philboyj

I got a great referral from this forum about an independent Lexus technician - the main job being timing belt and water pump replacement. The job was done in Brooklyn, NY

This technician was awesome - you could see that he knows the entire car inside-out. Here is the list of work he did including supply genuine lexus parts:

1. Drain coolant and replace with Toyota pink genuine.
2. Change timing belt
3. Change water pump
4. Change serpentine belt
5. Replace all spark plugs (I provided the plugs)
6. Fix / splice and join the front brake wear sensor (removed the annoying light on dash...I know I have to keep tabs on the brake pads). No soldering required - just twist and join.
7. Throttle body cleaning.
8. Overall car inspection.

All this work in less than 3 hours. I drove in at 8:10 AM and I drove out at 11:00 AM. This tech took no breaks - really admire his work ethic. No phone breaks, no coffee break, no smoke breaks etc etc. It was a real pleasure to watch him work.

I could not be more thankful to this forum - thanks to all you guys who make this a great resource. By the way, the old timing belt looked barely worn at all based on simple visual inspection - my car had 115K miles. I'll post some pics later.

The real kicker - the guy is very very reasonable - PM me and I'll let you know how much. Hint - way way less than $ 1000 including all parts except spark plugs (which I already had).

Philip

FASTEDDY

looks like im going to have to drive out to ny

Bocatrip

The price you got is super, especailly if he used only Lexus OEM parts. To do all the work under 3Hrs is also unusual. The fact that the belt had very little wear is common as these belts are rugged and would probably last twice the recommended replacement period, however, no one is going there. You seem to have gotten a great deal.

CarGuy89

Very nice! You don't see this level of quality of work much, esp not for such an awesome price. Good stuff! Wish I lived closer to NY lol.

warminwisc

Less than a grand is fair, pretty much get that at the Yota dealer I go to. Good for you to find a guy you can trust

bfg23

Dang. Less than 3 hours is great. Great saving on labour costs there.

I was under the impression it was an 8hour job even for qualified mechanics.

Bocatrip

I had that same impression. How does one take apart so much of the engine and reinstall in such a short period of time?

philboyj

I would have not believed it either - if I did not stand right there and watch the whole thing in front of me Like I said, this guy knew where every single nut and bolt was, including what size it was.

The pics show the timing belt on the car, off the car (not much wear) and the brand new belt.

philboyj

The belt being rugged is apparently true only for Lexus. This tech and his friend have rebuilt many Audi's with broken timing belts and engine damage.

Vpanin

Im going to definitely consider this person

honeygee2

I just found another great shop in Naples, Florida. They will do a timing belt alone for 500 with water pump 700. If you want the complete car serviced and I mean serviced they will do it for 1500 including changing brake fluid, AC filters, cabin filters, spark plugs oil etc. They have 32 years of experience working on lexus products.

http://www.lextechautomotive.com/

For you east coast of Florida guys it may be worth a trip.

Kansas

I don't see idlers or tensioner on the list of parts replaced. From what Lexus mechanics have told me over the past 21 years, those are the parts that cause a high percentage of timing belt system failures.

2004TOYO

Thought Lexus came out in 89-90

Bocatrip

Do they get replaced if they look to be in good working condition?

Muti007

Just askin, what makes the trip worthwhile? Any Lexus dealer would do the same job for less, and theyd also replace crucial parts it seems your guys missed.