Hi guys. It's been a while since I've posted. I've been lurking and reading when I have time. Lots of life situations going on for me and my brother. (Mom is on the downhill side of the slope due to complications of Parkinson's Disease.) Anyway, I didn't come here to discuss that. Normally I have ample time to DIY and maintain the LS, but this time for these couple of jobs, I simply took it to the dealer.

My requests:

1. Perform drain & fill to the tranny, and replace the filter/strainer with customer supplied, clean magnet, then refill to correct level with customer supplied WS Toyota fluid, and using tech data to ensure proper fill level.
2. Remove & replace driver's side front door lock actuator & related assembly, with customer supplied door lock actuator assembly
3. Repair leaking/deteriorated gasket on exhaust system, directly under passenger front side area and ensure the DTC P0430 is cleared.
4. Test drive to ensure all the above items are correct

Sitting with the service writer took about 15 minutes as I described in detail all these items, and told him of all the parts/fluids/etc, are in the trunk. He asked when the last time I've had the tranny serviced, and I told him I recently did a drain & fill about 6k miles ago. The LS currently has 159k on the odometer. I previously did a drain & fill about 7k miles ago, and previous to that, did my first drain & fill about 8k miles ago. So, that's the last time anyone's "serviced" the transmission. (The car does seem to shift smoother by the way. Some jerkiness when shifting gears is what prompted me to do the drain & fills.) And no----I am not experiencing any transmission slipping currently.

The other items were self explanatory and he didn't have much to comment on those jobs.

I requested a loaner vehicle since I needed to conduct some business yesterday. (I walked in with a briefcase and laptop bag, to help show I "needed" a loaner vehicle.) He didn't balk at all. I HAD to ask is there any charge for their loaner and he said "No sir." Wow! That's nice that I'm not fighting right from the beginning! They gave me a 2018 RX350, and this thing was smooth as silk and full of technology and simply a pleasure to drive!

Anyway----after departing in their RX, a couple hours goes by and the service writer calls me and states that because there's no documented history of the tranny being serviced, they are refusing to drop the transmission pan and perform the service I requested. I pleaded with him that I've done the service myself, and for the technician to crack the bolt and observe the beautiful and fresh cherry red transmission fluid proving I've serviced it, but he would not budge. He said they've been burned several times of ruining transmissions and replacing trannys for customers for free, so they absolutely refused to touch my transmission service request. Oh well, maybe I'll do it myself when life slows down.

An hour later he calls me again relating to the exhaust. He proceeds to tell me that my Y-pipe is full of holes, and the deteriorated gasket is one of about 5 large holes in the Y-pipe. They need to replace the entire Y-pipe and associated hardware, etc, to the tune of $2,200 to include all parts & labor.

I lost my cool with him on the phone, and borderline accused him of trying to rip me off, and said "it's no wonder why people call you guys the stealership!" He was very calm and said he can only relay the information that the technician told him. He took it all in stride and totally let me unload on him. Impressive.

The 3rd request of the driver's door lock actuator was completed without issues, and my vehicle is washed and ready for pickup, unless I wanted to spend the $2, 200 to replace the Y-pipe and clear the code and make the LS sound whisper quiet as it should?

I told him to pull the LS back into the bay, and I wanted to personally see all the holes they are talking about in my beloved Y-pipe! He obliged and I told him I'd be there in 20 mins.

Well----talk about having egg on your face? The tech was nice as could be, as we entered the garage. They gave me a pair of brand new safety glasses and we were looking at the LS up in the air, running, and sounding like a POS like it has been for about a year!

So---anyway----the tech tells me to place my hand here and feel. And place my hand here and feel. And place my hand here and feel, etc, etc. Yes----the Y-pipe had about 5 leaks in it!

Anyway------I was happy they weren't lying to me, but sad and frustrated at the same time that they couldn't even do 2 of the 3 jobs that I wanted them to complete!

I accepted the car, apologized to the service writer as he's calculating the bill, told him "I forgot to bring in my service coupon", lol, and could he cut me a break on the bill? Surprisingly, he again said SURE. I'll reduce your labor rate to $90/hour.

Anyway---to conclude, I paid almost $200 for them to replace the driver's door lock acutator, AND THE BEST PART OF THIS IS I CAN USE THE SMART KEY SYSTEM AS IT'S DESIGNED TO BE USED! I can push the metal hard key back into the keyfob shell, and simply lock and unlock the doors by placing my hand in the door handle! YAY!!!! I also don't have to explain to valet parking folks when taking the GF out to dinner in Philadelphia, how to manually lock/unlock the doors! LOL

I actually just bought the Y-pipe from RockAuto. Their part is made by Walker and it's literally half the price all the online Lexus parts places are asking. The Walker Y-pipe is about $250. I'm going to have my buddy/mechanic do this repair for me. He normally doesn't like working on exhaust, but since this is an entire pipe to be replaced, I guess he is OK with it. Maybe I'll do the transmission pan drop, change the strainer, clean the magnet, and refill when we do the Y-pipe? Who knows.

All I can say is it sure is nice to drive a reliable vehicle. Life is short. I'm saying goodbye to my Mom this week, next week , and the following week until she passes. No idea when, but she's on the downhill side of the mountain. I said goodbye to my dad, literally, a year ago in November. Live life to be happy---make others happy when they least expect it! Be kind to people (unless they do you wrong.) Live to be happy, but also live responsibly and within your means. Surround yourself with smart and kind and intelligent people!

Hope this post helps someone out.

Thanks guys.

 

$2200 for a Y-pipe and install? That is about the craziest thing I've ever heard of. Even with rusted bolts breaking, that couldn't be more than a 30 minute job using a lift. Even $250 for a crappy Walker replacement is a ridiculous price. I would have just taken it to an exhaust shop and have them fab one up.

 

Sorry to hear all you are going through. Life can be unpleasant sometimes.
As for you car, do your buddy a huge favor and start spraying all of those exhaust bolts now with penetrating oil. Respray as often as possible.
I wouldn't be too concerned about your transmission filter. It's just a mesh screen and not an actual filter like they used in the past. If your fluid is cherry red I wouldn't waste the time dropping the pan (especially if it doesn't leak now) and just keep up with the drain and fills. You could put the magnets you have on the outside of the pan and they would be almost as effective.
I've been doing a lot of reading lately about these 6 speed autos in our cars. It's called an A761e and now that these cars are out of warranty more and more are showing up at independent transmission shops for rebuilds. They are quite complicated having 7 solenoids in the valve body. There are actually several shift improvement kits on the market for these that fix the common wear items, which on these transmissions happens to be the valve body itself.
In all my research the biggest take away was the necessity to change the fluid regularly. The WS fluid was designed mostly for fuel mileage (low viscosity) and to get the transmission through it's 100k extended warranty period. After that OEM's couldn't care less. WS shears (breaks down) very quickly.

 

 

​​​​​​
There is quite a bit difference between the 5 and 6 speeds. The 5 speeds are simpler and are considered more robust. I think a part of that has to do with the specified fluid, T-IV, has more viscosity to start so it is more tolerant to infrequent fluid changes. Lexus considers WS fluid to be "lifetime" fluid but that is so the "total cost of ownership" is lower when the car is new. I recently acquired a '11 Mini with a 6 speed Aisin (they manufacture both the 5 and 6 speed in our cars) transmission. It's obviously a different trans as it's a FWD but it uses the Type IV fluid. And Mini/BMW states that it's a "lifetime" fluid. Lexus does not. Who do you believe? I don't believe any of them and I think it's vital to any vehicles survival to have it's trans fluid changed regularly.

 

I think it's a good thing they didn't put the Walker part in. That's what the king muffler place used with my Maxima, and it failed in about 12 mos. Lifetime warranty that nobody will honor. Even the king place stated it was covered and mgr. signed at time of install, 1 year later they told me no way we don't cover it don't care who signed it he's gone--nothing short of BBB would get it to be honored. Junk part, original lasted 12 years in northeast, Walker 12 mos.

My Maxima has calif. emissions which back then was on cali, ny, cars. Today I think all cars except American are good for all 50 states, so not sure if our LS runs into multiple parts depending on emissions system or not.

I must say I find it odd how Toyota dealers install customer parts? I said this once to BMW and they simply said we'll install our parts for whatever you can get it for on the internet. To me that really meant they preferred to control the parts, not install one that was supplied by the customer.

I have not done the door actuator myself but given you had a loaner for a day, no biggie on $200, and I totally know the feeling of the smart key now working--smart key BOOYAH on that one!!

Mine didn't work when I got the car and I was bummed, and then the selling dealer fixed. They had my car for only about 15 min hahahahahaha so I was suspicious and for what it's worth, no evidence of anything (they didn't break anything at least). But flash forward 25 mos. it still works....

 

I'm a moron. I BOUGHT THE WRONG "Y-PIPE" from RockAuto! I bought the REAR Y-Pipe, and not the FRONT pipe assembly that bolts up to the cats!!! Not blaming anyone for my idiotic mistake except myself, but the fact that everyone calls the problematic/corroded exhaust pipe the "Y-pipe" made me buy the part that looks exactly like the letter Y, lol.

QUESTION FOR YOU GUYS------is there anyone from the Houston area that could ship the rather large exhaust pipe assembly to my home address? The cheapest I can find the pipe is about $560 on Ebay, but the Houston seller only deals with local pickups. If a Houston CL member could pick it up and ship to me, I can PayPal you some $$ for your time and efforts and obviously for the shipping! Here's the Ebay listing... Ebay listing

FYI----the exhaust pipe part # is 17410-50390. I'm not sure if I need to buy the cats also, because my buddy/mechanic said the cat flange doesn't look exactly flat! Maybe I SHOULD have let the dealership do all this work for $2,200!?

Calling for Houstonians for any assistance please! I will provide compen$ation for your time and effort$!

 

I see it listed here for $650. But not sure what shipping cost would be.

https://partsouq.com/en/catalog/genu...&uid=201977&q=

 

You may consider checking out some local muffler shops. I just had mine done for $700, including sales tax, at a local place who's been in business for 42 years.

It came with a cat already attached.

 

How about Essington Ave.....seems like used is in the $350 ballpark online, but at least Essington Ave. is a place you could drive to and pickup from...I have always heard the closer to the engine, the longer the piping will last due to high temps...

 

I don't understand. What's at Essington Ave? That's the south-west area of Philly, not super-seedy, but not where the million dollar townhouses are either, lol. Please elaborate, because I could drive there from my house in about 25 minutes or less!

 

I think what you are looking for is the Davico 58410. Check it out on Rock Auto. I'm in Canada and it says $276.27 and our dollar is low. Gonna be around $210 dollars US and a little more for shipping.

I had this same issue and I bolted up the Davico and no more P0430. Ship your part back to Rock and ask for an exchange with that one.

Cats don't usually go bad. There's two O2 sensors screwed into the Y-pipe where it connects to the cats. If there's leaks near that area it creates anomalies in the sensor readings and throws P0420 and P0430 codes. Replace the real Y-pipe or weld it up and 90% sure those codes are going to go away.

Oh yeah forgot to mention the dealer Y-pipe is like $1500 up here without taxes just for the part. Total rip-off.

 

On Essington Ave., what I meant is all the salvage yards are there for Phila. Maybe if you go to one, they will "get" you one and tell you the price they are going to charge you, as opposed to we ourselves going online and getting. Wouldn't hurt to inquire and let them come back with a price.

On something like this I've seen how inferior Walker is from personal experience, so I would rather have original. However, what is to say the original coming from another vehicle, is not as rusted as the one it's replacing, that I do not know. Maxima 20.5 years on the road in the northeast with the lower rad support rusting out as well as the body, front y-pipe never been touched. Is Nissan better?

I wonder if my LS having been in FLA for 8 yrs, will this help my exhaust to last longer, or no, same? I've answered the question of Essington Ave. with 3 more questions lol

Years ago I wanted to get used wiper arms and potentially a wiper linkage for my Maxima (for some reason the wipers were lifting and not pressing down enough), and at a yard where you pull parts, I must have seen maybe 20 1995-1999 Maximas (dunno what brought about their demise they were not wrecks), not sure that LS' would be there, I would think still too valuable...

 

 

again my knock against Walker is seeing how nobody would honor the lifetime warranty when mine failed (I think Walker said to ship it back to them for inspection lol), and also having it fail in about a year. This was not the header but the central piece on my Maxima to include the resonator. I did not personally handle the piece, but it looked cheap as all heck. Where the factory mandrel bent the piping, it had crimps? And I saw rust begin probably 5-6 mos. after installation. These parts are clearly mfg'd for the Three Stooges of the world (Manny Moe and Pepé) where shops mark up the job and make margin with these vs. factory parts...I don't consider my LS junk, and wouldn't want such parts installed on the vehicle (though I get the dealer price is not good either)...tough call