell doesnt lexus change the fluid?
i know its supposed to last forever however you and me and the fly on the wall knows thats BS.

BNR34

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for sharing that Gary

The only thing out of the ordinary is the front and rear lower control arm, I plan to do everything else that you did on my car shortly.

It is definitely one of the best car ever made, I plan to keep mine at least until 200k miles. I expect it to perform pretty much the same all the way to 200k without much repair. Very few car can do the same.

BNR34

iTrader: (1)

There are 2 possible reasons:

1, They are ignorant, this is most likely as I always knows more then my local dealer regarding my LS430.
2, They want your tranny to fail so they can sell you a tranny or sell you a different car.

Under both situration, they make more money later. The only thing they care is to make more money, they have zero interest on what is best for you.

LSGarry

As my indy guy told me yesterday, what it comes down to is that Lexus needs to be competitive with other luxury brands and both Mercedes and BMW offer transmission fluids that don't need to be changed so ever since '04, the LS did the same. Jimbosr1, I agree with you that this is definitely a must do maintenance item.

The rear control arms needed to be changed to a shorter arm length so that the tire sits perfectly perpendicular to the ground. The rubber was going causing the tire to toe in.

BNR34

iTrader: (1)

When I was digging really deep into this tranny fluid issue, I found an official Lexus/Toyota document saying the factory filled fluid is life time, and their definition of life time is 100k miles. It makes perfect sense, as the fluid definitely last 100k miles and they don't want you to keep the car for longer then 100k miles.

Is only for us that want to keep this car way longer then 100k, then the fluid needs to be change. I change my tranny fluid every 40k~50k, I want it as smooth as possible.

I am surprise your car have camber issue, if I remember right, your car is stock height? Even my slight 1" lowered car with the stock arm, the camber wear is not bad, there is a little, but not enough to make a huge differences in tire life for me to care.