I'm sure I already know the answer to this. I have a 2004 LS430 that I've owned since about 9,000 miles. It has been over serviced and has always been garaged. It gets driven at most 2500-3500 miles/year max. It currently has 64,200 miles on it. I have talked to several Lexus/Toyota technicians about changing the Timing Belt and WP and they say it's not necessary and they have never seen one break. For peace of mind it seems like a no brainer. It would be around $850-900 to get done at a local independent Lexus/Toyota Shop. Would appreciate any comments or suggestions on this. Thanks.

2004 LS 430

 

I had a 86 mr2 and changed the factory timing belt and water pump at 64k miles in 2011,The belt looked very good but was a little stiff.That belt was 25 years old.If it were my car i wouldn't worry about it for a few years.
I changed my timing belt and w/p in my LS at 90K miles and it was in very good shape and it would of went for many more miles.

 

The one on my '06 was just changed at 64632 miles. The old TB looked great with no fraying and was plenty supple. Unlike yours, the car has always lived in the North - not sure if that makes any difference.

I now sleep better knowing there won't be a problem and the car can be driven anywhere with confidence.

 

..."NEVER" seen one break.

 

 

Here is a link to one of my many posts on ClubLexus about the timing belt on my 1990 LS400 getting trashed when the water pump seized at about 75,000 miles about three years after I bought the car new: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...ml#post4016617

Toyota/Lexus timing belts rarely fail due to timing belt wear. It's almost always the failure of something else that "takes them out"... water pump, idler pulley/bearing, etc. At least that is what the owner of an indie Lexus specializing repair shop told me which seems to have been confirmed by other posts on ClubLexus.

BTW, the water pump showed no signs of leaking prior to its failure. I suddenly smelled coolant about five blocks from my house and BANG the engine stopped. Unfortunately it happened during an ice store which meant that it took several hours for a tow truck to get to me. Fortunately, I was able to coast off the busy street and had enough momentum to perfectly coast into a convenience store parking lot space.

 

I know that nobody will ever come to an agreement on this one, but isn't it sort of like getting a flu shot? Getting certain shots, exams, etc., at certain ages?

I remember whenever I talked about driving an OLD car like a 2006 LS, this guy on this forum would say you could have bought amazon stock and gotten X amount this year. I let him go but finally simply stated I've had it a long time, even in 1998. So it's neither here nor there. Same thing with the TB imho. If you stated, well I drove 250k on the original and nothing happened. I'd actually think wow you're a cowboy, not that good with risk v. reward lol Same if you bought amazon a year ago and brag about your return and how much you risked with it.

Moderation for everything....

 

I replaced the TB and WP on my 2005 back in May with 59K on it and the parts honestly looked new. Thumb through my posts and you'll see the photos. I could have stuck the water pump back in the box and returned it....

Peace of mind is worth what you're willing to pay. Whether it's a Flu shot or a timing belt..

 

this is just FYI, i recently purchased LS430 2004 with 197K on it and TB was never done.
when i saw the belt it was cracking and shop said can be snap at anytime!

 

Wow... that's a long time...

 

I thought that a lot of people "surmised" that it could go double the recommended interval, because that Toyota would have built a margin in....double is 180k. The age thing is tough to really calculate.

How did BMW increase an oil change interval from 1, to 2 years? Did oil suddenly get that much better? No, bean counting. Then you see cars that are a barn find where they haven't moved in 50 years and they start right up. lol