My LS600hL major service with Lexus

Jon Evans · November 9, 2023

The car was collected yesterday for a full major service, and in addition I requested the following:

replace sunroof glass (because the seal is leaking and it isn't available separately)
replace transfer case oil (I was assured that both diffs will also have their oil replaced as part of the major service)
aircon regas (I decided to get it checked even though it was already regassed locally, because it's such a complicated system with the unit in the back and the local place didn't even know about the other High port when I went back to them because they lost my port dust caps)
try to find why it loses coolant, it goes from the Max line to Min in about 200 miles

Whenever I get a new (old) car I like to put it through a full service just so I know where I stand with it. This car had full Lexus dealer stamps for about the first 150k miles but that was only the first few years, it has no real service history after that but it looks like it was only driven about 2k miles per year for the last 8 years or so and the person that had it for 2 years before I owned it did his own work on it and it looks good.

I honestly don't blame a Lexus dealer for offering brand new Lexus parts because that's their job, but the quote was:

£790 to replace an exhaust heat shield which is no longer attached to the car body - it looks like I can repair it with 4 new nuts and 4 large washers
£58 for 4 missing straps around heat shield sections that fit directly on the pipes
£143 for a rusted out bracket that connects both sides of the exhaust to the gearbox
£2,790 to replace both rear exhaust back box sections because of small holes in the tops of the silencer boxes
£263 for an earth strap from the transmission to the car body

They also noted that the rear brakes are 50% worn and the disks are rusty on the inside surface - I already have a complete replacement set of everything for those, supplied by the previous owner when I bought the car.

I have approved the replacement of the bracket and 4 missing straps for a total of £326 inc labour but I said no to everything else. I also approved £108 for a block test to see if they can locate the coolant leak, so that report will be interesting to read. I will look for an aftermarket rear exhaust section, possibly https://www.mijexhaust.com which I found already mentioned somewhere else in this forum.

They are keeping the car for another day so I won't get it back until tomorrow.

Malc1 · November 9, 2023

Some years back when the exhaust Heat Shields popped loose on my 95 Ls400 I simply had it/them removed ……. I was assured it was designed/built with super-safety in mind and it was effectively a vestigial part

Removed some years back and car is fine and now on a trusty 247k miles sans heat shields going forward

Wonder if yours really need re-placing ?

Malc

Malc1 · November 9, 2023

I should have also mentioned that my local, in Kent tho’, exhaust fabricator provided me an unavailable even at £700 front-end OEM complex set-up, at £300+vat a year or so back

I’m sure your independent local exhaust specialist guys will provide a more sensible effective solution than Lexus OEM can provide at ……… WOT COST 😂

Call me an ambulance 😱

Malc

Jon Evans · November 9, 2023

I can get these back boxes from Poland for £60 each including shipping! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184814082580 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154439707841

Jon Evans · November 10, 2023

Some of the parts didn't arrive, so I won't get the car back until Monday now. I was planning to fix the ground strap this weekend but I guess I'll be attempting to do it in the dark one evening next week.

Toyoda · November 10, 2023

The number 1 coolant leak issue on UR engines is on the top engine valley. It's a pretty common issue and sadly not every Lexus mechanic knows about it.

However, on the good side, it only takes to replace the sealant.

Also, I do recommend a service plan, it's not cheap but it's worth the part discount and good service.

Normski · November 11, 2023

Exhaust wise, go to this chap:

https://www.tonybanks.co.uk/

OK, so they're in Leeds but they really are fab, know their stuff and will be a fraction of the cost.

I used them and so have quite a few forum members :thumbsup:

Newbie777 · November 12, 2023

Hello,

What year and mileage has your car done?

Looks like there a fair amount work to be done.

I too have the earth strap broken, which connects to the gearbox, it's about 5 inches long.

When I asked Lexus dealers they told me they don't supply the earth strap anymore, so I will get a similar 5 inch braided earth wire.

John N · November 13, 2023

If you need Exhaust work doing in the North West try T G Silencers, in Rochdale. https://www.tgsilencers.co.uk/

They have just made and fitted a new front Y section between the front catalytic converters and the middle catalytic converter on my LS430 for £180.

It may be a 'back street' workshop,but they know what they are doing.

Highly recomended.

Jon Evans · November 15, 2023

I got the car back yesterday, so in total they had it for just about a whole week. Wednesday morning to Tuesday lunchtime.

I booked it in for the full service and sunroof replacement, but when they sent the booking-in email (a link to a form on their website) I added the following items:

please return the original sunroof back to me
air conditioning regas (I wasn't convinced it was done right by my local garage)
please investigate a slow loss of coolant

I'll put the full timeline here, there are a few anomalies:

17:10 on Wednesday I thought I would call so I could pay for it before they brought it back. They told me that they'd done the full service and replaced the sunroof, but their safety inspection had thrown up a few issues that needed urgent attention. This was the stuff related to the exhaust brackets, loose heat shield, and missing earth strap

It was too late to deal with them by the time I digested the info so I asked them to call me in the morning

First thing Thursday they phoned and we discussed the report - I approved the replacement of the missing and rusty brackets, and an "engine block test" for the coolant leak because they hadn't been able to spot anywhere where the coolant might be going. They said they'd have to order parts, so I wouldn't get the car back until Friday.

Friday afternoon they phoned to say that some of the parts hadn't arrived, so I wouldn't get the car back until Monday.

On Monday at about 4pm I called them for an update and was told that everything was done and they were just preparing the invoice, and they were about to call me once that was done. They said they'd email it to me and then call me back ASAP.

Monday 16:30 they called me to say they'd had a last minute disaster, they needed to order some replacement bolts that they were having a problem with, but not for the exhaust, for the sunroof. I was told that this was done on the previous Wednesday. Maybe the service manager inspected it and deemed it unacceptable. From the invoice it was the 4 bolts that attach the sunroof to the mechanism. Anyway, they said I would get the car back the next day.

Tuesday (yesterday) they called me in the morning to say it was all done, and I got the car delivered back to me around lunchtime.

They were unable to do a Hybrid Health Check because they said it had a stored code for a low 12v Battery, and they can't do a health check until it's been driven at least 500 miles since the codes are cleared. So I've got to go back at some point for that. They also didn't return the old sunroof but they assure me it's been kept in a secure place for me to pick up when I'm in for the health check. They did actually offer to get someone to drop it off at my house.

My plans with the sunroof are just to take detailed measurements to see if there would have been any possibility of fitting the rubber seal from one of the other Lexus models. Other than that, maybe I can get a few quid for it on eBay.

I took it for a ~40 mile drive yesterday evening and it's running well, and there didn't seem to be any drop in the coolant level. Obviously I'll keep an eye on it because 40 miles isn't all that far.

This weekend I'm driving to Glasgow and back so that will be a good test! I have a 5 litre bottle of coolant in the boot just in case. I'll probably do the best part of 750 miles from Friday to Sunday.

Jon Evans · November 15, 2023

On 11/12/2023 at 1:10 PM, Newbie777 said:

What year and mileage has your car done?

It's a 2008 model and it's done about 190k miles. The usage pattern isn't what you'd think though. More on this below.

When I was trying to work out what to buy, I made the deliberate choice to buy at the cheaper end of the market and not worry too much about the mileage as long as it wasn't galactic. My thinking was, why buy an old car for £15k with low miles, when due to its age I'll probably end up replacing most of the suspension anyway - I might as well spend less on the car if I'm going to do that anyway.

It's kind of a project car for me. As long as it looked like it was in good condition I thought it would be OK. I believe at the moment that is the case. The underneath of the car looks good and the interior is spotless. The sunroof was a bit of a surprise though, wish I'd tested that before I bought it.

Anyway, it was registered in May 2008. At its first MOT in 2011 it had done 140k miles. 2012: 156k.

After that it does less than 10k miles per year until 2018 when suddenly it does less than 300 miles between 2018 and 2021. The two MOTs after that show it doing about 1800 miles a year.

So, it's done loads of miles but it was back to the dealer for a service about every 2 or 3 months for the first 4 years.

My budgeting for the car involved selling my existing car, which so far I haven't done - so the big spending will have to stop for a while till I recoup some money from that!

I work from home so really it's a weekend car for travelling and sightseeing. During lockdown my wife and I came up with a project to have a weekend away in every city in the UK, and so far we've done about 25. None since getting the Lexus though.

Newbie777 · November 16, 2023

11 hours ago, Jon Evans said:

It's a 2008 model and it's done about 190k miles. The usage pattern isn't what you'd think though. More on this below.

When I was trying to work out what to buy, I made the deliberate choice to buy at the cheaper end of the market and not worry too much about the mileage as long as it wasn't galactic. My thinking was, why buy an old car for £15k with low miles, when due to its age I'll probably end up replacing most of the suspension anyway - I might as well spend less on the car if I'm going to do that anyway.

It's kind of a project car for me. As long as it looked like it was in good condition I thought it would be OK. I believe at the moment that is the case. The underneath of the car looks good and the interior is spotless. The sunroof was a bit of a surprise though, wish I'd tested that before I bought it.

Anyway, it was registered in May 2008. At its first MOT in 2011 it had done 140k miles. 2012: 156k.

After that it does less than 10k miles per year until 2018 when suddenly it does less than 300 miles between 2018 and 2021. The two MOTs after that show it doing about 1800 miles a year.

So, it's done loads of miles but it was back to the dealer for a service about every 2 or 3 months for the first 4 years.

My budgeting for the car involved selling my existing car, which so far I haven't done - so the big spending will have to stop for a while till I recoup some money from that!

I work from home so really it's a weekend car for travelling and sightseeing. During lockdown my wife and I came up with a project to have a weekend away in every city in the UK, and so far we've done about 25. None since getting the Lexus though.

Wow, congratulations very nice.

The Lexus is truly an engineering marvel and has stood the test of time.

All I can say is that we both have a smile when we sit or drive our cars and that is priceless!

Jon Evans · November 20, 2023

I did over 700 miles in the LS this weekend with no coolant loss. What a mystery. I assume there must have been an air lock previously? I'll keep an eye on it but it's a big weight off my mind.

John N · November 20, 2023

16 minutes ago, Jon Evans said:

I did over 700 miles in the LS this weekend with no coolant loss. What a mystery. I assume there must have been an air lock previously? I'll keep an eye on it but it's a big weight off my mind.

On the LS430 there is a problem when you replace the coolant. An air lock forms in the heater, and it can take a few runs to get the air out. You just have to keep topping it up when it cools down and the problem will disappear.