Tappy

Yuppppppp.

GoldLex99

I don't see any problem with doing the maintenance on you LS400. These are great cars that are super reliable when given their proper maintenance. There is value in knowing the car and knowing the work has been done. You could wait for it to break and then buy another one but that's a hassle and whatever one you buy will likely need some work. If you like the car and get the work done you'll be rewarded with luxurious hassle free driving.

I freely admit that I have a strong preference for hanging on to my cars. My other car is a 1973 Buick Centurion convertible with more than 250,000 miles and still running strong. I've owned it for more than 25 years and don't ever plan to sell it. My 1999 LS400 has 68k and I intend to drive it for decades.

Don't discount the value of having a car you don't have to worry about. Once you get it running right you can hop in and drive across the country if you feel like it.

Good luck, and let us know how it works out.
John

Tappy

Nice. I'm sure your LS400 will last for years to come. I hope that by the time the car needs another timing belt job that I'd be able to do it myself. I just got the car back and I don't see any difference from before or after the the job. It's great. Seeing as how the job was about 40k miles overdue, I'd say that that is a testament to the build quality of the LS400.

Not having to worry about the belt snapping and killing the engine is a huge relief. Actually, when the timing belt cover was open, the immediate problems werent the timing belt, but the valve cover gaskets and power steering pump. The former was leaking a lot of oil, while the latter was starting to leak power steering fluid. I decided to change the cam seals because of various posts of them leaking at around the 220k mile mark. That's still 60k before the next timing belt job, so I opted to change it now in order to prevent that.

​​​​​​Future jobs would be: upstream oxygen sensors, inspecting flex discs, suspension (down the line), telescopic motor, fixing a damaged LCD for the digital clock, and getting an auxiliary input on the Nakamichi sound system made.

spuds

So Tappy,what was done and costs of each?

RA40

iTrader: (6)

On depreciating items spending money towards them varies as to one's priorities. If the car has been with you for some time, that is a known entity. Buying a newer used brings uncertainties with an unknown expense. For some owners they reach a mental point and say forget it, it isn't worth it. That may mean when the car reaches 60K miles they let it go. Many here will realize with good care these are easy 200K cars and beyond. For others moving into something new. No car payments, increased insurance, then there is the safety aspect and better gas efficiency... Enough to consider. Evaluating how long the intended time is the main factor. Spend $3K and if that works out to 2-5 years that may be worth it but depends.

TrapMaster

Seems pretty reasonable to me honestly. The parts are not anywhere close to that amount but it is quite a bit of labor so I'd say that's a fair price if it was done at a nice, reputable shop. Really glad I can do this myself though. Makes a lot more sense financially without the labor costs. I'd like to get another 100k miles out of this motor but I only paid $800 for the car so if it doesn't happen I really haven't lost much.

I'm sitting on 270k miles so this service is a priority. Pretty confident if I keep up with it I'll be ok. If not, maybe I keep it and drop a different engine in it.