Generally Who Can Own A Lexus For Long Run?

[92Lex]

You don't need to take a Lexus to the dealer. Thats one of the beautiful things about a Lexus vs a BMW or Mercedes, really anybody can work on them. Like others have said, by the parts wholesale and have a good independent shop do the work. No problem at all.

In fact, I think you get better REPAIR quality at independent shops than the dealers. Dealers do a lot of warranty work and maintenance on new cars, when it comes to diagnosing and repairing problems with older cars the independent mechanics have more experience.

Howcome a BMW or Mercedes can't be serviced at an indi shop? I used to work on these cars, all the time.

[nc211]

I agree with Swo on getting better service from the indi's, for most things. When it comes to the real dna of the car, or a repair that, if done incorrectly, would most likely result in complete failure of the car, I prefer to pay the premium prices of the dealership, simply because I have them on the hook if the repair was done incorrectly. Like the lower oil pan that had to be replaced because Walmart stripped the drain plug threads. I wanted it done right, so if the pan came loose and the engine oil drained out causing the engine to blow, I had them on the hook to correct it. BUT, the other 99% percent of the stuff, I think an indi is fine. I must admit, I am starting to wonder if the dealerships aren't instructing some of the mechanics to "don't fix it too good, we want him/her to buy another LS". I say this because of some really basic rookie mistakes and misquotes I've seen come out of the dealership's shop. I have my car, because the previous owner was told the 90k service was like $4,000. Which we all know isn't true, but the owner decided to trade it in for a new LS430. Stuff like that....

The LS is an easy car to work on, lots of space under the hood to manuver around, simply designed drain plugs, etc... If you're a beginner DIY "like I was when I bought the car", it's a GREAT car to learn on, and build up your confidence. I am actually not affraid of european cars anymore, due to my learning curve experience with my LS, which by the way, runs better than anything I've test driven over the past several months while looking for a new car for my wife. I don't completely agree with the analogy that an indi shop will just charge you an extra hour of labor to make up for the lost sale on the parts, but I see where you're coming from. Most shops will quote the labor based by the book estimate, as assigned by Lexus. They have the same knowledge as Lexus has. The way to know if you have a GOOD indi mechanic, is if they realize they have to remove that part anyway, to get to the other one, and combine the labor. Case in point, two years ago I replaced my suspension components. I did the fronts myself, and ran out of time to do the rear components "and was too freakin' tired". I found a shop that calculated each part replacement by the book estimate of time. It came out to be like 20 hours. But, they said "I can't really justify charging you 3 hours for the struts, and 3 hours for the control arms, since I have to take the control arms off anyway to get to the struts." That is an example of a GOOD shop! I can't recall the exact price they charged me, it's on here somewhere, but I believe it was around $600 to have the entire rear suspension components replaced, all parts. Match that to the $1,600 it cost me in parts for ALL control arms, struts, ball joints, outer tie rods, etc.... and $2,400 isn't bad considering it brought the car's suspension back to brand new, oem standards, as if it just rolled off the showroom floor. Did I over do it? Oh hell yes, the car just needed struts, strut rods and lower ball joints at the time. But do I regret it? Nope..... Because I've got a new driving LS400 for the price of a Kia Spectra. With the LS, once you repair something, it's repaired for another 100k miles. That's the beauty of the car. It's not like you're putting on bandaides, just to get to the end of the car's life. You're actually repairing / updating, the car. The engines are just perfect! Ask JIBBY, he knows these engines like nobody's business!

If you don't want to take on the repair bills, then I suggest not taking on a decade + old car in general, no matter who made it. Honda Accords blow tranny's, Nissans blow gaskets and modules, VW's just blow,etc..

The LS isn't your basic transportation, and if thought in that light, it will dissapoint you. But, with a handful of little tricks, tweaks and maybe $1,500, it's not hard to bring nearly ANY LS400 back to near showroom status. For $3,500, you'll have showroom status, and then some, for many many many more miles and years.

EDIT: Also, the thing about the LS, is even when they're not running well, or have problems, they still give you just enough of a hint as to how good they really are, to drive you insane enough to want to fix it up. I just replaced my plugs last weekend, and came to realize that I had a really bad plug, and I mean BAD! It looked like burnt toast, covered in barnicles. It was bad. Other than a wierd thump at start up, I had no idea the engine wasn't running in top shape. But now, with 8 new plugs....HOLY MOLY!!!! Is this car quiet, smooth and fast! Match that with the seafoam results, clean throttle body and clean air filter, and I can't keep the car under 75mph to save my life. I have to drive with the cruise control on my way home, just to stay 9 mph over.

[JIBBBY]

Yes the biggest problem with buying an older lexus is making sure all the maintenance service has been done....Older SC/s and LS's generally will not have huge maintenance issues if maintened properly...You may find suspension parts worn, dash lights and LCD's failing, brake work...Timing belts, etc.. You should not experience major engine and or tranny problems as both are designed to last for a very long time.. Ho

So again, if you can learn how to do the routine maintenance yourself then you will save thousands.... Most lexus owners don't like to get greasy...So my suggestion is find a resonalbly priced mechanic that knows his imports... Someone you can trust..Good luck...

[SW03ES]

Howcome a BMW or Mercedes can't be serviced at an indi shop? I used to work on these cars, all the time.

They can be, but generally indie shops that service european cars are more expensive due to the cost of purchasing the diagnostic equipment.

[92Lex]

It seems these days that a lot of indi shops already carry the necessary equipment and software to service European vehicle's. I'm not sure how others operate but I've always charged flat-rate book time. I figured that the extra 2-3 grand spent on additional tools were an investment and necessary to have, to become successful. I think that it just comes down to finding an honest auto shop.

[GSsoldier]

all i can say in this topic is that, this car is the !Removed!, u wont find a car that can last 14 years with maybe 5-7k worth of maintence. good mechinc is everything

[JasonInDallas]

My LS430 costs a lot less to keep maintained then past cars like BMW 5-series, Jaguar XJ8 (cost a fortune!), Acura TL, Mazda RX 7.

I doubt an LS would cost much more to maintain than an Accord with similar miles.

I will definitely buy another.

If you want a cheaper option look into a last-generation Acura 3.5RL, although that car isn't nearly as nice as an LS.

[dcfish]

My LS430 costs a lot less to keep maintained then past cars like BMW 5-series, Jaguar XJ8 (cost a fortune!), Acura TL, Mazda RX 7.

I doubt an LS would cost much more to maintain than an Accord with similar miles.

I will definitely buy another.

If you want a cheaper option look into a last-generation Acura 3.5RL, although that car isn't nearly as nice as an LS.

Since 1999 with my GS absolutely the finest auto..................... AAA+++

Not to mention my 93 es300 which I might add with regular maintenance is better than most new cars on any lot today.....