Senin

I have a 2009 RX 350. Great car. Only problem was that I replaced the brakes. It now has 90,000. Not hard miles. I am beginning to wonder about my mechanic. Suddenly, at service, he says, you have some problems...
1- One strut leaks, you need two so 825
2- Throttle bottle intake, 205
3- Power Steering Rack leaking- 1550
4- Control Arms- brushing torn- 1703
Alignment 100
Power fluid replacement 100

I don't know much about cars, but this sounds kinda fishy to me.
Does it sound fishy to you?

ho0n

Struts can leak, and unfortunately do more often than we'd like. However, it shouldn't be that expensive to buy and replace them.
Unless your intake filter is torn or you're driving through atomized oil on a daily basis, the throttle body shouldn't be expected to have a problem. There shouldn't be a way to detect it without opening it up, either, without some actual troubleshooting. Nonetheless, the price really depends on what work is involved. With the stock engine design, it's a pain to remove the throttle body, but if it's just cleaning, it probably wouldn't cost 200 bucks.
I don't know about the steering rack, so someone else will have to advise.
Control arms could have torn bushings, but 1700 sounds extravagant to fix this. But as with the previous detail, I don't know much about the process involved.

I would definitely get a second opinion.

alchemist

iTrader: (1)

My comments below:

1- One strut leaks - not unusual
2- Throttle bottle intake - this seems weird unless it is cracked
3- Power Steering Rack leaking - common but dont necessarily need to change yet. Mine has been leaking for 40k miles and it is fine
4- Control Arms- brushing torn- common issue which cause front end vibration. if no vibration dont worry about it yet. High cost because you have to jack up motor. Look at my DIY thread on this
Alignment - will be needed if you change strut and rack
Power fluid replacement - will be needed if you change steering rack. I would check fluid every oil change. I use Mobil 1 synthetic tranny fluid

rxonmymind

Definetly find a shop that specializes in Lexus and get a second opinion. On your power steering keep an eye on the fluid level and and if your not having to replace it often then it's OK.

takeshi74

No idea. There's no way to assess your vehicle based on a forum post. As with anything else -- get a second opinion.

Wht95scort

Common for the strut leak usually end up being one of the rears and yes you should change them in pairs.
Throttle body is just a cleaning which he is raping u on
P/s rack also very common and left untreated could cause other issues
Control arm bushings highly likely. They get small cracks in the bushings but I've yet to see one that was worn to replacement.
Do the struts, rack and alignment but not with this guy

Senin

I asked the mechanic to prioritize the list according to urgency.
He said
1- Control Arms
2- Power Steering Rack
3- Struts
4- Throttle Bottle
(funny, that is the pricing list, high to low, too).

Anyway, tomorrow I am going to another mechanic for another opinion.

jakenbake

Most Lexus Dealerships do free inspections. Just take it to a dealership and don't tell them what the mechanic said and then see if they come back and tell you the same things.

Senin

I got my second opinion. I went to another shop that also seems to have very good reviews.

Here is their opinion:
1- The whole control arm does not need to be replaced. The bushes can be replaced--$744
2- The power steering rack does need to be replaced. Including fluid and alignment- 1432
3- They say that I should do all 4 struts should be replaced instead of just 2 (2 appear to be leaking but the other 2 are 90,000 and will need to be done soon)- 1342
4- The throttle body is not necessary.
5- They say I should also have spark plugs (they have never been done and at 90,000, they should be done)- 670

So the old place would charge me 4468 vs 4188 for the new place. But some of the work is different.

Big questions:
Is it okay to just replace the bushes instead of the whole control arm?
Is it okay to do just 2 struts or should all 4 be done?
Is the throttle bottle necessary?
How important is it to replace the spark plugs?

Rainbird

The throttle intake work is not necessary.
The spark plugs don't need to be changed until 120k.

Wht95scort

I still don't believe you need control arms. Like I stated the bushings all show small cracks but doesn't mean there bad or worn. If the front wheels move back when applying the brakes at low speeds or the car is vibrating bad at highway speeds then by all means change them. I have yet to see one need them yet.

The struts if leaking should be done. Problem is most outside shops use crapy Monroe struts which in my experience done last long.

Sparkplugs are needed every 120k as stated above.

lexus997

Have you tried an actual Lexus dealership? I know there are many people that have negative feelings about dealerships, but independent shops have their issues too. Unfortunately it seems like the entire car repair industry gets a bad rap due to a few dishonest people. I do not believe that the entire car repair industry is crooked, but I have certainly met my share of people who would screw over their own mother, and that is part of the reason why I try to do my own work.


Here are a few questions that I have not seen yet that would help me determine how much money I wanted to put into my own vehicle:

1) How long do I plan on keeping the vehicle?

2) What is the fair market value of the vehicle?

3) Calculate (cost of work)/(fair market value) = ? %. Personally decide if you want to put that much money into the vehicle. Even if you do the repairs mentioned, the fair market value may not change because most buyers probably do not look at suspension bits, how clean/dirty the throttle body is, spark plugs, etc.

4) Now run your numbers if you just sell the car and what could you buy for that amount. Rather than put $4,500 into it, what if you could sell it for $16,000. That is $20,500 that you could put into buying a new ride.


$4,500 is a lot of money to put into a vehicle at one time in my opinion. I do most work myself though, and the most that I have ever put into a vehicle at one time is when I buy tires. I once had a timing belt fail and trash the engine. The vehicle was worth about $5k in working condition and it was going to cost me about $1,600 to replace the engine myself, plus my time, the aggravation, etc. It was not worth it to me to replace the engine because the aggravation was going to be high. If I would have replaced the engine and sold it, I would have netted $3,400. I ended up selling it as-is (needing a motor) for $2,500 and it was gone in 3 days. I valued my time and not being aggravated at $900 and I would do it again.


With that in mind, here are a few opinions:


BUSHINGS - as others have stated, wait until there is a real issue

STRUTS - if you plan on keeping the vehicle for awhile, I would get these replaced. Minimum, I would replace the fronts or rears as a pair (whichever pair needs replaced), but I would personally do all 4. But I would do the work myself and buy parts for about $500. So the difference between doing two of them for $250 and all of them for $500 is not significant in my opinion. however, if I had to pay someone $825 for a pair, I would probably do 1 pair now, and plan ahead to do the other pair within a year.

THROTTLE BODY - I would skip as others have mentioned

SPARK PLUGS - as others have mentioned, wait until the recommended 120k miles. Unfortunately this is an expensive task when you have to pay someone to do it. Gone are the days where you have direct access to all 6 spark plugs due to the tight packaging that happens these days. The spark plugs themselves can be acquired for about $50 and the rest is the labor to get to the back 3 plugs. This is crazy in my opinion, but it is reality.

gundy

Another option for opinion/price comparison is to check with a Toyota dealership in addition to/opposed to a Lexus dealership. I have heard and read that they can do the same work (with the same parts since Lexus is a Toyota brand) at a lower cost than the Lexus shop.

robbyk

Sennin
Where in CA are you located? Reason I ask is because I can send you to my mechanic to get a quote at no charge. This guy is extremely honest , even yelp reviewers say that about him.
It does not hurt to get a third opinion free of charge.

I am in So Cal.