Please tell me what you think:
I purchased a 2006 LX470 in January 2026. It had 258,300 miles on it and now, 9 months later, the odometer reads 261,100. This works out to about 3700 miles per year, but I am anticipating perhaps 5-6K per year for the next 20 years. (We kept our previous car for 24 years, so it's possible).
All maintenance is up to date, timing belt/water pump done in 2025 at 245,400 miles. The selling dealer noted the following in their inspection: seepage from front and rear crank seals, seepage from steering rack, seepage from valve covers. These were confirmed by our local highly qualified, premium priced repair shop, to the tune of $4800 to repair all three items. I'm sure I could get a somewhat lower price from another shop, but there are not a whole lot of them in our area (Olympic Peninsula in Washington State).
I have closely monitored the leak sites and fluid levels. Not a single drop of oil or power steering fluid has reached the carport floor. The fluid levels have not changed at all. Everything is working perfectly, no sounds from the steering, no anomalies at all.
I feel there is no point in spending a bunch of money chasing these issues until there is a real problem, such as power steering noise or significant oil or fluid loss. I plan to change engine oil every 6 months and follow the Lexus schedule of maintenance and inspection.
Would you agree that monitoring the situation is sufficient, or would it be prudent to rectify these issues before they worsen and possibly cause further damage down the road?
Thanks in advance for sharing your opinion/experiences.
I purchased a 2006 LX470 in January 2026. It had 258,300 miles on it and now, 9 months later, the odometer reads 261,100. This works out to about 3700 miles per year, but I am anticipating perhaps 5-6K per year for the next 20 years. (We kept our previous car for 24 years, so it's possible).
All maintenance is up to date, timing belt/water pump done in 2025 at 245,400 miles. The selling dealer noted the following in their inspection: seepage from front and rear crank seals, seepage from steering rack, seepage from valve covers. These were confirmed by our local highly qualified, premium priced repair shop, to the tune of $4800 to repair all three items. I'm sure I could get a somewhat lower price from another shop, but there are not a whole lot of them in our area (Olympic Peninsula in Washington State).
I have closely monitored the leak sites and fluid levels. Not a single drop of oil or power steering fluid has reached the carport floor. The fluid levels have not changed at all. Everything is working perfectly, no sounds from the steering, no anomalies at all.
I feel there is no point in spending a bunch of money chasing these issues until there is a real problem, such as power steering noise or significant oil or fluid loss. I plan to change engine oil every 6 months and follow the Lexus schedule of maintenance and inspection.
Would you agree that monitoring the situation is sufficient, or would it be prudent to rectify these issues before they worsen and possibly cause further damage down the road?
Thanks in advance for sharing your opinion/experiences.
