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Timing Belt Replacement on a 14 yr old low milage RX 330?
Hello all,
About to pull the trigger on a MINT 2005 RX 330, that's only racked up 33,000KM (20,500 Miles). It was owned by an elderly man, and was garage kept most of it's life.
After doing some digging online, the Lexus Maintenance Schedule suggests that the Timing Belt should be replaced at 108 months or 90,000 miles.
Given that the car is 14 years old (~168 months), how crucial is it to have the belt replaced?
The car still has that new car smell... It's even still running on the factory wheels, with a 2004 date!
I would pull the trigger on this find. Timing belt change is not issue, unless you want it to become an issue.
Originally Posted by RXGS
Pull the trigger, but get the timing belt done. At that age, and especially the heat in Beirut, it the safe bet.
Done deal, will pick up the car today. My mechanic recommended taking a look at the belt before replacing, since it spent most of it's life in a garage.
The car still has the factory nylon on the door sills, haven't been peeled yet...
strange approach, given that the work/cost is in getting to the belt while the cost of the part is relatively very low
and even if it "looks ok", how long would you go before replacing it? another 90K miles or 108 months? half of that?
the time factor is a real one -- rubber compounds don't last forever
True. Got my appointment at the dealership tomorrow to fix a mistake this dumb-*** mechanic did. He put CVT transmission oil by mistake....
Going to flush it tomorrow, and consult them on the timing belt replacement.
The last thing Toyota-Lexus wants is disabled cars littering the highway. In my opinion those timing belts are rated well beyond the maintenance period; maybe double. Here are pics from my 2005, RX330, 94,000 miles, after 15-16 years of service. We bought it used in Columbus, Ohio. Based on its condition it was probably parked in a covered area.
There were no ink markings on the belt, showed almost no wear, and was clean with no cracking or black powdery residue. My wife said, "THAT COST HOW MUCH!"
The last thing Toyota-Lexus wants is disabled cars littering the highway. In my opinion those timing belts are rated well beyond the maintenance period; maybe double. Here are pics from my 2005, RX330, 94,000 miles, after 15-16 years of service. We bought it used in Columbus, Ohio. Based on its condition it was probably parked in a covered area.
There were no ink markings on the belt, showed almost no wear, and was clean with no cracking or black powdery residue. My wife said, "THAT COST HOW MUCH!"
Good for you! Looks a lot like the belt from ours at roughly the same age and 120K -- with one difference: one of the pulleys/idlers that was replaced at the same time had signs of bearings starting to go bad
(IOW, it's not only about the rubber belt itself)
The last thing Toyota-Lexus wants is disabled cars littering the highway. In my opinion those timing belts are rated well beyond the maintenance period; maybe double. Here are pics from my 2005, RX330, 94,000 miles, after 15-16 years of service. We bought it used in Columbus, Ohio. Based on its condition it was probably parked in a covered area.
There were no ink markings on the belt, showed almost no wear, and was clean with no cracking or black powdery residue. My wife said, "THAT COST HOW MUCH!"
That's awesome! Thank you for sharing these pictures. It's been nearly 4 months into the Lexus ownership and my family and I will never even think of buying anything other than Toyota-Lexus. I'm still glad that I changed my timing belt as it gives me some peace of mind. Cheers!
The Timing belts from my SC430 and RX330 look like they can still run at least another 50K. Mitsuboshi belts are reliable. Of course they have to be installed properly.
07-03-19, 12:14 AM
Timing Belt Replacement on a 14 yr old low milage RX 330?
