I’m needing to change the spark plugs out on our 07 RX350 (with 135k miles on the original plugs...I’ve been putting it off.) Is this something that a good menchinic can do (like a Christian Brothers Automtive or another local auto shop can do) vs a shop that specializes in Lexus / Toyota? Not sure how hard that is to do / how familiar you have to be on Lexus’s in order to do that job.

Thanks.

 

Any competent shop can do it, but it’s a pain

 

The Front Spark Plugs are a relatively simple DIY, although the back ones involve removing many parts to reach them.
I would lean towards a mechanic that at least has some experience with Toyota/ Lexus vehicles...
shop around for rates, the good news is there are plenty of Toyotas on the road, you should be able find a mechanic with a reasonable hourly rate.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I’m finding the price to be between 400-500, does this sound about right? Also, I’d like to wait until after the first of the new year to have this service done. Do you think I risk anything driving another 2,000-3,000 miles? Thanks!

 

Personally I find the quote a little high, then again that may be just me....
You have already way passed the Expiry Date, usually done at 90,000 miles, that said, I do not see any difference with 2,000 or 3,000 miles more.
When you start to feel the ill effects as poor starting, sluggish performance, poor gas millage & more, hit the panic button.

 

My plugs looked fine when I replaced them myself at 120K. I did replace all the rear coils when I did it though, as it is a couple hour job to get back at them.

 

How long are coils supposed to last?

 

No real expiry date, although for the back spark plugs, best to change the ignition coils at the same time due to the labor costs...
you do not want to have to pay twice if a ignition coil so happens to fail after you already just paid to have the spark plugs changed.
Then you can feel more secure to not have issues for the next 90,000 miles.

 

I did this 3 times! So I got good at it!

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...ge-rx400h.html

In a nutshell, if you replace the spark plugs and go through the pain, I'd recommend replacing the back 3 coil packs at the same time. I had NO issue before changing the plugs but after I "touched them" they died. Had to go in 2 more times figuring it all out. It does take time and labor. After the third time, I was close to an hour total.

 

As they say "Practice Makes Perfect" , I could most likely take all apart in an hour, then I would need a day to put it all together again.
I did replace a ignition coil in the front, number 4 cylinder, due to a misfire code a few months back. The hard part was getting the boot out from the bottom, at times the boots stay stuck down there.

 

Last year when I was on a road trip vacation, one of my ignition coils in the back died. I took the car to a Lexus dealer in the Denver area and the labor charge to replace the coil was $430.90 (kinda strange amount). This charge would probably be somewhat less than the labor for getting the spark plugs replaced.

 

I just had mine done on 3.5L engine. Less than 2 hrs. Without air intake removal. By no means $500. Are you considering DIY it?
On older 3.0L I did it in 45 minutes.

 

On replacing back 3 coils, some suggest keeping them as backups for the front, which are easy to replace.

 

115K miles [~190K km] changed out factory stock SP, 130K miles now with all factory stock 6 coils,four up/down sensors and still has very good gas mileage.

 

I went through it when I purchased the car with 100k miles... did a DIY , it was definitely a pita , but not impossible! front plugs are easy, but the rears are difficult to reach and you need to disassemble the Whole induction system and throttle body, and the induction manifold too ! not easy the first time you do it, mainly because you have to guess the location of some hidden bolts... then you need a good assortment of sockets and extensions... hard but definitely doable ! 500$ is a steal .... I'd say a honest quote would be around 150-200 ...