Just picked up a 2016 ES 350 for $15,850 CAD/$11,500 USD -> (193,500 km / 120,200 miles)

Coming from a 2009 Honda Accord V6 coupe, and I'm impressed with the ES 350. Negotiated down from asking price. Previous owner drove ~40,000 km/year from 2021 onward, mostly highway - 80% with kiddos in the back so I'm sure he didnt drive it agressively. Carfax, inspection, and service records attached.

Maintenance History:

• First owner: every service at Lexus dealer
• Second owner (from 70k km): brake fluid and coolant flushed at 161k km (records attached)

DIY Plan:

• Oil changes every 8,000 km (0W-20 synthetic) to avoid $150–200 shop rates (sigh, since 6.1L). I will buy a solid hydralic floor jack for $130, the filter attachment and extension for the ratchet. Buy a body slider too with the savings.
• Tire swaps in garage every may/oct with the oil change regardless of KM mileage
• Current battery weak, 350 CCA. Battery swap myself (750CCA Motomaster eliminator, ~$300 CAD; accounts for -40°C Canadian winters)

Mechanic Work: Local mechanic in a garage (my good buddy gets his 2014 es350 services done by him) will handle for $250 CAD labour: 6 spark plugs, 3 rear ignition coils, plenum gaskets, PCV valve (I will buy from Lexus, think ~$40CAD). I'll give him 2 cans of engine oil/filter/gasket service and throttle body (PCV valve is there anyways) cleaning for $300 labour total. Planning to save old rear coils as front-bank spares in case of misfires. Is worth it doing the rear coils since he is already there, and check if the boots are ripped or not? OEM Coils are cheap (vs parts source in Alberta) on rockauto.

Cost Comparison:

• Shop quote: $650 plugs + $300 parts + $350 labour = $1,300 CAD
• My plan: ~$550 CAD total

I plan to keep this car for 5 years (until ~300,000 km / 186,000 miles) before switching to an SUV. I drive about 16,000 km annually, plus 3–4 mountain trips (700 km round trip each).

Did I miss anything? Is it necessary to replace the old ignition coils, or can I keep them as spares? Should I address anything else during the mechanic visit?
Date (Est.) Mileage (km) Service Item Type Notes
Feb 2026 193,500 Spark Plugs + PCV + Gaskets - Priority. Doing this before a trip to Banff with my mechanic.
May 2026 196,500 Oil & Filter Change DIY Start fresh ownership baseline. Summer Tire Swap DIY Post Banff trip.
Oct 2026 205,500 Oil & Filter Change DIY After summer mountain trips. Winter Tire Swap DIY
Nov 2026 208,000 Transmission Drain & Fill SHOP Ensure temp check (40°C–45°C).
May 2027 212,500 Oil & Filter Change DIY. Summer tire Swap DIY
Sept 2027 220,000 Brake Fluid Flush SHOP Due 3 years from last service (Sept '24).
Oct 2027 222,000 Winter Tire Swap DIY. Oil & Filter Change DIYMy Questions for you guys:

1. Lug Nut Situation: The car came with a separate set of 18" OEM rims for summer. I was too excited when I picked it up to count the hardware in the bag, but I just realized I am missing 3 standard nuts (13 regular/4 special lug nuts are there), and the key for the locking nuts is missing. Since these aren't currently installed on the car, can I just take one of the grooved locking nuts to a Toyota dealership parts counter and have them match the key pattern? Ideally, I’d just buy the replacement key and 3 standard nuts from them to complete the set. Or is it cheaper/smarter to just buy 20 brand new standard mag-style nuts and ditch the locks entirely?
   
2. Shocks & Struts: Since the car has 193k km (mostly highway miles put on since 2021), I was worried about the suspension. However, my mechanic did a pre-purchase inspection and said the undercarriage and suspension looked "spanking clean" with no leaks and said to buy it eyes closed. Is it safe to just ride on these until next winter and have Kal Tire check them then? Or are the shocks on these cars usually toast by 200k regardless of visual condition?
   
3. Water Pump Logic: The serpentine belt was replaced at 108,000 km. I plan to replace it again next year around 210,000 km. Since I'm keeping the car for 5 years, should I just bite the bullet and replace the Water Pump, Tensioner, and Idler Pulley at the same time? Or is the 2GR-FE water pump usually good for 300k+?
   
4. CarPlay Upgrade: I'm looking at those $300 CAD "plug and play" CarPlay units on eBay to future-proof the interior. Has anyone installed one on a 2016? Are they reliable or just e-waste, they look chinese?
   
5. The Shopping Cart: I have 10 oil filters (w/ washers), 6 cabin filters (best ones are 1/2 of what I see in Edmonton, great for my GF with allergies), and 2 engine air filters (next 2-3 years) in the cart (see attached pic) to bulk up on the basics. Anything else from RockAuto I should add before hitting checkout?
   
   Thanks ! Excited to be a part of the ES family.
   
   Maybe I will get a 2022 ES one day but 7th gen are so expensive here, long asf and barely fit in my garage with the stairs.
   

 

1. I have just went through replacing 2gr-fe water pump on a Sienna at 190k miles - leaked thru the gasket. I have another 2gr-fe with 200k miles and original water pump. I would leave your water pump alone for now.
2. I have replaced the spark plugs at 180k miles. Considered replacing the rear coil but ended up keeping the originals - those seem to be fairly reliable.
3. Inspect/Replace the brake caliper guide pins - especially the front lower ones. Those seems to rust and seize on almost every Toyota/Lexus from that era.
4. Shocks - my 2014 es300h has 185k miles on original shocks. I had to replace the front shocks on a 2015 Camry V6 at 180k mi since the right front was leaking and bouncing. I would leave yours as is.

Basically I do not think it is worth to start replacing parts proactively on these cars at this mileage - especially the ones that would not leave you stranded right away.

 

I just bought a 2017 ES350, and started looking at similar items for maintenance. Came to the same conclusion as the other poster to just replace as broken and not go looking for problems.

the only area I may swap out preemptively are the no name tires. Otherwise it will be oil and filter changes, brake fluid in 2 years, brakes (pads & rotors) when these wear down, and replace as things wear out. Has 150k miles (~240k km) on the clock and the shocks are fine, no leaks, don’t bounce. Car drives and shifts well so I’ll just keep on keeping on with it.

 

Not sure if you have one but I'd pick up a slotted jack pad for your jack when using it on the pinch weld jacking points. There's also a gasket for the throttle body for when the plenum gets removed (OE: 22271-0P020). That PCV price you stated seems really high for it (OE:12204-31120). You can probably get it from a Toyota dealer cheaper (shouldn't be more than about $9 USD), as well as the throttle body gasket.

Most OE parts can be sourced from a Toyota dealer; you don't need to go to Lexus for it and potentially pay an unnecessary premium. The ES is essentially a pretty Toyota Avalon and many parts are exactly the same.

You can use https://japan-parts.eu and https://www.amayama.com to help with getting part numbers which you can then use to shop at a Toyota parts department.

 

Thats a beautiful colour with the rims, i just picked up 2016 es300h with the same kms as you for 11k CAD.

I wanted to ask, is your roof wrapped black? if so can you share more pics? i wanted to get mine done but not sure how it looks

 

The UL came with a pano roof on the 350. That was not even an option on the 300h, so the only way for you to get that look would be to wrap it.

 

I just replaced the water pump on mine at 120k, the pulley was grinding horribly, no leak however. It's a pretty involved job, has little to do with your serpentine belt. I replaced the belt in under 10 minutes.

Tensioners themselves almost never go bad, you should be looking for just the pulley that attaches to it once it starts making noise. They sell some aftermarket, but I've seen some info floating around on the Toyota part - would take some research on your end. Replacing the whole tensioner is a big job, requires removal of the alternator and AC compressor.

 

For the slotted jack pad- I have been using for years an old hockey puck, I cut a slit down the center and have been using this for years. Dont know how thick the slotted jack pad is, but the hockey puck is plenty thick.

 

I had a 2013 ES350 U/L went 150k with Zero problems. Only questions I have are? Why are you replacing the Coils? Also I would stick with the Factory Toyota/Lexus oil filters only.

If anything else I would do it would be the Coolant replacement with Toyota Coolant only, few 2GR's have had contaminated Coolant eat head gaskets. Also if were me I would do a drain and fill on the Trans and filter, with a true full synthetic Trans fluid like Valvoline or Idemitsu. Do not use a Flush machine.

Swap the wheels for 19" Factory in summer. 18 in winter. That's a big heavy car for 18" wheels. That's the nice thing about the upgrades of the U/L the bigger wheels.

 

I don't know any shop around here that uses flush machines. They are trans fluid exchange machines. They don't put any stress on the system, simply exchange fluids. This is the only way to get a proper clean fill.

 

Not sure about why on your statement of not knowing - any shop around here that uses flush machines. Does not matter the topic anyway. You apparently know the topic of the Trans machine use regardless.

It's your car do what you wish. I would never do a flush on a unknown Lexus Trans at 120k miles. So you gave your opinion, I gave mine.

Here so now you are aware of what you sated you were not aware.

 

A flush involves pressurization, while fluid exchange is done using the power of auto's own transmission pump. If you don't understand this basic distinction, you will have a hard time debating this.

 

Call and/or send the Manufactures of the equipment a email and let them know you have issues with they call them and don't shoot the messenger.

I have no need to debate what anyone can see is a fact.

In post #7 you just said you replaced a water pump. Your point is as dumb as saying it does not pump water it pumps coolant/Antifreeze. Stop being so picky.

 

The term transmission flush is used in the industry to mean that "all" of the fluid will be exchanged. Whether it is an external machine or the transmission pump, it is being done with some sort of pressure. This is not what hurts the transmission.

If you completely change the fluid all at once on an older transmission, the new fluid will start dislodging years of contamination and clutch debris from the internals. This will usually clog the filter, passages, and stick to internal solenoids. This is where the transmission starts failing. The transmission does not suddenly "go bad", but starts acting up due to the debris breaking loose.

A drain and fill, done at regular intervals, will slowly clean the internals and "refresh" the important lubrication and heat tolerance properties of the fluid. This is why a transmission filter change should be considered as well.

Just one guys opinion......

 

Yes it is also a known fact that it can clog the Trans Valve Body Solenoids and push all that contaminated debris into them. Its been shown that some of those machines maycause some fluid to move in the opposite direction of normal flow, which may increase the risk of dislodging debris and causing it to settle somewhere it shouldn’t. The Lexus Solenoids in the Lexus 350 Trans motors have been known to code and get damaged. Another little known fact is that the Toyota WS Trans fluid has been tested and analyzed finding that it is not really a fully Synthetic fluid. There are other fluids such as Valvoline or Idemitsu that are just better than the WS fluids. The WS is not going to damage if drained and filled but, there are better fluids to use.

Back to the op original post request. The other thing I would recommend at 120k is to do a spray in Intake Carbon cleaning, followed up by a pour in tank cleaner. I would do this before the plug change and oil change. This will help with Carbon build up, also increasing the engines ability to advance Lexus ECU Map Timing called KCLV advance. This improves engine efficiency for performance, MPG and cleans the Heads Intake components and in the piston walls/rings, combustion chamber.