WILLYumD

The 98 ES300 my parents gave me is nearing 200k miles. It's been leaking some oil so I took it to the dealer.
I left sad with a long diagnosis: valve cover gasket leaking, rear main seal leaking, timing belt soaked, oil pan leaking, transaxle pan gasket leaking, CV boot cracked, tube seals and half moons need resealing, engine mount cracked, and some minor things (tires wearing down and brake fluid flushing). The total came to around $5k for the dealer to fix it. [Is this reasonable?]

I want to keep this car. It's comfortable and peppy for an 18 year old entry level luxury car. It still runs great despite the leaks and whatnot. I've revamped the sound system and was planning to do an HID retrofit. A lot of memories in this car.
But should I say RIP to the ES? Is it worth putting in $5k (or $2k for the urgent repairs)?
My parents suddenly told me they want a "safer" car, but I have a feeling they're just spooked by the repair quote.

Whattado?

gt1209

Get a 2nd opinion and price quote from an independent shop. If it still costs too much to repair, then sell the car and spend $5k on a newer and less mileage ES 300 without any of those problems.

80es300

My 98 es300 also had valve cover gasket leaking few years back. With that leaking, it is not easy to diagnose if there are any other leaks without actually cleaning it properly and then driving for few days. I am thinking the dealer is just reporting all the possible leaks and other issues.For example: How do they know timing belt is soaked? Here is what I would do
1. Find an honest independent mechanic who specializes in Toyotas/Lexus and find what really needs fixing
2. At this age, the car will have leasks/issue, but you fix only the really needed/safety related ones

Out of the ones you listed, the big item is the rear main seal leaking if that is really leaking. Valve cover gasket if leaking would be around 350-400. If seeping, you can wait.Most of the others seem minor

WILLYumD

Will find a shop in my college town for a second lookover. Today, I had the engine misfire and sputter but not throw any codes. Could a RMS or VCG leak cause this? Looks like Lexus also diagnosed something with my spark plugs, could their tinkering have led to this?

EDIT: Looks like VCG could be it.

speedkar9

$5K in repairs or $5K in oil top ups? Hmm

You need to determine exactly where the leak is potentially coming from and tackle them one by one. Don't get spooked by the summation of everything that could be wrong with your car.

Start by degreasing the engine completely:


The valve cover gasket leaking is a likely candidate on these V6 engines. The rear valve cover is difficult to get to, hence a higher labor charge. This video gives you an idea of whats involved:


The next likely candidate are the front cam and crank seals. This needs to be done with a timing belt job. If it is not leaking badly then you can drive with it for a while. However if the belt is soaked (they have a lot of stuff to remove to inspect the timing belt BTW) then you should get to it ASAP. Here's whats involved:


If you do find the rear main seal to be leaking, then the transmission has to be dropped out of the car to change the seal. While the seal may be less than $10, it sure will take a lot of man hours to get this job done, at which point you can make a decision regarding the car.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

A lot of great info in this thread for you to think about. After owning a used 98 ES300 from 173k-242k miles for five years, I would say degrease the engine and sell it off.

From the brief description you got from the dealer, I suspect the mechanical condition of this vehicle is poor and will need a lot of work to get it sorted. Nothing crazy for an experienced DIYer, but not financially sound for somebody who would need a mechanic.

Your car is worth roughly $2000 at the moment.

mmatheny

You need to realize that MANY auto dealers have a list of what to tell an owner what needs replacing by the mileage/age. They don't actually PHYSICALLY look at everything. Like was said try an independent mechanic. My son took his truck to a dealer and got back a $1500 list of stuff. Took the truck to my mechanic and showed me where they NEVER even removed stuff to visually inspect things they SAID needed replacing!

It PAYS to be mechanically literate!

OceanView

If your only adding 1 quart in between oil changes, then just add oil and drive it til it dies.
My 98 also leaked oil for a while and I drove it to 347K miles without any issues.

WILLYumD

The valve cover is problematic since my dad took the ES to a Midas so they could put an aftermarket aka incorrect gasket on, very likely why it's leaking. I've had 2 incidences of misfire, but also had a loose gas cap, misfires don't seem to be happening any longer. Classes are starting so I don't have time to go to an independent mechanic just yet. Meanwhile, I've been looking about and have really taken a liking to the GS400. I will discuss with my parents.

Thanks to all for the replies and ideas, I do realize I'm mechanically naive, and appreciate the input!