Lexus Head Gasket Replacement Turns into a $6500 Engine Job. Was It Worth It?

I’ve been watching this channel for over a year. I’m so happy for you. Your shop looks terrific and the production quality on your videos is top tier.

$6500 is actually a lot less than a new car. For me is like this: If the body is rust free and nobody messed up with the wiring, it's worth fixing. Engines and transmissions can be fixed and last for a long time.

The way you tackle these jobs, your level of knowledge and skill really is impressive. On time lapse, there is so much to be removed before you can take out the engine, let alone changing to the new short block. I admire your enthusiasm and the way you consider the customer. How on earth can you do all of that with only 20hours of labour? Your are a true professional.

What a wonderful world this would be if we had more technicians like AMD. It is so sad that so many shops are just gouging people Or don’t know what they’re doing or don’t care. I take great care of my vehicles so I don’t have to visit a shop. I DIY what I can and drive for longevity.

$6500 is a lot of money, but the client is effectively getting a new engine that runs for another 200k. He is still saving a lot in car payments assuming his vehicle doesn’t have other issues.

THANK YOU. My wife was telling me that changing the oil every 5000 miles in my Prius V is overkill but now I feel totally vindicated :)

i did one not long ago, i was able to get a low mile JDM engine for cheap, the engine was clean as a whistle looked almost brand new and ran great. in Japan inspections are super strict so they scrap out car with under 50k miles and sell the engines and trans to exporters

$6500 for a reliable for many years and miles CT200H is a steal. You never cease to amaze me Ahmed with your knowledge, honesty, and expertise, I love watching your videos.

I had this exact same problem in my 2010 Prius. I had to do a tear down and change the head gasket myself. All the parts was about $400 and 20 hours of my time. The knocking in the morning was very scary. Extremely violent.

“Let’s grab your favorite beverage and your favorite snack and let’s talk about this car.” Great teacher, I wish university professors take this approach when explaining things. Thanks for taking the time and effort to create this amazing content. I’ve learned a lot about my two Toyota engines thanks to you sir. Keep up the good work.

I can’t wait for this channel to hit 1 million subs. I’ve enjoyed so many videos.

I have also watched your channel for some time and amazed at your knowledge and abilities. I have owned Toyotas since 1967 and have never had these issues. If I did have these issues, I would want someone like you who is honest, forthright and an outright, outstanding mechanic to do the work. I would be happy to pay for your services on my Toyota if it ever came to those circumstances.Thank you for your videos.

When you did the video on the black Camry consuming oil and recommending oil changes every 5,000 versus 10,000, I agreed with you and your video also created a stink across the internet. For emissions we know that engines today are running much hotter than they did 30 years ago, even 20 years ago. The majority of engines are operating right around 215° - which if anybody remembers first grade science, water boils at 212°. Coolant and the pressure generated by the cap are the only things keeping you from boiling over every day. Yet somehow your temperature gauge stays rock solid in the middle. Why? Because it's become the equivalent of the idiot light from 50 years ago. The needle won't move until the engine is over 220°. If you don't pull it right over, your engine is done. Then you throw in the marketing departments that just want to send cars out the door quickly and easily with leasing, no one owns their vehicles anymore so they don't care. Whether it's a Chevy or a Benz: "It's a lease. I'm turning it in before the end of the year. I don't even open the hood between services" is the pervasive attitude. Add low tension rings, oil viscosity no greater than baby oil, and: "It's lifetime fluid!!! Change the oil when Haley's Comet passes the Earth!!" - we see blown engines by 100K. I can't tell you how many transmissions with lifetime fluid I've seen failed by 100-120K.If you own it, take care of it. Not a single fluid in there is meant to be lifetime or last for half a decade. If you're renting it for 36 months, then do what they tell you under the hood and let it be the next guy's problem.

We had a mint condition 135,000 mile 2006 4Runner that blew a head gasket. Quoted about $8-9+k USD to put in a rebuilt engine. If you can do it yourself its well worth it. We sold it.

I have said it before and I'll say it again: Your level of ethics in dealing with customer expectations is truly commendable. I wish every shop had your mindset. It can't be easy keeping that high standard but clearly it works because you seem to be booked solid and I keep coming back for more repair videos. Bravo.

You’ve gotten props for the voiceover technique and they are still well deserved. I appreciate your time with that.

I definitely would trust this guy to work on my Toyota hands-down. I would wait a month to make an appointment if I had to. I live down here in San Antonio, Texas, and all Toyota dealerships. Do not have a qualified technicians like this guy in the video props to you man.

Wait… I have a 2014 Prius. Is this something in my future? I change the oil every 5k religiously. Put I drive like a mad man. I just hit 200k last week. Now… on a side note , wow! This video has only been up for 11 hr and your already over 11K views! Congrats on the success of your channel!

I have learned the hard way, from several cars, first sign of a suspected head gasket problem, stop driving the car. Just stop, untill you can confirm that it is not a head gasket. Cars I kept on driving cost an engine. Cars I stopped driving, was relatively cheap head gasket replacement, some coolant, etc.

I get why a professional shop would replace the EGR cooler and intake, but they can be pretty easily cleaned. The customer could probably get a few hundred bucks for the used ones. These cars are best for DIYers as you'll save thousands over the years if you can do some basic work. If this guys HV battery or brake actuator goes out soon, then this whole job was probably not worth it.