Does anyone know of a reliable, trustworthy Lexus mechanic in the the Kansas City metro area? I need to have the 2nd timing belt\water pump replacement done on my Mom's 1999 LS 400 and I would like to find a place I can trust and that costs less than the $1300 (approximately) that the Lexus dealer quoted me. I do most of the work on my cars but I don't want to tackle the timing belt job.

Thanks!

 

$1300 from a Lexus dealer is fairly reasonable. You might call a few Toyota dealers, I'm sure there are several in KC, for the sake of comparison. If you find an independent shop specializing in Lexus you can only assume they will use quality parts. With an interference VVTi motor you don't want to shop based on price only to drive away with cheap parts. As a first-time customer you may have very little control over that unless you dig a little deeper into your wallet.

 

Thanks for the advise. I am not a first time customer though because I used to have an ES 350 I had work done on at the same dealer. I have called a few other local shops and am waiting for quotes from them. I was just hoping someone local knew of a reputable shop with a little bit better price. I want at least the Aisin kit to be used as well.I found some ultra cheap kits on Amazon and would definitely not want them to be used.

By the way I drive an 05 Mercury Metallic LS430 Modern Luxury myself. Great car which is why when my Mom's old Dodge Neon died I found her a used LS 400 so she will have something that hopefully lasts her the rest of her life. She is 73 but still drives well.

 

Sounds good
I meant as a first time customer to the shop you are potentially referred to...

 

Ahhh....okay. Yeah, true, with that being the case they probably won't cut me any deals.

 

Exact Performance in Mission, Kansas did three timing belt/water pump replacements, regular services and a variety of repairs for us on two LS400's and a Camry. Exact opened in 1998 and is owned by Ben Bennett. I bought the 2000 LS400 I used to have from a small dealer friend of Ben in 2003.

Ben's website is at https://exactauto.com/

 

Thanks a lot Jim! I will call them and get a quote. That is very close to my Mom's house also.