jollyrogerfromthebay

Hey all, I recently bought a 1998 Lexus ES300. She's got 120,000 miles on her. Seems to be in pretty good shape, runs, drives and brakes well. Is there any particular preventative maintenance I should perform? Anything that should be changed like belts or specific parts before they become a problem. Also, there seems to be some rust in the engine bay on certain parts. There is also a very minimal amount above the rear driver-side tire, but the frame and undercarriage are spotless. Is this something to worry about, or is this just par for the course on a 25+ year old car? Thanks all.

Arsenii

Hello,

Heavily depends on what was done to the car already, you will have to look through maintenance records (if any) before proceeding.

There is a good chance that no one has ever replaced the Timing Belt on this car, even though it should be done every 80,000 miles. Same goes for the Spark Plugs, they may still end up being original.

To service those two items, you will essentially have to take half of the engine apart, and while in there, it would pay off to replace the notorious Valve Cover Gaskets and Coolant Bypass hose under the Intake, which is prone to leaking, as well as any other gasket you take out along the way, look up Knock Sensor Replacement to get an idea, as that is about as deep as you will go.

Other than that, you likely still have all original fluids, aside from the engine oil ... *hopefully*, which is something to consider as well.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

jollyrogerfromthebay

Thanks bud, I'll be sure to do all that.

chuyrobles

Agree with post #2. Chances are, the car was sold to avoid having to do the 100K recommended maintenance work. This will include a coolant change. I would also consider an ATF, PS and brake fluid flush. If AWD, also the gear oil in diff and transfer case. I usually replace hoses and thermostat at the 150K mile mark, but would likely do that on this car if it were mine since it is a 98. Maybe also replace the idler and tensioner pulleys while you are in there.

rigged87

when my car hit 150K the only thing i had to change was the radiator. Before that it was all standard maintenance. Now after 250K much more failed. Front and rear shocks, control arms, catalytic converters, leather seats started to rip, both axles, etc. i have fixed it all and she runs like a champ. Just change the oil and keep her well maintained and she will run as long as you need.

CELSI0R

Out of the rust mentioned, the one you should worry about is the spot over the rear wheel arch. It may look minimal, but often it's worst than it looks

Treating that sooner than later is better, if you have the budget for it. If you want to treat it yourself, you can. It won't look perfect, but it will stop the rust from becoming a huge bubble.