I have a 2000 GS400 with only 62,000 miles. Over the weekend it died and I thought it was the battery but turned out to be the starter "sticking". Lexus dealer technician said it is a fairly common problem with V8s since the starter is trapped under the manifold with tremendous heat buildup causing premature failures. When I turned the key, it just clicked but did start after a few tries. Cost to repair is estimated to be $950 with a rebuilt starter. For those of you who have a second gen GS4, have you experienced similar issue? Also, is the repair cost inline? The tech said a number of parts need to be removed in order to get to the starter which is the reason why it is expensive. Your thoughts? Thanks.

 

Removing the intake to access the starter is not rocket science. But you should have an idea of what your doing.
A DIY starter rebuild should be about $30.
Intake gaskets may be reused.

A competent tech should be able to do the R&R in 3hrs and .5hrs for the rebuild. Most all places will just sell you a new/ rebuilt starter. Sounds like you we're talking to the service writer heat does not effect the starter. Contacts in the solenoid are a wear item. So 3hrs labor plus the cost of the starter, or DIY and spend $30+; you do the math.


There is an excellent thread on this subject.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...-problems.html

 

The starter on my 98 GS4 didn't go out until 140k miles. Accessing the starter isn't hard, just time consuming. Get a rebuild kit and you'll be set. Here's a helpful thread https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...-problems.html

 

here's a video of it

 

^^ awesome video. Just what I needed.