vintagelex

The timing belt needs to be done on my 1992 ES300, and I have a pretty good idea of what needs to be done but I just wanted to make sure I didn't forget anything.

Timing belt,
All pulleys,
Tensioner,
Water pump / gasket
Camshaft seals

Also the two accessory belts will be done at the same time. Is there anything missing from this list? A good local shop gave me an estimate of $1200 for all of this, and said it will be done on the same day. Car-X gave me a quote of about $1100 so I assume it's pretty much market price for this kind of job..

Any thoughts? Is there anything missing from my list?

hzt30

Crankshaft seal.
Fresh antifreeze.

$1200/$1100 seems a bit steep. The parts can be procured for around $300 so that is a lot for labor.

LeX2K

Crankshaft seal and coolant is not on the list. For that price I hope they are using genuine Toyota parts or equivalent.

vintagelex

Alright, I just added the crankshaft seal to my list. Thanks for the tip.

I specifically asked what kind of parts they would be using, and they said that they'll use high quality aftermarket parts, nothing cheap. They'll just top off the coolant I think, it was changed a few months ago and the car has only travelled about 1500 miles since.

I have one more slightly off-topic question. How do I get to the lightbulb that's supposed to illuminate the PRNDL by the shifter? It's been burned out for years. Does the black plastic just hold on with clips? I don't wanna break anything..

LeX2K

"high quality aftermarket parts" could mean almost anything. Get specifics on EXACTLY what parts they are using, otherwise you could end up with some cheap stuff like a GMB water pump and cheap bearings. Honestly for that price why not go to a Toyota dealer, and as usual always ask for the old parts back.

vintagelex

Yes I will definitely ask for the brand name of the parts they would use - today I just called on the phone to ask for an estimate. Tomorrow I'll call a few other places and see what estimates they give me. I looked if there were any Toyota dealers nearby, and the only thing I could find was Scion, so not exactly. And with me being 19 and in college I can't drive out 20 miles somewhere to a Toyota dealer because you have to be over 25 to drive a loaner/rental car. But I'll see what other shops there are near downtown. (I'm going to college in Madison, if I were home in Chicago this wouldn't be a problem..)

I'll update when I get some other estimates tomorrow.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

For $1100-1200, they better be using OE parts and flush out my coolant. As mentioned above, look around for lower estimates.

ES330MD05

Ask them how much the labor would be if you bought your own parts. You can buy all OEM parts kit on eBay for less than $300 + $50 for Toyota Genuine coolant. If somebody quoted me $1200 for that job and said they will use anything but OEM, I will never go back to that place again for anything else.

OEM kit from eBay ($275, includes thermostat also).
http://www.ebay.com/itm/AISIN-Water-...5ec9ee&vxp=mtr



Another one for $337
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lexus-ES330-...5d7110&vxp=mtr


Couple of months back, I ordered the first one and paid $350 to local mechanic. If you decide to go that route make sure the mechanic has experience with Timing belt change on Toyotas.

vintagelex

Well I called a few more shops in the area and I think I've made a decision. The shop I found employs only ASE certified mechanics, they're AAA certified, and they give a 1 year / 12,000 mile warranty on everything they do. They quoted me $1200, but with OE parts and it'll be done the same day. I think I'm gonna take it there monday (they are closed this weekend).

vintagelex

Oh and it includes a coolant flush and new coolant as well.

EEngineer

i have a kit for sale. all minus timing belt $200 shipped

vintagelex

EEngineer, thanks for the offer but my dad just wants the shop to do it all, so there are no potential problems with warrany if something goes wrong or anything like that.. (and he's paying for a good part of it so thats alright with me lol). By the way I think it's amazing what you've done with your car! I looked at your entire thread and it's totally awesome, keep it up!

One more quick question. Should the thermostat be replaced while the timing belt is done? I think I read somewhere that it's recommended... but if it's not necessary and it's not a big deal to replace it if it does eventually fail then it's probably not worth it to replace it now. If anyone has any info on that I'd appreciate it.

LeX2K

Replacing the stat is a really good idea because the coolant will have already been drained, and it's not an expensive part. Don't use an aftermarket unit though, only genuine.