Service Es 300, 97 At Toyota Dealership?

[odessit]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As a new owner of ES 300, 97 I am thinking about taking it for service to the Toyota dealership. They serviced my 88 Camry (288K and still running) so I am reasonably comfortable with the level of service.

The questions are:

-- Does anybody have good reasons not to take ES 300 to the Toyota dealership?

-- Any type of work that should be done at Lexus dealership only?

-- Should I follow the replacement schedule for coolant/transmission fluid and spark plugs for every 30K?

Regards,

Alex

[steviej]

Just ask the Service Manager if they are comfortable working on your Lexus.

If you trust the dealership and have a good relationship with them, by all means, continue to use them for routine sheduled maint. You will find them cheaper than the Lexus Service Centers.

They will most likely alert you when they encounter a problem that they feel must be taken to a Lexus shop.

Coolant and Tranny, most definately at 30k. Check your manual on the plugs.

My 02 is every 60k on the plugs as is my friends 98 Avalon. On your next service or in your driveway, carefully pull a front plug to see what the general condition on one is. Note the brand, check to see if someone has already replaced them.

good luck Alex and welcome to the club.

steviej

[odessit]

Thanks for the feedback. The car was serviced at the Lexus dealership and I did not see the tune up (i.e. spark plug replacement) being done in the near past. I will get them replaced. I guess, the fuel filter should be added to the mix.

What about changing the differential fluid?

Regards,

Alex

[steviej]

the diff fluid is usually changed when the tranny is flushed.

steviej

[adawnh]

My ex-fiance worked as a mechanic for a Toyota Dealership; he was always working on Lexus and was the reason I bought a Lexus. A lot of the parts for the ES300, are basically the same as the Camry. I have used both Toyota and Lexus, they both worked out great for me.

[tundra-lover]

Ya the Toyota dealership works on them, no problem! Most of the mechanics are Toyota/Lexus certified, and get the parts from the same place. As far as the ES 300 is concerned, it's "95% the same as the Camry" as the mechanic's told me. I've been getting mine done at Toyota the whole time! It's like taking Lincoln to the Ford shop, or a Volkswagon to the Audi shop! No biggy! You'll generally save more money, from my experience. Good Luck!