Water Damage Diagnosis On This Lexus LS430 equals Multi Thousand Dollar Repairs!

[@TS-jp1lm]

You are such a great mechanic. It’s hard to find someone as thorough and knowledgeable as you. Most mechanics unfortunately do what they as a chore, you are different. God bless you.

[@icosthop9998]

I couldn't word this video any better than you did. 🤗 Very good 👌

[@mitchlu]

Yes, you can't find mechanics like this easily, or sometimes, at all.

[@icosthop9998]

@@mitchlu true

[@dtna]

Many mechanics these days, just swap parts and are not good at performing diagnostics, despite OBD II.

[@franciscolozano9982]

Have a question regarding Prius 2016. Car has 25,000 mi and dealer wants to do a 70,000 mi due to time. Is this normal? Owners manual does not mention timing maintenance (only oil and oil filter every 6 months or 6,000 mi. Note: I’m calculating miles from kilometers, living in Mexico. Thank you, best regards.

[@KeyboardEra]

I'm a dealer tech at a Toyota , I cant even tell you how much I've learned from this channel. Your videos are great

[@rightlanehog3151]

AMD, In watching all these videos lately involving complex repairs to the Lexus LS I have learned one very BIG lesson - simplicity itself is a form of luxury 😁

[@alanjohnson2528]

yah i miss the roll up windows and manual lock days , but people are lazy these days they cant even roill down a window

[@rightlanehog3151]

@@alanjohnson2528 When I did my factory order back in 2005 I wanted cruise control but it only came in a package with power windows and locks. I have had to survive without it for the last 17 years😉

[@standoutpunching2936]

KISS is the best strategy...

[@waltp3373]

@@alanjohnson2528 That's my thoughts exactly. I have to turn my car on just to roll up the windows. :(

[@ozonepower4034]

I am a car mechanic I can get a job

[@jayjaynella4539]

Car was in minor accident and sat outside the repair shop for a few days or weeks and rain got in around the trunk seal. Water was removed and dried out, but the rot was inside the box.

[@MR3DDev]

Holy complicated thing just to open a freaking trunk. Car Care Nut is like a surgeon for cars.

[@underdog2594]

Ahmed, I doubt many technicians have the knowledge or curiosity to sniff out a problem such as this one. Great detective work! Thanks for sharing.

[@Kevin19700]

This vid just confirms why I love my 2008 Camry

[@ILOVEBACONBOY2018]

I love how clean your shop is.

[@icosthop9998]

He is a very big stickler on keeping a clean shop.

[@ozonepower4034]

I am a car mechanic I can get a job

[@Gonzohst6869]

I love my 05 LS430, best car out for the money. Drive mine daily for my commute, about 20,000 miles a year. Regular oil changes, simple maintenance a timing belt here and there, valve cover gaskets and replacing the radiator every 10yrs or so (cheap plastic will fail) and this car will run problem free for many 100's of 1000s of miles! Love all your videos, keep up the awesome job!

[@joer1678]

I have the same car. Awesome vehicle

[@billsimmons7754]

As some one that has been an electrical troubleshooter most of his life I can say this about your diagnostics. It is very difficult to know why something does not work if you do not understand what makes it work when every thing is operating properly. And once you do know how it should work, as you demonstrated, there are many simple tasks one can do to further isolate the problem as you determine what does work and what does not work. A fun exercise on systems that you understand well is to ask yourself how would I intentionally create these symptoms.

[@rightlanehog3151]

I concur.

[@TerrySmith1953]

Another fine example of fine and thorough professionalism. I wonder what this owner decided to do in the end??

[@TheCarCareNut]

They didn’t do the repair with new parts. I advised them to perhaps look for used parts instead at their convenience and once they do we’ll continue repairs.

[@klwthe3rd]

Proper diagnosis is mandatory if you want to track down the REAL problem on your car. Anyone can just replace parts(blast the parts cannon as they say on SMA) but a true technician is worth is weight in gold if he can properly diagnosis and issue.

[@icosthop9998]

Yes It was quite the eye opener for me. I am no longer a person that will throw in this part and that part , hoping to get things fixed. "#Diagnosis" is everything 🧐

[@TheBlooRayChannel]

This was a beautiful little story from start to finish. I massively admire your methodical approach. Just very disappointed this was ONLY SIXTEEN MINUTES LONG :(

[@icosthop9998]

LoL Yep , this was nice. Look forward to his next video.

[@ozonepower4034]

I am a car mechanic I can get a job

[@glenmccarthy8482]

Swapped out the valve cover gaskets and spark plug tube seals on my ls 430 , royal pain in the ass. Gave me an insight into being a auto mechanic ,it can be damn frustrating at times and patience is mandatory.

[@waltp3373]

Water latch problem here too. My hatch latch didn't work on my Gen 3 Prius. I did diagnosis and didn't just replace the button. I checked for voltage at the latch assembly when I pressed the button and I had voltage. So the latch assembly was obviously bad. I replaced it and it worked fine. The latch assemblies are not meant to be taken apart but I cut the plastic and took it apart. What I found was water inside and the RC motor was rusty. I deduced what caused that was when it was raining, I had the hatch open while removing groceries. The rain got into the latch opening and eventually shorted out the motor. It didn't happen right away. So, now I put a tarp in the back and when it's raining and I'm unloading, I slide it over the latch opening so rain doesn't get in there. I recommend any Prius owners do this to prevent this from happening. A new latch assembly costs around $200. I was lucky. I found one on ebay for $45. I also bought an RC motor and fixed my old one for a spare just in case.

[@craigm.9070]

Thank you for re-enforcing THE #1 rule of troubleshooting..."You have to know how the system works." Or, at least have access to the Theory Of Operation. Swap-Tronics is expensive and is simply a coin flip as to whether it works...did I mention EXPENSIVE.

[@rightlanehog3151]

Has any garage/mechanic in world history ever refunded the customer's money after they changed the wrong part due to inept diagnosis?

[@Azcarlosrobless]

Diagnosis is very important, understanding the system and following steps to find out what’s the cause. As a young technician I appreciate learning from your videos thank you Amd

[@aldomassa7473]

Thanks for helping me choose my 03 4 runner V8 limited, we love it. Outstanding factory tech, the best channel in reference to Toyota.

[@waynes.2983]

My daughter in-laws car had this exact problem & it took me hell and high water (pun intended) to figure it out on my own. Wish I'd have seen this video beforehand.

[@marcprobin1659]

As always, great job. Unfortunately, most repair shops wont do that kind of diagnosis.

[@icosthop9998]

True ...and that is sad.

[@burntnougat5341]

The sad truth

[@somersetbassett4580]

right!

[@zepp3lin]

If they did, their workmanship will be exorbitant. So in the end you still pay alot for it except that with diagnosis that part will definitely be working after the repair.

[@blackrifle6736]

@@zepp3lin *You pays yer money and hope for the desired outcome. Much like used oats are always cheaper than new oats.*

[@tedcook8749]

This is why I won’t/didn’t buy one of these cars (used)! I don’t have someone like you in my back pocket with over 20 years experience with these vehicles and your methodical approach to checking out a vehicle- you REALLY are “showing off” here , and deservedly so! Nice walk-through- thanks again!

[@jassmaan4998]

you and scooty are the best...because of you i just bought lexux ux250h 2023 model last week... this is great car

[@italian316]

I'm also a Toyota techinician. I love your channel and help a lot to learn something new with these rare issues. I would love it if one of your videos explained how to interpret and read the EVAP Test on the Tech stream because those small leak problems that even using a smoke kit test couldn't find and VSV, Cap and all EVAP hoses look alright. Thanks again for the valuable info 👍

[@espgranny]

Had that water issue. It was tail light gasket allowing water to get in the truck and spare tire area.

[@chotstv4144]

The Car Care Nut is Awesome! Very precise explanation.

[@andrewvillanueva3722]

You are a master mechanic bro!!! Some best videos on KZbin.

[@Yaba414]

Had a similar issue with my brothers 5th gen 4Runner tail gate. After 4 electricians and 2 BCM's 3 Hatch assemblies and 2 Tail gate ECU's it turned out to be a broken wire in the tail gate left pillar. Gladly though we live in the UAE and the yards were nice enough to accept the unnecessary part back. As AMD said, diagnoses is everything, the guy that worked on the truck charged me 180$ for a 3 hours job but I was there and I saw how to trace signals. He had the tools to help him though, as well as all data diagrams. If your electrician does not trace, know for a fact they'll be just guessing. Good job AMD and thanks for sharing the valuable information with all of us.

[@mvic_17t]

finding a good mechanic who knows all about electrics in UAE is almost impossible . Some who don't know will literally make the car even worse (as they did in my case)

[@1reycar]

You are such a great mechanic that a lot of us can learn to! please keep it coming and God Bless You!

[@wevonox7941]

I'll be taking my car tomorrow morning for my appointment, 4 hour drive looking forward to it.

[@abdullahyaseer4304]

Those areas can also flood if your tail lamp gaskets are worn. When it rains then the rains creeps down there and can soak that computer.

[@icosthop9998]

The way you went through this was very intriguing. I would Much rather hear you talk about how to fix things in a car , than watch a CSI program ❗️❕️❗️

[@blackrifle6736]

*Nice Ultra-model Cali-car. Even has the rare dealer-installed metal, (NOT plastic) window vent-shades on sides and rear. Original owner really did his optioning research. Cheers!*

[@danburby7936]

CLEANEST SHOP IVE EVER SEEN,IVE SEEN A FEW..GREETINGS FROM AN 84 YR OLD MECHANIC FROM THE PHILIPPINES

[@lawrenceralph7481]

Hard to watch such a basic function take so much to fix. All these systems should be manual and independent so that a repair doesn't threaten the life of the vehicle.

[@Ram14250]

While I appreciate all your hard work and you are indeed a top-tier Tech.... Dealerships do not go through the pains of finding out what is truly wrong. They use the parts cannon approach. This is why you are a rare breed! It's really sad.

[@Protegeeh]

If only there was a GM tech like you on here

[@marcop3517]

Deja Vu. I had the exact same on my first 430 quite a few years ago. Same water ingress but I didn't see any prior body work. Luckily it was only the connector pins that had been corroded through. The PCB was mostly fine and recoverable. A couple of bypass wires worked. My recently aquired 430 doesn't have the corrosion issue after a quick check. The release button was one of the first things I checked when I got the car

[@michaelpatosa]

Excellent! Learned something new today. We can't always be a parts changer, thanks for sharing!

[@dekkerlundquist5938]

Another great video AMD. If only all mechanics were as thorough and honest as you!

[@wholeNwon]

You convinced me that it's best to stay with my '98 LS400 It will be 25 in April and still a delight to own. I occasionally drive past a self-serve car wash and see people washing the engine bays of high tech cars. Very foolish.

[@andremontmartin7207]

Another very interesting video, which shows that it is not useless to think a little to identify the exact origin of a problem. But at the present time, it is so easy for many unscrupulous mechanics or those with low skills to go as quickly as possible and systematically change parts...that the customer will pay a high price! Thank you for this new informative video. RAV4 from France

[@jamesw5836]

I had to buy a truck a few months back. I have a friend that owns a body shop and even looking at trucks with less than 25K on them it took three before he was satisfied the one we were looking at had not been in an accident. He said with modern vehicles even a minor impact can lead to major issues down the road. I also found out, through a guy at one of the dealers, that most major lease companies do in-house work so they don't have to report it damage. That's why even vehicles that have had fairly significant damage won't show on reports.

[@Zephyrdaze1819]

Really enjoyed this video! When I bring my LS430 to you next time perhaps we can get my smart key to work on the trunk, too! LOL Hope you all are well--

[@ianbutler1983]

My God, I'll just unlock my trunk with my key, thanks.

[@shawnbelford3433]

You are a true professional my friend!!

[@g.fortin3228]

Yes indeed !! A lot going on. Even in my girls older RX there is Nav DVD in the back in a low area.. These cars and water do not mix well. Nice video AMD and I'm sure it opened a lot of eyes :- ) Appreciated as always !

[@danny1103]

11:19 I feel like the word mechanical "diagnosis" is probably misunderstood by average consumers, and personally I would prefer "troubleshooting" ; where the feeling of diagnosis involves the use of scanner and thus faster and more efficient than troubleshooting, while troubleshooting involved a lot of trial and error testing and examining in order to find the root cause.

[@fleetwin1]

YIPES! What a nightmare indeed, and an expensive one. You are soooo right, you really need to understand that system to be able to properly diagnose it.

[@franciscolozano9982]

Great work, high knowledge.

[@neilrobertson6535]

Fantastic video and your knowledge on Toyota vehicles seems to be endless. Good common-sense solutions to the situation also. Finding water leaks can be a real pain to locate the source. I have got inside the boot I should say trunk. Locked in the boot during a heavy downpour with a torch to locate how the water was getting in.

[@michaelpickarts7683]

I used to own a 2001 Lexus is 300 and i got a flat tire so after I dug out the spare tire I noticed the mildew smelling lake of stank water. Problem was my tail lights were loose and allowed water to pool up

[@mikechiodetti4482]

Your knowledge of these vehicles is immense and I thank you for putting that knowledge out there for us. Nice car, but way to tech crazy!

[@rightlanehog3151]

Outrageously expensive repairs can take all the fun out of owning a complicated luxury car. 😉

[@johndesaavedra1040]

Thank you for the note of caution. I have been interested in getting an older Lexus, however the complexity of this model could take all the fun out of owning it. As a former career auto insurance adjuster, I know how insidious water damage can be.

[@somersetbassett4580]

there's flood cars out there of all types, don't let that scare you off an old LS. I love my LS430 2005, no real problems, a joy to drive/own 💯

[@TheCarCareNut]

The Lexus LS can be a great car to own. Just know 2 things. You gotta buy a good one. And don’t cheap out on repairs and maintenance because things can get out of hand when you get one that’s neglected

[@curtisbagwell4193]

@@TheCarCareNut I am looking at a 2015 tundra with extremely low miles. It has sat for a while and is now missing on 3 cylinders. Is this something to be really concerned about.

[@blackrifle6736]

*This is where AutoChek and to a lesser extent CarFax can be your friend. Caution still required because not all hurricane/tornado/flood damaged vehicles are reported for insurance claims. First-registered State and City can be a leading indicator or cautionary tale. Cheers!*

[@wholeNwon]

I would be much less hesitant about a late LS400, if I could find a really good one. But I'm lucky since I already have mine and hope never to part with it.

[@amaansheikh8405]

Awesome explanation!! Thank you for your super informative videos as always. This is gonna sound crazy but I’m actually looking forward to bringing my car in to your shop for proper diagnosis haha.

[@paulsolovyovsky1702]

RCA (root cause analysis) is 90% of fixing any problem whether it's a car, computer, or airplane. Once you know what the issue it's straight forward for the most part

[@FGersten735]

Diagnosis is so important and crappy dealer mechanics have cost me thousands for replacing good parts that were not needed.

[@thomasroberts8024]

Houston, 1980. 1975 Mercedes 450SL. Something electrical inop. Traced to small silver cube relay near the steering column under dash. Curious, I bent up the tabs holding the cover and found moisture and corrosion like in your picture. Customer bought vehicle in Oklahoma. We ran a tracer on the VIN. Original owner was a doctor in our medical center whose parking place was in the basement of his building. Big storms that year('75) and the garage flooded. Insurance totalled it and auctioned it out of state. Ouch....... Traps are everywhere.

[@waiwong9871]

When the smart key battery is low when you turn off the car the dash will flash on the smart key battery low message for few seconds to warn you. That's very smart car

[@alanjohnson2528]

you are a good tech , most techs are on flat rate and just in it for the stolen hours, diagnosis to them means keep sticking part after part on it till hopefully you fix the problem , customers paying anyways..as a 430 owner with all the bells ..do not get me wrong i love the car but i kind of miss the roll up window manual lock slant 6 run forever days ...people are so lazy these days they cant even open a car with the key....

[@waiwong9871]

The tail lights only have foams seal over the years it does let rains slowly drip in seal the tail light foam seal with silicone helps stop the rain drip in the cargo areas

[@bernardaflores1720]

Great video and very good info. I seen water in those quarter panels on cars have a sunroofs and back hoses split open or get get loose.

[@be5952]

Just wondering out loud here.... This _water-in-the-trunk/boot issue_ can, and has affected many brands and models of cars over the years. Whether it's because of a faulty trunk lid seal or other reasons, it would seem that a 'backup system' might be a good idea. By that I mean integrated drain holes in the lower parts of the trunk floor. Is this a thing that would work? I realize that if you've got a hole in the trunk floor, what's to stop water from coming in from below when driving? But is there some simple(!), clever way to put holes into the floor, but keep any water from coming up through those holes?

[@furryp2402]

I wish your shop was closer to my location

[@Czechbound]

Even Diagnosis Dan would be impressed with that !

[@MusicConnoisseurian]

Perhaps the lip of the trunk where the seal is, is ever so slightly off, and the seal is old even though looks fine. My 2002 GS, my seal looked fine, but water would get in when rained hard enough or i was on the highway when driving and it was in the corners. I initial put some pails in the trunk held in place, then I added some additional gasket for home door on the edge of the trunk gasket and that did the trick. It's a gasket shaped like a dome, hollow inside and adhesive backing, so flattens out at gets pushed on, and I had to mark exactly where the original gasket hit, so I would add it just to the edge of it as i didn't want the edge to leave a gap from pushing the gasket into far.

[@zaffo757]

Need water indicating stickers in cars. Well, actually needed them for 20 years for most cars.

[@icosthop9998]

Nice idea but I guess they'll probably find a way to take the sticker's off. You can't trust "Carfaxs" any more.

[@stephendibari5010]

Brilliant diagnosis

[@kemalhasan3082]

This guy could have been an amazing internist or ER doctor.

[@anibalvargas8535]

Love your channel and you sound like a trustworthy technician

[@jdenha7078]

What a gorgeous car

[@paulodisano502]

I wish you were here in Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦. A great Toyota technician. God bless you, sir. Cheers my friend.

[@Bijoubix]

Great knowledge I will use for my first car purchase 😎😎😎

[@jzfz6871]

I get it. It is not about getting a button on the trunk lid to work. It is about diagnosis which is of the ultimate importance. Come over to the north suburbs, lake county. I have 3 Toyota V8s and a hybrid and wish I have someone as knowledgeable around😜

[@panoscharos983]

Excellent... congratulations... regards from Athens Greece..

[@adedejiademola]

Great Mechanic with detailed illustrations

[@The2Coolest2]

The Lexus models of at least the 2000s all can have this problem because of those duct vents on the wheel wells. They break and water gets in. This is a common issue because the usual thing it affects you is the audio amp for the car which is in the trunk and the navigation which has some components in the trunk. Just look at Lexus forums to find multiple people finding water because of it and all the electronics

[@54mgtf22]

Love your work

[@blizzardofodds4220]

I don't work on cars but I enjoy your channel just to learn, but watching you in this video shows that your protocol for diagnosis is a methodical step by step approach from simple to complex. When you stick to the same process over and over you will find and diagnose obscure issues like the one you are explaining in this video. I work on computers and networks and I can't tell you how often other folks cannot properly diagnose issues because the protocol that they follow is not consistent in nature and it does not flow from simple to complex. Without that consistency you will miss many things and waste alot of money on parts. I believe this is the issue with many mechanics. They don't have a standardized approach to diagnose and there fore they jump all over the place to try and figure things out. Hence, the guessing game on it could be all those other things that you mentioned. I also think in order to diagnose properly you have to understand some of the intricacies of that model and make of car. I just don't think mechanics totally understand those details especially if they work on all makes and models so then it becomes somewhat of a guessing game which ultimately falls on the customer to pay in time and money. Love your channel and your process. Keep up the good work. Wish I had a mechanic like you in my area.

[@KaluNatt]

Thanks for all great videos you are making.

[@96kylar]

If you can’t get a meter, and see/test a simple switch change state, stop firing the parts canon. Blows my mind.

[@andrewb8548]

Coca-Cola, distilled water, WD-40 Old VW with completely unavailable wiring was fixed with the following procedure. Soak corroded plug in small cup of Coca-Cola, then rinsed with small cup of distilled water, then hosed out with WD-40. Corrosion removed.

[@Knightfall23]

My 2013 GS350 had the same water problem in that right trunk side well. Water gets in through that air vent and ends up popping up in the well then it shorted it out my speaker amplifier. I took it out, cleaned up the PCB board and it started working again.

[@andrewphillips9027]

As always briliant information and advice

[@benjaminnoland8468]

Love your videos! you do such a great job of explaining things and showing us what your talking about. I know this must take A TON of time, so thanks! I'm curious, if the customer didn't care about the oscillator working inside of the trunk that would just be used if you accidently shut your trunk lid with the key inside, could you use it as a replacement and make the one that actually would get used all the time work again?

[@lukespack]

In the next six months to a year, cars will come on the market, which were flooded in the big hurricane Ida. Be aware. This is a common tactic after flooding. I see cars, in videos of the area, sitting in the areas where water was high.

[@Sir_Scrumpalicious]

Part of me now wants to turn the trunk of my Camry into a fish tank. Salt water of course so it won't freeze in the winter. 🤣

[@duesing6]

What is your opinion of just cleaning your connecters and computers and drying them out?

[@TheCarCareNut]

Connectors you can dry them or clean them if they’re not too bad. Computers once they have active rust inside and green gremlins it’s past cleaning

[@peterkwok9608]

Thank you for another awesome Video AMD 😎😎👍👍

[@prism8289]

Or just make sure you don’t have the button below the dash on the right side off, which deactivates the smart key for proximity purposes.

[@richardcasey7521]

What is this button you speak of?

[@prism8289]

@@richardcasey7521 do you have an ls430?

[@RocktCityTim]

I'd never seen that particular blue, wonder what it would look like with the tan interior. So, the short answer is "don't take your UL swimming!" 😆 Another consideration that isn't so obvious - make sure that you're not using the Valet key; it won't open the trunk, either. Luckily, my LS430 is a one owner since new with no accidents!

[@Reu_ag]

Another great reason why you should never buy a flooded car no matter how cheap it is

[@pushtoyota]

Saddle interior is super rare on that color!!

[@stevec9669]

Learned quite a bit from this video. Thank you very much.

[@michaelruys5021]

Another great video. Love the Lexus. Think I could afford a used one but then can I really. Nope. I’ll stick to the Camry.

[@ianwallace8415]

I can tell you really know your way around the workshop so well done indeed and I have now subscribed to your channel 👍

[@tundras4ever552]

Unfortunately most shops just throw parts and then when they don’t fix the problem they still want to keep charging you more and more money… hard to find a mechanic that actually knows and performs quality diagnosis

[@williammizebee]

Uh no

[@marktally5209]

Had to replace my radio receiver due to moisture. My 02 LS had the drain plug out and water was getting in. That's all it was.

[@p6102zrfxe]

All true. Brilliant. Thank you AMD.

[@googlename7141]

There is another button down right in the driver leg room. This button does deactivate the button on the trunk.

[@AK-hk2pd]

Thanks for your efforts.😀

[@dapetkov]

I have the exact same issue, the trunk button doesn't work when it's raining. Most probably I have a leak inside the trunk 😢