Hello All,
I recently bought a 2006 with 66k miles. It was owned by an 81 year old man and I have every service record from day one, including adding air to the tires. All service was performed at the dealership. I did notice that one of the service records on the Carfax states that the timing belt was changed. Looking under the hood, I don't see the sticker that is normally placed on the hood, motor cover, or the front cross frame near the radiator. I called the dealership that he used and gave the service manager the VIN. He looked up the service for the date stated on the Carfax and it does show a general service, but no details about the timing belt. My question is.... do I trust the Carfax? The dealership? Or, not worry about it because it only has 66K miles? Are the timing belt changes required by mileage or years?
Thanks

 

I think it's 90k or 9 years.

 

You are correct!

 

did the carfax entry for the timing belt include any other items such as water pump, thermostat, drive belt etc? If the warter pump is included, good chance the timing belt was done.

 

What are dealers charging these days for the timing belt and water pump service? I have owned my car since new, but it only has 40,050 miles on it. I have been thinking about changing it since it is now 23 years old. I usually only drive it about 300 miles a year.

 

Called the local (and only) Lexus dealer, here in the 757 and was quoted $3200 and that is not including the tensioners. They are loosing all sense of reality and are shameless when it comes to the money grabs.

 

well, you can think of it as buying life insurance. If you don't die unexpectedly, you win. if your motor doesn't unexpectedly explode you win. comes down to a business decision.

 

Do like many of us did, buy the kits from EBay or Amazon then have your trusted mechanic does the installation. Save you $$$$$.

 

Any good info in ebay kits that include all the right OEM parts or should we use the Rockauto AISIN kit?
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...416675&jsn=398
eBay Kit with all the parts:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/33464967588...iABEgJoJ_D_BwE

I got a 2005 with 55K Mls but the timing was done back in 2014 at 48K, I'm thinking the time has come even thou the miles have not reached the 90K mark.

 

Just replaced my timing belt with the Aisin kit from rock Auto. Last done in 2012, but only 15k miles since. Belt, water pump and idlers were like new.

 

I had mine done in May at a Toyota dealership for $1346.46. Timing belt, serp. belt, tensioner and idler, water pump.

 

I Don't think the local Toyota dealers will even come close to that. That is a little high but I would pay that for a good mechanic.

 

1st congrats on your, new-to-you car!! Sounds like you found a perfect example. Hope you enjoy it for the smooth cruising and top-down fun.

For your concern on the timing belt, if you want to continue to drive it you can inspect is by removing one of the cam covers on the top right/left on the engine. There should be 3 or 4 10mm bolts. If your belt is cracked, frayed, or ripped in any way you need to replace it very very soon. If you dont know what a new belt feels like just go to a parts store and ask for an accessory belt. The biggest thing is the rubber. It'll age out and become structurally unsound and thats where the 90,000 mi or 9 years comes in.

just like tires. Just because they have tread dont make them safe. Even if they were in a garage for 10 years the rubber "outgasses" and chemically changes. So if your car tries are 6 years or older they should be replaced.

You do what you want. If it's the original belt it needs to be replaced. But I doubt your former owner never replaced it. You can cross reference the VIN on Lexusowners.com (make an account, then add your cars VIN, then check service history). It'll pull anytime the car has been touched by Lexus.

 

I have a 2008 SC430 with 70K miles and the TB has never been done. At this point, I'm seven years past due on time, but, 20K short on miles. I'm not too worried about it because of the extreme low incidence of broken belts reported on this engine. I basically have the same engine in my 2001 Tundra and did that TB when it was about 5 years past-due on time, and about 20K over the 90K interval. The Tundra TB that came off looked like new! However, doing the job did eliminate a cold start squeak (one of the pulleys). I've done four TB jobs on Toyotas and all the old belts have looked like new, and two were far past their change intervals. So, based on these experiences, I'm going to hold off on doing my 2008 until it reaches the 90K mile mark.

Take environmental factors into consideration too. If you live in a place with extreme weather, and/or smog, your belt(s) won't last as long. Toyota over-engineered their TB's, and yet, are overly conservative with their prescribed intervals. They do this to keep their glowing reliability reputation, but it's at the consumer's expense. I understand the concept of Toyota considering the lowest common denominator, a vehicle operating in a place with extreme weather, smog, or having "severe" usage, but we can certainly get by with a longer interval if none of these factors apply.

Many will likely need to change a water pump, tensioner or pulley at sometime in their future. That's the best time to do a TB as you can kill two birds!

I've expressed my philosophy on TB's in this forum in the past and have heard some loud disagreement. To TB or not to TB is a sticky-wicket, but it comes down to each owner determining the level of risk they're comfortable with.

 

Thank you all for the replies. I didn't receive reply notifications and didn't get to reading the post until tonight. The Carfax did not mention the water pump, just the timing belt. Just to be safe, I will start researching the cost of having the belt changed.