dcgamer

Recently took in my 02 sc430 for scheduled maintenance at the Cerritos, CA dealership, I had taken it few months ago and was just told i needed the front lower ball joints job done (quoted around 600ish, i went ahead and just got alignment), now this time around they went ahead and told me the lower ball joints need to be fixed (now 900 quote) along with:
1)Front engine mounts both broken, parts&labor 900.00
2)Valve cover gaskets 950.00

I was told at a bigotires they would give me good deal on the ball joints,but am unsure if I could go elsewhere for the two parts/labor jobs, any suggestions or experiences with the two parts jobs welcome as I'll be calling up probably nearby places,or maybe asking what specific parts are needed and looking for them on sewellpartsonline.

norman52

Well your ball joints cost $73 each through Sewell so you are looking at a lot of labor.
I bet Big O will quote you under $400

mdpuff

As a certified mechanic I would recomend you take it to another shop and have it looked at. I just bought another 02 SC with 95,000 miles on it and the original ball joints are tight with no play. Lexus parts are of high quality and I would suspect you are getting played. Find a reputable shop and have them give you a second opinion. (just my 2 cents)

Solman

I really trust steve at luxury motorworks who knows the SC430 as much as anyone since he is the one who came up with luxlink. He is honest and wont sell you on something you dont need. You are pobably not that far away. He is in monrovia and i make the drive from diamond bar for his service. With what you save you can get luxlink (lol) my best mod-i've never met anyone who is sorry they made that purchase. good luck!

norman52

Nothing better than reading about a mechanic that someone highly recommends. Those are so few and far between.

scorpio74

You can repair it yourself. Buy the parts and go to autozone or similar automotive stores and borrow to kit to take out the LBJs. You just have to put down the deposit and get it back when you return the kit. You can save lots of $$$.

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

toyota dealer? My 30k was almost half the cost vs Lexus there

tromly

+1 scdroptop, toyota dealer is my friend, same parts, the techs can work on anything except the top, much cheaper.

NOsburn

Wow, that sounds like a lot of money to replace valve cover gaskets! I put new ones on before we left for Florida. It took me a novice about 4 hours to do. I had one leaking and noticed when removing the bolts that they had lost there torque. My car is an 2002. You have to unhook all the engine wiring, injector connections and spark plug connectors. Wiring is a little brittle on my 2002. I should check the torque once again since we have been down here.
NOsburn

jasone36

Has anyone had the valve cover gasket actually replaced? How much did it cost?

silvrstar

I just had my 02 in to Glendale Lexus and was told I needed new front ball joints "soon" for $950. Seems pretty high to me also. Any suggestions welcome.

bacardi11

iTrader: (1)

I just replaced both lower ball joints last month. I used Moog 85.00 for both and installed them myself very easy job.