I have a 2021 IS 350 F Sport. Had an issue with a rodent chewing some wires in my engine causing all kinds of fault codes. Took it to the dealer and they told me it needs an engine wire harness. They quoted the part is almost $6000 and the total cost of replacement will be $16,000 and will take a week. Does this seem reasonable? I feel like I could get a whole new engine for that money!

 

MSRP for the engine harness is $5,800 so that tracks but one hell of a labour charge to replace it. Beyond absurd.

 

Woah! Outrageous. Why not just fix the chewed wires, splice them back together, can’t be that much damage that it warrants a new harness.

 

Probably not but dealerships don't repair they replace.

 

One of the wires goes back to the rear ABS and apparently they aren't allowed to splice those, only replace.

 

Every type of wire can be spliced/repaired.

 

Dealerships won't repair a harness. If the main harness needs to be changed, that is a TON of labor.

 

At typical shop rates for a dealer $10,000 labour is over 40 hours of work. lol dealerships.

 

Depending on the harness, the entire engine bay has to be disconnected, the new harness rerouted. The dash has to be removed, the entire interior has to be removed, and potentially the front and rear bumpers have to be removed. It is an enormous job.

 

Why does the entire interior have to be removed? I looked at the engine harness it can be accessed via both kick panels and unplugged.

 

UR screwed,,been there $1800,,maybe contact insurance for total right off? the dealer probably doesnt want the bother.

 

Depends on what harness. If it is the main harness that feeds through the bay, you are talking about the potential of gutting the car to replace it. It would be much more cost-effective to fix it but that isn't what dealers do. Safely repairing wiring is more involved and complex than people give it credit. It needs to be done specialized in automotive or aerospace wiring and some Wyotech grad working as an R&R at a dealership doesn't typically have the skills needed to repair a harness. Not to mention there would be no way for Lexus to warranty and stand by that repair. The only option at the dealership level is to replace it.

 

Ok, I understand the dealership policy/position, but they’re not the only game in town. Check with an independent repair shop. Unless you had a colony of mice chewing on your car, the damage should be localized. If it happened to me, I’d locate the damage and fix it myself (use appropriate gauge wire, solder and shrink wrap). But then I don’t worry about resale value.

 

Here is the area they showed me under the battery tray.

 

Little bastards picked a nice tight spot.
If it were me (and I like to fix things myself), I’d first try to make more work space, remove the battery support, take off the hood to get more room, (maybe take off the engine cover, and put some thick padding on top the engine so I could lay on it), see if I can pull a bit of the harness through the firewall to have more to work with, unwrap the harness to see what wires are damaged, maybe cut back that firewall grommet a bit to have more freedom, and then repair each broken/stripped wire.
Not a job most will try, but could save a crapload of money.