Hi!

I need your wisdom on my next move for maintenance.
Lucille the Lexus is my LS400.
She has 173,000km on her and drives very well.

I have changed the timing belt and drive belt and water pump and all that at Toyota at 160,000km.

I have a budget of ~$600 CDN and have the following on my shortlist based on some research but then again I am nowhere near as experienced as wise as most of the members here:

- Transmission flush
- Differential flush
- Steering flush
- Engine mounts
- Transmission mounts
- Front brakes (vibration when braking at higher speeds, also rear brakes should be less than 2 years old).


All of the above I estimate to be ~$800 or so at Toyota if I am lucky and use a $50 coupon.

What are your thoughts? What else is more important? What order would you get them or others done?

Here is some brief info on the ride characteristics of the car for your consideration:
- Suspension feels ok for a 15 year old LS, but on rough roads downtown she sounds a little (teensy) bit tired. No major concern.
- Tires have lots of wear left, winter tires are new.
- Haven't checked ball joints, tie rods, control arms, steering rack, etc...but will ask Toyota to inspect...no symptoms that I can detect.
- She sometimes creaks on the front passenger side if the weather is hot and she was fully loaded...I can't make it happen consistently though...it is relatively rare. No change in driving characteristics otherwise.
- Brakes do feel a bit soft, but the brake flush they will need to do when replacing my front brakes should address it, unless it is a brake line issue, in which case steel replacements are not expensive.
- Steering feels fine, no whining.
- Electrical is ok, no symptoms of problems.
- Body is fine but the paint not showroom perfect so I am raising $ for a plastidip job to change her Gold to Black and protect from her damn rocks and other people opening doors into her.
- Transmission is smooth although seems to hate stop and go slow traffic and once in a while can't decide when to switch from 1-2...partly due to bad traffic conditions, otherwise I am not sure...not causing any major concern at all.
- Interior is gold, and I tinted the windows to further block UV rays from damaging the materials...I also put in a sheepskin seat cover and a suede dash cover for further protection. In the future I will have an upholsterer change her interior colour to black (using suede fabric on top of some areas, and a repaint on others)...but that's a year away. No rips or tears or major issues.

Cheers to you all and thank you!

 

Here she is in all her glory

 

I like the idea of plastidip, but I would be very hesitant about using a solvent base temporary coating over the factory paint. I am one that has no love for water born automotive paints. But this is one application where it would be best. I read someplace that there is supposed to be a water base plastidip coating.
The protection you mention is why I would be interested in it.
Interior color ? The only place on any car I want the color black is on the tires. The darker the color the more sunlight heat it absorbs.

 

I am 99% sure that plastidip will not damage paint even in the long run, and she will need a repaint if I ever want to keep her past 300,000km (I drive less than 1,000km/month).

The dip is more for colour preference without the $7,000+ paint job, and to protect it from scratches and salt (to the best of it's ability). Many hate it, I don't.

I am more concerned about preventative maintenance, because the obvious issues (brakes) are...well...obvious. I know starters are expensive to replace, and steering pumps can cause other issues when they leak, but...idk, I would love to pick all your brains.

Cheers!


Note: I even spent 5 hours grinding away (with rubber) the damn cracked clearbra which would not come off no matter what else I threw at it. No paint damage that I can detect without a paint depth meter thingy, but it was a b*tch to get off. New one coming soon.

 

Looks like a very nice specimen of the 98-2000 variety. Congrats on wanting to keep it up...
I'd also include in your list of maintenance items, if not already addressed, the PCV valve, grommet and possibly hose. These valves can clog up and cause premature valve cover gasket leakage if not addressed. Minimum in cost, except the hose is pricey, but certainly one of those maintenance items that gets easily overlooked.
The front brake vibration may very well need more than pads to completely resolve. If the rotors are still within spec then get them re-surfaced, if not, then just get new ones to go along with the new pads. You'll notice a marked improvement in braking. Of course, this increased your costs a bit...
Good luck on the maintenance choices.

 

Do you have any interest in DIYing some of those tasks? You could stretch your maintenance budget a lot further if you tackle the easier jobs yourself. The trans mount is actually pretty easy, and the fluid changes aren't too hard either. Engine mounts...yeah pay somebody else to do that.

 

I would love to DIY but I have no lift (or even half decent jacks and stands), good tools, torque wrench, etc.

Also my space is limited in the garage so it would have to be outside on a slanted driveway...just adds to the headache. Certainly when I am a richer man I will invest in proper tools, a small lift and garage space.

as for the the PCV valve, grommet and possibly hose I will have it looked at Friday with everything else on the list.

Update: Toyota hasn't looked at the car but gave me a quote (not including any discounts yet) for a possible scenario:

- Rear and Front Diff Fluid: $78
- Tranny Flush: $220
- Front Pads and Rotors: $540
- Brake Flush: $140
- Power Steering Flush: $120
- Throttle Body and Injector Cleaning: $150
Total with Tax and added fees for me being bald are $1410.12 (CDN).

My budget is $600 so I am visiting my friends mechanic. My friend is a car dealership owner and uses this mechanic only for high end vehicles, not high volume. I think with a bottle of vodka and some luck I can get the most important ones done for my budget....I hope.

Again more input is better.

I love the posts so far! Thank you!

Attached are pics of my hardwood floor.
It hasn't been varathane sealed yet as these pics are a test fit.
Quick advice, don't get too thick when choosing a piece of particle board for underneath the hardwood as each half of my floor weighs close 40lbs! I took out the spare wheel to help compensate lol...good learning experience. It's rosewood or oak rose or whatever they call it.

 

Update:
So for the fluids (Brakes, PS, Transmission, Differentials), front brake job, and TB/Inj cleaning Toyota wanted ~$1,400.
Took the car to a reputable mechanic (usually only works on BMW and Lexus and Mercs for dealerships' overflow apparently), he checked out all the fluids and brakes:

Changed all fluids, recommended a full flush at ~190,000-~210,000km (She's at ~175,000km now) or within 2 years. Front brakes were fine. Vibration at high speeds did not damage the calipers (and their pistons), rotors, or pads...pads have 50% life. Recommended I change as needed and reinspect just before winter.

All in, charged me $150....$150!
He used Toyota fluids (synth).

I had my oil and filter changed at Toyota the next day (they are closer).

She runs like a champ now and I thank you all for your advice.
Cheers!

 

Note about paint. The best paint job any car ever has is the one from the factory. And to duplicate it would cost over $30,000 minimum, as far as color choice to keep the numbers right you have no choice unless you buy one new. If there ever is collector demand in these cars factory original will be supreme. The more messed up a car is the less value. I just saw an ad for an LS that had what looked like thousands invested for the lowered look. Even has the messed up fenders too boot. Asking price 1200, the ones that sell for top dollar are the clean originals, not someones messed up mess.

 

unfortunately the fender was replaced and the door was painted too...not factory quality at all.
That's why I want to plasti-dip it because it is inexpensive and protects existing paint better than a new paint job.

Maybe when I am rich I'll have it repainted at lexus haha