Hi all, i have a 2005 SC that was passed down from my mom, so don't know that much about it.

Last week it overheated with steam coming out of the front area. . . . shop said my radiator had a crack, but that i probably overheated the engine and that they would need to rework it all . . . the car is still at their shop, but was wondering if i am better off just getting rid of this one or buying another one.

I asked them for a cost est. they said that they would have to open up the engine before they could tell me that, but want to charge me to do that. Asked them to hold off .. . . any thoughts before i respond???

thanks, please share any advice you may have on this . . . . i am stressing !!!!

- nina

 

Sorry to hear about your overheating. If a radiator has a crack, doesn't seem like a reason to get rid of your car or replace engine. Worse case scenario you would need a new radiator. These cars run forever would suggest investing a little in repairs and you will have a gorgeous car for many years to come.

What did the shop specifically suggest in the "rework"?

If you don't know much about cars, definitely have someone help you that does know about cars and is confident talking to mechanics. Mechanics are bad people and they will prey on people that don't know about cars.

Just curious, what happened when you overheated then engine? How long were you running the car when it overheated? Did you continue to drive or stop immediately? Was there coolant in the reservoir? If it is just a leak, a cheap and easy temporary solution is to put radiator stop leak in the radiator and that should at least slow the leak.

Feel free to PM if you have questions. We are here to help!!

 

You most likely will have to have your heads completely rebuilt or resurfaced along with new headgaskets (and also a new radiator as well). They need to pull everything off so that they can see how much it will cost for them to fix everything, and if any additional damage was done when the engine overheated. You are probably looking at $1,500-$2k in repairs.

How many miles are on the car?

 

Hey LexBrett, thanks so much for response . . . .

car has about 150,000 miles .. . . not sure if that matters . . . I pulled over as soon as I saw the steam coming out of front . . . i waited for it to cool down . . . i called a friend that told me to run the heater full blast . . . so i kept driving back home with heater full blast ( was was sweating like crazy), the temp gage stayed close to were it usually is . . . so kept going . . . about half way back home the temp start getting closer to the "H" so i stopped again and waited to cool off, did this 4 more times before getting home, but it never got all the way to "H", heater stopped blowing hot also . . . called a garage that towed it to their shop


Guys at the shop said that it probably messed up my gasket driving it that long, but that they had to do some tests, then they asked me if i wanted them to do that for a charge . . .

hope this helps, please let me know if you need more info.

 

ok . . . thanks so much . . . . how much should it cost for them just to look at it??

 

Your blue book value is around $10.5k (with 150k miles), so these repairs would be worth while.

I'm guessing they will charge between $150-$250 to look and do a few tests like a compression/leak-down test, see the condition of the heads or measure to see if they warped, etc.

Did you get a chance to ask them upfront how much they would charge to look at it?

 

Looks like you did the right thing by pulling over and running fan on high heat. Seems unlikely that you would do such major damage keeping temps out of the red, but I'm really no expert.

A lexus at 150K miles should last a good bit more time for you. If you love the car you might consider paying to get it fixed even if extensive repairs. I have heard head gasket repairs can be pricey.

They will probably charge you at least $100 to $200 just to diagnose the repair, which they would apply to your bill if you choose to repair.

Question- did your radiator/reservoir have fluid in it when it was overheating? It does sound like a crack somewhere, but I am always weary when I get one of these calls from a mechanic.

 

ok, didn't realize it was worth that much . . . everything else works well on it . . . except for size lol . . . when i asked them the said just depends on what test they do, but never gave firm number . . . will call them and say as long as it doesn't go over $250 - $300 to do test . . . anything i should watch out for or say?

 

adding to bill would be great . . . . they showed me that the tank was empty, said i drained it all, i did tell them that it never got to "H" they were surprised . . . .

 

Not much else you can say until they come back with test results... Hopefully, your heads don't need any work and you can get away with just new headgaskets and a new radiator. What is the name of the shop, if you don't mind me asking?

Hell, you may not even need new headgaskets, but I have a feeling that it's a longshot if you saw actual steam coming from the engine.

 

Well let us know how it goes. Will check out this thread this evening. Just ask them specifically what repairs are necessary and the cost.

I'm just surprised so much damage could be done without actually overheating!! Does everyone else agree or have a difference point of view??

 

Thanks all, calling them in a bit, getting a ride to shop later today to check it all out, probably asking a guy friend to join me. . . . will let you all know what they say . . .. thanks so much ... . . feel more confident now

 

Glad you feel more confident and you are bringing a friend with you to the shop.

 

If it were me, I would have them put a new radiator and be done with it for the time being, until I feel lost of power or stream coming out of the engine itself, I would not spent the money to give them a chance to lie to me.
All the symptoms you have described and gone through only pointed out the radiator leaked and all fluids evaporated and drained, I don't think your engine sustained damage, and I strongly suspect those mechanics were simply speculating on engine damage or head gaskets.

With all these said, that's just what I would do if it were my situation.

 

Sorry to hear about your problem..

I guess what really matters is the approach you take.. Don't know how credible this shop is.. unless they have some way of proving that your head gaskets are leaking, or the problem has reached your engine, etc..

I would go with bb430's mentioned approach.. Rad is leaking, get that replaced and see if vehicle seems to be functioning normally!

Goodluck