Auto tech and TikToker John Brian (@johnbrian210) shared a cautionary tale about a Lexus owner’s poor maintenance of their vehicle. It ended up becoming a bigger problem than it should have been.
Although Lexus, aka Fancy Toyota, is consistently rated as one of the most reliable car brands (it took the title yet again in 2024), that doesn’t mean they don’t require regular maintenance. This is especially true when it comes to critical under-the-hood components.
Brian says this customer learned the hard way why it’s so important to properly maintain their vehicle.
In a viral TikTok, he delineated all of the issues with the customer’s vehicle while walking viewers through his diagnostic and repair process.
A neglected Lexus
“Customer states my engine keeps overheating,” the video begins, showing a recording of the exterior of a 2008 Lexus crossover RX 350 SUV.
The clip then transitions to the interior, which shows the check engine light lit up. he then shows a diagnostic tool resting in his lap. The machine reads the car’s engine is experiencing several engine misfires.
“He didn’t mention multiple misfires, but customers never tell the truth,” the mechanic says. “Looking at live data, we definitely have current misfires on all cylinders.” Brian shows various figures on his diagnostic tool’s screen backing up his point, and scrolling through the various error messages.
The video then cuts to the mechanic working under the RX 350’s hood. He removes the engine cover and drops it onto the ground. Apparently, the customer didn’t do a good job of selecting the right mechanic beforehand, and Brian intimates that this may have only worsened the issues.
“He took it somewhere else and spent a lot of money for the shop to do a tune-up,” Brian says. “Which solves nothing.”
Issue after issue
He then shines a light on something that seems out of the ordinary: “I guess the JB welded connectors came as a bonus,” Brian writes.
His video then cuts to him cranking the engine—steam emerges from an area of the car and the mechanic soon finds the culprit.
“Take a guess what’s going on. Spark plugs are definitely wet. Which is not normal,” he states.
Next up, he shows an up-close look at another tool’s screen. It shows how much gunk has been built up on the vehicle’s pistons.
“Here’s a look at the pistons before any pressurizing,” he says, giving a detailed “before” look on screen showing off just how much build-up there was. “And here is a minute after…if you’re confused, that’s coolant entering the combustion chambers.”
@johnbrian210 A very expensive lesson learned for this Lexus Owner. #customerstates #customer #lexus #rx350 #toyota #autoshop #diagnostic #diagnosis #mechanic #mechaniclife #mechanicsoftiktok #automotive #autorepair #coolant #engine #fail #foryoupage #fyp #viral #tipsandtricks ♬ original sound – JohnBrian
As he continued to explore under the hood, he found more and more repair red flags.
“Really…someone used duct tape,” he says, showing the adhesive. “Even the backside has JB welded connectors.”
Using his colonoscopy-style snake cam, Brian spots another problem with the vehicle: “This cylinder is full of grit, or something. I’ve never seen this before,” he says.
All of these issues created a perfect storm that prevented the car’s ability to have the cooling fans function properly.
“Long story short, the cooling fans do not work,” he says. “Another shop told this customer they needed them.”
The moral of the story is that the Lexus owner ended up shooting themselves in the foot because they ignored the other mechanic’s suggestion.
“Customer didn’t think it needed the fans and now after a hard lesson learned the customer will need to invest thousands,” he says. “Plus some fans.”
Brian concludes, “Always trust your mechanics and always watch your temperature gauge.”
Viewers weigh in
Several viewers were absolutely stunned by the lack of care exhibited by the Lexus owner: “To kill a V6 Toyota, the lack of general maintenance has to be beyond neglectful,” one wrote.
Others were shocked at the other mechanics’ ignorance in properly servicing the vehicle.
“They didn’t know how to take the connectors off so the broke them and welded them back when done,” one commented.
Someone else just couldn’t believe how careless the owner was: “So his headgasket blew because he didnt get new fans and let it repeatedly overheat?”
“So they spent lots of money & got trash repair work?” another said, summing up the driver’s problem.
Proper maintenance on a Lexus RX 350 has yielded some tremendous results for drivers. One Club Lexus forum member who owns the same model said they clocked 407,000 miles on their vehicle, still with the original engine and transmission. This is a testament to how stalwart they can be if owners are diligent in caring for them.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Lexus via email and Brian via TikTok comment.
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