I got a 06 gs300 that’s riddled with suspension and engine problems, but my 01 gs430 just needed some lock actuators replaced and 1 strut replaced. The engine is so smooth.

 

There is absolutely no comparison in build quality between the 2GS and the 3GS. In fact, the 3GS happens to be the worst quality GS ever produced as mostly everything from Lexus during that time period of 2006-2010 is hot garbage with poor build quality and cheap materials used.

This is even more evident when you compare the 2006-2012 GS vs the 2013+ GS and the 2007-2012 LS vs 2013+ LS. They stepped the quality up in a HUGE way as many people complained it was not the Lexus quality they’ve been used to.

 

2000 GS300 with 214k miles bought it used with 160k miles 6 years ago and no problems.

 

Could you plz post how much $$$$ the lock actuators job cost? thanks!!

 

$40 for all four doors DIY.

Just did this last week. Several YouTube videos show in detail how to do this.

 

don't think i wanna risk taking doors apart... lol

Have a feeling labor will approach $500 +/-.

 

Perhaps more for all four doors. With current shop hourly rates approaching $200, that would be a minimum of an hour of work for each door.
And in the shops, only actuators will not be replaced, because they are not listed in the spare parts for this car.
They will replace door lock assemblies, which are listed for about $310 each.
So my expectation is approx. $500 per door, excluding taxes and other shop fees.

 

Door lock actuator replacement may not be an effortless DIY, but it's pretty darn close. Once you see what's involved, it's the bare minimum every 2GS owner should be able to do, largely because everyone else will absolutely rip you off if you pay them to do it. I once got quoted $3300 by an independent Toyota/Lexus shop to do all four doors ($650 per actuator assembly plus I recall 6 hours of labor totaling around $700), and that was a couple years before the pandemic, so add actual inflation to that as well as any post-pandemic "inflation" price gouging. Anyway, that was the last time I ever took my car there. They may have been a third to half the price of the dealer when I first used them over a decade ago, but that actuator quote felt more like 7/8ths.

Between getting a lot of practice at self-service junkyards when I was harvesting actuator cores and working on my own doors in various incomplete states after finding out an actuator cable was damaged or an aftermarket beige plastic actuator housing didn't fit the larger assembly, I've done this job a lot. It takes me 15 minutes per door now with the help of someone who is at least somewhat mechanically inclined or at least not a hindrance. Really, it's just to have someone serve as a helper with one person holding the door panel (especially the front) while the other pulls out or clips in the door latch and actuator cables, instead of me doing both and balancing the door panel on my foot. Or that someone can just keep you in check from inventing new combination cursephrases like I tend to do when working on cars.

The only step that can be kind of difficult is removing the rear actuator assembly from inside the door, but that's also pretty easy if you push down on the latch as you're rotating the entire assembly out of the door cavity. There's a couple of videos on YouTube by Luxious Automotive that capture and explain the entire process step-by-step for both front and rear doors and make the job easy to understand. They are by far the best and most comprehensive videos for 2GS actuator replacement out there.

The other annoying thing may be if your actuator cable has a broken black plastic collar, in which case there are multiple ways to fix it, or you can order a new replacement cable on eBay.

I can't emphasize enough that actuators are 100% DIY all the way. I honestly don't mind paying other people or shops I trust for the convenience of not doing some jobs myself, but replacing actuators is not a precision operation, doesn't involve getting the car off the ground, and I'll be damned and dumb to pay someone for 4+ hours of labor what would take me 2 with a ton of time built-in for loafing around.

 

@ DundukovEM - how about i buy you a round trip plane ticket to Calgary, AB, Canada, and also you can stay in a never lived in room in my new TH? OR... @ 8M6 ?

 

very cool, need to save that

 

I bought and installed this exact actuator set little over 3 years ago - three of my doors were dead. I'd never taken any doors apart in my life but decided to give this a go. I took a day off work and replaced all 3 and they're still working fine three years later. I will say that the back doors were pretty simple, did those first. It was the drivers door that was much more difficult for me. I was so frustrated at one point that I almost was going to drive to the stealership with the door in parts to let them finish it, but I persevered and got it back together. Saved a ton of $$$ though.

 

i bought all the door lock actuators like 2 years ago but still haven't put them in. i'm at 307k miles and runs strong even with a messy but tiny oil leak.

super fun ripping around town doing doordash, but all that glorious premium gas does cost 15% of earnings, which is substantial.

 

99 GS400

Almost new!

 

Ahhh the fake wood grain kits from the early 2000s. Man I miss those days lol. I remember installing this in my 95 Mazda 929 back in college.

 

Yea - it was there when I bought the car and I have been afraid it might be a mess trying to get the glue off all the parts if I take them off.