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I'm thinking of buying a 2002 LS430 with just 68,000 miles on it. Normally I think the timing belt needs changing at 90K, but because of the age of the car - 16 years - would it need to be changed now or can I wait? The owner's son-n-law is trying to tell me it doesn't need changing till 90-100K.
I would change it. There has been speculation here that the 9yr/90k is 2x what is needed for a margin of error from Toyota. But remember it's not just the belt, could be another component that has an issue (idlers pulleys water pump etc.)...
I did my timing belt/water pump on my '05 back in May, with 59,000 miles on it. The parts, including the water pump looked new. Peace of mind? Yes.. Parts worn due to age? Not so much...
It's not a bad job to do. Great tutorials on here and on the Youtube channels.
Thanks guys for all the info - I guess if I buy the car I’ll change the TB, water pump and serp belt. Don’t have time or know how to do that stuff myself - what’s a rough price for all that from a non dealer?
Thanks guys for all the info - I guess if I buy the car I’ll change the TB, water pump and serp belt. Don’t have time or know how to do that stuff myself - what’s a rough price for all that from a non dealer?
indies are usually $750 or $900 at the higher end (mine was almost $900). This is with Aisin.....OE is even more. The line is blurred if Aisin is OEM or it isn't. With German cars you know going in (it's nice, when OEM is $13 to OE $28, but you are 100% assured they are the same part and come in a different bag or box without the name BMW). Actually water pump is an area on a BMW where people have a hard time deciding if they want OE or OEM....here I think Aisin is the way to go....there are threads where each component has been clearly identified from the factory, Koyo, NTN, etc etc....
When this question comes up on TB change on an LS or SC with this age and somewhat low miles I think the real question is how long does a person think they will own the car. Assume as in this case it is a 2002 just purchased and it has low miles but original TB. If the new owner is going to keep the car another 5-7 years is it reasonable for them to ignore the TB for another 5-7 years, until the current 16 year old TB is 21-23 years old? I think this would be a pretty foolish and risky move given the chance of bricking a very expensive engine. So if the owner does the TB change immediately they now have likely 9 years of zero worries about the TB issue which is likely longer that they may own the car. The point is if the new owner is likely to replace the TB within a few years why not do it immediately (especially when the TB is already 16 years old) and not have to worry about it for many years to come (or ever). Of course this assumes the new owner actually can afford the TB work - which I assume most folks buying this car would be able to budget for this kind of very infrequent maintenance despite the relatively high cost.
Nobody likes to waste money, but again I think conventional wisdom says to change based on the factory recommendation. And you do "get" something for what you pay (new parts, new coolant, etc.). If another car is pushed to 15 years and 150k, what was gained by doing such? Avoiding $750 to $900 back at 9 yrs. 90k--maybe a thrill and satisfying--what would a prudent person do?
When this question comes up on TB change on an LS or SC with this age and somewhat low miles I think the real question is how long does a person think they will own the car. Assume as in this case it is a 2002 just purchased and it has low miles but original TB. If the new owner is going to keep the car another 5-7 years is it reasonable for them to ignore the TB for another 5-7 years, until the current 16 year old TB is 21-23 years old? I think this would be a pretty foolish and risky move given the chance of bricking a very expensive engine. So if the owner does the TB change immediately they now have likely 9 years of zero worries about the TB issue which is likely longer that they may own the car. The point is if the new owner is likely to replace the TB within a few years why not do it immediately (especially when the TB is already 16 years old) and not have to worry about it for many years to come (or ever). Of course this assumes the new owner actually can afford the TB work - which I assume most folks buying this car would be able to budget for this kind of very infrequent maintenance despite the relatively high cost.
Good analysis. Also, even if I just kept the car for a couple of years (unlikely) I'd probably get back half of what I spent when I'd sell the car.
I got a quote from Bonanno Auto in Santa Rosa (I'm in the Bay Area, Calif) for $1,100-1,500 for all belts, water pump, radiator flush, fluids etc etc forget what else. Seems reasonable.
Good analysis. Also, even if I just kept the car for a couple of years (unlikely) I'd probably get back half of what I spent when I'd sell the car.
I got a quote from Bonanno Auto in Santa Rosa (I'm in the Bay Area, Calif) for $1,100-1,500 for all belts, water pump, radiator flush, fluids etc etc forget what else. Seems reasonable.
milosk, my mechanic did all of the above (including spark plugs) for $979 back in November 2016 on our 2006 LS 430 at 59K miles. The timing belt was over 11 years old at the time and I wanted the peace of mind. However, the timing belt looked in great condition. I couldn't find the original thread but photos are below. My mechanic is in Sacramento, about two hours away from Santa Rosa/Bay Area if you think the drive is worth the savings. My mechanic has 20 years experience as a master tech at Toyota/Lexus dealerships before he opened up his own shop, Folsom Japanese Auto Repair.
milosk, my mechanic did all of the above (including spark plugs) for $979 back in November 2016 on our 2006 LS 430 at 59K miles. The timing belt was over 11 years old at the time and I wanted the peace of mind. However, the timing belt looked in great condition. I couldn't find the original thread but photos are below. My mechanic is in Sacramento, about two hours away from Santa Rosa/Bay Area if you think the drive is worth the savings. My mechanic has 20 years experience as a master tech at Toyota/Lexus dealerships before he opened up his own shop, Folsom Japanese Auto Repair.
That looks like a perfect belt. I changed the timing belt of my 03 LS430 last year at 150,000kms and the rubber back of the belt was cracking badly. I looked very bad to me. However the car was working fine. I think the main part of the belt is kevlar or some composite material and I've heard of people not changing it up until over 200,000 miles.
10-07-18, 05:05 PM
Timing belt change at 68,000 miles?
