cjrosen

I've got a 1995 sc300 with 71,000 miles. Red with tan interior: exterior almost flawless, interior only minor flaws. However, under the hood is another story. She needs the following: transmission service,valve cover gasket, spark plugs, distributor cap, fuel filter, PCV valve, camshaft oil seals, timing belt, serpentine belt, starter, rack and pinion, engine mounts. Two independent mechanics came in at $3600 - $4400, and Lexus dealer at $7500.
You need to know I'm a girl and not a DIYr, and I love, love, love this car and would hate to give her up, BUT am I foolish for putting this kind of money into the car? Thanks.

HEWJsc4

It seems like you could buy and install a rebuilt motor for less. Would I spend that much? Even with that low of miles you are nearly exceeding the value of the vehicle there, so no I personally would not. If it runs, maybe you can use it as a trade in for another newer SC.

sj408

iTrader: (6)

well that seems like quite a bit for a car with that low of miles, where did you come to the conclusion you needed all these things???? and if you want a car that will last you damn near your whole life yes go ahead and do it.

let me guess the dealer told you that all this is required???

do you like to go fast??? buy a low mileage 1jz for way cheaper and have one of the independant mechanics install it. that pretty much gets rid of your needs for all that stuff + you go faster

cjrosen

I first took it to an independent mechanic for diagnosis, then to Lexus, then to another indepedent just to get a feeling if everyone was talking apples to apples. I've used both independents for other cars, so I have some history with each and feel comfortable with either one; however, one uses Lexus parts and gives the 12 month, 12,000 mile warranty and the other uses aftermarket parts with 12 months, 24,000 miles on warranty. I'm inclined to stay with Lexus parts wherever possible.

Klaus

iTrader: (1)

Alright a rebuilt motor is not a solution here. Look at what's included:

transmission service- what are they calling a "transmission service" get a definition here
valve cover gasket- should be replaced when replacing an engine. Not an essential maintenance issue
spark plugs- should be replaced when replacing an engine. Also super easy to DIY, but either way is cheap labor
distributor cap- why, are you having ignition issues?
fuel filter- this is a cheap part, and easy to replace. Something you'll need to do even with a different motor. This can't hurt to replace but
PCV valve- interesting... ask them for an explanation on this one.
camshaft oil seals- should be replaced when replacing an engine. not necessary unless you're seeping oil
timing belt- should be replaced when replacing an engine. Replace this
serpentine belt- should be replaced when replacing an engine. Replace this but DO NOT let them charge you additional labor for it if they're doing the timing belt because it has to come off anyway.
starter- does your car not start?
rack and pinion- does your car not steer?
engine mounts- do you have heavy vibration in the car? Also something you need to replace with a new engine, but probably not a necessary maintenance item

So any advice to put a different motor in it is foolish. Paying a shop to do that will run you $6k+. Don't listen to the speed heads here lol.

I think if you paired down a lot of the services they're doing to just the essentials I highlighted in bold you can get what you need done for well under $2k. For the essentials listed here, shops out in AZ could knock it out for probably around $1200. As for Lexus parts, don't bother on any of these. Get some good NAPA gates belts and they'll hold up well

sj408

iTrader: (6)

thats how i feel too, i always use toyota parts (lexus parts) i even went back in and almost beat the **** outta some guy cause he put aftermarket plug wires (i dont joke about wanting oem stuff) so i got my 200 back and i kept the aftermarket wires LOL.

but at any rate, how does the car drive? does this stuff all seem really obvious its needed? since its such a large repair bill if you dont have all the money right off the bat start small and work your way down the list.

honestly your car should be running **** after all that. butttttttttttttt i kinda think it would be easier to put a low mileage japanese engine in there (1jz?)

cjrosen

Never thought of that. How much do they cost? I'm surprised neither of the independents came up with that solution.
Ahhhh, the value of CL prevails again!

sj408

iTrader: (6)

why would it be foolish??? a new motor would get rid of most of these issues ( especially if a rebuilt with a warantee) for way less than she was quoted.... and thats awesome you could get it done for 1200 but did you even read what the 3 different people in her area quoted????
and how is it that an engine swap will run 6k+ but all this only 1200?? ok pass me the pipe now.

sj408

iTrader: (6)

well you could get away with the exact same engine for less than a grand im sure, and who knows what YOUR local shop would charge yah but im sure it would be less than the 3000+ your getting quoted

now if you want to go alot faster and get a 1jz twin turbo thats a bit different story but a stock engine just like yours shouldnt be much at all

honestly though i wouldnt think all that needed to be done.. but go ahead and have the timing belt, tensioner, and water pump replaced (around 800 installed) and have them do the serpentine belt while they are at it.

as for the fuel filter just have a guy friend climb under the car on the driver side and unscrew it and put a new one in (total of 5 minutes and like 10 dollars)

now why do they say you need a new rack and pinion? cause your rack is leaking? dont worry about it all old cars steering racks leak including my sc300

engine mounts- do you feel crazy vibrating? if so pay for those to be replced

and as for camshaft seals not sure on the price but im sure you could get away with all you listed for under 2 grand if you did it one by one

jadu

iTrader: (42)

OP, you dont have to get all those repairs done all at once.. some people buy an SC for that much. what do you need most? starter for sure if your car dont start.. leaking oil? change the gaskets.. coolant leaking? change the water pump, thermostat, and might as well change the belts while your at it and the tensioner

cjrosen

Sorry, should have included this in my original post: the underside of the car is loaded with oil from assorted leaks apparently. This whole drama began when the car failed to start unless I turned the key on and off several times. At that point, it was thought to have been the alternator failure due to the oil all over it.
Klaus: to answer you, the car does not start, it steers okay, but with a moan, and there is some vibration but I couldn't describe it as heavy. I'm moving to AZ if I can done what I need done for $1200 :-)

turbodremz

iTrader: (18)

For $7500, you could go LSX/T56....or buy another SC (97+). But being a girl has nothing to do with some of the minor things you listed. With the info, and some of the step-by-step DIY's here on the forums, you could have a majority of that done for less than $500 with a mix of new and good condition used parts and some dirty hands.

Matador

This guy gets my vote. Explanations for each repair will help you narrow down what actually NEEDs to get done. With such a low mileage engine its probably worth looking into these repairs and doing them slowly over time. There's no need to drop a different engine in (especially a jdm turbo motor with its own problems). It would just be helpful to know whats wrong and why they're wanting to replace so much stuff.

cjrosen

More details tomorrow. Thank you, thank you, thank you CL for your input and support. Damn! I love this place.

97RSPSCTT

^^^I think thats a wise decision. Look around and see whats out there. A good turbo motor, 1j or maybe even a 2j-gte stocker. Or you can go to an independent shop and see how much a rebuild would be if your not into the speed thing. Call around and good luck.