i've been having an intermitent problem when i go to start my car. sometimes lately it will just go click when i turn the key. turn the key again and it starts right up. today it took doing it 3 times to start.

i was at the dealer today and asked friend of mine in service department and he said starter is going out and will slowly get worse.

i aked how much to fix and he said $1200. he said something about the starter being hard to get at on the gs400 and also said it is an all day job.

i looked on search and read where someone said it is just the contacts. (this was on an sc300) and just replace them.

could this be the case on the gs400

anyone got any knowledge about this. do i really need to spend $1200.

thanks
3dog

 

u should also post this on the sc forums, it looks like the gs4 and the sc4 share the same starter, maybe someone has changed it on the sc side!

 

The starter on the SC 400/430 is the same as the LS 400/430 and GS 400/430. They all have the 1UZ-FE engine in both 4.0L and 4.3L variations. This starter is in a peculiar position.....near the firewall in the rear of the engine, near the top, UNDER the intake manifold. The entire intake manifold has to be removed to gain access to the starter. The three bolts holding the starter are also difficult to get to.

The starter is a fairly expensive, high ticket item, but the majority of the expense of this procedure is in the labor.

I would do the work myself if I had to do it, because I do a lot of this type of work, and have the tools. I would consider an independent shop before having this work done at a Lexus dealership.

This procedure has been covered previous on ClubLexus, and is in the maintenance archives.

Good luck on your repair!
GSEREP1

 

thanks. any idea on if i can put this off and nurse it along.

 

i had the same problem on my car. it does get worse. by the time i took it in, it took 5-10 tries to get it to start every other time. you can nurse it along for a while, but i would plan on fixing it in the near future because it will eventually just not start.

unfortunately, yes it does cost a lot. mine was 950. like gserep said, the starter is in a difficult place to get to so labor is a lot. fortunately for me i bought an extended warranty so they covered that (it has now paid for itself). my car has 92k miles.
good luck.

 

anyone know what the starter cost? i've got an excellent mechanic at an independent shop that charges $75 an hour. also what is rate for labor at lexus dealership? if lexus is $100 an hour that is $200 difference if it is an 8 hour job. but the independent does not give me a loaner car.

also, does anyone know how many hours this is supposed to take?

a sidenote: i had an extended warrenty that i paid $1700 for but i cashed it in as i decided the car was so reliable that i did not need it. well just last week i spent $1400 on air conditioner repairs. you never know what is going to happen.