Lexus bolt torque maintenance - Is it for real?

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Feb 12, 2004
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Location
Western Washington
I'm taking over the maintenance on my wife's 2016 Lexus NX, and I'm seeing two maintenance recommendations that have never before entered my mind. They recommend:
  • Every 5k miles or 6 months to retorque the nuts & bolts on the drive shaft (for AWD)
  • Every 30k miles to "Torque Nuts And Bolts On Chassis And Body"
Have I been missing out on some important maintenance items my entire life? Or is this just a way to charge uneducated Lexus customers more money for service?

*Edited for clarity of wording*
 
Yeah, I have a Lexus and a Toyota and they recommend it on both. I've checked both several times and they were torqued down tighter than spec. I think they mainly write it because it sounds like a safety issue and so people are more likely to come in.
 
Thinking about this and it makes no sense. 30K in the rust belt those bolts are going to be rusted tight. So whats the deal loosen them so you can re-torque them? Hit rusted nuts and bolts with a torque wrench that with no doubt is going to click right off the hop even if the bolt is not bottomed out against the frame for example.
Lets force them loose, break the heads off, drill and tap them and use a new bolt and torque it. This is a but loony IMO

I can see it on a new vehicle, just try turning them with a normal ratchet and socket in the first month or so but after that no way.
 
I check by putting a wrench on them and tightening.

So far, so good.

Liberal use of AMSOIL MP (metal protector) has kept the rust at bay. So, I’m putting a wrench on clean bolt heads and ensuring they’re tight.
 
Yeah, I have a Lexus and a Toyota and they recommend it on both. I've checked both several times and they were torqued down tighter than spec. I think they mainly write it because it sounds like a safety issue and so people are more likely to come in.
Maybe some Toyota residual paranoia from the sudden acceleration, floor mat hanging on the accelerator, VVT oil lines bursting, debacle of a decade or so ago. :oops:
 
Yeah, I have a Lexus and a Toyota and they recommend it on both. I've checked both several times and they were torqued down tighter than spec. I think they mainly write it because it sounds like a safety issue and so people are more likely to come in.
Lawsuit protection. "What? Your call fell apart? Did you make sure it was screwed together tightly every 30k miles?"
 
I check by putting a wrench on them and tightening.

So far, so good.

Liberal use of AMSOIL MP (metal protector) has kept the rust at bay. So, I’m putting a wrench on clean bolt heads and ensuring they’re tight.
Like suspension and subframes? Ever found anything loose? I can't say I've ever found any evidence of any bolt being loose on a car I've ever worked on? Most are pretty tight!
My tractor loader and subframe did have some bolts that would turn a few flats after the first 50hrs.
 
I had to replace the lower control arm on the Mazda due to a damaged ball joint. Torqued all the mounting bolts and figured it was done. After a few weeks there was an unidentified clicking noise that turned out to be one of the bolts slightly loose. Seems a bit odd after factory assembly, but can happen on repairs.
 
I'm taking over the maintenance on my wife's 2016 Lexus NX, and I'm seeing two maintenance recommendations that have never before entered my mind. They recommend:
  • Every 5k miles or 6 months to retorque the nuts & bolts on the drive shaft (for AWD)
  • Every 30k miles to "Torque Nuts And Bolts On Chassis And Body"
Have I been missing out on some important maintenance items my entire life? Or is this just a way to charge uneducated Lexus customers more money for service?

*Edited for clarity of wording*
My owners manual says the same thing, my control arms sure as heck didn't need retorquing after five years, I could hardly get them off with the 3' breaker bar.

I shake 100+ wheels a week during vehicle inspections, not once have I seen a factory torqued bolt come loose on its own.

I've taken my front end apart several times and any bolt/nut I torque to the correct specs stays there.
 
I had to replace the lower control arm on the Mazda due to a damaged ball joint. Torqued all the mounting bolts and figured it was done. After a few weeks there was an unidentified clicking noise that turned out to be one of the bolts slightly loose. Seems a bit odd after factory assembly, but can happen on repairs.

Dirty/rusty threads probably skewed the torque reading.
 
Like suspension and subframes? Ever found anything loose? I can't say I've ever found any evidence of any bolt being loose on a car I've ever worked on? Most are pretty tight!
My tractor loader and subframe did have some bolts that would turn a few flats after the first 50hrs.

I've run across my fair share of loose Subframe Bolts causing noise complaints, Toyota's & Honda's mostly. Whether or not it's from a sloppy previous repair?....Don't really know.

Far as Torqueing fasteners.....I find it better to pull the fastener to torque slowly than to jerk it to torque quickly.
 
Tightening the front seat mounting bolts (27 ft-lb) is also a maintenance item for my LS400. Maybe I should check them.
 
Tightening the front seat mounting bolts (27 ft-lb) is also a maintenance item for my LS400. Maybe I should check them.
27 seems a little low for something that you'd expect to be much tighter. I mean that's about the torque value of an oil drain plug. Some torque values are surprising considering the job that some fasteners have to do. Don't get me wrong though, I'm not doubting you concerning the seat bolts, just a little surprised is all.
 
I check by putting a wrench on them and tightening.

So far, so good.

Liberal use of AMSOIL MP (metal protector) has kept the rust at bay. So, I’m putting a wrench on clean bolt heads and ensuring they’re tight.
Exactly just put a wrench or socket on it to make sure it didn't get left loose at the factory, no need to break out the torque wrench.
 
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