I just watched a little bit of the video. It really bothers me when other techs who don’t care touch these awesome cars. I’m a retired toyota technician and I know what goes on in the shop. I never made a bunch of hours but I treated the cars like I owned them. I have made mistakes also and paid for it. I’m happy that Car Care Nut technician has his own shop because he is too honest to work for others
@@WarriorsPhoto yes they are put together very well and they are one of the most durable cars out there. I recently purchased a customer’s 95 sc 400 and besides a few oil and power steering leaks it was great
@@WarriorsPhoto I ended up selling it but I did shifter bushings- tires and alignment- valve cover gaskets- plugs and plug tube seals- water pump was seeping and I let the new owner know. That old 4 liter v8 is super reliable and pretty quick
I had a 2001 GS 300. I purchased the car with 40,000 and drove it until 480,000. Other than routine maintenance, I blew a water pump. I am currently driving a 2013 GS 350 and am about to hit 300,000 miles.
small correction, the 3UZ is the 4.3 while 1UZ is the 4.0. in japan the aristo can be had with the 2JZ-GTE (3.0) while other simular models (chaser, mark II) can be had with the 1JZ-GTE (2.5). great video as always!
I didn't know the Chaser had a 1J! One of my friends -- when I lived in Japan -- had one. Man, I have such good memories of sticking my head and chest out the sunroof, while he took the car up to ludicrous speeds on the Japanese highway, back in the 90s! hahaha
I had a Yaris manual that i got 300,000 out of. I totally renovated two 4 plex rental buildings including garbage removal with a small trailer. Best car i ever had.
My experience with mechanics has shown me to evaluate the shop first. A clean, organized shop tells me the mechanic(s) are methodical, don’t take short cuts, respect your vehicle, and are dedicated to their profession. Also, every clean shop mechanic I’ve met has either brought me to the vehicle and shown me what needs done AND what to watch for in the future OR has offered to. Respect and honesty, the hallmarks of professionalism.
I bought my 2000 Lexus GS400, built entirely in Japan. Presently, it has 142,341 miles and I can proudly say I keep it in EXCELLENT condition; engine, chassis, interior and exterior. I always take it for an overall check (60 point inspection check) and whatever repair it needs i.e.: Alternator replacement, I do it myself; I purchase factory and/or OEM parts, always new and do the job myself because since new I also bought the Shop Manuals ($300 for two books) and follow all the recommended repairs and specifications. I also use detailing items from ADAMS Products.
That is a 3UZ. Great video. I love that generation of GS. My mom bought a 2006 GS430 brand new back in 06. It’s still in the family with almost 200k miles and still runs like it did the day she bought it.
I have a gs430 with about the same mileage and something went wrong with the transmission and its been sitting for a few years now and I'm looking into fixing it up and driving it again. I absolutely loved it when I was driving it.
And this is why I do my own automotive work. I taught myself and continue learning since I was a young man. If I have the tools and knowledge, I DIY. Shops generally don’t take the time to clean, follow all required procedures and torque every single fastener. Thanks CCN
I was thinking the title was click bait, but it's not. As someone who's had 6 GSs, both the GS3 and GS4, these cars are one of the most reliable cars to ever exist. The only known issues are lower ball joints which give out at about 90K miles, and door actuators which typically only have to be replaced once. The only reason why I've had so many is because people keep driving into me. I highly recommend this car to anyone.
My mom had three Lexuses, her second one was a 1998 GS400. Absolutely way ahead of its time. I picked up a pristine 2008 SC430 this year. 36k miles and the same V8 as the car in your video. Thanks for posting
You failed to mention the lower ball joints is a common issue especially on earlier models 98-00 double check those folks or asap get them replaced with 01+ lower ball joints. Other than door lock actuators and valve cover, power steering leaks its a solid car.
In 2002 I bought an 18 month old gs 300 sport with 30k miles and luckily ball joints got replaced under warranty. The cost then would’ve been £400+ if I had to pay
This GS was the first Lexus that I've seen up close and personal back in the 2000's. It was my friend's mom's car and I made a promise to myself that my first car would be a Lexus GS. Fast forward 2016, I purchase the 2015 Lexus GS350 F-Sport as my first car
Glad you did this. My channel is currently dedicated to the GS platform. I like my GS400 so much, in fact, that I manual-swapped and supercharged it. Thanks for the vid! 😎
Love your channel as well. Kept my GS430 completely stock except the ProXS mufflers which I decided would be a nice touch. No rust on my girl. She has a permanent home in my garage.
I am an original owner of a 2002 GS430 that I purchased in November 2001. It currently has 104,670 miles and I couldn't be more satisified. Bought and driven in Scottsdale, Arizona. I've maintained it using OEM parts and see myself driving it for many more years. My family want me to get antique plates once it hits 25 years old. The car is immaculate and I still love driving it.
Thanks CCN for honoring this car. I’ve owned three including my current 03 GS430. Bought mine from the original owner and went through every inch of the car myself. All preventive maintenance done. Replaced all the door actuators with aftermarket but otherwise use only genuine OEM parts. I wish all owners spent their money on maintenance first and not performance parts. There aren’t very many clean copies left. Take care of them folks!
My first car was a 2000 Lexus Gs300. Drove that thing for three years with it randomly misfiring on half of its cylinders. I figured there was a wiring problem somewhere, I could not figure out what was wrong for the life of me. That car never quit. Unfortunately the car was totaled a few years ago, but still ran with almost 180,000 miles on it.
I have lexus ls430 2001 with 360,000 miles and counting. Original engine and transmission and original starter and alternator. I have had the timing belt pulleys serpentine belt thermostat spark plugs waterpump replaced every 100,000 miles. These cars are bullet proof. I also have a 2007 ls460L it has 170,000 miles original engine and transmission. Just replaced fluids and brakes pads. No major issues. I will always buy Toyota and lexus vehicles no other brands.
It was a pleasure to meet you and the Mrs. last week when I drove up from Peoria with my black 14 RX. I have an 18 GS F-Sport RWD that I bought new that is my baby and will never be driven in the winter. I'm looking forward to having you service it next spring. I'm totally OCD about it and keep it all factory original since I'm not a fan of aftermarket. It has been such a wonderful car and I specifically bought it cause I knew end of production was coming soon. I really liked the GSF V8 but just didn't feel it was enough bang for the $$ at $90k. Anyone interested in owning one of the later models and can find a nice used one I highly recommend this model. I'm just as in love with it as the day I bought it! Great vid. Amd!
He does such a nice blessing at the end of all his videos. You get the same good feeling after watching his videos that you get from going to church on Sunday.
Got myself one of these last February with 214k on the clock and I gotta it is SO comfortable. The powertrain, suspension and comfy seats really makes the car an amazing highway cruiser. I also went to a Toyota dealership to get my timing belt, water pump and valve cover gaskets and it’s still leaking so it is concerning but I will get to the bottom of it. Thanks for the video! ❤️
Here’s a list of things that will leak oil on this car due to old age: your power steering pump, valve covers, spark plug tube seals, cam seals, crank seal, engine oil pan, transmission oil pan and on rare occasions rear differentials & both camshaft timing gears. They are good cars but with old age they require maintenance. Good luck !
I need a power steering cooler pipe,lexus wants £1000 I said go jump. These pipes can not be found,even took to Japan non in stock refunded my money. Best car I've ever owned but its becoming expensive and hard to source genuine parts not at lexus prices.
I got mines last February @ 199k miles.. control arm up next i got that front cam seal leak too..im @ 226k miles now.. besides that leak its been dependable ..did rotors and tie rods..gotta pay for fhat seal water pump timing belt change soon though.. oil messing up my alternator/starter.
@@dbheffnerofficialofficial2454 I understand your position. I went through 3 alternators before I fixed my leaky cam seals & power steering pump. Good luck on your Lexus journey and may the car serve you well !
Have had my 2000 GS400 for 13-years, the best car I will ever own. Still drives like new, still reliable, interior still looks new. The 1UZFE is really special. But i have rust :( at the top of the windshield, breaks my heart.
I actually own 3 Gs300's. One daily one Vip and one parts car. I've always owned Toyota Supra's just about my whole driving years. But these Lexus cars are pretty amazing and only a few issues that come with them. Reliability is great. 98-2005 GS models if you find one that's been taken good care of with service records you better not sleep on it I'd recommend buying it fast. Thanks your channel speaks the truth. God Bless 🙏💯🌟
Had a 99 gs300 with 155k. 1 owner before me and it was a bmw tech. In over a year all I had to replace was a ball joint. Got totaled cus of a careless lady in an altima. Had over 10k into the build
I have a 99 GS with over 202,000 miles on it. I love it, I drive it every other week or so. Alternate it with a Tacoma and an LS460. Every time I get in it and crank it up I smile and think, old reliable never fails me. I still get people who stop me and ask if I’d be willing to sell it. I couldn’t bare to part with it.
I am actually looking for one right now. Gs300 2002 going to check on Sunday. Is there anything you guys can suggest I need to check before buying? Thanks in advance
Hey man - LOVE you, but the Cresta, Mark II, and Chaser are X chassis, last to come to the us as an MX81 sedan mark ii (Cressida) while the Aristo is an S chassis - same as Toyota Crown Majesta JZS149 etc. My wife has a JDM 1992 JZS149 Majesta. The First gen GS was a JZS140 (not 140 even but 14x etc) but was available in japan with a 1uz v8 as well. We didnt get the S150 chassis here (VERY nice crowns in japan we have had 5 of them) then crown skipped to 170, but 160 was used as the GS in your video. I'm an importer and 20 year toyota guy so I am obsessed. Hopefully this doesnt offend - its just my passion. Either way, we can chat about it in eternity =)
Nice car. Love the looks of the interior with the wood. After buying my Venza back in '17, I discovered the GS300, which at the time, were going for about $5k, with 80k - 120k miles on them. I considered switching over, but wanted the bigger size of the Venza.
Another small correction. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd gen GS were based on the Crown. The trio, Mark II (Cressida)/Chaser/Cresta were on an X platform which is a rework of the A chassis.
Loved my 1Uz GS400. I had over 300,000 when I removed it to swap in an Aristo 2jzgte. I did all the major services twice over it's life including all seals.
Always wondered why my mechanic refuses to turn a car over to a customer without washing and cleaning under the hood. It’s not just a courtesy, it’s to show that you performed the work they paid for. This guy is an honest dude.
Great review . I own the 03 GS300 sport design and love the timeless design . I sold my 04 GS300 for pretty penny . This is the Supra engine which you forgot to mention .
I would wirebrush off the surface rust underneath and use Noxudol to stop any further rust from spreading. It will stop rust in its tracks. Toyota specifies using it on replacement truck frames as part of the rusty frame recall.
Valve cover gaskets, cam seals, crank seal, spark plug tube seals are mandatory. Use correct black RTV by Toyota, make sure the mating service is clean. I recommend changing the bolts too. Timing belt and water pump should be done before 100k miles but previous owner pushed it till 141k miles on mine
after working many years on toyota/lexus i never ever had to replace a valve cover gasket on a 3UZ ever. the problem is that the valve cover bolts are getting loose over the years, all you have to do is torque them to the right spec again. also worked on my 340k '03 GS430
Not in all cases my friend. In fact, even if that method did work, the plug grommets (some anyway) are usually toast so torquing the fasteners down wouldn’t help anyway. Perhaps you got lucky?
@@ForwardMomentum guess you are right, i was just lucky with my GS430, my SC400, my friends LS430 and countless customer cars at our shop with UZ engines.
I have a '98 LS400 and my valve cover gasket began leaking about 5 yrs. or so ago. Of course, I retorqued the bolts and that worked for about 3 yrs. Then the gasket began to seep again despite proper bolt tightness (and a little more). The spark plug well seals began to leak severely, so had a new gasket kit installed. All is well now.
@@ForwardMomentum the ones i had you could turn the screws by hand, they were that loose. if course every gasket can break but it is very uncommon on UZ engines.
My first lexus I ever had was a 99 GS, silver on black and that thing was super clean. Sold it with 230k and saw the guy I sold it to driving it for quite a while after that
These things are solid, every bit as the LS400/430. Seems like the problems in this vid are self inflicted or over blown and not common. With Bilstein shocks and Megan sway bars, 2nd Gen GS cars handle amazing.
I just purchased an '02 GS300 a week ago today from an auction. $930 with fees & taxes!! I was thinking about messaging you to maybe get some insight on this model. Lo and behold, here's this video. I do have my work cut out for me though! Plenty of leaks to go around. It seems to be leaking both oil and coolant. Nonetheless, a great addition to accompany my "01 Avalon XLS I just finished fixing as well. (Also from auction I bought along with an '11 Hyundai Accent I also fixed and a '93 VW Cabriolet Classic Wolfsburg edition that's a long term project)
Gorgeous car! Immaculate! I hope he gets bottom undercoated w/ fluid film or other similiar bc bottom sides look so nice!! He's got alot if miles left & car is worth finishing. Hope it all turns out well for him! 🖖👍🇺🇸
as a mechanic who lives in rust belt, this car is a nightmare underneath it...if the rockers crush just by lifting it, it isn't long for the world....the top looks great but the foundation is on shaky ground.....i wouldn't touch it with a 20 foot pole
@@brianbanks3044 I got rid of my 97 camry in 2019 FOR THAT REASON. It's sad because not for rust underneath, I would have kept 10yrs more, even w/265,000 miles on it. 👍
My used 96 infinity had leaks for ten years.. never failed me or left me stranded...my used Toyota Camry had leaks for the 8 yrs I had it ..the valve cover was leaking my mechanic just tightened it up and that stoped the leak...also the thing with cars from the 90s early 2000s generation of Japanese cars a little issue won't stop u from driving I remember one time my steering whee started l locking up everyone I brought it two said a lot of different things that would cost me over five hundred dollars but my regular mechanic looked under it got some WD-40 sprayed down the steering linkage banged on it with a rubber hammer.. brought the car down told me to go buy him a six pack and some dinner..the.car drove like it was brand new...a good mechanic is like a good doctor.....
I've always loved this generation GS, my mother had a 00' platinum edition GS 300 in a metallic gold paint with low mileage and well maintained, it was such a great car and in beautiful condition, in 2009 it was hit at the rear wheel/ quarter panel back, such ashame as I was to buy the car but just couldn't afford to have it repaired correctly since insurance considered it a "total loss" based on extent of damages/ cost of repair, these cars still look great, I'm sure I'd still have it today if it wasn't for that incident.
While you are correct in a fact that it is a popular platform in Japan, it is not a Mark II family platform. This car is built on S Platform, used for Toyota Crown Majesta S170, not to be confused with regular Royal Series Crown, which is an entirely different animal. While they do share some engines, that mostly it, the wheelbase, suspension setup, etc. is quite different. There was a Mark II Family car in US, it was called Toyota Cressida. It got discontinued with an introduction of Lexus brand in US though, particularly when ES came in, which had the same price as Cressida, and obviously everyone went with a bigger, more feature-rich, RWD Cressida instead of a facelifted Camry Prominent.
It's crazy how similar the rust has affected my Gs430 (lower engine brace was literally disintegrated by the rust) and the exact same places the oil leaks happen (valve cover and differential). Please keep posting about this vehicle and the repairs as I am curious to know what I can do go fix the leak on my diff!
Is it recommended to spray other things too? I was thinking on my 2022 of spraying brake caliper bolts and bleeder valves and such, anything I might need to remove or loosen in the far future might benefit from it.
@@danwake4431 Carefully maybe dont get any on the rotors or pads. generally dont have issues loosening the bolts every 4-5 years or so for brakes... do the cross-members parts and front end radiator support, ect.
@@danwake4431 I would be careful if you want to spray your calipers. The spray was rather direct but there was some spray drift which might get on your brakes.. If you do it I would hand paint it on using a small paint brush
Right. Only the GS400 has the 1UZ. The GS430 had the 3UZ. With that said, the 3UZ is a 1UZ, but with an increased displacement by .3 liters, updated throttle body, and updated coolant port. The blocks are the same, but obviously there are differences between the ISS(inner sleeve space) to make up for the larger displacement. Both engines have the same sleeve thickness, and are known to be very robust and trustworthy. They are both sweet engines!
Super sweet to see a GS that the owner appreciates. No joke man you need to point the owner of that car to RU-vid AMMO NYC, that paint looks terrible (yes clean) but Larry could make that paint look close to show room new, except for damage of course! I truly appreciate your honesty and transparency bud, I was a service writer for 18 years as a first career. Mostly with Honda and all the tips and tricks you share are the absolute TRUTH! Well done sir, we’ll done!
I’ve owned honestly like 6-7 of these cars 99 GS400, 02 GS300, Three 04 GS430, 03 GS300, 99 GS300. Amazing platform for everyone getting rarer by the day as kids are turning this car into stance/drift/vip missiles combination of 3 is destroying the remaining good ones out there.
i’m rebuilding a 2001 gs430 and i’m stoked to see how the car truly runs, got it off some dude that was in the take over scene for $1k and boy did he run it isn’t the mud
I had a twin turbo Aristo, I completely restored it, Noone knew a thing, it has a 2jzgte. It had a Hydraulic engine Fan driven by the power steering System.. This was to ensure the driver didnt hear Fan noise as one would have with an electric unit. It also had the nitrogen assisted electric brake Booster, I had to replace the nitrogen charge canister. It also had leaks, top to bottom, and various suspension issues(normal wear). Did the basic tunes that were popular at the time.
All 1uz, 2uz, 3uz valve covers typically leak because of loose valve cover bolts. Had 3 and all were loose. Every single time they were so loose i could tighten them with my fingers. Very strange. Tightened them up in the mean time before i did the valve cover kits and the leak completelely went away after i cleaned them with degreaser and monitored the leak. Like all 90/00s toyota rust is the enemy so fluid film is a good idea on any rust you see. Every time I look at the car for maintenance i keep the fluid film near me so i can spray rust any time i see it. If you keep up on the rust they typically are fine if kept lubed. But yeah the main problems on these cars will be cleaning pcv valves or really any vent or breather like the rear diff vent, replacing rotten and leaking hoses, replacing rotten and leaking seals. Rubber typically starts to fail around 20 years old so you will be heavily entertained until you get it all replaced.
My GS400 has 206k right now, very few issues, rusted exhaust and support brace this year. $1000 to fix. Main reason I may replace it is MPGs. 20 avg. One of the best cars I ever owned, and I owned s several BMWs
My reason also and the only reason when it becomes too expensive to fill. Other than that it's been faultless in the 10 years owning it never broke down
AMD- Please address the ‘high voltage cable corrosion’ , ie “Cabelgate” for Rav 4 Prime: Just purchased an ‘22 SE… What is the problem Is it fixed Prevention Recall Undercarriage washing that doesn’t damage electronics. Sorry to post here. Didn’t know another way. Maybe include separate Rav 4P video Love your style and channel. Ken H
I used to work at a Honda specialist and we saw a lot of rust. What I was told is that between shorter ownership times and using different road treatments in Japan it's not a concern for them
Wish you were closer, my 2002 Lexus ES 300 would love to go on a lift to look at the condition of the under carriage. It has 172k miles and im concerned about how much rust is underneath, original owner lived in NJ and im in NY so it was def exposed to road salt over past 20 years. I need to bring it to get undercoated, There is a place near me that uses a substance called WoolWax, sprayed on. Im sure the application isnt cheap but i need to look into it. I need this car to last many 10+ years and i plan on it keeping it as long as possible
Im at 130k right now on my 1998 gs400, the starter was done at 80k and already had to be replaced again because the one the previous owner put in was carquest, pain in the ass job. Took 5 hours and had to stand in the engine bay to get the manifold off. Also replaced the ACIS Vacuum switching valve whilst I was there as that is under the manifold and is a common failure point even though it doesn't usually present a code. I also in the past 20k miles had to replace the BMC, valve cover gasket, transmission pan gasket, power steering pump and idle up valve for powersteering, ball joints, control arms bushings, rear brake calipers "stuck and leaking after bleed," The door lock actuators needed to be done, the steering wheel motor brushes and contacts had to be cleaned and unstuck, engine mounts were toast, and had pcv valve stuck with a broken gasket and vacuum hoses cracking which were all replaced with silicone, and after doing the starter last week I found out my valve stem seals are also leaking, however its manageable enough now that I can wait until I have to do timing at 160-170k miles as it was done at 80k. I bought the car at 100k and put 30k on it. Some of those things I could have held off on but since I'm doing all the work I just figure its best to keep up on it instead of let it all accumulate. I think a lot of it could be attributed for sitting for long periods of time between startups as it was a road trip car for an old couple but its crazy to me the intervals on some of these parts considering a lot of these things were replaced at 80k in the service records along with the timing belt, some of them even OEM parts.
Please please do a video of fixing that diff leak! My LS430 diff is wet, I assume it is seeping out of the pinion seal. But really don’t know how to deal with it myself. I guess I’d have to drop the exhaust first of all? I did remove the little breather and cleaned it out with brake cleaner. Still seeping though 😢Great video CCN!
Man I miss mine .had one when i was 20. , it was hard to find one in good conditions .and market was was really small where I lived. Dam even through pit canada. I wanted black one but ended with sith silver _ black . Fast fowarfs 16 years . Still hard to find a good sample and not neat up amd rust up. Plus price surge up too 15 k for a good condition just as much I paid for mine 16 years ago. It's crazy
I was LUCKY enough to get one in great shape with almost 300,000 miles on it for under 2k 3 years ago. I'm over 317,000 miles with it now and loving every day with it :-)
I paid $27,500 in July 2021 for a 2013 GS 350 AWD with only 34,700 miles that had never seen snow or ice. Car was always garaged and in near mint condition. It even has a Pre Collision System and Dynamic Radar Cruise which was fairly rare in 2013. I think it was a fair price for such a low mileage Lexus in great condition. And it came in a great metallic red (Riviera Red) that looks great in the sun.
so happy I live in the no rust belt! my 1999 Land Cruiser with 180k miles still has zero rust. The 2UZ-FE engines (similar to the one in this Lexus) is such a smooth power plant. Just wish the Car Care Nut lived close enough to keep my LC running another 100k+
keep it .. collectable .. i have one too '08 they made 1616 units .. 09-13 only between 40-70 a year .. so only a few less than 2000 were made ... 430's 4dr about 50k made .. i've got the gs 460 and a month ago brought a 100k km '16 gs-f ... so go the big bro to the gs460 now as well ,, sold a '05 gs430 with 100k km on it to put towards gs=f .. kept gs460 for daily driver .. the 460s 8 speed is so much better than the 6spd box in the 430s .. the gs-f is being kept , both are , as both rare as ...
Lots of incorrect info here. That car has a 3UZ not a 1UZ And the Aristo came with a 2jz in Japan not a 1jz. The chaser is the sedan that had the 1jz. The Aristo was always 2jz/1UZ (first and second gen) then the late 2000+ Aristo was 3UZ
I bought a 1 owner gs300 02 from an older couple. Garaged kept and i wqs blessed that it doesnt have those issues. There are some gems out there just have to be patient.
I bought a 2001 GS 300. I am also experiencing a slight oil leak from the valve cover. Addressing it now before it gets worse. Appreciate the vid, always great info!
Can't say enough good things about "The Car Care Nut" and his attention to details. Wish I lived closer so I can bring all my vehicles to you my friend. Thank you for the education.
Make sure it has gone through the ZLZ program if it was applicable. If not you might wind up with degraded internal trim parts. This car doesn't have the typical all-black interior so it doesn't suffer so much. Nice review of the car sir.
Let say this if luxury isn’t reliability then I don’t need a driveway ornament . These are the only car I can jump in and drive across the United state . Bitd I came across a 2jz tt gs300 that was a straight monster .