Wrong Diagnosis on Lexus LS400 Coach edition! CAR WIZARD saves a fan from being fleeced for 1000’s
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- Опубліковано 16 вер 2024
- A fan brings his limited Coach edition ‘97 Lexus LS400 to the CAR WIZARD 🧙♂️ after another shop tries to fleece him our of several thousand dollars. The CAR WIZARD gets to the real problem.
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21 thumbs down are owners of dealerships.
the shake might be more than the rotors
jeeps005 Nope. After resurfacing the rotors, shimmy is 100% gone.
Yes they are, good on you sir. Good and honest mechanics are hard to find these days. But then again, I can't blame the techs either because sometimes they're forced to go nuts on fixes to force the customer to buy a new car instead.
Tought the same hahaha
So true infinti dealer wanted to charge me like crazy on my g37 wheel bearings over 1000 dollars its the easy to do wheel bearing I did it my self for under 300!
You ever see a dealership today, they look like a palace. Gotta pay for that someway.
Bingo! that is exactly one of the reasons the repair costs are so high. I never take my Mercedes Metris to the dealer because a service B, costs 4 - 5 times more than the actual value including someone else's labour.
Agreed !
I used to have a orgasm just walking into the local Acura dealership.
Yes! I was in my local Cadillac dealer and they had massive glass folding doors and marble floors, looked like some kind of palace.
It is like walking into a casino and thinking it will be a fair outcome for you.
An LS400 is a car that you can drive the rest of your life, even when you buy it when 18 years old. Always worth to fix cars that are built with this quality.
This. Most of the Lexus cars are of this quality but especially the old LS and the 3GS430/460. Later ones likely but that takes time to prove ;)
Hell yea it is! They age like wine!
@@N4CR All Lexus cars are a beast, I'm still driving my 07 IS250 with 260k miles.
True however the V8 design on that Lexus is really expensive and hard to work on.
@@wooferjr169 Maybe if you're comparing it (internally) to some 'murican pushrod V8, but I have to disagree. The LS is one of the easiest V8's I've ever worked on. The ONLY truly inconvenient item is the starter underneath the intake manifold. But most Toyota (Denso) starters last 250 thousand miles or more anyway. ...And at that point it's probably due for a new intake manifold and valve cover gaskets anyway. lol
LOVE this gen of LS.. Such a timelessly handsome car.
As a technician, at a dealership this breaks my heart. I know a lot of great mechanics(old and new school), that works at dealerships. But unfortunately things like this, makes us look bad. I know there are alot of people in this business, that just wanna empty peoples wallet. But luckily not everyone.
Thanks for the video anyway, Wizard. And great work. :-)
I hate dealership mechanics. You're programmed to lie and fleece customers. You're worse than tax collectors and you're doomed to hell.
@@nbagoats4819 I resemble that remark, then again I don`t going around hating people I don`t know...
If you had any integrity you wouldn't be at a dealership.
@@Thundercats-HOOOOO Or he's building experience and getting certifications and tests done until he's a master and can start his own business or move onto a private shop
My favorite car repair story.... a lady came to my shop w/ a list from the dealership of over $1700 for a check engine light issue. I told her to go get lunch while I looked over her wheels. Immediately upon running the car and watching how PID's were graphing on my scan tool, I could tell that there was a huge draft of unmetered air coming into the engine. I started my visual inspection at the air cleaner box and continued my way towards the throttle body and intake. Well, didn't take me long.... the car had a MAF sensor and 2 bolts that held it to the intake tube. One of the bolts was missing. I replaced the bolt, sealed the tube well and monitored my graphs again. Perfect graphs, fuel trims normal. I called her from lunch to let her know I was done. She was completely speechless as she crossed the street. I literally had her car for 20 minutes, I told her to go ahead and drive home w/o me resetting the light- I was so confident that the issue was gone that I wanted the car to tell her. 15 mins after she left, she called me in excitement to let me know the light went out. I charged her less than 50 for my expertise and 20 minutes investment. Happy customer.
Where is your shop M ?
And, you'll have a customer for life.
@@danfaller1089 I am in central PA....although now my focus has shifted to mostly classics in the past 2 years. Repair, mechanical restoration, and some body/interior work. I have been at it now officially for about 16 years, but I've been wrenching since I was 9 years old, I'm now 38. I switched over to the classics mainly because it's one of my passions, plus classic car customers are less demanding time wise, and they know when to pay 🤣but I still keep my skills honed on the present day stuff as well.
Less than $50? Damn brother what's your minimum fee?
@@joemilton7552 at the time my hourly rate was $80 per hour. I spent 20 mins on the job.....so I charged her for 30 mins + tax.
Lexus dealership: heres your estimate, less than $6k!!!!
Owner: We're..............................off to see the Wizard! The wonderful wizard of not ripping us off.
Dave you want to hear something cool? My inlaws had a Lexus GS300 Presidente. Great car but the middle part of the exhaust broke. The Toyota dealer quoted them for 3500,- for an original part, they would have to wait 6 weeks for shipment from Japan. I went online and found that Megan Racing makes that part bespoke in stainless steel for around 730,- including shipping. The mechanic at Toyota was stunned and finally agreed to mount it. Completely nuts.
1nsanejochem
Another example of main dealers doing black box swaps.
Off to the weeeeeezzzziiiiiird it is then!
Because because becauuuuuuuuuse!!!!
the wonderful wizard of odds.
Legend has it Scotty Kilmer is still complaining about the starter placement on this engine.
It isnt the easiest to swap down in the V
Ya, in the valley, but in my experience, it's something you only change once on the life of a 1uz
@@commandtheline Agreed. I have a LS430 with the 3uz and I love it!
@@blakea216 Depends on how you perceive "easy". Go change the starter in some of the BMW v8's and then tell me how "hard" this one is to get to.
There was something strange about the fan being driven off the ps pump or something so it was quiet
Thank you for being an honest mechanic. Integrity is a rarity these days!
Moral of the story: never take an out-of-warranty car to the dealership, except as a last resort.
I had two dealership excursions with an out of warranty vehicle. First time they were super awesome, second time at a different place they literally quoted me for unbolting the quadrant of the car with the problem and replacing the whole thing.
And that goes for components not covered by the warranty (e.g. the power steering rack when the powertrain warranty is still under warranty).
@@shemwhitehead9517 yeah those are brutal. And even getting them to honor warranty fixes can be a pain: “yeah that horrible clunk when you put the vehicle in reverse is totally normal” until the day after the warranty expires then they admit it’s broke and ask for $5k
@@NicholasAndre1 Warranty: free for you, meanwhile the tech did your free job for less than minimum wage after straight time. Remember that.
hard to generalize. My GM car is 23 years old and I still take it to a GM dealership. Their prices are reasonable and i like the professionalism and ambience of a quality workshop and reception area.
I love this car! it was also my first car, my father gave it to me after he owned it for more than 10 years
he bought the 93 LS400 brand new and it stayed with my family for so long until my last drive in 2015.. I got T-boned by a teenage joyriding with his friends in a chevy pickup truck. I was so attached to that Lexus very awesome car and insanely reliable and very comfy car I do want to buy another LS400 one day.
I had a 94' White w/ gold package, i miss that car.
Sorry for the loss.
Shame it got written off these cars can last for decades!
my dad used to have one but my cousin spilled their drinks and ruined the electronics
I had a 2000 GS-400 purchased new. It was the best car I ever owned. Fast, smooth, and reliable. The only thing that broke was the Nakamichi head unit which was replaced for free a couple of years after the warranty had expired. (I had a great dealer) I drove it for 10 years putting over 200k on the odometer. I gave it to my nephew and it still going strong. Thankfully, he takes great care of it..
Years ago I knew a guy who's father owned the largest AMC dealership in North America. The son used to take me and my friends out in brand new Jeep Grand Wagoneer's we would go off road in them really have fun in them for about six months. The odometer was disconnected and all they did was clean it up and sell it as a brand new auto . He also told me that his father paid big bonuses to the mechanic that sold the most unneeded parts . Later my brother worked for a dealership and the same deal was going on. He was fired because a widow that had not even buried her husband brought the car into the shop for a check up . The so called service advisers told her the car needed a brake system from front to back and that she would not even be able to leave with the car as it was unsafe to drive. My brother had just adjusted the brakes because the auto adjuster was stuck . He said it took one tap with a hammer to do that and the brakes were fine. The poor woman was in tears as she just had to fork out thousands to the funeral home to do the funeral and then was told the car also needed thousands of dollars worth of work . That is when my brother just spoke up and told he no your bill should be for one hour of labour the minimum that shop charged. So the woman paid that and my brother was fired. He got another job as a mechanic but he says where he works now he refuses to do such tricks on people and the place is doing a roaring amount of work . Kind of like your place only he does not get the fancy cars. Honesty pays off !
Good for your Brother-- that kind of thing will come back to you in life---- I couldn't life with myself to rip people off like that-- but ive had it done to me when I was younger, just didn't say anything--- God Bless
Honesty is the best policy.
I hate when my sister takes her car to the shop, they did the same trick and told her she couldn't leave because the car was unsafe. She ended up paying over $2500 when she went in to get her tires balanced. I wish I was there because there wouldn't be a building left.
Confucious say:, do good work, chharge fair price and people will beat a well worn path to your door.
Integrity first, and service before self, excellence in all you do. I hope your brother is prospering.
This kind of stuff really irks me, I work at a Toyota dealership, and I would never try to rip off a customer, I treat their car as if it were my own, but not only that, my dealership uses video inspections, instead of paper inspections, so the customer can actually SEE what's wrong with their car, so it's alot harder for scam artists at my dealership to get away with stuff, it's the way I was taught, an honest mechanic will always bring in more business than a lying mechanic.
Not going to talk down about your dealership but who's to say the video inspections are not just a magic trick just to make customers feel like they aren't hiding anything? A lot of custoemrs don't know what looks good what doesn't, the tech could just be talking out his ass and scaring the clueless customer "yah these brake pads are dangerous only half inch left!" there's a $500 brake job sold
@@cll1out were supposed to tell everything, like we only recommend brakes if the pads are below 3mm, my dealership likes to be honest with their customers and keep the good reputation they've had
Mr Wizard, you are that rare find: an honest, compassionate man. Bravo.
The greatest luxury car ever made
If it wasn't the greatest, it was right up there. If you look at it from the "most bang for the buck" perspective, it probably was. That was the kind of car I wanted. The newer Lexuses look more like UFOs than refined/near-luxury vehicles.
@xelle wyble I think my prior 91' 560 SEL is the best luxury car ever made!
LS400:
Sounds like an American muscle car, luxurious like a Mercedes, reliable like every other Toyota
@@JBM425 I think the Legend was also a fine example of a great bang for the buck automobile.
also the most boring.
Biggest scam running from dealers are cabin air filters. $60-100 for something that costs $10-20 and is installed in less than a minute after pulling your glovebox off.
They told me I couldn’t get one anywhere but from them. $80 installed. I found a Wix for $20
If you can open a bottle of beer yourself, it's $1.10.
If, for any reason you need to rely on someone else opening it for you, it costs $5.00.
😁😁 Just sayin'
I didn’t even know it had one. It’s not in the owners manual.
Tell me about it. I bought a Honda Civic new in 2005 and it came with free state inspection and 2 free oil changes. When I took the car in they told me that it was time for me to change my air filter. $115.00 dollars. I told him it had a new air filter and he came back to me and said oh I meant the cabin air filter. I went across the street to Advance and got 1 for I think 15 bucks. I feel sorry for the sheep that walk in the door without a clue.
deadend No shit I had a caliper sieze up and limped into Discount Tire. 4 hours and over $200 for one caliper and hose, using the same pads and rotor. On a Chevy.
I have been a dealership service advisor for 20 years. Some would say I’m part of the problem. Maybe, maybe not.
You and the Mrs. are both right. Dealership’s are all about get them in and out quickly. Old cars slow the process down quite a bit. Parts are hard to get, stuff breaks as you take it apart, etc.
Dealers are also all about selling the next car be it new or used.
Plus, add in that the advisor or tech may have just come out of a meeting where they were told they needed to get their customer pay sales numbers up and you have a recipe for deception.
I worked at a Cadillac dealer at the height of the Northstar failure days. Some months I would make as much in spifs for turning service customers into new car customers as I did in writing service. Admittedly, Those folks didn’t have much choice as the cars truly were done when the gaskets failed and/or engines started consuming oil at a great rate.
There is nothing I hate more than honestly, legitimately totalling a car with a repair bill. It just adds fuel to the fire of our throw away society and sinks folks further into debt. I’m all for making money and selling a big ticket IS rewarding, but Out and out lying about what is broken to pad the bill is unforgivable. It gives the entire repair industry a bad name. Shame on that dealer. Karma, however, is a bitch. Word gets around. You will not survive long term as a dealer or even as a service advisor if dishonesty is your
M. O. I guess the moral of the story is get to know your service person and shop. If they treat you right, reward them with loyalty. Thank you for another great video, Wizard.
And if they treated u badly , spend the rest if your life badmouthing them online and to everyone you know. I owned a deathstar caddy and have gotten my revenge many times over for having owned that rolling dumpster fire
That is exactly why dealers suck. $$$.
Thank you for your honesty.
One thing I’ve learnt about service staff at dealerships is that they are not skilled. No skilled mechanic works at a dealership. Dealership sells cars.
Beware of anyone who uses the word, "spif".
When you find a good honest mechanic, you stick with them, regardless of the distance you need to travel to use them. I was lucky, my mechanic moved closer to me
i had one. cept he moved to ohio from tn. i couldnt follow i was sad lol :"(
I really like the way this mechanic talks and explain things, I wish he live near me so I can take my cars to his shop. Congrats I’ll keep supporting your channel.. 👌
Consumers really appreciate mechanics like you that are honest and through when working on our vehicles. Thanks for what you do!!
I had a dealer quote me $750 to do front pads and rotors on a 2000 Honda Accord. I said no thanks, and that's when I learned how to do my own brakes.
Good for you. Brakes are a piece of cake and where the big DIY savings are if you have a reliable car.
Here’s a tip, just replace rotors, don’t bother with resurfacing.
@@kftc1980 the dealer quoted OEM parts and that the rotors had worn down to below spec if they were to resurface. I got the parts off ebay and did the install. Hardest part was having to drill out the set screws in the rotors.
Greens and Machines be careful with eBay parts, stay away from the no name stuff. Rock auto is a good source for brake parts. Another tip, for the rotor screws. Get a hand impact tool, that helps remove them in most cases, after you hit them with penetrating lube.
@@kftc1980 I tried the hand impact and it didn't work. I sold that car several months back so no more worrying about it.
Exactly the same thing happened to me with my 85 towncar same price too 750
This is why I call them "stealerships." The second you enter the door they have a single mission to part you from your money.
Used to run a Lexus dealership, I used to run them as demonstrators. Had LS400/430's
probably about 8 of them, great car and better than a Merc of that era.
The Wizard, in contrast, implied that the LS400 engine wasn't quite up to par with the comparable Mercedes V8 motor from the same era.
@@tony64t i believe the benz was faster, and slightly higher quality obviously, but the Lexus was waayyy more reliable... cheaper to fix as well for the most part...
Yes the 5.0L M120 engine was awesome and legendary with racing heritage. However, the 1uz is legendary in its own regards. Reliability and smoothness from being timing belt driven.
@@bennybop5387 at the time i'd agree, but today i think the lexus engines and toyota engines are pretty similar in cost of repairs. also the 80s/90s mercedes gas engines are super reliable!
@@tony64t Yea, that one bothered me. You can't afford to own a Mercedes from that era...as Hoovie shows us on a weekly basis...they're endless money pits. Where as the Lexus is an insanely well built and reliable machine.
Man, I wish you were out here in Texas. It’s getting more and more difficult to find mechanics like you. Hell, it’s difficult to find people like you, period. Knowledgeable, well trained, honest, hard working people who are capable of relaying meaningful information and recommendations to people in easily understandable ways. Guys like that seem to be pretty few and far between. Not just in the realm of auto repair - in all kinds of service-based positions.
Thank you for sharing your vast wealth of knowledge and information with all of us.
And anyone who plans to join any kind of service-based field, I would highly recommend taking notes and following the Wizard’s example as closely as you can.
"I'm not trying to be He-man with it" lol. I love how chill the wizard is.
yes .. lol very chill
I'm not surprised by that estimate at all. Stealership wanted to rip his head off on a new car and get a cream puff trade for next to nothing. Stealership sees that as a win win. The sad thing is the number of people who fall for it daily. Keep up the good work Wizard!
I once took my Merc into the dealer for service. The estimate came back. I was told I needed a new Merc. Not today I’m going to drive 1500 miles to see the Wizard. 😃
Tu Ho good luck ! 🍀
Hahaha love that. I'm always looking for an excuse for a road trip, driving is how I relax!
A person truly must own an LS400 to appreciate it. I have a 93 and yes had to fix a leaking ps pump. It was a tough fix, poured in 2 oz of AT-205 Reseal and no more leak. I’m about to drive it on a 1400 mile road trip to Ok from TN. Best car I have ever had the pleasure of owning.
how is adding 2 oz of stop leak and refilling your system a tough fix?
moviingparts I guess sarcasm doesn’t translate through the written word sometimes.
Hey Car Wizard - you are a gem of an honest mechanic. I can see why people travel a long way to have you work on their cars. I would!! Thanks for your honesty.
Car Wizard is spot-on with one added note: Background: I worked as a tech at Cadillac1993 and then Lexus 10 yrs later, 2003. The Svc Advisors (SA) called these early-model customer estimates, “Price-them-out-of-the-shop,” estimates. Warranty work, LOFs, brakes, etc, are easy and gravy for the shop not just the tech. The addition I mention is that the propensity for breaking something, (especially old and brittle plastic parts and connectors), increases on these older models and the dealership didn’t want that risk/liability and the possibility of killing a bay while it sits for parts while missing out on high-turnover “gravy.” Sad, but these are the facts at the two dealerships with whom I was employed. We really enjoy the information you provide, your insight, your honesty, your level-headedness, and the work/time you put into these videos; thank you, Sir!
I had a 96 LS400 and it was extremely reliable. I had that power steering pump leak also. Sold it at 200K. Used a box of tissues when I got rid of it.
Sir Sweetness I have one right now and have the same issue love this car I use it for all my long run
I had a 96 LS400 dark metallic blue I got with 165k miles that I bought in 2006 for £2500 pounds in the UK , it had just had a recon power steering pump fitted just before I bought it , I had the car for 6 six years and had no problems with in all the time I had it , I did get new 18 inch 12 spoke shiny chrome alloys for it with 245/45/18 tyres within a week of buying it , which made the car look much better because I thought the lexus ones looked drab .
I had a 1999 LS400 for 3.5 yrs. Sold it with 202k miles on it. Damn car just refused to break down.
I swear I cried like a bitch when that man drove away in my car. Had to stay outside for a while before going back in the house lol
Johnny B lol am never getting rid of mines the engine have to blow up lol
Will last forever! I have an 01 LS430 that'll be hitting 300k in the next couple months!
I've had a few instances where I've taken a car to a dealership for repair. I know the head manager at the one. Anyways, I had a Mercedes S320 in for a wheel alignment, and I get a call from the service advisor that there was a problem. Cant remember what it was. But they wanted $450 to fix it before doing the wheel alignment. I said that I'd be down in 20 min to have a look at it, have the car on the hoist for me to see.
All of a sudden, it was oh, oh, let me talk to the mechanic again. I'll call you back.
Got called back. Apparently, the mechanic had another look at it, and it wasn't as bad as previously thought, and it didn't need to be done just yet. They can just do a wheel alignment.
So, about 2 hours later, I got a call that the car was aligned, come and get it. So, I drive down, and I go into the dealership manager's office. Sit down and shoot some shit with him, then mention about the parts, and asked if he could have the mechanic put the car up on the lift, and point out what he thought was wrong, and that way, I could keep an eye on it. Manager said that that was a good idea. So, he had the mechanic drive that car up onto the free lift, get it into the air, and point out the 'failing parts'.
Well, the mechanic was really white as in all color drained from his face. He pointed to parts that I had replaced a day or 2 earlier, and said that because they were shiny, they were wearing. I think it was ball joints or something. I turned to the manager and said that I just replaced those a few days ago, that's why I had it in for a wheel alignment.
I don't know what happened, but I think they must have something entered into my file, because they've really accommodated me since, and haven't played around, and the couple of times I've had a car in since, they've always asked me if I wanted to come look before doing the repairs. I always have gone to look. Even if it is just to learn.
ive always put a mark on replaced parts, this way i know if its been flucked with.
So you replace your own tie rod ends, then take it to a dealer for an alignment?
@@Cheepchipsable yes. I replaced them in a friend's shop that was 2 miles from the dealer.
@@Cheepchipsable I replaced my own struts and took it to a local tire shop for an alignment. I was very happy and impressed when they told me it didn't need one. It takes some honesty to tell a customer they don't need a service they come in asking for.
Thank you! I'm glad we have another Scotty Kilmer!!!! Thanks for spilling the beans on these crooked mechanics and dealerships! Keep it up! Kudos! Love your shows!
If you drive older vehicle the best thing you can do (other than learning how to do your own vehicle maintenance, is to find yourself a good and honest auto mechanic! I love your channel. You are very good and honest. I wish there were more like you down here in the Dallas/ Fort Worth, TX metroplex
Who ever stated your expensive never been to a shop lately. I was quoted almost 3k for brakes alone. When the parts where no more 300 dollars.
That just means there bigger thieves?
And the brakes on a LS400, LS430 or LS460 are very, very easy to do... I've owned all 3 and I am not a car repair expert but, they are really easy.
This was for a Mercedes GLK...
Funny thing is the parts where a 300 AT THE DEALER. the labor for this was just not worth it.
@@John-Anderson
Depends on what you call thieves. But your not going find a proper shop willing to swap out an engine for 50 dollars, or anything like that. But a proper shop is going to charge a proper rate that covers the overhead, fees and etc.
Recently acquired a 95 model with less than 100k miles. Hopefully it'll last over 300k with basic maintenance. I've become a Toyota convert over the years.
U been watching scotty kilmer ain't you?
I almost bought a 2000 LS400 with 95K original owner. Scotty said to stay away from the V8s, so bought 2012 Avalon Ltd with 95K highway miles.
@@robertweber3140 scotty dont know shit if he's calling the 1UZFE a bad motor.
Scotty Kilmer is a hack anything that isn't an econobox 4 cylinder 90's toyota is bad according to him.
@@lieutenantdan8170 I agree. Also if you've been around the car block like me youd know scotty's celica has had that same amount of miles since he started his channel like 10 years ago. It's just a prop
And heres the reason I have said for years and years why I NEVER take my truck to a dealer for ANY service...period. Mr Wizard u are truly a credit to your profession.
only warranty and safety bulletins. thats it.
Same problem at dealers here in South Carolina! Best to find a mechanic like you or me. Great work. Fair price.
As a professional automotive technician this makes me sad. I cut my teeth working at a GM dealership as a Cadillac, Corvette certified technician. All of my colleagues prided ourselves on quick and accurate diagnosis and precise efficient repairs. We had people still getting all their repairs done on even the 10 to 15 year old econo boxes and there was trust. 99% of the time you could have a highly qualified Red Seal GM Grand Master Technician diagnosing and repairing your car for 20% to 50% less cost than taking it to the local garage or the big national repair chains like Canadian Tire. How things have changed since I moved on to being an educator for apprentice technicians working towards their Red Seal Certifications. I cannot count anymore the plethora of friends, family and friends of friends who take their vehicles to me and pay me to have a look-see after getting a bone headed repair estimate to find that i can usually get them fixed up for a few dollars of parts and labour to rectify their initial concern. These vehicular rapists are a scurge, but their dishonesty is my gain as i dabble a bit on the side still like i previously explained; and that dishonesty has given me lots of pocket cash from being one of the few honest technicians left in my town. There's a few still honest guys in my town with small repair shops and I usually try to get people to go to them first but their reasonable rates, quality techs and honesty has them with over 4 weeks of back logs of work on the books at any given moment. So i pick and choose my work and take up some of the slack and make good side money doing it. my fote was drivability and electrical/electronic diagnosis and have had people drive over 500kms to come to see me with their insane quote in hand. I recently had a guy come to me witnh his 2017 Chevrolet High Country with SRS malfunction indicators illuminated. His quote was beyond belief.. It was diagnosed at a GM dealer and he was told he needed all new front discriminating sensors, a passenger presence module and a new SDM. It was explained to him that there was a short to ground and they were all destroyed/fryed. Long story short an open circuit in the data comms line was found by myself.. a bit of solder, some heat shrink tubing and approx 2.5 hours labour for diagnostics and fault tracing and repairs and he was back on his way home with thousands of dollars still in his wallet. This same truck also was quoted $1950 for the front active shutter module being defective causing his MIL to be illuminated and deactivating his remote start. He was told it required replacement, reprogramming and calibrating.. SMH.. if anyone knows these are $300 and are plug and play and can be installed in less than 10 minutes. I verified the DTC's and yup active shutter system fault, performed a visual inspection and found two dead birds jammed in the shutters.. Popped the grill off, cleaned out the debris, road tested and voila fixed for 15 minutes labour and diagnostic time.
gmctech - hopefully your local dealerships keeps up with their business model so that you can continue to benefit. This is a reason I've learned to DIY my own car repairs and make sure my kids watch so they don't become poor once they buy their own cars.
Saddens me cuz I work at a dealership and I try to be honest and only recommend actual repairs but sadly there’s bad techs
See it in the heavy equipment industry as well. Local cat dealers actually pay tech a parts commission...makes crooks, liars, and thieves out of all of them.
It's unfortunate. Good, honest shops and dealerships do exist, unfortunately for every good one there are about 3 bad ones.
It’s not just techs. It’s a the service writers of dealerships trying to or forcing their techs to up sell useless services
I’ve never thought your prices were too high! I always thought that Tyler bought crappy cars!
vintagehaynesflute
They're high if you're a DIYer. A seal kit for that pump is $17. A remanufactured pump is $100. Install is straightforward. Front rotors/pads are about $100 and very easy to install. Basically, if you have a weekend, a garage and are able bodied you'd pocket a grand.
Honest dealer services / mechanics are rare these days. Dealerships need to pay the electric bills and porters. But they don’t need to be crooks. Knowing an honest independent mechanic will even make a MB, RR, or even a BMW feel like a clean running 2012 Camry with 250K. 😉👍
Pube83 no shit its cheaper to do it yourself 😂 its cheaper to do anything yourself 90% of the time.
@@Pube83 Very true, but what you've said can be applied to almost any profession anywhere. Certified labour from a professional is always more than having it done by "some dude in the hood", and I guess you've just got to hope the guy you use knows his stuff and does it all as it should be done.
If a dealer/garage fucks up you have a bill to prove they did it, if you DIY it you do not. So I'd say it depends on what you're fixing, and the value of it, and whether you can afford to lose it.
Cole Harper
Thanks captain obvious 👍
This is why I NEVER take my cars to the Stealership. Always have your family or word of mouth trusty independent mechanic
Absolutely RIGHT.
A lot of independent mechanics in Richmond, VA are rip offs.🙄
Well that’s usually true it’s no guarantee.
I only use stealership on the warranty, and only for the service needed for the warranty.
I got "check engine" a week after the warranty expired on a diesel car, went to the dealership - damaged turbine, $1000 for the parts alone. But apart from the "check engine" light the car was working ok, so I knew right away they're wrong. Went to the independent workshop - DPF sensor, $150 with labor included... Riiiiiiiight...
Better be careful for what you say a-lot of independent shops are shady and will purposefully mess up your car to comeback not by choice. Wizard is right about dealerships quoting something ridiculous to get you out of the shop.
I own a 96 LS400 I picked up for 65 dollars. It was a car at my last job that I did diag work on. I paid the tow bill and got the car. Picked up a reman pcm on Ebay for 170 bucks and it's been my daily driver for a year now. So well built and comfortable. Thanks for looking out and keeping another LS400 going.
What? $65? So assuming you put new tires on it, for about $600 you got a luxury sedan! So how's the non-essentials (paint, upholstery, etc.)?
@@RogueReplicant I spent 180 bucks on two tires, 160 on the alternator, 170 on the pcm, and 40 on sway bar end links. The body and paint are almost perfect. Everything works. I love this car. It is the most comfortable car I have ever owned.
Also, I owned a 91 model I paid $300 for due to a loose terminal on battery. I told the person about it and was thankful how honest I was and let me still have it for $300. Car had the 4.0 liter and lsd rear. Was a fun lil car with lovely gauges and nice leather interior. Rode well and had decent power. Sold it to someone for $1500 and still see that car being driven to this day. That was over 10 yrs ago!
Paying a good mechanic to do a job is worth every penny.
Any time I've been to a "cheap" mechanic the bill has always mysteriously inflated to the cost of the "expensive" shop anyway, so I've never felt that I'm spending too much with my local father-and-son garage.
Who in their right mind would take a 22 year old car to a dealership.
Well first off they are not in their right mind if they took it to a dealership now are they.
Original owners tend to do that. Mostly boomers, and yes most of them tend to splurge on their car that only gets driven 4k miles a year.
Only to be passed down to un grateful grand children.
Lol.
People still believe in the notion of trust in the world.
They haven't realised that the money men have taken over anywhere that a fast buck is available.
They target companies that people trust.
I love bringing my 2002 Civic in for a dealership oil change so I can laugh at them trying to sell me parts I've replaced. The mechanic told me I needed a new timing belt. There is a new Timing belt sticker under the hood. Either he is blind or thinks I'm stupid.
@@DanaTheInsane I once took a car in only to be told that the front brake pads are over 50% worn. The man went red when I told him I fitted new pads 48 hours before.
Close to a Mercedes? I think this car destroyed them.
MiGujack3 I assume he means in terms of luxury and performance, not reliability.
Sure. Lexus is fairly new in Europe. Germans have a mighty grip outside N.A. Volkswagen is the largest automaker in the world by a narrow margin, even managed to increase its sales while diesel-gate was peak bell curve
@@rosen9425 Who cares about that? I was talking about this model in particular. This thing was better built than the whole BMW and Mercedes lineups at the time it was also cheaper while offering the same features, it was the perfect car to start a brand. Now Lexus is kinda awful with the edgy designs and hybrid bs, which is a shame.
@@MiGujack3
An unknown vehicle that affected Mercedes and BMW absolutely nothing. It wasn't even sold everywhere.
Sorry bro I'd still choose a w123, w124 or a w126 over the Lexi. Especially if they're diesel.
This was a great video! It is so nice to see there are still honest mechanics out there. Thank you, keep up the good work.
Thank you for your care and honesty. I worked for two dealerships between 1993 - 1996. I personally witnessed absolute butchery in the service departments. Those mechanics were miserable, they didn’t care about the quality of workmanship, and they butchered every car they touched. I thought about entering the apprentice program, but after working in that environment, I quit and entered a different industry.
Yup. NEVER go to a dealer for anything.
I've only taken cars to the dealer for recall services... even then, they're trying to steer you into trading the car in and buying a new one.
took my mothers Subaru into a dealership for recall work, they did the recall work then told her she needed a new head gasket and three or four other things, drove it to her mechanic, he replaced the belt. Subaru Palm Springs.
Yes they do a bullshit recall for some loose bolt when their math says 90% of the cars are no longer “upside down” and you owe about the actual cash value. Then they apply the standard discount to your trade and you think you got a deal
I worked for a Toyota dealer and left that one cause they had that practice that the customer with the Lexus had, they wanted you to screw over the customer and sell whatever to make a profit well I left and work for another Toyota dealer that doesn’t play that game and treats their customers fairly. We’ve had 3 people fired at my new place for trying that and they don’t play around and cause of the honesty we have a large amount of customers. Needless to say for the people going off in stealerships it isn’t the problem with the dealer it’s how it’s run that’s what I’ve learned from being in one dealer to the other.
Everybody knows new car dealerships make their real money from repairs and used vehicle sales.
Patrick Boyd that’s true but also depends on their customer satisfaction to that’s why I went from one dealer to another
No doubt every individual business is run differently. It all depends on the prioritized goal of the owner and managers. If they just want to make short term money, they push sales of goods and services above all else. Some dealers regularly force techs ("we have no more rental cars ... the customer needs their car today or tomorrow morning on your day off") to work "unofficial" overtime with no lunch breaks to make their 40 hour/week paycheck. That being said, most techs are fairly honest that I've met. It's just that parts/services for modern cars get more and more complicated and costly and so customers are often ignorant of this fact that transmissions no longer have dipsticks and to adjust fluid levels, requires special tools and having the trans fluid cool down to certain temps which takes time in the summer and that one fender bender requires a lengthy readjustment of their blind spot warning sensors.
peachees exactly what you said my dealer won’t rush us and even gives out rentals as a result I have three major jobs tomorrow thanks to how they run things and don’t remind me of blind spot monitors those things are always fun to play with
When the head of the service department is corrupt, that will happen. Some dealerships are transparent to customers. Some dealerships when they have wrong diagnosis and proceeded the repair thats when the charges pile up.
Wizard - big fan and love these videos. My only gripe would be stop addressing the armchair mechanics/critics. You know your trade, you're successful in what you do, and you're entertaining. Let the haters stay triggered in the comments.
The world needs more Auto mechanic shop owners like Car Wizard
Your work is amazing. Your explanations are clear, concise, and helpful. I have a 2000 Avalon. I took it to the dealer for wheel alignment. When I got the car back, it had a recommended maintenance list of about 3500. They said my shocks were dangerously in need of replacement as they were the original set. They were not. I had just installed them a year before, and that was third set. So if you ask a dealership what your car needs, they will tell you-everything.
3rd set for a 2000 seems like a lot. Still have the originals on my '98 LS400 and they are fine.
I had a '91 Lexus LS400, about 10 years ago, Loved that car, SOLID! Had a small Power Steering leak. I purposely left it that way (I'm a Advanced Diesel Mechanic in the Marine Corps, i could of fixed it). 2 years passed, my younger brother turned 18, i gave him the car (had already bought another, 4 cylinder car, longer commute) and told him about the leak, an opportunity to get his hands dirty, to learn to turn some wrenches. He drives it for awhile, no problems, loves it too. He takes it to the a mechanic (Local, not dealer) and he tells him that he needs to replace the rack, problems with the brakes, tune up (Which i did before giving him the car, including timing belt, water pump, etc). So a lot of $$$. More than he has, so he and my mom go to CarMax and get a used Saturn. Needless to say, when he called me, he got an ear full. Another thing, so lets say a $5K repair bill or a used $15K car, now stuck with car payments and higher insurance bill with mandatory full coverage !$?!$?!$? Still would of been cheaper to fix and had a nicer car
That’s one of the best cars ever made. I have the 2000 Platinum Series. Very happy with it for only $1500.
Nowukkas brah just hit 193,000.
I had an 04 LS 430 ultra luxury package. Smoothest car i ever owened.
My 2004 just crossed 327,000 miles. Love it.
At 3:30 idk what it is but the wizard looks like an angry cartoon character 🤣
The lighting does make it look like that a little bit
He does kinda lol
I thought the same thing, it's a little scary lol
I got the same treatment with my 1994 ES300 hat has 130K miles on it. In good shape but occasionally has a ten minute period where my bank1 has random misfires. They kept my car for a week, didn't move it and quoted me $4000 for a head replacement. It has no signs of a bad head or HG. I think they just shotgunned it because they don't like messing with older cars. Thanks for your videos and honest hard work! Keep them coming...especially your Chevy-Rolls truck!
They're known as "Stealers" for a reason.
He’s right. The dealers will try and get you, especially on older cars. I bought a 1993 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight last year, knowing it needed a couple things. I took it to the local Chevrolet dealer (formerly Chevy-Olds), and had them check everything. On a $1400 car, they came back with a $4600 repair bill. I told a coworker about it, and he referred me to the small, independent shop he used for a second opinion. Not only did they tell me it didn’t need half the things the dealer said it did, but they could do the work it did need cheaper, and the tech was used to working on older GM cars, so he was more knowledgeable about my car in general. They also located an actual issue that the dealer missed (broken vacuum line) and they fixed it for free. It’s now the only place I’ll take my older cars.
Those Oldsmobiles are awesome cars! I love the Ninety Eights!
Me too! I have two Ninety Eights abs and Eighty Eight
Yes the 98 has onboard diagnostics like the Cadillac. Push temp up and down at the same time and read codes on the HVAC display. You can get a 255 MPH speedometer if you keep messing with it
I've had the same experiences with a toyota dealership. When they'd give me the big quote for who knows what, I'd just say thanks, just fix what I brought it in for.
I took my wife Toyota Rav 4 back to the dealership to repair something that was under the warranty, after their close inspiration they discover it needed other things repair also to the tune of $200.00 dollars i said just fix what's under warranty and get me out of here before i ask for your manger..
Before, I took my scion iM in the dealership for the first oil change. They try push me to get the $200(canadian $) service package. Which includes many non sense 50points inspection, visually inspect exhaust system, audio inspect valve clearance....... And if I don't do it and just did the $45 oil change, I may loose my warranty of the new car. No joke, they treat ppl like fool
@@bensonc627 For your first oil change? Wow. That's on a whole new level of stupid.
@@darthdarthbinkss yes, no kidding, it's Tony Graham Toyota in Ottawa, Canada. I eventually ask the services adviser to print out which warranty I will lost if I just do oil change. He gave me the dxxk face no one could forget.
Too bad I throw awaythat service package print out and couldn't show you guys here for big laugh. And since then, I rather took my car to a Indy shop for service.
That thumbnail though! I really thought *the car's FAN was almost fleeced, and I thought what the heck does a radiator fan have to do with sheep's wool?*
I think this is awesome, this guy is a fan who was just tryn 2 get an honest 2nd opinion and here his car is in a video. This is what its all about youre a great guy dave!
Thanks, Car Wizard. This video should be labeled as a public service announcement to warn folks about blindly following what a dealer shop tells you. Always, always be careful in trusting what those guys are telling you about what your vehicle "needs." The real need is their bottom line and how much they can pad it with stupidly inflated repair estimates.
Chevy dealer wanted $950 bucks to replace a distributor on my 03' Astro. Ihad the doghouse and the passenger out before they got it. I had it towed home and did it myself for a fraction in 45 minutes. Wizard, one of most obvious reasons for the dealers treachery is the fact of their high overhead costs. Glad you mentioned the mileage.Please ,do that always. Most important investigation tool,observation. thumbs up
johnmichael karma why did you take it to the dealership when you fixed it in 45 mins and had already started on it?
Yes! Finally an LS. I hope to see an LS430 someday!
Agree. Then an LS460.
I wonder if Wizard will ever touch the fact that LS400 uses timing belt. At 140K, it feels like the belt is due for replacement if it hasn't been replaced yet.
The high quality of the 430 might be why they are seen so little on these repair videos. Only seen Hoovie with the ES300.
LS400 yes, always liked that car.
Good taste.
Amazing quality, V8 power, 30mpg on the highway. Nothing more needs to be said.
I’m about to buy a 95 with 300k miles for $700. Runs strong 👌🏽
You're absolutely right. They didn't want to work on it. I've worked at dealerships, and independent shops. Dealership overhead costs are too high, and they can't afford to have collateral damage on older cars when they disassemble and reassemble - when they do a simple job like a power steering pump, if they have to absorb the cost of any OEM parts they break on the way in or out, they lose all their profit, or immediately start hemorrhaging cash on the job.
I think the dealer would have taken the money for the "new rack" and left the old one alone.
Those Shyster Bunko Artists most likely would 🤦🏻♂️
dealership techs arent actually that smart, all they know how to do is replace shit, not actually troubleshoot. The good dealership techs will start their own place.
ForTehNguyen This is 100% truth.
LOL. where does this leave me? a really good dealer tech but too dumb to start my own shop. LOL
they are paid to replace stuff, not troubleshoot, dealerships want you to buy new, that's why repair costs are intentionally high.
@@UhOhUmm under warranty that's kinda true. We pretend to fix cars, the manufacturer pretends to pay us... But customer pay repairs, we absolutely have to diag the problem correctly. In fact if this customer were to take his misdiagnosis back to the service manager they would probably like to know they have an incompetent tech. And if they don't care, just don't do business there anymore ;-)
It's the same every dealer today, they are not paid to fix things, they follow a manual (from corporate) to troubleshoot and replace parts, not fix them. It's the modern age..
Nice example of a LS400, it's been very well taken care of. And I agree with you, the dealer didnt want to work on that car. Look foward to your next video! 😁
They win either way: Either the sucker has it repaired there or the sucker buys another car from them.
@@wholeNwon Lol but they don't because he took it to the Wizard.
Beautiful Car, I love those LS 400’s!!! It really sucks that dealerships do this. Everyone needs a Car Wizard as their mechanic.
Great video as always, thanks. I appreciate how you address spite and ignorance from the desktop expert mechanics in the comments in a calm and factual way, it is an admirable trait. All the best to you.
Nice car and good on you for being honest. I recently had my older BMW In a local shop that had done very well by me. New young mechanic this last trip and poor quality work as he left out and lost parts and mis-assembled the strut mounts causing clunking and binding in the steering. I took the front end apart and found their shoddy work (should have done the work myself but busy with work). The owner of the shop asserts they did nothing wrong even with photos of what I found versus correct assembly. I did not ask for a refund or get angry, they just lost a few customers. Wish there was an all makes shop here that was trustworthy...
Cheers!
Would love to have an older LS 400 those were awesome cars. It's a keeper that you can drive all day.
Got one from 1992. Have had it over 25 years. I would never change...
I am so amazed to see that the shocks for the hood is still working.
My shocks in the hood of my 2001 LEXUS es300 don't work anymore:/
When I bought my used 97 LS400 the front struts were blown, and I made the dealership salesman hold up the hood while I inspected the engine. I wondered to him how much replacement new Lexus hydraulic struts would cost and was going to pass on the car. He took $1000 off the price and so I bought it ! (RockAuto struts were under $45, and that was 10 years ago, and they are still working.)
Thank you Mr. Car Wizard. You’re wonderful. There’s someone else like you. I appreciate the calm and thoughtful way you handle everything you deal with. How do I find a good mechanic who has integrity?
There should be a " Car wizard " in every state and county. What I like about him is his passion for what he does. He's not trying to wow people with gimmicks or anything, he's just passionate about what he does.
Great video Wizard. I haven't watched any from you in ages. The way you talk to the camera has come a long way and you're really relaxing to listen to. Will watch more from you from now on. Thanks.
good man Wizard! Hope your business thrives, you deserve it. great show!
Great video! Stories like this are why I learn how to work on my own cars unless I absolutely can't do something myself.
Me too.
Honest Mechanic! Can’t work for Free! Fair prices to pay for his labor and overhead ! Thanks Wizard! You Rock!
I went to Mexico one year for spring break in my 92 Toyota Corolla from Arizona. About 1 hour from the border of USA all the oil spilled out onto the windshield. I drove it bone dry of oil to a gas station on USA soil and filled it up and kept it moving. Drove that car for 3 more years with no problems. Wizard is right. Toyota is the best.
I wish we had honest and good mechanics like you here in Kuwait
We need more honest mechanics like you!!
Thumbs up to Mrs. Wizard, a "trade in estimate", my first thought
Dealerships use special software to track people coming in for service, they gather all kinds of data on the customer such as the age of their vehicle, type of work being done, contact info, if they’ve bought within the dealer family before. Depending on the work being done they target them for encouragement to upgrade etc. It’s not about taking care of the customer, it’s about making money for them. I hate the sales mentality of “make the customer realize what they want”. Man, if I come in for a repair, I want a damn repair and nothing else. When I’m ready to buy a car I’ll do the research myself and then come to a dealer and tell them everything I want. I think the customer is the best judge of what they want. Thank you Car Wizard for being an honest dude that appreciates a person’s vehicle and their well being.
I bought a slightly used Toyota Corolla in 1990 and when I had my car in for routine servicing at a dealer in Denver at 15,000 miles they told me that I only had 3mm left on my brakes and that they needed to be serviced soon. 2 years later at another dealer the brakes now magically had improved to 7mm. When I sold the car at 155,000 miles I had 4mm left at my last service. Hmm? Great video.
Always a nice to see a honest professional mechanic. One question though is, could you re-build the power steering pump? I had a similar leak on mine and rebuilt the pump with a £10 ( $13 ) seal kit. That was 2 years ago, no problems since.
Stuart Johnston usually the rebuild is straight time labour and can easily surpass the cost of a rebuilt part with warranty on parts and partial labour, vs the risk of having to repeat the job for free as a technician it’s just not often worth it
Rebuild would take 30 mins
Access to the pump looks good as it was on my car. I'm not a mechanic but I am an engineer. Took me about an hour to remove, strip, rebuild and refit. The leak on the high pressure side was just an old o-ring failing. Obviously we don't know what the fault actually is on this Lexus, but I'd be examining the pump to see if it's fixable.
Seals are cheep, but an hour of labor gets close to a new pump. Plus if a shaft has a groove in it or there's a crack in it somewhere, then that time spent on tearing into it is out the door.
When I bought my Honda Civic, they sold me a lifetime rust protection and repair for $700 CAD. I asked if I could bring my car in every year for rust spraying. They said YES. So, 12 months after I bought the car with the $700 rust protection add-on, I brought my car in to be oil sprayed before winter. However they refused and said the oil spraying is only to be done when the Dealership feels it is necessary. They refused to spray my car. That sums up everything you need to know about Dealerships, and why people call them Stealerships.
My SC400 has the same engine. This was very informative. Thank you, Mr. Wizard.
I had this exact same scenario at my local Infiniti dealer on my 2010 G37xS:
quoted me almost $7,000 to service front brakes (about 6 months old with OEM parts); replace steering rack ($2400); replace all suspension bushings (checked out at a shop for only 2 months ago, no problems); passenger front A-arm (!), and rear brakes (calipers, rotors, pads, which I did do because the car was undriveable). Most of that work absolutely unnecessary. The shop manager then let slip that they have been very slow lately, which could explain the hefty estimate.
Buyer beware! I'm glad you could help this fellow out.
The Car Wizard did a video on a newer, 2009 Lexus LS 460 sedan today. The maintenance and repairs on this vehicle costs a bit more or less than this older, 1997 Lexus LS 400 sedan. Anyway, I will only go for the 2005 Lexus LS 430 sedan, because it is the most reliable one, compared to the older two. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the Car Wizard!!! Best wishes for more videos in 2021.
Just proves that main dealers are out to get you! Love these kind of vids from the Wizard! Thanks for keeping us safe.
You are a very honest man car wizard and I admire that, and I think your prices are reasonable For your level of expertise and honesty
The dealer here in Australia keeps telling me parts are hard to get for my 97 Camry V6. I haven't had any trouble yet.
I have a 4-cyl 97 Camry, my mechanic doesn't have too much trouble finding parts, either!
Probably about a quarter million of that series sold, but parts are hard to get? Lol.
@@sixstringedthing dealer just doesn't want to go looking beyond his own repair shop. Bet. 😄
I worked at an Audi dealer for 2 years. You hit the nail on the head. I’ve even had my shop foreman go over cars of work I’ve quoted and bitched at me for not quoting enough. Mostly for not quoting out an exhaust that was just fine but was “rusted”. That’s because we live in Wisconsin. So yes labor costs, labor times, and parts costs always inflated at dealerships. Dealers are good for warranty but after that....find a new place trust me.
I work as a dealership technician. And Wizard's point is absolutely true, no one in dealerships wants to work on old cars. Service advisors would give crazy estimates to customers just so they would leave.