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Recently purchased a 2004 ES 330 with 152k miles on it. I really liked the way it drove specially since i have been used to driving my sienna for a while. What a change.
Took it to a Toyota dealership out of curiosity; mind you no check engine light and no issues but i was just curious specially since i didnt have the privilege to inspect it pre-purchase. The dealer took care of registration and inspection and they even changed all breaks, rotors and calipers + an oil change. And the price was right for me so i couldnt pass on the opportunity and go seek a private seller.
Anyways, below is the list of recommendations from the toyota dealership and the cost associated with them. I am no mechanic but 3k for the rear backing plates ? The total cost is almost how much the car cost.
What are the recommendations here. I am going to seek a second opinion here for sure but wanted to reach out to the community here first.
I couldn't find the heat shield they listed, "with bearings" is too vague. The price for a rad replacement is borderline robbery. Is there a problem with the steering in any way? The backing plates are very expensive you don't replace them unless rusted out which does happen in some climates. I would never go back to that dealer.
Appreciate the link to the parts thats helpful specially since im a noob.
Well, honestly i went there for professional experience since i happened to work from home and they had slots open. Pretty impromptu plan. There is really nothing wrong with the steering i can feel, wife said the same thing. I have never got work done from there tbh except when i had free oil changes .
I am just not sure what to prioritize when talking to a local mechanic shop
I couldn't find the heat shield they listed, "with bearings" is too vague. The price for a rad replacement is borderline robbery. Is there a problem with the steering in any way? The backing plates are very expensive you don't replace them unless rusted out which does happen in some climates. I would never go back to that dealer.
Well,
Welcome to the ClubLexus.
It might be possible that the car need all of that but i'd get second opinion. Mines at 190k Miles and i haven't changed anything from that list other than radiator as i had cheap one after accident. But all cars are different.
1)Intermediate shaft - are you feeling any play in the steering, vibration, car going all over the place, etc. If not don't bother. https://oards.com/intermediate-steer...toms-and-cost/
2)Alignment with repair. Ask them whats actually broken. You can get alignment and wheel balancing for same price or cheaper.
3)Heat Shield over gas tank might be a possibility as you are in MA and with snow/salt it might be possible, once again get second opinion.
4)Radiator leaking - Possible, take a flash light and look around the top and bottom. See if you can see any coolant gunk and stuff. Your coolant should be pinkish so will the gunk. RockAuto has radiator for around 60-100 plus coolant another 50 maybe if you do full flush. Takes about an hour job.
5)This is the fun one. Wtf rear backing plates? are they talking about shields? RockAuto cheap. Bearings I'm guessing are the Hubs. Yes they are about 400-500 from Lexus, 100 per one on rockauto and they have made in USA. Bring car to another shop tell them to check wheels for play and they will tell you if you need new once or not.
As car is so old and out of warranty it's useless to do work at the dealer, find a good local mechanic. Bring him the car, ask to do the inspection. You can even tell him what to look for, don't show the paper and just compare what he says. Buy good parts yourself and just pay another good mechanic to do it if you cant. I had dealer tell me bunch of *****, my breaks are worn and when i got to replace them 5 month later still had 1/2 left, tires magically grown thread back. ***** like that.
I'm in Stamford, CT. If your ever in the area stop by, we can take a look.
Originally Posted by ibexmonj
Hey all
Recently purchased a 2004 ES 330 with 152k miles on it. I really liked the way it drove specially since i have been used to driving my sienna for a while. What a change.
Took it to a Toyota dealership out of curiosity; mind you no check engine light and no issues but i was just curious specially since i didnt have the privilege to inspect it pre-purchase. The dealer took care of registration and inspection and they even changed all breaks, rotors and calipers + an oil change. And the price was right for me so i couldnt pass on the opportunity and go seek a private seller.
Anyways, below is the list of recommendations from the toyota dealership and the cost associated with them. I am no mechanic but 3k for the rear backing plates ? The total cost is almost how much the car cost.
What are the recommendations here. I am going to seek a second opinion here for sure but wanted to reach out to the community here first.
Just bumping what the other gentleman said about finding a reputable local mechanic. Having recently replaced my leaking radiator myself, I can confirm it's laughably easy. Got the radiator itself cheaply from RockAuto / Amazon (went with Amazon this time only because of faster shipping) and did the job with one of those cheap starter toolkits. Those prices are insane.
Thanks, appreciate the update.
Do you have any instructions on the radiator replacement ? I'm curious if I can do it. I want to try and do it.
Also, what starter toolkits are you referring to ?
Originally Posted by turtlepeas
Just bumping what the other gentleman said about finding a reputable local mechanic. Having recently replaced my leaking radiator myself, I can confirm it's laughably easy. Got the radiator itself cheaply from RockAuto / Amazon (went with Amazon this time only because of faster shipping) and did the job with one of those cheap starter toolkits. Those prices are insane.
Thanks, appreciate the update.
Do you have any instructions on the radiator replacement ? I'm curious if I can do it. I want to try and do it.
Also, what starter toolkits are you referring to ?
What you need is Leslie or something funnel set to fill the coolant, coolant, some transmission fluid. Rock Auto got it all and buy aisin stuff they make our engine transmission. Ratchets, pliers/needle nose pliers. Also getting jackstands to lift the front would help but not required. Take the bottom engine covers off. Drain the fluid from radiator, valve that opens on the bottom of rad. Disconnect the big hoses. Disconnect the two small hoses on bottom of radiator. Those are transmission fluid lines. I plucked mine with old sparkplugs so fluids didn't leak. Take the black plastic on front behind the grill. Take air intake off it's only 2 bolts and one more to disconnect the other part from air intake. 4 bolts to take off the upper radiator bar that holds it in place. Disconnect the temp sensor on the bottom of rad towards passenger side. One connector on top of rad that goes near the hood latch. And two connectors near the driver side headlight. Then you pull the radiator with fans attached to the back of it. Take the fans off which are held by 3 bolts on top of rad. Remote the temp sensor and clean it or replace it. Put some plumber tape / Teflon tape on threads screw it back in.
Do the reverse for install. Slow and steady wins the race. First time doing it and was pretty easy.
Sorry about the delay. By starter toolkit I just meant basic tools, more specifically one of those cheap ratchet sets you can buy for about $10 anywhere. ilkinandr's explanation is detailed and spot on. Also look at videos to get a better idea; Speedkar99 and ChrisFix on youtube have very good channels.
Speedkar99 and ChrisFix on youtube have very good channels.
Hi!
Sorry I don't have a radiator replacement video (haven't had to do one on my vehicle I've had). At least on the ES330 its not as bad as removing the whole front end like you would on a newer ES350. There should be some videos on replacing radiators on a Camry out there, which is the same vehicle mechanically.
As for the $3000 rear shields - when I had my ES330 they rusted out and fell off and I never replaced them. They are there to prevent rocks and debris from flying up and contaminating the brake rotor, not 100% necessary. I wonder if they are quoting the price to replace the hubs, brake shield and the knuckle all together - I could see that adding up pretty fast.
Get an independent mechanic to evaluate it I can smell the dealer rape from here across the internet. These cars are built like brick ****houses I find it unlikely that much stuff is broken at only 152k.
IThe backing plates are very expensive you don't replace them unless rusted out which does happen in some climates. I would never go back to that dealer.
Even if they are rusted out, best thing to do is just tear off the remainder and move on with your life. One of mine literally rotted off (it was just plain gone) the other one was half rotted and my mechanic just pulled the rest of it off because it looked like if it broke loose it might do damage. Those plates don't do much of anything practical most of the time. The labor cost of replacing those things is ridiculous because the whole wheel assembly there has to come apart to even get to the shield.
Curiously enough the fronts were in relatively good shape vs the rears, the rears corrode much faster for whatever reason. Car now has 263,000 miles on it.
Those plates don't do much of anything practical most of the time.
The rear plates are what accommodate the e-brake hardware they are necessary. The outer edges are thinner and rot off but if the whole thing gets bad enough they'll need to be replaced. I worked on a car recently where the plates were badly rusted to the point where the brake shoes were not sitting in place anymore hence the e-brake no longer functioned.
The labor cost of replacing those things is ridiculous because the whole wheel assembly there has to come apart to even get to the shield.
The rears are easy to replace, the fronts much harder unless you cut/split the plate so you don't have to press the hub out.
The rear plates are what accommodate the e-brake hardware they are necessary. The outer edges are thinner and rot off but if the whole thing gets bad enough they'll need to be replaced. I worked on a car recently where the plates were badly rusted to the point where the brake shoes were not sitting in place anymore hence the e-brake no longer functioned.
Well, my ebrake still works fine, but I bet that's because only the outer edge of the plate fell off and the middle part is still (somehow?) intact...
04-17-19, 12:56 PM
New to me ES330
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