jwatt

First, I have been lurking/mooching around the forum for the past 5 years, and I am super appreciative of the info that has been compiled here. I am a DIY’er, and this forum has and continues to be an invaluable resource. My first car was a 69 Camaro at 14 years old, and is when my DIY journey began.
Ok, the LS460.
Got it at 135k, has 185k now.

SUSPENSION: ~ $3,000 when all said and done

All 18 control arms replaced, 8 in front 10 in back. Did this at 175k

- Got the upgraded lower control arm for the fronts - 48640-50131, 48620-50131. Many thanks to member LILEVO

- Used FIGS for the rest of the front. Also, suggested on the forum, not sure who though…


- REAR – took a chance on these from ebay https://www.ebay.com/itm/154223005246, Generally, I am a OEM only fan, but with these control arms, I strayed from that philosophy, as it seems there may have been some mistakes made by Toyota on the bushings.
So far so good on all the arms, but it has only been 10k, so the jury is still out… The most painful part was on 3 of the control arms the bolt was rusted to the sleeve. A death wheel and a Sawzall took care of it, but it was the bulk of the time.

- New passenger side steering Knuckle for the bearing from Lexus. Will try and press the old one out, and replace when I get the time to have a spare…


- New passenger side rear wheel hub with Koyo bearings. Driver side still seems fine. Getting this hub out was a little tricky, but overall not too hateful. Using this as a guide from member rkw77080
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...del-ls430.html. I also have the LS460 workshop manual I downloaded, which is super helpful for torque specs, and assembly.

Also, replaced the speed sensor. That was a pain, it was melded into the aluminum, and needed to be carefully drilled out, and a light sanding in the tube to get the new one to fit.

- 4 new KYB struts – used this tool to compress the springs . Not much to say here, struts are always a pain…


RAMPS
Built 4 ramps to get the car 8 inches off the ground, using this guys plan as a model. https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-d...car-ramps.html. My Rhino ramps would scrape the front. For the rear, I used a similar model, but built as a platform, and jacked the rear up from the rear differential, and set the tires on the platform.
Left enough room on the front ramps to put wheel chocks behind the front wheels for safety when jacking up the rear. Works well

MAINTENANCE ITEMS - ~ $3,600 (not counting brakes and tires) $2,400 was the actuator
- Brake Actuator – not a DIY item for me. May try it the next time (if needed), but I felt like this was a job for Lexus. I have no experience with these… master cylinders, brake line replacement, bleeding, I do… but didn’t want to tackle this one this time…

- Interior – Lexus graciously replaced the interior panels, and dash for free (melting interior issue). Not sure how many other companies would do this on an 11 year old car. Had this done within the first couple of months after purchase


- High pressure fuel pump gasket replacement both sides Bell Lexus
https://www.ebay.com/itm/23478569658....c100903.m5276

- Spark plugs - Denso FK20HBR11, and https://www.ebay.com/itm/234278980857 from Bell Lexus. The boots were kind of a pain to get out.


- Radiator – new radiator, but unfortunately I removed the AC condenser lines, and let out all of the fluid. Trip to Lexus to vacuum, and re-fill the AC. The fragile nipple was broken off the radiator, and someone tried to JB weld it or something.

- Transmission – had Lexus do a drain and fill at the same time they vacuumed and recharged the AC. Since then I have done the drain and fill DIY about 8 different times, getting ~2.5 quarts out each time.
Transmission is very smooth now (Had some cold flares in the morning). I bought Techstream from Amazon, and have been learning the software to be able to check the transmission fluid level, and needed it for some other things. Unfortunately, Lexus did not check the fluid when doing the transmission service, and it was low.


- Oil – she does use about a quart per 3,000 (normal according to Lexus). I still always change at 3,000, maybe someday I will trust… Anyway, it used to use way more, about a quart or more every thousand miles or so.
I thought I was doomed (as the low oil light would come on, and I would always keep a quart in the trunk), but the member roadfrog suggested Rislone engine cleaner. I added a bottle at about 2,000 miles into the oil change, and changed the oil at 3,000. Left some room after the oil change for another bottle, and added to the new oil. Drove about 1,000 miles, and changed the oil again. 5w – 20 Penzoil natural gas oil.

Since then I add a bottle about every 2-3 oil changes with about 1,000 miles to go before the change. Consequently, this also cleared up the well documented bogging down when accelerating after oil change issue, which I definitely experienced before then. Now, after an oil change there is no temporary degradation of performance.

- Oil housing – swapped to an aluminum housing, and replaced the housing o-rings

- Water pump, and all new hoses


- Drivers side mirror from a donor car – mine had burnt spot in it

- Brakes – power stop drilled/slotted brake kit. Went through the break-in procedure that power stop supplied, and the vehicle’s brakes are super smooth


- New caliper piston boots – mine were mangled

20 inch wheels (20x9, 20x10) rims and Nitto nt555 tires (always like the way they looked) 245/40/20 front, 275/35/20 back. 35 offset front, 40 back.
Plenty of room in the back. I really think I could have gone for the 275/40/20 for the rear.