30,000 Mile Service + Atf Flush

[flyguyco]

Sure services are pricey at times. However you spend $$ @ the dealer and they will take care of small problems when you're out of warranty. Do medical doctors cut you a deal when you're sick?

I think the underlying message hinted at is: If you go to the dealer for all service and then something goes wrong out of warranty, you may have a leg to stand on where as if someone else has been servicing your vehichle and for example your transmission breaks.... Lexus may say tough luck since they do not know how it was serviced and with what. Thus the old pay me now or pay me later analogy.

I drove my 1993 Lexus ES300 for 10 yrs before buying this 2003 ES300 and never had a problem with either the engine or transmission, and I wasn't using anything Lexus/Toyota on that 1993 ES300. I never took it to the dealer for service after my 2 yr/20K free maintenance ran out, and had no problems.

I believe regardless of the transmission fluid type or engine oil type or filter, if you perform regular maintenance according to the schedule and it fails then I think you still have a leg to stand on to get Lexus to comply with the warranty.

Well that happened with my mother's Oldsmobile and I can't imagine Lexus being more antagonistic about it than GM...

[RX330inTPA]

i took my rx300 to cherry hill lexus in NJ for an oil change, and waited one and half hour, cost me $129.

i nerver went back again as i do my own oil change now with Mobile 1 oil

Sounds like you had filters etc done as well. Check your invoice. I've had one such oil change, and other lesser cost oil changes (oil change only) with Cherry Hill.

One of the local Toyota dealers will peform the oil change on an RX for $19.99 + tax and disposal fees and in under 30 minutes. Mine goes there every other 3750, Lexus gets it the rest of the time.

BTW, I think the $129 fee should have included a loaner car for the day. Business folks would not blink at that fee as long as they did not need to sit around waiting. For many it is a tax write-off. Lexus just takes advantage of this and the rest of us suffer.

B

[bluestu]

I recently had my timing belt, water pump, and serpentine belts replaced by a private foreign car shop. I also had the radiator and transmission flushed. The total cost was $700.00. I felt this was a fair price considering the amount of labor hours it took. I'm sure the dealership would have charged twice that amount. I avoid dealerships unless it concerns a warranty issue.

If you need replacement keys with programing instructions, go to eBay. Recently, I've been able to purchase both a cut key and transponder for around $60.00. I already have the instructions for programing the remote and transponder. Lexus charges around $250.00 for a new key, and you have to take your car to the dealership to have the key programed.

[monarch]

I recently had my timing belt, water pump, and serpentine belts replaced by a private foreign car shop. I also had the radiator and transmission flushed. The total cost was $700.00. I felt this was a fair price considering the amount of labor hours it took. I'm sure the dealership would have charged twice that amount. I avoid dealerships unless it concerns a warranty issue.

Beware independent repair shops (unless they are Toyota specialty shops) typically use aftermarket parts, fluids and filters. For the Lexus owner who is interested in maintaining maximum vehicle reliability and durability, one work around is to purchase the needed parts, fluids and filters separately ahead of time from a Toyota / Lexus dealer and then tell the independent shop to install them.

[stonecutter]

Beware independent repair shops (unless they are Toyota specialty shops) typically use aftermarket parts, fluids and filters. For the Lexus owner who is interested in maintaining maximum vehicle reliability and durability, one work around is to purchase the needed parts, fluids and filters separately ahead of time from a Toyota / Lexus dealer and then tell the independent shop to install them.

I can see the wisdom in that approach, if Lexus parts are indeed better than aftermarket parts, but hadn't somebody (whose cousin is a Lexus tech or similar) mentioned that Lexus/Toyota uses the cheapest supplier of the moment, and therefore what you get from the dealer might be the same stuff as from PepBoys ?

[monarch]

hadn't somebody (whose cousin is a Lexus tech or similar) mentioned that Lexus/Toyota uses the cheapest supplier of the moment, and therefore what you get from the dealer might be the same stuff as from PepBoys ?

I don't understand how it could be functionally possible for a Toyota / Lexus to achieve a reliability history like this http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/cr.jpg unless Toyota parts and fluids were superior.

[SW03ES]

I do agree with Monarch on the idea of most parts (not fluids, other than the Toyota trans fluid simply because of the potential issues with replacement warranty). If I have anything done to mine from an independent shop I bring my own genuine Toyota filters and things like that.

You can get them cheaply online so there's really not a reason to not use them. The Toyota oil filters for instance are very robust.