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I beg to differ when it comes to starters. The Denso starters used in Lexus and many other Japanese brands are extremely robust and easy for the DIYer to rebuild. A $7 part and an hour of your time can save you $700 at the dealer.
Further to that, you could buy a rebuilt unit altogether for around $200 (that's what I paid for mine to replace the one on my RX300). And swap out the whole thing. This was a Toyota part, yes, rebuilt, but I have had no issues and it's been a few years since I replaced it.