jonas's RX

Hi Gang

What do you guys think ? I have an RX 04 47K and a SC 04 53K

Is it time to change the T/B and W/P ? I am thinking of getting
the kit or you think it is too early to worry with the mileage I have
on the 2 Cars

I know many dealers and mechanic have different opinions
With some going by mileage and some like the dealers going
By age

Chime in Gang 😊

jzwu

My 2002 SC430 is 12 years old with 102k miles on the original timing belt.

RX469

iTrader: (1)

My question now is, how long is too long or too old from a preventative maintenance standpoint?

gripau1

If you are doing the timing belt, I would replace the water pump and cam seals at the same time. Its the piece of mind that you don't need to changed the water pump for another 10 years. No brainer really.

ShawnOk

iTrader: (1)

My 02 Sc430 now has 43k miles and still has the OEM timing belt and water pump, also.

iolmaster

iTrader: (1)

Get the Aisin TKT-021 kit from Amazon. Aisin is partly owned by Toyota and many Lexus parts are made by Aisin. It has everything you need. (except the cam seal, which is very cheap)

rudyH

I am positive you can get quality parts for the car from a couple of places. As one of the highlights of these cars is their long term amazing reliability, I personally would just bite the bullet and get the factory approved parts. That's just me.

Bgw70

Rockauto.com has some great prices and carries many brands...OEM is good but so are after market, ie. Denso, Gates, NGK, Dayco etc.

I plan to purchase the $200 kit from Rockauto, I believe it has everything.

The serpentine belt and hoses will be Gates and the thermostat will be the fail safe because if it ever fails, it locks itself in the open position which means no overheat!

jonas's RX

My biggest Q is at 50K , is it too premature to change the T/B and W/P out ?
The cars are 10 yrs old though

Swell has the kit for like $360

mpezely

Jonas, it sounds like you are going to KEEP your Lexus. The $360 plus install equals peace of mind. Just do it! I did my wife's 2006 SC at about 50K and the belt looked fine but now I don't have to worry about the belt or the water pump. Preventative maintenance makes my wallet lighter but I sure sleep better.

MDames2

iTrader: (1)

At 10 years of age you should definitely change the timing belt. Should it fail the result is catastrophic to your engine.

Harold57

Jonas, the maintenance manual schedules the belt change by age and mileage. The belts do deteriorate by time, not to mention the nasty environment that they exist in. You won't be able to tell whether your belt needs to be changed until you tear the engine down to where you can see it. There have been some that replaced it and said that it looked pristine and others that have said that it was in bad shape.

I'd follow the recommendations of Lexus just to be sure and safe. If that belt fails, you can virtually trash your engine since it is an interference fit.

Bgw70

Guys and possibly Gals, I must say I am from the school of milage only but have been beat down on the time thing! Why, because of the point that Harold made, if it breaks, you are going to PAY PAY PAY!
If you keep the periodic maintenance up to date you will be rest assured that you or your wife should not have a breakdown and you can drive your car anywhere.
Just "Get-R-Done Son".

Harold57

Not meaning to beat a dead horse here but just as an example of how rubber and rubber-type products deteriorate over time, I have two bicycles hanging in my garage that haven't been ridden in years. Both were in good shape when I hung them up last. Both sets of tires are rotted to the point that even if they held air now, there's no way that I'd ride them as they would likely go flat before I got to the end of my driveway. The timing belt is the same way. It can rot and crack from just getting older. (The same reason that you want to make sure the tires you buy aren't older tires, check the date codes.) The materials they use to fabricate the belts these days are much better than they used to be but still have the same flaws, just not as bad.

jonas's RX

The tribe has spoken !

Tx gang

The irony is I have never head of anyone who owns an SC with a broken belt . That being said , I agree it is better to be safe than sorry . I just bought 2 kits and plan to do both cars this summer

PS

The parts cost about $400 with the drive belts each and the labor per car is $375 from a mechanic I have been using . The total is about $800

In comparison with the dealer , I got a quote for parts and labor for $1800 per car !:0
Amazing how much the dealer want

Cheers everyone