Sample size of one I know but I did some work on a car yesterday that had up to this point never had anything other than oil changes from CPO to 223k miles, It's very very impressive to see any car with zero maintenance do this well. This has been fairly consistent whenever a Lexus shows up to the shop unless it's something like the LS460 or similar advanced cars, those sometimes need a lot more depending on how they were cared for. Pics below will have corresponding info, this car was not so much as inspected for at least 6 years.



Looks good for 13 years old and 223k

No major dents/damage at all really


Headlight are even decent


Rims haven't been messed up too much, most of them are in good shape



No rust despite the car never really being washed/cared for


All the usual trouble areas are good to go


The only thing I could find is some very light rust on the trailing arms....

And a little on the rear subframe

 

That's impressive.

I'm guessing they may have a lot of highway miles.

I refreshed my suspension at 130k but I think my car did a million short trips which I'm sure is much harder on a car.

 

Rear hatch shocks, still working but in the cold they can be very marginal, easy swap. This was actually the reason the car came in, it's always stiff like this that makes Lexus cars show up since owners actually interact with this.

Covers pulled, very very dusty

I am not sure how old this engine filter is, it's VERY dirty though

Just a light finger swipe shows how bad the buildup is

Mouse nest among the injectors and fuel rail, got that cleaned out

Old coolant was quite orange, I'm certain this was original to the car.

Zero reserve coolant remaining.



The other reason the car came in, the brakes have been critically low for a long time and have finally gotten to the point they could be felt.

About 1mm inside pad left, way past the point you should replace them.

The only thing I could find wrong/worn is the front lower control arm rear bushings have some cracking, not to the point they need addressed yet but still noted.

This is still surprising since this was it. Nothing else is worn/suspect

 

That's impressive, what are the wheels like? Both my Lexus were plagued by poor quality alloy wheels from new, suffering bubbling and corrosion after 12-18 months. The dealership swopped them for new ones each time without a quibble but the technician said they had a storage unit full of ones to return. It was very disappointing from a premium brand and something I'd never encountered before.

 

No leaks

No rust

No problems

Even the rear barely has any surface rust


This car has the E-axle, I recommended service at some point but for now the diff oil looks perfect.

One more shot of the underside



Even the active mount is good to go, these usually don't last past 160-180k on gas only cars.

Inverter coolant drain

Main coolant drain

Front cover off, no rust

Filter looks very nice

Draining all the fluids

Replacing the old with the best

 

Just a slight difference.....

Shockingly good shape, usually the shield rusts at this point

New brakes, I paint the hats if they don't come coated.

Other side

Coolant is purged, filled, and the overflow actually has a working fill now lol!

All the coolant is bright pink

Old junk

I have no idea how old these brakes are, perhaps original to the car

Really nice old filter, not sure what it is but it's high quality

 

Near perfect, no bubbling or even brake dust buildup. Very high quality IMO

 

Japan or Canada VIN?

 

Japan, this is a 450h from early production. Hybrid system is untouched till now for the inverter coolant change and trans fluid check, no issues.

 

Interesting, I never had that issue with any of my Lexus vehicles...

 

Good to see, but I am not surprised. I've seen several posters here on CL tout that hybrids are really complex, and that they require more maintenance and are less reliable. Having owned a couple, we've found them to be incredibly reliable and cheap to maintain. I'm yet to have to touch the brakes, they have a reduced number of belts, etc. Plus, the gasoline engine is often off or getting assistance from the electric motors, making its job easier.

 

Thanks. Was just wondering.

I would assume the hybrid is a little more complex compared to the non hybrid. It has added components. The original RX had a drive belt..does yours not have any belts? Please don’t scold me asking lol.. I thought there were no belts for the Toyota hybrids of the modern era. My next car will probably be a hybrid

 

Sure, there's more complexity, but nothing crazy or intimidating. It's truly not much more than a battery and a few electric motors. It also deletes the alternator and starter (uses one of the electric motors for those functions).

I'll need to check again, but I am thinking there was one belt? Perhaps I should have said "fewer belt driven accessories" as they are electric and not belt driven.

 

There is no belt unless the engine happens to have a timing belt. Toyota's HSD is extremely reliable (I own one) but when they start to go wrong it can easily get to the point where the car has to be scrapped. Something simple like letting the traction battery go dead bricks the car.

 

Lexus/Toyota is generally fine but god help you if something does break, it's extremely expensive for parts and many people are not willing to work on them.

The others are fantastic, I always make at least 2k in labor costs lol!