Looking at an 07 IS 250 awd as a winter car. The one I found has a heater could leak and needs re replacement. Any idea how much $$$$ or degree of difficulty to do?

 

No clue what it would cost but figure 8+ hours.
There are videos and DIY threads. Not for the faint of heart!
If you're willing to pull an engine or trans, the seats and dash are doable!

 

Yes, I've done suspension, exhaust, timing belt, etc. on my Miata's and even did some of that on my old IS300. However, never wanted to try taking the dash apart.

The car is supposed to need the passenger airbag recall so was wondering if some of that would help with the cost (since they would be already somewhat in the dash. However, that would be dealer pricing so not sure of the advantage.

 

Well, what is the price on that beater and mileage? For the get-go, it might not be worth it.

Is the current owner 100% sure about it being a core leak and not a hose? Has coolant actually leaked into the cabin floorboards like what happened to me once in my very first car...1982 Datsun 200sx?

 

Asking is $5k (140k) but sounds negotiable. Was trying to figure out a cost to figure out what it's worth. He told me verbally that it's leaking (and his ad says "easy fix" - haha) but I don't think he's mechanically inclined. Doesn't sound like he even did a bypass. Going to try and go see it this weekend, will try to stick my head under the dash and see if I can tell. Body and interior are in good shape from the pictures.

 

Yeah, time to visually inspect it yourself to see if it is worth it or not. Find the source of the leak and negotiate from there.

By the way, after reviewing pictures of the Lexus 2IS heater cores online, I see they're completely aluminum. No plastic portions anywhere to break/crack. Might just be a hose in the engine bay.

 

If neglected it could have failed for years of pressure cycling while acids ate away at the core.

 

We shall see. Couldn't find a time last weekend. I'm hoping I can see the hoses just by looking up from the glovebox side.

 

If the heater core is leaking and he hasn't done a bypass, the carpet is going to be soaked. That or the engine is low on coolant so it won't leak.

 

That's what makes no sense. Either he isn't driving it, it isn't leaking much or there isn't any coolant in it. If the coolant is low I'm going to walk away, not risking an engine that might have been overheated.

 

Here are some more random thoughts that popped into my head. If the carpet is wet, it could also be from the a/c evaporator condensation drain being plugged up. If you smell the carpet/liquid, condensation is odorless. Antifreeze is kind of sweet smelling. When you check the radiator level, check if there is antifreeze in there or if it is plain water.

 

Not up on Lexus but my last Toyota had the red/orange coolant. Would it be the same?

 

Pink Coolant

Toyota Super Long Life

 

Thanks for the info.

 

While the color may be pink (I can't recall without looking), don't get hung up on the color too much. Keep in mind that while most antifreeze makers go by the same color code, not all of them do. It is more of a gentlemen's agreement than any set standard. Also keep in mind that the previous owner may have been adding antifreeze without knowing/caring what type was the correct one.

Toyota describes their antifreeze this way:
TOYOTA vehicles are filled with TOYOTA SLLC at the factory. In order to avoid damage to the engine cooling system and other technical problems, only use TOYOTA SLLC or similar high quality ethylene glycol based non-silicate, non-amine, non-nitrite, non-borate coolant with long-life hybrid organic acid technology (coolant with long-life hybrid organic acid technology consists of a combination of low phosphates and organic acids).

NOTE: SSLC stands for Super Long Life Coolant

Antifreeze has different chemical compositions depending on the type of antifreeze used. Inorganic Acid Technology (IAT) antifreeze can be either ethylene glycol (EG) or propylene glycol (PG) based. Organic Acid Technology (OAT) antifreeze is primarily ethylene glycol (EG) based. Hybrid Organic Acid Technology (HOAT) antifreeze is a combination of Inorganic Acid Technology (IAT) and Organic Acid Technology (OAT).

Antifreeze colors include red, orange, yellow, pink, blue and green. Different colored antifreeze is used to identify the type of antifreeze being used.

Inorganic Acid Technology (IAT) antifreezes are green in color.

Organic Acid Technology (OAT) antifreezes are orange, red, green, pink or blue.

Hybrid Organic Acid Technology (HOAT) antifreezes are orange or yellow in color.