xinkid

Hi, I saw a 98 LS400 on local craigslist with 145k miles. I will try to look at the car tomorrow. I have a question about cost and frequency of common repairs. Here's a list I have come up with from searching and reading the forums ( a lot !) Your help is greatly appreciated.

Part / mileage interval / cost (parts + labor)
motor mounts
power steering pump
ball joints and tie rod ends
shocks
bushings
wheel bearings
timing belt + water pump
brake pads
brake rotors
brake calipers(?)
spark plugs, wires, cap and rotor

more about the car: it has maintenance records, timing belt was changed last year, recent brakes and fairly new michelin tires. asking $7k. Seems like the owner really cared for his car. What do you think?

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

motor mounts probably due, ~$200-300 in parts, labor intensive at a shop
power steering pump less common in the newer cars but something to check
ball joints and tie rod ends not a mileage item, but is common wear. check for play, if fine, leave alone.
shocks probably due, new KYB Oem replacements can be had for ~$250/set
bushings big ones to check are front strut rod bushings (~$70-200 in parts depending), and rear carrier arm bushings (~$40 in parts for aftermarket)
wheel bearings not common issue, check and replace if needed.
timing belt + water pump ~$450-500 in OEM parts, plus $300-500 in labor depending.
brake pads wear item, ~$35-50/pair
brake rotors wear item, ~$90/pair for brembo/centric blanks (price varies)
brake calipers(?) wear item, rarely die. rebuild kits from $20 and up.
spark plugs, wires, cap and rotor no cap/rotor/wires in '98+ cars, COP ignition.

xinkid

Thank you drifter! that' was helpful.
I just thought of one more that is important:

axle boots / cv joints ?

moat

Where can we buy Brembo rotors for $90/pair? Is this for OE Replacement or OE Comparable? Is OE Comparable good enough? or should we buy OE Replacement?

Shiryo

Here's my list since I bought mine, the mileage is listed at the oil change, still sitting at 145k. I gotta do the timing belt, cap/rotors, spark plugs, ignition wires, water pump pretty soon. Estimating about $500 in just parts.

EDIT: Forgot I have to do valve cover gaskets and spark plug gaskets too. I want my engine bay running pristine when I start the vip conversion.

My list won't seem like much or a lot of money to most people, but this is doing work off a college student income and no job (G.I. Bill)

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

not a common issue, only replace if leaking or obvious play. good idea to check the tq on the rear axle-diff bolts. (hex).

OE-comparable. Brembo and Centric are both huge companies that make very high quality stock replacement parts. i just checked tirerack (rockauto may have them cheaper) and they have raised the price in the past 3-4 years. centric plans are $52/each, brembo blanks are ~$85/each.

Shiryo

Centric is supposedly a supplier for Brembo, I thought all their stuff was in-house. Centric also makes StopTech brakes which is one of Brembo's competitors.

I went with Centric E-Line pads and rotors from PartsGeek.net and that ran me $150 shipped. I think Advanced Auto Parts had them for $145 shipped. These are coated so that the areas the pads do not touch never rust.

awdandrwd

iTrader: (1)

Where do you get GR2s for $250/set? $400, sure.

Stan

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

i always wondered if LSs had a balljoint problem like the GSs do. as in they will catastrophically fail esp if lowered a lot. is this true? i apologize if this isn't relevant to the OP but i may just be important to know.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

my mistake, the price has gone up in the last few years. Going rate for the GR-2/Excel-G (new name, same line) is ~340-350 on amazon. lower if you've got a local hookup.

even on the GS the balljoints don't fail RANDOMLY. they fail when people don't think to replace them and then repeatedly ignore symptoms of impending failure.

I replaced mine after having had the car low for a couple years and was putting my megans in, just as a preventative measure. they were already starting to go.

xinkid

Hi, I made a spreadsheet with my planned maintenance/repairs after buying my 98 LS with 86k. I figured if I do everything I listed below every 90k miles, I'd be set for the next 90k, mostly. Here are my estimated costs just so you know. I wonder if anyone else has done this.

motor mounts $600 labor + parts (do I have to do this every 90k? The shop said they are due but how do I check them myself? Also what is the negative consequences of not doing them? The engine and tranny still feel very smooth)
ball joints (fronts only) $165 parts, self labor (shop also said they are due)
shocks + boots (KYB) $500 parts, self labor
bushings (PureDrifter: big ones to check are front strut rod bushings (~$70-200 in parts depending), and rear carrier arm bushings (~$40 in parts for aftermarket (Adus))) Is this an every 90k item?
wheel bearings, I hear one of them quite loud. Do you recommend OEM or other brand? (OEM parts are 60 for front and 150 or rear each, self labor + paying a shop to press the new one in.
timing belt + water pump ~$1200 parts + labor to include the valve cover gasket, spark plugs and gaskets, drive belt and thermostate.
brake pads, Are Centric pads recommended? like this one? They are ~$120 parts, self labor
brake rotors (PureDrifter: ~$90/pair for brembo/centric blanks) Do I always have to do this with pads?
All fluids flushed every 30k, so 3X$500 to do that at the dealer = $1500 (I hate dealing with fluids and climbing under the car, so I only work on suspension )
injector cleaning at the dealer ~$100
M1 EP synthetic oil and filter and air and cabin filter every 10k 9X$200 = $1800 (overestimating here parts + labor)
That adds up to $6400 every 90k miles to keep it running as good as it can, including some items that I question their frequency. That's $711 per 10k miles which for me is about 1 year. That's not bad at all I guess.

More questions about how often some parts need replacement:
upper front A-arm with ball joint?
Are there rear ball joints I have to worry about?

I drive the car real easy, if that makes a difference. Thanks in advance for your time.

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

i too wonder about the upper a-arm ball joint. should that be replaced as well?

here is a good link to the rear bushings, FYI.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...-bushings.html

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

-engine mounts are due when they start to cause a slightly rough feel/noise or are physically separated. there's no real danger from lagging to replace them, but the worse they get the more NVH you will feel.
-ball joints are due when there is play, the front LBJs tend to start to go around 70-100k miles depending on age/mileage/conditions. Upper ball joints (front+rear) tend to last a fair bit longer, and should be replaced when there is play in them or the ball socket is no longer stiff when removed from the spindle.
-strut rod bushings tend to die, it's a sacrificial part of the suspension to keep the ride so smooth. Just monitor for tearing, they should last at least 60-80k miles but age here is as big a factor as mileage (make sure they are installed in the arms properly as they need to be clocked right, and torqued once on the ground.) rear carrier arms last a little longer, probably 100k or so, depending on age.
-there are a number of pad options, i personally am partial to the Axxis Deluxe Ceramic. should be ~$100set if you look around.
-wheel bearing: have a GOOD mech confirm that it's the problem, you can either replace with OEM or just buy a used spindle.
-you do not need to REPLACE the rotors every brake job, you should have them resurfaced or at least sand the top most layer down with a scotchbrite pad to give the new pads something to bite into. only replace when getting near the minimum thickness.
-find a qualified independent mech to do your fluid changes, using genuine lextoy fluids. save a fair bit of $$$ there.
-oil of your choice (6qts) +filter shouldnt be nearly that much. granted I do it myself but the Group IV PAO/Ester based oil I use runs me ~$35-40 (for 2 gallons, i have about 1.5-2qts left) and a HIGH quality Napa Gold oil filter runs me ~$6-8. (napa's gold line is made by Wix and testing has shown them to be on par or superior compared to most all other high grade filters). M1 is a lot of marketing to pay for. regardless of the oil, I wouldnt run past 5-8k miles unless you have oil analysis results that tell you to run longer.

xinkid

I mentioned it here. sorry the list is hard to read, I should have made a table. Any answers appreciated.

sdwtchlvr

iTrader: (1)

Does anyone have the part number for OEM Front strut rod bushings from Sewell? I got a rough estimate of $70 each for aftermarket bushings from my mechanic today. My 99 LS with 140k needs them bad.