Good day all! Just getting ready have the timing belt and water pump service done on my 2004 Ultra, and I'm wondering if there are any general maintenance items in there that should be done while my Lexus master tech is "already in there"? I already have the crank/cam/oil pump seals marked down for replacement, just for some additional peace of mind. The air suspension was also swapped out pre-emptively in favour of a conventional LS430 Sport Suspension, so I think I'm sorted for that "big question mark".

For the record, I'm at around 170,000 miles and this will be the car's second timing belt change (last one was done at about 85,000mi in 2012).

Thanks in advance!

 

Given the mileage, the tensioner and idlers should be replaced at same time along with the TB/water pump.

 

For a vehicle approaching 200k miles, I would preemptively change the coolant temperature sensor (extremely easy DIY for you to do or a 3 minute job for your mech linky located here Coolant Sensor Linky), MAF sensor (another extremely easy DIY for you to do or a 3 minute job for your mech MAF linky), and even the upstream left and right O2 sensors O2 Sensor Linky.

 

Agreed...it depends but indies might do this at 90k...where as the dealer normally does not...I figure why do all that and have an unlikely scenario where the tensioner or idlers go bad. I think the kit cost is only $30 more? Actually the only difference is the tensioner, but true the dealer 90k does not do these and the price is around $1,400.

Debateable but my indie said no need to do thermostat, it's your money, we'd tell you to replace it if we thought it were a good idea. But we'll replace anything you want. So I left mine. My Maxima is going on 21 y.o. and original water pump and thermostat...one of my motivations for not doing the thermostat is I knew exactly what the temp was pre-TB job, and I would expect it to be unchanged afterwards.

 

Perfect, I appreciate that! It'll be a somewhat expensive spring since all three cars need a routine service (the other two are winter stored, so a spring refresh always costs a few dollars), but thankfully my Honda S2000 never needs anything more than basic fluids.

 

I was thinking about this....I think my indie charged $150 more for the idlers, tensioners, and serpentine. So the $30 delta is really only the kit, at our online price. The deal with the indies seem to be if you provide parts, then no warranty. So I rather have them provide and get the warranty. Although now that I think of it, I've gone 27k miles and nothing. So, if I really wanted to provide the kit myself, could have saved more. Then again, let's say the tech does make a mistake, how would anyone know if it's the part, or the labor, that was the problem, so safer to let indie handle parts you cannot see....

 

Vantage;
They may mention the Cam seals needing to be replaced, but tread lightly here... That involves pulling the cams out, which can get costly. If they aren't leaking, I'm not so sure I would dig into replacing them. It is a recommended replacement item on the 2nd TB service, but you'll have to decide if you want to have it done.
When I did my 2001's belt at 200K, the cam seals looked fine, so I let it ride...

 

Hi Vantage, just curious how much did it cost for you to get your timing belt and water pump changed by a Lexus master tech? And did that include all the tensioners and idlers etc.?

 

Thanks for the tip! I'll have it looked into. I might just go ahead and do it so the car is good to go for another few years, but it really depends on how they look.

I'm looking at about $950 USD when all is said and done and yes, it includes the tensioners and idlers. The car's going in a week from today, so I won't have a final breakdown until it's done. Will be sure to report back! The master tech has planned for one full day to have her done.

 

That is ballpark for an indie to include the tensioner and idlers. If you think about it, that's plenty of room for them to make a fair profit for the labor. Back in early 2017 I recall the price at Lexus was $1,400 and $1,800, where the former was just pump and belt. My price back then was just under $900 and it included the serpentine (requested by me) and new coolant which I believe is simply part of the job to drain (not sure if old is ever collected and reused). One day if/when I have a garage like the guy on Legit Street Cars, I'll DIY! Man that guy is neat...

 

ALWAYS replace the belt, tensioners, all idlers, cam seals and crank seals...everytime, never re-use the tensioner, if it fails you will snap the belt...if the seals leak it will degrade the belt. As for the water pump, at least the seal everytime and the pump every other...but really just go ahead and replace it every time. I've had a water pump last two t-belt changes but at the second one it was leaking.

best to use aisin parts too

sounds like a decent price...a toyota dealership quoted me $2000 and that was just for the belt, no seals, pulleys, or tensioner...I went with my local mechanic instead

 

 

If you are paying someone else to do a TB service for you using absolute terms is simply hearsay.

 

i would replace the radiator as well, at 170K, if you haven't done it recently, they're around $100

 

My indie is the opposite, he stated, "We don't simply replace parts unnecessarily. We would tell you when you need to replace parts. But it's your money, if you want us to replace parts, we'll do it for you."

Another indie on the Maxima (they were actually Porsche/Audi specialists but do Japanese) said to me, "You are perfectly capable of replacing a brake hose yourself. You already do ABS and calipers." I said but if I break the metal line, I'm not setup nor have I ever flared a line. "Ok, we'll be glad to take your money then."

My experience with indies is they are in business to make money, but they also value their integrity and reputation.