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Lexus ES 300/ES 330

5443 messages,  Last post on Aug 14, 2010 at 9:21 AM

You are in the Lexus ES Forum.

What is this discussion about? Lexus ES 300, Lexus ES 330, Sedan

Messages Page 211 of 545

#2097 of 5443 lexus gouging on service by strapper1

Jan 30, 2002 (6:13 pm)

I recently purchased a 2000 ES 300 demonstrator with only 6000 km on it and i love the car.My problem is with the cost of service compared to the Camry i had last which with the 6 cyl engine is mechanically a similar car.
    The new Lexus dealer in town also owns the Toyota dealership.I can see an oil change costing $59 compared to $27 at Toyota as Lexus loans you a car and washes yours but when you get the Lexus dealer quoting $296 compared to Toyota $102 FOR the same service maintenanceone has to wonder.I phoned another Lexus dealer about 90 miles away and their cost for the same service was $160.Now when you compare Lexus service requirements they want you to carry out this service at 12 months or 16000 km wheareas Toyota only requires you to carry out this service at 24 months or 32000 km.Is one to deduce from this that the Toyota is a better car than the Lexus? I phoned Lexus Canada who seemed surprised at this.
           I guess I will be getting my Lexus serviced at a Toyota dealership which is in the next town
            I would like to hear from others who are getting their Lexus serviced at Toyota dealerships
                          Best wishes
                               Strapper1

#2098 of 5443 autos3 by 8u6hfd

Jan 30, 2002 (6:34 pm)

Toyota transmissions are designed to lock out overdrive engine the engine is cold for better startup emissions and warms the engine faster.
 
I suspect 45-50 is the range where the transmission shifts from 4th to 5th. So it's hunting gears. You may want to get them to check the computer for the transmission, if it's reading anything wrong.

#2099 of 5443 Musty Smell Fix by lexus1

Jan 31, 2002 (6:47 am)

I live in Houston where humidity, mold and mildew are the norm. I occasionally get the "old socks" smell in my Accord and use the following fix suggested by my mechanic: turn the AC on with the vent in fresh air mode. Open all doors and windows. Spray Lysol spray down the air intake vents for 2-4 minutes to fully coat the ducts. Let the AC run for 5 more minutes. For a day or two (or three), your car will smell like Lysol (they have new fragrances that are better than the orginal) but the mold will be gone. In some cases, the type of mold that grows in these systems can aggravate allergies and cause repiratory illnesses. Since you have to do this only once or twice a year (unless you live in Houston or New Orleans!), it's worth the couple days of smelling "really clean". A further suggestion is to either protect your seating surfaces in front of the ducts with towels, or wipe the seats off after you're done.

#2100 of 5443 new lexus, back problem by capt386

Jan 31, 2002 (8:17 pm)

took delivery of my new 2002es300 two weeks ago and love the car. previously owned 97es300. however, I find that resting my left leg on floor pad, has given me backache and tingling in left leg. have tried to adjust seat but without success. anyone else had similar experience or am I just getting old.

#2101 of 5443 Lexus1 by sddlw

Feb 01, 2002 (8:23 am)

Interesting fix. So where are the intake vents? Under the dash?
 
That is not too different for what the dealer did. They went in through the vent ducting and tubing and used a foamy disinfectent. I'll try that next time.
 
I am in San Diego, and always have the vent set for fresh air. I only use the heat or AC every once in a while. I was quite surprised I would have this problem in San Diego. Hence, I was curious how widespread it was.

#2102 of 5443 strapper1 by sddlw

Feb 01, 2002 (8:36 am)

I just had a 20K service in San Diego and it was $160. But in all fairness to the dealer, in addition to OLF, they rotated my tires, checked things that should be checked, checked some BS things that help them justify the $$, and sent me home in an almost new RX300 with only 3K miles in it as a loaner for the day.
 
A while back at another routine OLF interval, they saw the coolent overflow reservoir was cracked. It took them 5 days (over a weekend) to get the part. I had their loaner all five days and still only paid for the routine service.
 
Somebody's got to pay for that!
 
If the pamering and convenience is not worth the extra $$, take your car to the Toyota dealer for service, or find a reputable independent who is certified for warantee work. Before I bought my Lexus, I was driving a 300E MB and used an indepenent. On average, his bills were slightly lower for service interval stuff, but as much as 50% less than the dealer for major work.

#2103 of 5443 sddlw by hunter001

Feb 01, 2002 (1:31 pm)

A while back at another routine OLF interval, they saw the coolent overflow reservoir was cracked. It took them 5 days (over a weekend) to get the part. I had their loaner all five days and still only paid for the routine service.
 
Somebody's got to pay for that!
 
Lexus pays for that, NOT the dealer.
 
Later...AH

#2104 of 5443 hunter001 by sddlw

Feb 01, 2002 (2:13 pm)

Perhaps a bit off-topic .... but how does that work? I realize parts and labor are covered by the manufacturer but does the dealer get to charge back for the loaner too? Even for another Lexus?
 
I would have expected that to be dealer overhead, and one of the main reasons the independents can keep their prices down. .... as in the case of my MB mechanic who was factory certified and authorized to perform warantee work, but kept his overhead and prices low.

#2105 of 5443 warranty by kreativ

Feb 01, 2002 (2:41 pm)

Everything gets charged to Lexus Corp. when it deals with warranty work.
 
You'll notice that some Lexus dealers are very willing to do warranty work (replace items) on trivial things. Customers think the dealer is great, but really, they're just collecting on warranty payments. If they had to cover the warranty themselves, they'd do anything to get out of it.

#2106 of 5443 Service recommendation by kreativ

Feb 01, 2002 (3:11 pm)

Remember, the only person that really cares about your car is you.
 
1,000 miles: Free, all they do is look at your car, and maybe take a joy ride (road test) in it.
 
Minor service (e.g. 5000/10000, 7500, etc.)
Lexus typically charges - $90 to $1xx
What you should really be paying - $30-40
 
Oil change - Lexus dealers typically charge $40-60 for this simplest of procedures (as far as a car mechanic is concerned). You can get the same parts and better service by doing this on your own for as low as $22. (Buy Camry/ES filter at Toyota dealer, oil from discount warehouse, LABOR ONLY charge at local auto shop where you get to watch the mechanic)
 
Rotate tires - Lexus dealers again charge $40-60 for another simple procedure. At that price, you might as well buy new tires and get lifetime tire rotation/balancing with it. You'll SAVE money in the long run and have an extra set of tires for later use.
You can get tire rotation for much cheaper at tire shops. I wouldn't pay any more than $15 for this service. Ask that only a TORQUE WRENCH be used to tighten your tires to 76lb-ft. Most places, including Lexus dealers, just use an impact socket wrench with little regards to the torque specification. Some just use a torque limiter (torque stick).
 
Intermediate service (e.g. 15000):
Same as minor service plus:
Replace A/C filter - simple to do through glove box, instructions in the owner's manual. If you can change a light bulb, you can do this. Buy A/C filter from parts and do it yourself. You DON'T need to change it at the specified service interval. Instead, you should change it when it's NECESSARY, meaning checking the filter periodically. So you may be changing the filter earlier/later than recommended.
 
Retorque drive shaft flange bolts: I doubt Lexus dealers even bother, or all they do is rattle it around with an impact socket wrench instead of retorquing to specified torque. If you want it done right, ask your mechanic what the torque specification is (to make sure they know) and request that they be retorqued with a TORQUE WRENCH. This service shouldn't even cost anything if you're bringing in the car to any auto shop for an oil change or what not.
 
Checks and inspections: So they look around and make sure everything's okay. Do they actually check? Many don't. Unless you're with the mechanic and he tells you everything he's checking for, you'll never know.
 
Lexus dealers typically charge $200-$xxx for this service. Starting to wonder what exactly you're paying all the extra money for? Just the nice lounge and a nice loaner car, which can be quite valuable to some. Sure, the Lexus dealer will say "we do a lot of extra stuff" (i.e. We tack on a bunch of unnecessary extras so we can charge you more)
 
This could go on and on. What's important is to find a GOOD MECHANIC, whether at a local shop or at the Lexus dealer. It's not the place that matters, it's the mechanic you get.

Messages Page 211 of 545

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