Car Care Nut on why most people need 5k mile or 6 month oil changes
02-21-22, 12:22 PM
#106
An ICE is a pretty robust thing if you keep up with the maintenance, all of them are. The UZ engine is one of the best, but there are many, many engines that have stood the test of time. The issue is, not everybody is going to a $1,000-$1,500 worth of preventative maintenance on something that gets to a point where it has very little value. A timing belt is NOT nothing, thats a huge job and a very expensive job. Most people just ignore it past the first one when the car is only worth a few thousand dollars and drive it until it breaks. Thats what I'm doing with my 03 ES300. Not worth the cost of replacing it, or repairing the myriad of oil leaks, They don't stain the driveway, and the car runs the 10 miles or so it gets driven a week.
Its a hard sell to put $1,500 worth of preventative maintenance into a car that might be worth $1,500.
Its a hard sell to put $1,500 worth of preventative maintenance into a car that might be worth $1,500.
02-21-22, 12:25 PM
#107
Lexus Fanatic
Most people are not even aware that timing belt is a maintenance item, and timing belts don't usually break on their own, it's usually a seized pulley that causes the breakage. What usually happens, as the car gets older, it gets a number of improper services and fluids, someone puts in wrong coolant, it mixes with the original coolants, which causes the water pump to leak and engine overheating as the result. This is when the water pump, pulleys, and the timing belt get replaced, often with aftermarket junk that fails a year later.
I would venture to say probably 50% of timing belts get done at 90k miles, and then its maybe 5% of them for the second time.
02-21-22, 01:01 PM
#108
Lexus Champion
An ICE is a pretty robust thing if you keep up with the maintenance, all of them are. The UZ engine is one of the best, but there are many, many engines that have stood the test of time. The issue is, not everybody is going to a $1,000-$1,500 worth of preventative maintenance on something that gets to a point where it has very little value. A timing belt is NOT nothing, thats a huge job and a very expensive job. Most people just ignore it past the first one when the car is only worth a few thousand dollars and drive it until it breaks. Thats what I'm doing with my 03 ES300. Not worth the cost of replacing it, or repairing the myriad of oil leaks, They don't stain the driveway, and the car runs the 10 miles or so it gets driven a week.
Its a hard sell to put $1,500 worth of preventative maintenance into a car that might be worth $1,500.
Its a hard sell to put $1,500 worth of preventative maintenance into a car that might be worth $1,500.
02-21-22, 01:03 PM
#109
Lexus Champion
02-21-22, 01:05 PM
#110
Lexus Champion
02-21-22, 01:07 PM
#111
Lexus Champion
Most people are not even aware that timing belt is a maintenance item, and timing belts don't usually break on their own, it's usually a seized pulley that causes the breakage. What usually happens, as the car gets older, it gets a number of improper services and fluids, someone puts in wrong coolant, it mixes with the original coolants, which causes the water pump to leak and engine overheating as the result. This is when the water pump, pulleys, and the timing belt get replaced, often with aftermarket junk that fails a year later.
02-21-22, 01:12 PM
#112
The people who care for their LS430s for example are made aware they need TB changes, even a comptetent Indy would tell them. Lexus dealers try to sell you a $200 keyless remote battery (exaggerating but yeah) every 5k miles. They’re gonna make owners aware the 90k TB is absolutely necessary.
02-21-22, 02:27 PM
#113
Lexus Fanatic
I will tell you what, I got my $35,000 out of that car!
You are vastly underestimating how many people keep these cars forever and treat them like creampuffs lol. 5% of LS430s only have one TB change? C’mon. I know they’re old as dirt and it’s the last thing you’d drive as you like tech etc, I get it. But LS430 one of finest cars ever made IMO, certainly debatable as the best Lexus made. Lexus dealers salivate over these things, clean LS430s sell like hotcakes. For sure many of them are getting junked by now but oh there are still lots and lots still on the road. Lots around here.
Even people that keep them up well aren't likely replacing the timing belts. Here's a question, when did YOU replace your timing belt last? I bet its overdue.
02-21-22, 02:35 PM
#114
Instructor
My Mom drives it, and she lives about 3 minutes from me. I still maintain it for her. I have tried and tried and tried to get her to replace it, but she doesn't drive much and she just refuses to spend the money. its been a great car, but I would rather she have something much newer and more reliable.
I will tell you what, I got my $35,000 out of that car!
I think you are vastly overestimating that lol. Most of the old LS430s running around are wrung out. Sure there are a few that people keep low mileage who keep them up well, but they are the minority not the majority.
Even people that keep them up well aren't likely replacing the timing belts. Here's a question, when did YOU replace your timing belt last? I bet its overdue.
I will tell you what, I got my $35,000 out of that car!
I think you are vastly overestimating that lol. Most of the old LS430s running around are wrung out. Sure there are a few that people keep low mileage who keep them up well, but they are the minority not the majority.
Even people that keep them up well aren't likely replacing the timing belts. Here's a question, when did YOU replace your timing belt last? I bet its overdue.
02-21-22, 02:54 PM
#115
Lexus Fanatic
Cool, good you did that! Yeah its actually a worse job on those and on my old ES300 because of the transverse engine
02-21-22, 03:04 PM
#116
Lexus Champion
I won't sell the GMC for the same reason. But you said all that ES300/330 has wrong are minor oil leaks IIRC which you also said isn't "engine trouble" which I pretty much agree with in this case and vehicle at least. Certainly not worth spending the money to fix.
Not the ones I see out on the streets. I see some rough 01-03s and occasionally rough facelift, but otherwise they all look great, just 95% of them have the 3rd brake light out which is very very common, one of the few things if only these cars "eat through". I think most of the LS430s around here are cared for and even beloved. There are several just in my neighborhood alone, one guy has parked his outside since we moved in and that was 5 years ago and I can tell he keeps the paint well maintained. This is a somewhat conservative area where people keep their cars... But then again I just passed a new red Ferrari on my way home a minute ago lol. Of course the older they get the more get junked (the LS430 Facebook group is a joke, a train wreck you can't unsee) but you really think only 1 in 20 LS430s have a second TB job done???
At 103k I think? I'm right at 150k on the dot just about right now. The time interval is complete BS for one that sits in a climate controlled garage especially, but I am on my last year. Maybe after 20 years, okay. Toyota designed these TBs for 180k and split it in half to be safe. What does it really matter though? I know for a fact I'll be going well past 90k on this one, probably 120k. My engine isn't ever gonna blow, I'd bet my house on it.
At 103k I think? I'm right at 150k on the dot just about right now. The time interval is complete BS for one that sits in a climate controlled garage especially, but I am on my last year. Maybe after 20 years, okay. Toyota designed these TBs for 180k and split it in half to be safe. What does it really matter though? I know for a fact I'll be going well past 90k on this one, probably 120k. My engine isn't ever gonna blow, I'd bet my house on it.
02-21-22, 03:54 PM
#117
Pole Position
02-21-22, 04:01 PM
#118
Pole Position
All true, but, based on the extremely low reporting rate of these kinds of failures, I'm not losing sleep over it. That said, I change my TB's, just not according to the manufacturer's recommendation. I'm comfortable stretching the change interval for both time and miles based on how great my old timing belts and associated parts in the TB train have looked on past change-outs.
02-21-22, 04:08 PM
#119
All true, but, based on the extremely low reporting rate of these kinds of failures, I'm not losing sleep over it. That said, I change my TB's, just not according to the manufacturer's recommendation. I'm comfortable stretching the change interval for both time and miles based on how great my old timing belts and associated parts in the TB train have looked on past change-outs.
