Hey everyone, I decided to hop on to the forums in hopes of some solid advice! I recently purchased a 99 Lexus es300. It’s salvaged but everything works fine just minor work needs to be done.. new suspension, the sending unit seems to be wonky so I need to swap that out when changing the fuel pump. And the timing belt.. my question is what is a good quality kit or parts to invest in? I see mixed messages everywhere.. I’m at a loss. I’ve seen timing belts for $178, browsed eBay but not sure what brand or website has good quality parts, Any advice?

What you need is the AISIN Timing Belt kit. In addition, get 2 Lexus/Toyota Camshaft Seals and 1 Crankshaft/Oil Pump seal. The reason the AISIN kit is considered the best is because it uses OEM components: Koyo, Mitsuboshi, and AISIN. If you look for part number TKT024 you should be able to find the kit packaged with the above mentioned seals for one price. Before I knew any better, I bought all those parts through a Lexus dealer and it came out to about $400 for the exact same parts.

For the fuel sender unit: open up the gas tank and inspect before replacing. There is an access cover under the back seat. It might be easy to troubleshoot. There is a service manual for the 97 ES300 that walks you through the process.

For suspension: for struts go with KYB if you don’t mind a firmer ride, Lexus if you want soft (more expensive).

If you have any part questions, feel free to hit me up. I’ve replaced a lot of stuff on my car and know a lot of useful resources to find parts.