Hi all,
Just bought a 2005 ls430 with 58000' miles. Just had 60000 factory service. Has not had timing belt service.
Should I have a this now or wait until mileage is around 90000. What is normal life expectancy for motor. Has been serviced only at Lexus dealer. How much will new timing belt service set me back.?
Thanks in advance for any positive input.

 

Welcome to Club Lexus and congrats on the low miles 430.

Will let the 430 members chime in about the TB services.

 

I have an 2001 LS430 with 78K miles and have owned it since it was new. I had the timing replaced about 6 months ago as I was worried that if it broke, the engine would be done. Had my local dealer in No. Virginia do the work as they have since it was new. The belt is made of rubber and one never knows what kind of condition that it will be in after many years. However the one that came out of my LS looked pretty good for 14 yrs old. Also had the water pump replaced at the same time.

 

Thanks for the input. Would u mind sharing approx cost of this service.?

 

It ran approx $1200.

 

Buy the kit on Ebay for 2 to3 hundred and have your local mechanic do it. Should charge around 400.

 

It will likely last several thousand miles more and based on mileage alone it's recommended to be changed at 90,000 but based on age, you may want to ere on the side of caution and get it done. I thought I remembered reading somewhere that at 7 years old they recommended replacement regardless of mileage. Also if it's a Florida car, I've also read that being in the heat year round may have an adverse affect on it but I'm not sure I agree with that. When a motor is running at normal operating temperature it runs the same temperature whether it's in Florida or Wisconsin.

Regarding cost, it's actually a pretty easy timing belt job as timing belts go so an Indy shop that has done timing belts in the past should be plenty qualified. As stated earlier $400 sounds a little cheap but it all depends on the labor cost they charge per hour in your area. I'd guess $400 - $600 with $300 added for parts.

 

I have put on some weight so I am getting a bigger belt

 

I have no doubt that timing belts will likely last 100,000 miles or even a lot more. But then again, maybe they wont. There's no way of telling how much life is left in a belt by looking at it. Sure you may be able to bend it and see a dry rot crack or something similar but that belt may be good for another 20,000 miles or maybe 20 miles. When a belt goes, it just goes. There's no warning noise. The warning it gives you is the motor shuts down, you have it towed and pray the valves didn't slam into a piston or pistons. The fact is they are extremely unpredictable with regards to how long they last beyond the recommended change interval. I'm sure 90,000 is a conservative number but its not a number they just picked out of a hat.

Another thing to thing about is its not only the belt that can fail, there's a tensioner, pulleys or water pump that can fail. If a bearing in the tensioner pulley or pump fails, the belt would fail quickly. I'm not trying to scare you into changing your belt before the recommended mileage interval, I'm just pointing out some things to think about.

You have 60,000 miles on the car now. If you plan on keeping the car past 90,000 miles, it would have to be changed then anyway. If it was done now, you're good till 150,000 (theoretically). If you don't or cant do the work yourself and you have an indy you trust that will let you provide parts, it should be about $650 - $900 total. Order a complete kit (Aisin brand is OEM). This is a genuine Toyota kit for $310 and it has all new seals, stat, gaskets, pulleys, pump, etc. http://toyolexparts.com/index.php/or...p-kit-296.html

My opinion is that because of the age and for peace of mind, if you can swing it, I would do it sooner rather than later.

 

Had my 90,000 mile service in March 2014. Lexus dealer (parts & labor) quoted $1,300 +.

I decided to purchase the parts myself (all OEM) mostly on-line.

Aisin Engine Timing Belt Kit with Water Pump TKT-021, includes matched idler and tensioner bearings, gaskets and o-rings.

2-gallons Toyota Super Long Life coolant.

Toyota thermostat, gasket, o-ring and drive (serpentine belt).

Total parts; $ 309.63

Local NAPA Auto service shop supplied the labor: $ 354.59

Total cost: $ 664.22

 

Very good price! Nice work! That's what I'm talking about!!!!

 

Just had my full timing belt kit done bought the kit off of ebay $316 my buddy installed everything for $250. Mine is a 2004 LS 430 has 99770 on the clock. I saw the factory parts he took off both belts timing and serpentine were in good condition. But it does run slightly quiter. If you are going to do it do everything and have piece of mind for another 100000 miles. My mechanic has a slogan pay me now or pay me later!

 

Another data point for you if you haven't already changed your TB. I recently changed my timing belt/water pump/pulleys on my 2000. 16 years old and 45,000 miles. Glad I changed it when I did but felt as if I could have easily gone a couple more years. If I were you I would go to 90K.

 

Timing belts that are OEM are quite robust. With low mileage, more than likely the age of the belt will not be an issue. I have read many posts of owners removing belts with 120,000+ miles showing practically no wear. It's entirely up to the owner's comfort zone. As Lexus recommends replacement at 90,000 miles (which is one half of the actual belt life) low mileage cars will for the most part not need replacement for quite some time. For your reference, look up owners of LS430s that have actually lost their engines because of failed timing belts. Count how many you find.

 

Thanks for the info. Can you recommend an independent shop to do work on my lexus. ?