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Shelley

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  • Lexus Model
    2002 SC 430

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  1. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I dropped my 02 SC off at the local Lexus dealer this morning for an oil change. The car only has 27K on it, but it's our tof warranty due to age. Anyway, the service writer acted like I had committed a mortal sin against nature because I haven't had the 18K (or something like that) service performed. In fact, the car had 12K on it when I bought it, and had just had its 12K check-up. Since then, I've only had the oil changed. So, she (the service writer) tells me that she thinks I should get the 30K check done, at a whopping $579. I say "NO thanks", as I've always believed that the service interval checks are overkill - however, this is my first Lexus so I'm not sure what really mattters. Anyway, after they changed the oil they called me and said that they recommend the following: tire rotation, balancing and alignment. (I said okay to those items and it will be like $200 for these), a power steering fluid flush ($199, I said no given that I had never heard of this before and the car only has 27K on it), and a carbon clean-out ($99, I said no, and I reallly didn't even get the concept). Can anyone offer me advice about what really matters and what is just money down the dealer drain?
  2. To Sean TX Curious how many miles your 430 has on it. I just bought my 2002 430 w/ 16K, but it had new runflats on it. I'm wondering how many miles I'll be able to get out of them?
  3. Thanks dcfish for your kind words. Here's the thing about the tires, the runflats are OEM since the car has no spare, and the pressure monitors are mandatory when you use runflats. I guess it's so you aren't driving endlessly on an empty tire (should only use for a couple miles) and get into some horrible accident. From what I've read here and elsewhere, keeping in mind that what I've read has been very "techy", the monitors are hard to disconnect. If you simply stop using them, I think the car keeps giving a warning beep and light on dash. I would be THRILLED to get even 40M miles out of the tires. The dealer says 20M is the max, and a number of posters mention heavy wear at 5M, so I would certainly be willing to change tires, but not sure they make a better choice in 225/40 18's . They are all "performance" tires. Oh well, we will see what happens.....
  4. Hi everyone, First of all, I'm a "girl", so I won't understand your reply if it's really "techy". Here's my situation. I've had SUVs for years and thought it would be nice to have something sporty and showy for a change. Years ago, I had a convertible BMW and hated the soft top, so I first started thinking about the SC 430 because of the retractable hard top. My logic went like this: in bad weather, I can use this car just like any Lexus Sedan for commuting etc. , and in good weather, I can retract the top. So, I started looking to buy a new SC, but decided to look into used when I saw a significant price difference. I ended up finding a 2002 with only 16M miles on it at Carmax. It is in mint condition and Carmax put new tires (Dunlop run flats) on - and reinstalled the tire pressure monitors. Anyway, I got a loan and wrote a check, and drove my new car home the night before last. Since then, I've started to get worried. From reading this forum and others, I began to learn that this car isn't really a luxury commuter car, that this type of use is really going to get expensive. First, I learned that the tires seem to wear out by 15M miles, then I l called the dealer and inquired about what it will cost to replace them. The answer was $1,700. I started getting scared. Next, a co-worker told me that the headlights cost $2,000 each. Then I heard that you can't just get tires anywhere because of the pressure monitors, so even if I found the tires for $1,000 at Tire Rack, I would have to have them installed at the dealer. Now I'm almost afraid to drive the car because all these things are going to cost so much. Keep in mind, I'm not broke, but I wasn't thinking that service and maintenance on a Lexus would run several thousand per year. I know, I know, I should have thought more clearly before buying, but I now am left with simply trying to maximize my enjoyment of the car while minimizing the cost of maintaining tires etc. Any advice about saving money while owning (and using ) the car? Thanks guys for any tips.
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