'01 ES300 Advice Needed
04-01-13, 07:55 AM
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'01 ES300 Advice Needed
Hello, I am new here and posting for the first time. I was basically looking for information on my current situation with my Lexus and internet searching has led me here. I am hoping I can gain some insight into my situation, as I don't think it is all too complex but I do think I need some guidance/advice.
Background:
I own a 2001 ES300. I purchased this car initially certified pre-owned used from a local Lexus dealership in February 2007. At that time it has roughly 58k Miles on it. Ever since then, I had kept up with the regular maintenance with the dealer as needed, but I did the majority of my oil changes myself. I did get the extended warranty which covered me up to 114k miles, so as anything would come up, I would just go to the dealer service section and have it fixed/replaced/etc. Sometimes, I would notice that oil light would come on and stay on, even after changes and the levels were good but it never came up as a problem when I took it for it servicing/maintenance. It never had any problems running, however, and generally everything was pretty incident free.
Now, for the story:
Just a couple of weeks ago, I was driving my vehicle (it's at about 122k miles at this point) and both the check engine and TRAC OFF lights came on. In short, I took it to my local auto shop and they informed me (paraphrasing , as I don't have the paper with the full description on it in front of me) that I had a bad valve on the back of the engine creating an emissions issue that needed to be replaced. I said 'OK', and told the guy to go ahead and order and replace the part (the mechanic told me that it was a whole part that had to be replace because you cant just buy a single valve).
A couple of days later, I went to pick the car up, paid for the repairs ($800+) and drove it home, which was only a couple of miles. The lights were off, the car was driving normally, and everything seemed to be ok. As I drove to another location that day, right before I reached my destination, both the oil light & the oil pressure light came on and I started immediately getting this terrible knocking in the engine. Concerned, I alerted the auto shop I had just come from and basically took it back to them.
After a couple of days, the auto shop contacted me and informed me that I had some worn bearings inside my engine and that my crankshaft had gone bad, which is why the oil pressure light was on. I was also told that going into an engine to repair/replace these things specifically was not something many mechanics would be able to do in this day & age and that I would most likely need a new engine.
At this point, I wanted to have a second opinion so I had it towed to the dealer service garage. A little backwards, yes, but when the car you care about is having issues, you sometimes do things out of order. The dealer basically confirmed what I was told (while charging me an extra $400, but that's alright, I knew the deal) stating that when they removed the oil pan, they noticed metal pieces in there and that basically I would need a new engine. They priced a new engine for me with 124k miles on it @ $5,900. I declined and am having my car towed home today.
So, basically, I need a little advice:
1) At this point, would it be in my best interest to let it go? I feel like $5900 is way steep for a new engine in a 2001 year car. I did look around on the internet for replacement engines that cost significantly less, but I don't have any experience buying such a major auto part through the internet. Then, I'm also concerned that even if I found an engine for $1500-$2500, by the time labor and installation is added in, it would be close the dealer engine amount anyways.
2) Would it be possible that my engine issues could be related to the issues discussed in this thread?: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es3...and-rx300.html I will admit, I wasn't aware of the issues detailed in that thread before I started doing some searching. Based on the time when I bought the car, perhaps I missed being eligible for this, but what's the best way to know for certain? At this point in 2013, would it even matter?
3) If I do decide to let the car go, what are my best options as far as getting rid of the car? I'm sure the dealer would only give me maybe $1000 on a trade in for parts, but is that most likely the best I can do? Perhaps I'm being too optimistic, I just know there is more than $1000 in good, working car parts.
So what do you think knowledgeable Lexus owners? Should I just let it go quietly and cut my losses or is there a way to keep hope alive? Any advice is appreciated. I have never been in this situation before, so I am just trying to do the thing that makes the most sense. Thanks in advance.
Background:
I own a 2001 ES300. I purchased this car initially certified pre-owned used from a local Lexus dealership in February 2007. At that time it has roughly 58k Miles on it. Ever since then, I had kept up with the regular maintenance with the dealer as needed, but I did the majority of my oil changes myself. I did get the extended warranty which covered me up to 114k miles, so as anything would come up, I would just go to the dealer service section and have it fixed/replaced/etc. Sometimes, I would notice that oil light would come on and stay on, even after changes and the levels were good but it never came up as a problem when I took it for it servicing/maintenance. It never had any problems running, however, and generally everything was pretty incident free.
Now, for the story:
Just a couple of weeks ago, I was driving my vehicle (it's at about 122k miles at this point) and both the check engine and TRAC OFF lights came on. In short, I took it to my local auto shop and they informed me (paraphrasing , as I don't have the paper with the full description on it in front of me) that I had a bad valve on the back of the engine creating an emissions issue that needed to be replaced. I said 'OK', and told the guy to go ahead and order and replace the part (the mechanic told me that it was a whole part that had to be replace because you cant just buy a single valve).
A couple of days later, I went to pick the car up, paid for the repairs ($800+) and drove it home, which was only a couple of miles. The lights were off, the car was driving normally, and everything seemed to be ok. As I drove to another location that day, right before I reached my destination, both the oil light & the oil pressure light came on and I started immediately getting this terrible knocking in the engine. Concerned, I alerted the auto shop I had just come from and basically took it back to them.
After a couple of days, the auto shop contacted me and informed me that I had some worn bearings inside my engine and that my crankshaft had gone bad, which is why the oil pressure light was on. I was also told that going into an engine to repair/replace these things specifically was not something many mechanics would be able to do in this day & age and that I would most likely need a new engine.
At this point, I wanted to have a second opinion so I had it towed to the dealer service garage. A little backwards, yes, but when the car you care about is having issues, you sometimes do things out of order. The dealer basically confirmed what I was told (while charging me an extra $400, but that's alright, I knew the deal) stating that when they removed the oil pan, they noticed metal pieces in there and that basically I would need a new engine. They priced a new engine for me with 124k miles on it @ $5,900. I declined and am having my car towed home today.
So, basically, I need a little advice:
1) At this point, would it be in my best interest to let it go? I feel like $5900 is way steep for a new engine in a 2001 year car. I did look around on the internet for replacement engines that cost significantly less, but I don't have any experience buying such a major auto part through the internet. Then, I'm also concerned that even if I found an engine for $1500-$2500, by the time labor and installation is added in, it would be close the dealer engine amount anyways.
2) Would it be possible that my engine issues could be related to the issues discussed in this thread?: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es3...and-rx300.html I will admit, I wasn't aware of the issues detailed in that thread before I started doing some searching. Based on the time when I bought the car, perhaps I missed being eligible for this, but what's the best way to know for certain? At this point in 2013, would it even matter?
3) If I do decide to let the car go, what are my best options as far as getting rid of the car? I'm sure the dealer would only give me maybe $1000 on a trade in for parts, but is that most likely the best I can do? Perhaps I'm being too optimistic, I just know there is more than $1000 in good, working car parts.
So what do you think knowledgeable Lexus owners? Should I just let it go quietly and cut my losses or is there a way to keep hope alive? Any advice is appreciated. I have never been in this situation before, so I am just trying to do the thing that makes the most sense. Thanks in advance.
04-01-13, 08:14 AM
#2
Lexus Champion
I have the same car. Wow man I feel for you. At this point I would suspect a sludge problem. The Lexus dealer should have removed the front valve cover to inspect r sludge, a very easy quick procedure. Less than 30 min.
At this point if we assume that his diagnosis is indeed correct, than probably your best bet it to look up a JDM used or rebuild engine. You could easily find one with around 60k miles, shipped to your garage of choice. My understanding is that JDM has a good reputation. I'm sure that other members here will confirm that.
http://www.japanmotorimport.com/
In total, including installation by your own garage, should be less than half of what Lexus wants.
Also read the following current post here. It may give you additional insight.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es3...gine-swap.html
It sounds like you really took care of your car, so im not sure how tat happened, however for the benefit of all of us on this board, were you changing oil and filter regularly? How often? What type of oil were you using? Mostly, highwy, city, or mixed driving?
Good Luck
Phil
At this point if we assume that his diagnosis is indeed correct, than probably your best bet it to look up a JDM used or rebuild engine. You could easily find one with around 60k miles, shipped to your garage of choice. My understanding is that JDM has a good reputation. I'm sure that other members here will confirm that.
http://www.japanmotorimport.com/
In total, including installation by your own garage, should be less than half of what Lexus wants.
Also read the following current post here. It may give you additional insight.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es3...gine-swap.html
It sounds like you really took care of your car, so im not sure how tat happened, however for the benefit of all of us on this board, were you changing oil and filter regularly? How often? What type of oil were you using? Mostly, highwy, city, or mixed driving?
Good Luck
Phil
Last edited by PFB; 04-01-13 at 02:57 PM.
04-02-13, 06:27 AM
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^^Thank you for the reply and the link. I will definitely add that to the places I am checking for engine wise.
To answer your question, I was changing my oil and filter regularly, every 3,000 miles or as close as I could get it. I used 5W-30 oil as indicated on the engine and once it the engine reached over 75K, I started using high mileage oil. I would keep track of the oil changes I did by writing the change date on the oil filter box lid and then writing the mileage when I should change it next (+3000). I would say I did mixed driving as there is a lot of both city and highyway in my area and I often drove to other major cities as well.
To answer your question, I was changing my oil and filter regularly, every 3,000 miles or as close as I could get it. I used 5W-30 oil as indicated on the engine and once it the engine reached over 75K, I started using high mileage oil. I would keep track of the oil changes I did by writing the change date on the oil filter box lid and then writing the mileage when I should change it next (+3000). I would say I did mixed driving as there is a lot of both city and highyway in my area and I often drove to other major cities as well.
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