riknchar

When I bought my 2006 SC430 a little over a year ago, I went ahead and purchased an Extended Warranty (for around $1900) that covered everything for 6 years/60K miles. It was an aftermarket warranty sold by the Lexus dealer, and while I was somewhat skeptical, I agreed to it since I really wanted some peace of mind that the car was good to go. Now, over a year later, I've come to realize that an extended warranty in my situation is pretty much a total waste of money, since the car has been flawless, and I only drive around 2-3K miles per year (and pamper the car in general).

I was able to cancel the remaining warranty last week, and I received a refund of around $1600 for the unused portion. So I decided I'd use the money I recouped to do some things I've been wanting to do the car.

I bought the Aisen Timing Belt kit from Amazon (around $175) and scheduled the car into my trusted independent shop for the Timing Belt/Water Pump/Idler Bearing replacement procedure (around $450 labor). My car only has 21K miles on it, so many people would argue that this is pretty unnecessary, but I wanted peace of mind, and the car is overdue the timing belt change based on age (nearly 12 years old).

I also bought a Naviks unit online, along with a good backup camera that attaches above the license plate, to add backup camera capability to my existing Nav screen. I dropped the car off at my local Best Buy to let the Geek Squad install the system ($129). Before I allowed this install, I spoke extensively with the installer, providing him with advice I printed off this forum and making sure he knew what he was doing. I haven't picked the car back up yet, so I can't say for sure, but I think he'll be able to complete the install with no problem, and I thought the price was reasonable based on other forum members reporting that it was around a 4-hour job for them.

My final spruce up will be a complete Clear Bra setup to cover the front bumper, 1/3 of the hood, the front fenders, the headlights, and the side mirrors. We have a great local installer for this system (using the Expel 3M product), and it will be great to preserve my SC in showroom condition. A couple of months ago, I had the front bumper cover replaced and a fair amount of paint work done by a great local body shop to make the car look like new--they did a great job of matching the paint and blending in the repairs! Total cost for the clear bra is $750.

If anyone has any questions about any of these updates, I'll be glad to help however I can. I'll try to post a few photos once everything is done. In the end, I know I'll get way more value out of these improvements than I would have with the extended warranty!

texsexlex

iTrader: (3)

....sounds like some money that will be well spent !!!!...give us an update on the install from Best Buy

AnbeLexus

Congrats! I too would be interested in how things go with the Best Buy install. Thinking adding a back up camera but would like to keep the factory ML setup if possiable!

riknchar

The backup camera install at Best Buy went flawlessly! I dropped the car off at noon and the tech called at 2 to say it was done. The backup camera view is bright and colorful on the Nav screen. Overall, I'd say this is a very useful and worthwhile upgrade. Total cost was around $360 (Naviks was $195, backup camera was $25, and install was $140).

The only thing that I hadn't considered was that in order to see the backup camera's view, I have to push the button to open the Nav screen cover manually (it doesn't automatically open when I put the car in reverse). I know that it will open automatically ever time I start the car if I leave it open when I turn the car off, but I've been trying to save wear-and-tear on the door motors by leaving it closed 95% of the time.

For others who have installed the Naviks backup camera system, is there a way to wire the system so the Nav door will open automatically when the car is put in reverse?

texsexlex

iTrader: (3)

....good deal.....glad to hear that everything went smooth & is working well

jzdulexus

Not that we know of. First the open/close button has to be disabled and then the control needs to be rewired to a reverse signal relay. Its just too complicated.

riknchar

UPDATE: My trusted independent shop completed my Timing Belt change yesterday with no problem. I had bought the full OEM Kit from Amazon, so they also changed out the water pump, idler pulley, and thermostat. I had them change to oil and check out all other fluids at the same time. Everything looked great, they said, so I should be good to go for quite a while.

One thing my mechanic did comment on (and show me) was that the timing belt that he took off, while showing minimal wear, was very "flimsy." It was one of the lightest, flimsiest timing belts he had ever seen. Very strange. He said the Aisen replacement belt was quite a bit sturdier in construction. He also showed me that the idler pulley that he replaced did have some wobble to it, so it was probably a good thing to replace now. Total cost for the labor (including oil change) was $550, to with the Amazon purchase, I spent a total of $720 to get this work done. Much cheaper than the Lexus dealer (but no free croissants while the car was in the shop ;-)...

mandyfig

Pretty good price for the TB work. Have you done your plugs too?

iolmaster

iTrader: (1)

Strange, both the old belt and the new Aisin belt were identical when I had mine changed. Maybe yours had been replaced before. Both were Misuboshi.

riknchar

I know! It's conceivable that it had been changed by the previous owner but not documented on the MyLexus web site. Oh well, I know I'm good for another 90K miles/9 years now, so it was worth it...

riknchar

I didn't have the plugs changed. Would this have been a good time for that work? Not sure that they would require replacement at 21K miles anyway. The car runs flawlessly and the engine purrs like a kitten. The only reason I had the timing belt changed was to ensure I didn't have a catastrophic engine melt down if the belt snapped. If a plug gets fouled, I'll be able to figure it out without major engine damage...

Coleroad

those plugs are good for a long time yet. Age has no bearing, just milage.