Help re RX300 timing belt

[James Morse]

Yes, I didn't price it specifically from Lexus/Toyota but I suspect it would be all of what you said.
So 250 for parts plus 650 (estimate) labor plus 100 to haul it there, that's -maybe- 200 cheaper than name brand shop, not a ton of savings really but at this point the idea I was going to save a lot (250 labor, originally) seems like it's out the window.

I probably should consider it lucky to even find (fastpakr find actually) a shop that will take a half-done job and take the parts.

Don't forget the timing belt is slipped a couple notches, so car will run, badly, but I wouldn't want to drive it across town like that. CEL is on and blinking, no doubt it detected that timing is screwed. So it's not even 'the same' as it was, it's way worse.

Other half says "put it back the way it was and send the parts back and I'll drive it until it fails". Is this an option, I suppose, my guy says he can get the timing belt back where it was for no charge, but that means taking it all apart again, maybe not getting it right (seems like you can, though). Anyway, I don't see "drive until it fails" as a good/sensible option.

I told my guy, if we can't make anything happen by Monday, I'm going to haul it to another shop. It'll be a week by then it's been sitting, unusable. Then I'd take the hit myself on the basically 500 difference (400 add'l labor, plus the hauling, and that's assuming something else isn't screwed up) and in theory the car is then usable and fixed, and other half isn't out any more than the original deal. I guess I see it as my fault to assume since my guy had done other jobs fine, he said he could do it, I believed it, and I was wrong. And it kind of sucks because although this is probably an exceptional thing, it makes me question doing further work with him, I guess you call that loss of confidence.

This has gone so far past what it started out to be it's not funny. And the above isn't even including giving the guy something. He's out a bunch of time and bought some tools. I guess this is what happens when you say "I can do it" and then find out oops, I can't do it.

Edit: He says he can't do it (gave up). He says I don't need to pay him anything because he didn't do the job. So I'm going to get it hauled to the other shop. Let's hope a) they can do it and b) nothing else has been screwed up.
Argh.

 

[fastpakr]

If the CEL is actively flashing, don't drive it at all.

I agree with letting another shop handle it at this point.

Besides Hamren Auto, you can also try Henry Williams or Brandon Auto. I don't have personal experience with the first but have heard good things from a number of people over the years. Brandon Auto is a good shop that I have first hand experience with. Same with Hamren.

 

[James Morse]

I think Hamren is ok, it was a woman I talked to, but she knew the Ainsin part and she knew exactly the problem of the crankshaft bolt (seemed like it anyway) and she gave me a place any in-town tow 50 (although I think it needs hauled not specifically towed). And they know it's been messed with by somebody else. So nothing yet would steer me away from them.

Yeah when he pulled it out of the shop here and just drove it like 50 feet to park it he said CEL wasn't on but maybe it just hadn't picked up the mis-timing yet, anyway, yeah, it's flashing so it might have to be started just to get it a few feet to where it can be loaded but I sure wouldn't want to drive it across town.

 

[ericbphoto]

Hamren sounds like a good place. Get it over there.

 

[fastpakr]

If you go over there, it'll look like a hole in the wall shop in an industrial area. He's an interesting guy. I first met him maybe twenty years ago through a mutual friend. At the time he was building kit cars for people. Not sure when he opened that shop up - I lost track of him for a long time. He's the kind of guy that doesn't advertise and doesn't need to. People who've worked with him in the past just refer others to him. The woman you spoke to is probably his wife Kelly.

 

[James Morse]

Yes it's Kelly. That's some neat history. I saw the pic of the place and looks don't put me off if it's functional. Yes it's way old industrial area that's getting over kind of by the recycle place you see all kinds of stuff, piles of iron, etc. then it was all cut in half by I581/220. That southeast quadrant there used to be shops for everything, I used to take starters and motors over there to the rebuild place. But I located another place for that now they do good work, kind of pricey, but who isn't these days.

I called the place Hamren's recommended for flatbed, $65, not bad. They're coming this afternoon. I'll be glad to have it out of my sight. I told them the timing belt was slipped a few notches that's why I'm hauling it over and CEL is blinking. Just to make sure they knew that if I hadn't mentioned it, but it was fine she said they talked about it and they understand. I'm hoping the thing comes back running properly and somewhere close to the estimate. If they make it whole again, at this point it'd be a welcome miracle.

 

[CrabGuy]

Sounds like you found a good shop plus your mobile mechanic appears to be a standup guy for not charging you. I had an exhaust camshaft snap on my nice 03 GTI VR6. Repairs were extensive and twice the value of the car so it went on Craigslist as a parts car. Good luck and hope it's smooth sailing from here out.

 

[James Morse]

Thanks, I hope so. They picked up the car, dollies under the wheels, quite a nice arrangement actually. Way quicker than winching it onto a flatbed.
The guy had an '03 F550 RWD and I was talking to him about it and he says the Powerstroke 7.3L is a great engine but '03 was the last year of the good engines, you can retrofit on newer to make them 'bulletproof' but it costs about 10k.
It makes me think, if I ever did want an F-series or wanted it for towing, I think I'd look at F-250 XLT 4x4 Supercab with the 7.3L in like '99 to '03 vintage. But I really don't know much about them, and I think the price goes up a lot as soon as you go up from F150.

Didn't have to start it, just pushed it.

Anyway now it's a waiting game on the Lexus.

 

[James Morse]

So they finished it and they said looks like timing belt not original, probably replaced at least once, but, pulley bearing being shot means it could seize up then the belt heats up / burns / breaks then you lose timing. Probably the pulleys weren't replaced when the timing belt was replaced, who knows. They said they don't see anything else wrong with it and the engine runs well. $605 labor, seems fair enough after all I went through.
He said the crankshaft bolt was in there incredibly tight and they had to use 3/4" heavy duty impact to get it out.
Nice shop. Thanks fastpakr for the recommend.

 

[sgtsandman]

Glad you got it fixed. It sounds like someone took a short cut or two in the past.

 

[James Morse]

I forgot to mention, he said the Ainsin water pump is actually Toyota, he said you can see where they ground off the Toyota name on it but it's the same part. So thanks for recommending the right one.

 

[ericbphoto]

So they finished it and they said looks like timing belt not original, probably replaced at least once, but, pulley bearing being shot means it could seize up then the belt heats up / burns / breaks then you lose timing. Probably the pulleys weren't replaced when the timing belt was replaced, who knows. They said they don't see anything else wrong with it and the engine runs well. $605 labor, seems fair enough after all I went through.
He said the crankshaft bolt was in there incredibly tight and they had to use 3/4" heavy duty impact to get it out.
Nice shop. Thanks fastpakr for the recommend.

Glad you got through all that.

 

[CrabGuy]

I bet you're glad that ordeal is over. That's a really good price for labor! It's worth every penny

 

[James Morse]

Sure seems like it, though 250 would have been better, but considering it was worked on prior and came in with the timing belt skipped 5 notches, yes, when they told me the price I just said "cool".
It reminds me of the old story about a customer complaining about the price of bananas "Why are your bananas 29 cents a pound and down the street they are 19 cents a pound?" Answer: "So go buy them there." "They don't have any right now." "Well, when we don't have any, ours are also 19 cents a pound."