Time is approaching for belt replacement and the quandary of what to swap out while it is accessible. I am tempted to just swap the belt and the tensioner and gamble on the coolant pump, camshaft seals, etc.
Lexus dealer is 30 miles distant, but our local Toyota dealer is competent and 25% of their service business is Lexus.
The Lexus dealer quoted rapidly increasing prices of preemptive parts replacement, and if I was sure of keeping the car another 100k miles, I'd be considering it. The dealer quoted $1100 for belt, tensioner, coolant pump, and camshaft seals.
The car ('05) has been dealer serviced "by the book" by the previous owner and is in excellent shape. I've had it a year and performance is flawless. No oil consumption (Mobil 1), leaks, or any flaws, and, thanks to help from this forum, all the bells and whistles perform as desired.
My take is to replace the belt and the tensioner at the Toyota dealer, and also replace the serpentine belt and change various fluids, etc.
I'm curious about how many have taken this approach and either regretted or been happy with it. Should I replace all the stuff or just the belt?
TIA,
Bruce
PS: I'm 80 yrs old and don't do much 'heavy lifting' anymore. Otherwise I'd be doing this myself.

 

Bruce,
You don't start whether you have an RX330 or RX350, but I assume you have a 330 since you are talking about timing belts (350s have chains). I also presume that you are approaching 90K miles, and not 180K.

If it were my car, I would replace the timing belt, water pump, and both the drive belts at 90K miles (total vehicle miles). At 90k miles, I wouldn't worry too much about the crank and cam seals if they aren't leaking, but I would definitely do them at 180k (as preventative maintenance). I also wouldn't worry about replacing the tensioner at 90k either, but it's a consideration. Another consideration is doing that spark plugs at 90, though it isn't called for until 120k and so you're not really saving on labor if you do it now.

Personally, I don't think it is worth gambling on the water pump, as I have heard people not doing it at 90 on the 3mz-fe (3.3 liter engine), and then it go out at 125K. Seeing as you would have to remove the timing belt if it were to fail, and pay the labor for a timing belt install to replace it, another $150 now is pretty cheap insurance to have piece of mind and not have to worry about it, but that's just my opinion. I'm sure others will disagree with me on it.

I would get the service done at the Toyota dealer, as timing belt replacement, especially on an engine as common as the 3mz, is something most of the guys there could probably do in their sleep, simply because they have done it so many times. That should save you a good bit of money too. I would guess somewhere around $700-$800 for timing belts, other belts, and water pump, and just under a $1000 if you do the spark plugs now as well (those rear plugs are pain to get to).

 

Changing the belt is labor intensive. Price out the parts. I think you'll find the water pump is around $150-$200. The remainder of the parts are not too expensive. It's the labor that adds up. I just had a Toyota Highlander done for $780. I think the Lexus is a little more due to replacement of tensioners (they are NOT replaced on the Toyota at the recommendation of the dealer).
I elected to go with the dealer's recommendation and replace the pump. Now I'm good for another 90K. It's your call, but I think you'll land up replacing the pump in the not too distant future so I'd do it now while your labor costs for this replacement at this time are nothing.

 

I use my Toyota dealer or a local shop that I like. No reason to pay Lexus dealer prices.

 

I just had the timing belt/waterpump service performed on my RX330 with 188k miles. I had it done a local San Francisco/Bay Area Toyota Indy shop for $750. Removed and replace timing belt, water pump, cam seals, crank seals, and drive belts. He says the tensioners are good for 2-3 changes so I didn't need that replaced. The shop rate is $90/hr and they charged me $405 for labor + parts. Compare that to Lexus hourly shop rates and prices. Also, he told me to come back in a month and he will retension the belts as they will stretch and become looser after they break in.

 

Here is what I did:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...iy-w-pics.html

Change your pump with the belt. 90k is too early for both. You can EASILY go to120-130k.

 

I replaced the belt only a year ago. Now I have a noisy tensioner idler pulley. There also is a slight chance that the noise is the water pump as they are next to each other. But I won't know until I remove the covers and run it. So looking back I kind of wish I had done it all. No big deal as it gives me something to do with my 10 year old boy.

 

That sux....in essence you should have done the tensioner pulley as it is held on by one bolt. I did everything except cam seals. I even changed the crank seal.

 

Ben, is that the first time you ever had the belt changed, or did you change it at 90k as well?

Btw, modern belts don't stretch. There is some initial wear that may be the reason he wants to retension.

My wife's RX is 10 yrs old but only has 40k on the clock, so, of course, the dealer wants to change the belt now because of the 9 year "recommendation". But I think, from what of read on the forum, that I'll go further.

 

The timing belt was originally changed at 70k when they had to do work on the intake and exhaust valves under warranty. The water pump was original up to 188k. I had purchased the car used but I have all the service records.

I'm not sure which belts he was referring to, timing or alternator belt. I assume alternator belt as that can squeal and make noises over time.