Thanks for the input, guys. Through the years I've only went to Midas for brakes, and the last time I went in there I had new pads installed in my Honda for $270, which wasn't too steep. I did think that the rack and pinion seemed unnecessary, since the steering is perfectly fine. As for the gasket, I doubt if that is even the case because looking in my driveway there isn't a drop of oil anywhere. I will replace the serpentine belt at another local dealer whom I've known for 20 years.

Anyhow, I think the plan now should be to just keep driving the car until something breaks down. An even better plan would be to bring the car in to the Lexus dealer to do a thorough checkup when it will be time to replace the timing belt. At 118,000 miles, do you guys think it's time?

 

Also, I forgot to tell you that a buddy of mine told me that when repair shops charge x dollars for parts, that price is a marked-up price, with the shop paying maybe half of what the invoice states.

 

Yes. It is time.
And don't wait till something breaks....read the posts on this site and do the recommended maintenance.

 

http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/maint...drivebelt.html That belt is super easy to change even if you have 0 experience working on cars. The only thing that works better in this tutorial is to use a breaker bar instead of the short ratchet.

 

Midas is only slightly better than pep boys. In other words, STAY AWAY

 

the rack is the most common place on an LS400 for PS fluid to collect - when my high pressure hose had a leak (up by the pump) the rack looked very wet - an inexperienced or crooked mechanic could have said "hey, you need a new rack"

once I replaced the high pressure hose and wiped the PS fluid off of the rack, it has stayed dry ever since! (1 year)

 

I'll echo everything said in this thread so far...

Stay away from any sort of chain-repair shops, they are usually home to last-chance mechanics and butchers.

Parts and labour costs are all out to lunch... Find a better shop.


Oh and while I'll agree that a well cared for LS is not likely to leak from the rack, if any of the POs were idiots and neglected maintenance, took the car through quick lube shops, couldn't read or just did stuff to the car, you can easily get PS fluid pissing out the rack by simply putting the wrong fluid in there! German cars are notorious for this when taken to places like Mr Lube. I won't say it is the case but it is worth getting a second look at. You have to pull back the boots from the rack side and load the steering on an alignment rack or somewhere that allows you to check it easily/safely. It's usually pretty easy to see if it is leaking... A boot full of PS fluid is also a pretty obvious sign!