Shop that does maintenance work for Lexus' (other than dealerships)?

[604_EJ1]

Im just pricing out the parts needed for the 150k service (tbelt and tensioner, serp belt, waterpump, seals, etc...) and found its cheaper to order it through the states and deliver it here (all said and done inc shipping/customs bs fees/admin fees etc).

Now, the question is, other than dealerships, are there other reliable shops that can do installs for the is300? From what ive read on clublexus, there's a shop called comptech performance in vancouver that does maintenance work. Haven't found any reviews here on RS. I also read that curtis from speed syndicate was an ex-toyota mech so I emailed them as well

Are there other shops out there in vancouver that can perform maintenance??

[dinamix]

Toyota
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[s300ae]

good thread. i havent found a strictly dedicated lex shop. let me know where you go and how much it runs you

[604_EJ1]

It would be a good thread if ppl had better input than saying the obvious "dealership" response.

Speed syndicate hasn't replied back yet so maybe they don't work on it?

Haven't really checked out Comptech. Some people from clublexus reports good things but i'll PM them and see

Right now, im just waiting for the stuff to come in. Regency Lex is on my list so far. Anyone else??

[mj_39]

Give Alex or Curtis at the Speed Syndicate a call. # is my sig below. They wont disappoint you!

[tubbs]

how much they charge per an hour? i need my car checked out as well.. :'(

[PK-EK]

evo garage

[Phil@rise]

We can handle it.

We have quite a few customers w IS300's

[604_EJ1]

Sounds good, awaiting your reply when akira gets back
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[stinkypat]

Originally Posted by 604_EJ1

It would be a good thread if ppl had better input than saying the obvious "dealership" response.

Speed syndicate hasn't replied back yet so maybe they don't work on it?

Haven't really checked out Comptech. Some people from clublexus reports good things but i'll PM them and see

Right now, im just waiting for the stuff to come in. Regency Lex is on my list so far. Anyone else??

I took my is300 their. One of their apprentice is a IS300 fanatic, forgot his name. He worked on my car. Also Curtis knows his toyotas from working at the dealership. I believe he worked on Lexus at Toyota.

[stinkypat]

anyways let me know where you took it to and how was their service. thnx

[604_EJ1]

I definitely heard good things from speed syndicate, but they don't respond to my multiple emails. lack of communication is not a good sign

I've been in contact with gearheads and the communication was good. Very knowledgable guys there as well, plus the quote is a fraction of what SS was quoting without some of the parts. Still waiting for all my parts to come in but im probably going to go with gearheads. I believe their crew was ex A and J racing

[s300ae]

once you get all the work done, reply with your experience

[Nlkko]

I have had nothing but great experience with Comptech. They have 2 guys as far as I know, Mike and David, working together. They are excellent, knows everything about cars and never rip you off. $1 is $1 not $2. No complimentary service BS--they don't have time to fk around.

Also, these guys race for real. I definitely recommend them. They work mainly on Japanese and European cars.

No courtesy vehicle.

[604_EJ1]

Finally got all my stuff installed so i figured how it went here. I went with Gearheads for my servicing b/c of their prompt replies to my inquiries compared to other shops. Price was also comparable

The list of my parts are as followed:
-waterpump
-timing belt and serpentine belt
-spark plugs
-2x camseals
-timing tensioner and serpentine tensioner
-idler
-t/stat and gasket
-pcv and gasket
-front crankshaft seal
-o-rings bypass pipe and gasket
-valve cover gasket
-synthetic differential oil change (Motul Gear 300), powersteering flush, synthetic oil change (Total INEO Quartz 5w30), coolant replaced.

FYI, Alan, who was my tech, was part of AJ before so I knew that they did some quality work

I had to stick around the shop for the whole day because i live quite far away from richmond. The thing that blew me away was the customer service. Because I had to stick around the shop, they even hooked me up with lunch and dinner (P.S. Don't think this as a free meal ticket if you stick around all day Alan was more than competent on working on my car and i trust him with all my future mechanical work on my IS300.

Installation took around 12 hours because of all the parts and the CEL codes it threw. Turns out that the VVTI cam gear was loose so took roughly an hour to dismantle and retorque.

The morning after, i started the car up but after it warmed up, the idle was quite rough, almost struggling for fuel. Think of a very lumpy idle car but worse. After 15 minutes of normal driving it would go away. Problem would appear only when you are idling or at full stop. I hurried back to Gearheads where Alan checked it out. B/c of this initial situation, we all thought that the installation has gone awry somewhere so I dropped off the car for him to work on it for a couple days. The customer service part of Gearheads kicked in again where Alan helped pay for a cab from the shop to the skytrain station so i can get to work.

It turned out that the problem was not from any mis-installation, but some rodent infestation at my home. Some of the wires on the spark plug coils were chewed through, causing the lumpy idle. Also, evidence of feces and urine was nicely left behind around the spark plug channels.

All in all, if you can make the drive out to Richmond, i definitely recommend Gearheads for all types of maintenance

[!SG]

with the vvti intake cam, just gotta remember to reset it before install. when i did my own timing belt, i remember reading to reset it meant turning it counter clock wise until the cam felt like it tightened up, then clockwise until the timing was at its mark.

[EmperorIS]

any more recommendations ?
would be nice to have price listed out too

[604_EJ1]

Why dont you just call/pm around? Prices vary depending on the work needed.
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