When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
My car overheated and I have a question about the fix
My car overheated in Manhattan a few days ago. I had it towed to Lexus of Manhattan. When the car started smoking, I turned it right off. Lexus told me I needed a new water pump, thermostat and two fan motors. I use this car all the time. There was no obvious sign of a problem.
Could there really be that many problems all at once?
water pump and timing belt $1300
thermostat $500
two fan motors $800
The car has about 125000 miles. I had the water pump and timing belt replaced at 90000 miles.
It certainly looks like you're getting ripped off in a big way. The idea that all of these systems went out simultaneously doesn't make sense.
$500 to replace a thermostat? That charge alone is sends off all sorts of red flags.
I really could see this whole thing being something much more simple like a radiator or hose needing replacement and they're just trying to find some upsell opportunities.
The fact you're in Manhattan makes this difficult. I know everything is more expensive there, but it doesn't mean you have to have unnecessary repairs.
I would have it towed to another shop or dealership and see if they come up with this same list on their own.
Replacing the thermostat for $500 is outrageous...
A new OEM thermostat costs about $20, new OEM gasket costs $4, and throw in a $30 gallon of Long-Life coolant to top off the radiator. Here's the procedure for the replacement - a 30 minutes job...
If the work on water-pump and TB is being done in combination with the thermostat then the charge for the thermostat replacement should be minimal - maybe $100 max for part and labor. The fact that they are charging you $500 full book for a thermostat replacement (takes 10-15 minutes of extra labor while they were doing the other work) means they are treating you like a noob, or worse.
Even if I did move the car to another shop, the Lexus dealer charges $300 for diagnostics.
Cut your losses and move the car somewhere else. Contest the 300 bucks, offer 200, and move on. Otherwise they will rob you another 1000 bucks or more, on top of the 300.
I call bull**** on the water pump. Maybe thermostat and gasket, but not thermostat, and water pump, and fans.
If Manhattan is like other dealerships in Manhattan, it could be a corporate store as opposed to franchise, implying by the book. The $1300 for the timing belt and water pump is reasonable for Lexus--a dealer in NJ quoted me $1400. But of course it's double that of an indie. But is it needed because of the overheat? Doubtful. Wait a sec, do they know it was already done at 90k, they can't possibly have factored that in. Was an Aisin kit used for the job, i.e. the parts were decent? If so, it would not need replacement in another 35k.
Thermostat is removed as part of the timing belt job, is it not? Here's where indies and dealerships differ--indie will replace it with no extra labor charge, dealer doesn't consider that it's removed anyway as part of the other job, well, at least in this case.
Our cars are old, and NYC is a big place, I'd pay the dealership the diagnostic, put it on a flatbed, and bring it to an indie and pay them $165 tops, to replace the thermostat if DIY is not an option.
p.s. after thinking about this some more, tell them because of the false recommendation, whether it's carelessness or an oversight, you will pay $0 for the diagnostics and will be flatbedding the vehicle out of there. They have plenty of goodwill dollars, and this one would be internal. Tell them you're contacting Lexus (although if this is a corp store this won't help). My buddy just got a bogus $365 diagnostic charge on an Audi waived. Just need to be firm.
Even if I did move the car to another shop, the Lexus dealer charges $300 for diagnostics.
If you get a 2nd professional opinion and their list of fixes turns out to be all wrong, you can do things like cancel the credit card payment, file a claim with the BBB or the state, etc and get that refunded with documentation. If its an actual Lexus dealership my guess is someone higher up will not want the exposure and will gladly give you a refund.
I just have a hard time believing your problem was your water pump, electric fan and thermostat all went out at the same exact time to cause your car to overheat. It's really a ridiculous scenario, but I suppose anything is possible.
Even if you do have to eat the $300, I would think its worth it as I could see it saving you $1,500+ in unnecessary repairs.
If you have a trusted shop that knows the car, at the very least give them a call, tell them you were stranded and ask them if they think that repair list sounds legit.
Wow. Stealerships never cease to amaze me. Those prices are outrageous. I would definitely take your car elsewhere and dispute the diagnostic charge. A quick google search should find a few good independent shops nearby. Make sure you check out any shops reviews on Yelp, etc.
My car ('03 with 217k) recently over heated on my morning commute. I pulled into a parking lot and waited for it to cool off and eventually made it to work, but I understand not everyone would do that and I recommend you watch the temperature gauge carefully if you are ever in that situation. I would definitely suggest having the thermostat and gasket replaced. Although your car has fairly low miles, have the radiator checked. Mine was leaking from the top seam and I strongly believe that caused my coolant to run low and thus my engine to overheat. Good luck!
All of you are confirming what I had thought. I probably should have had the car towed to my local mechanic in the first place. Now I remember why I avoid the dealership.
Hard to believe everything failed at the same time. Timing belt/water pump cost about right for a Lexus dealer. However why the redo when just replaced at 90k? The thermostat charge is obscene. Also the 300 diagnostic fee is a rip off. Typical Lex dealer pre purchase inspect is 200. What information specifically did they give you? They tested the fans and they don't work? Pressure tested system to make sure there aren't any leaks? If all you got was an estimate, I wouldn't pay the 300. Have an indie look at it!
If Manhattan is like other dealerships in Manhattan, it could be a corporate store as opposed to franchise, implying by the book. The $1300 for the timing belt and water pump is reasonable for Lexus--a dealer in NJ quoted me $1400. But of course it's double that of an indie. But is it needed because of the overheat? Doubtful. Wait a sec, do they know it was already done at 90k, they can't possibly have factored that in. Was an Aisin kit used for the job, i.e. the parts were decent? If so, it would not need replacement in another 35k.
Thermostat is removed as part of the timing belt job, is it not? Here's where indies and dealerships differ--indie will replace it with no extra labor charge, dealer doesn't consider that it's removed anyway as part of the other job, well, at least in this case.
Our cars are old, and NYC is a big place, I'd pay the dealership the diagnostic, put it on a flatbed, and bring it to an indie and pay them $165 tops, to replace the thermostat if DIY is not an option.
p.s. after thinking about this some more, tell them because of the false recommendation, whether it's carelessness or an oversight, you will pay $0 for the diagnostics and will be flatbedding the vehicle out of there. They have plenty of goodwill dollars, and this one would be internal. Tell them you're contacting Lexus (although if this is a corp store this won't help). My buddy just got a bogus $365 diagnostic charge on an Audi waived. Just need to be firm.
I completely agree w/ paying nothing for the diagnostic. Per my other post, what tests were performed? Since the TB/water pump (and apparently thermo is part of this) were recently replaced, the estimate seems like a TOTAL ripoff.
My car overheated in Manhattan a few days ago. I had it towed to Lexus of Manhattan. When the car started smoking, I turned it right off. Lexus told me I needed a new water pump, thermostat and two fan motors. I use this car all the time. There was no obvious sign of a problem.
I'm sorry, please don't take this the wrong way... When you say "the car started smoking", did you mean steam coming from under the hood? This may simply caused by a popped radiator cap and hot coolant overflowed out of the reservoir. Check your coolant level - it may be very low.
As many already noted, it is extremely rare that the water pump, thermostat, and the fans all go out at the same time. The most likely culprit in your case, I suspect, is the thermostat.
The thermostat serves as a temperature regulator for the coolant. When the engine gets hot enough, the thermostat opens to allow coolant to flow through the radiator. Cool air rushing in from the front grill flows through the radiator fins cooling the coolant. When you stop your car, and the radiator gets hot, the fans comes on to move cool air through the radiator fins to lower the coolant temperature.
Supposed if the thermostat is stuck closed (or only partially open), the symptom is almost exactly like a bad water pump, that is, low or no coolant flow. In this case, the radiator and the fans can do nothing to cool the coolant, simply because hot coolant is not reaching the radiator fast enough. To troubleshoot, most people will remove the thermostat and see if coolant flow is restored (i.e. no more overheating). If not, then the problem is with the water pump, but more often than not, a bad thermostat is more likely.
I would suggest to check your coolant level first. Top it off if the level is low to see if the problem is resolved.
Second, remove the thermostat and take the car out for a short drive to see if temperature rises quickly. If so, you have a bad water pump.
Third, let the car idle in place with the A/C on MAX to see if the fans comes on. If the fans do not come on, you may have a blown fuse or a bad fan motor.
Otherwise if all is good, install a new thermostat and you're done!
08-15-17, 04:10 PM
My car overheated and I have a question about the fix
