MedicalDoc

So,...objectively, you paid almost $200 for what?

bc6152

Nuraman00 I noticed that on the Toyota dealer entry it stated "fuel and oil conditioner". These add-on items are pure BS only to add to the final bill. Maybe this is why your Toyota bill was almost $200.00. You must be on guard for these kind of sneaky add-on items that are money makers for the dealers. Your car doesn't require any oil or fuel conditioners. Yet they sneak them in to increase the service charges. They simply are not necessary and, in most cases, useless. Really pi$$es me off when I see them take advantage of customers.

nuraman00

I'm not sure.

It was also annoying when I tried to enter the service history into Lexus Drivers that day. It had a lot of trouble accepting certain characters, and I had to reformat it several times. I spent at least 45 mins entering the service history, after having it rejected several times. It also didn't save all of the history a few times, only the first section. So I had to go back and edit it and try again.

I don't know if the Toyota dealer didn't enter it into Lexus Drivers because they don't have permission, or they're not used to it and need to be reminded.

But if I ever go back to a Toyota dealer, I will ask if they can enter it. Because it wasn't easy to try and enter the history, and if you look at my notes of what I manually entered, it's not the same as what the dealers entered.

This was my best attempt that day to try and record whatever service history I could.

I think I paid for an oil change, tire rotation, and installing "fuel and oil conditioners". But I remember walking out of there wondering why I had paid even more than I had at the Lexus dealer, when the whole point of me trying the Toyota dealer was because I thought it would be less.

nuraman00

Thank you for confirming.

I have some things to watch out for in the future.

Such as reading every line item before they start work.

And making sure they use fully synthetic oil.

GES

You know this is really terrible. The oil change interval has been extended to every 10k if you are using fully synthetic oil. If you don't use synthetic oil waiting till 10k will cause premature wear of engine parts. This is totally unacceptable.

MedicalDoc

Caveat emptor is really, really, really appropriate in this case.

nuraman00

Yes, most of the times I am using fully synthetic oil. I didn't realize they didn't use it that one time in February 2016, until now.

I think one of the dealers at the service center also told me that it could last 10K, when I was there within the past 1 - 2 years.

But, I don't drive as many miles as an average driver. It took me about 32 months to reach 10K on the 2013 ES. That seems a bit too long to wait for an oil change?

For my 2018 ES, the rate will probably only be a little faster. With my current commute and driving frequency, I still think it will take 2 - 2.5 years.

Let's say I get the oil change at the 6 month mark, because it's complimentary. How long do you think I should wait after that, before getting the next one? I had thought once a year seemed reasonable, rather than wait until 10K itself.

GES

You should change the oil every 10,000 miles or 12 months which ever occurs first. I would not wait 32 months even if you drove only 5000 miles. And always use the recommended oil which is 0W-20, which is fully synthetic.

Mike728

Oil change is not complimentary at 6 months, unless you've driven 10k miles. The first 6 month service is basically a tire rotation and dealer only features customizing. And yes, get your oil changed at least 1x/yr if you don't drive much.

bc6152

As Mike states, just change your oil once a year - regardless of miles driven - around the same date and your car will be fine.

v27patel

In my experience, every dealership is different. There are 4 Toyota dealerships within 25 miles from my house. 2 of them seem like they are trying to get the most money out of you as they can. I called them to get a quote for a full synthetic oil change on my Lexus and they quoted me $175 (oil change, oil filter, 16-point inspection, tire rotation, oil conditioning). I told them I just wanted an oil change. I didn't need a 16-point inspection (most of that stuff I can do myself). Oil conditioning, really? And I get my tires rotated at Discount Tires (they do it for free). They said all of those things are a "package". I can opt out of services, but the price would still be $175. Complete BS. The 3rd dealership said they don't service Lexus, only Toyota's. Made no sense to me. The 4th Toyota dealership (the one I currently go to) quoted me $70 for the oil change, plus they have a $10 off coupon on their website for full synthetic oil, so I'm out the door paying $60 + tax. No BS charges. And I always make sure on the invoice it states they used full synthetic oil. It's best to know the prices and what you're getting done beforehand because a lot of dealerships are just cash grab places.

bc6152

This is how it's done. Just look at all the time and money you saved with a few phone calls. And you didn't get sucked in by Toyota dealer #2 for $175.00...

nuraman00

This scenario has probably become more common this year.

Would you change your oil if you have driven less than 1000 miles this calendar year? What about less than 2000 miles?

OBLexus

I was told to change the oil anyway once per year because it may loose its viscosity simply due to aging over time.
This Info was given by Audi, not Lexus - I haven’t checked about it with my Lexus (yet).

Mike728

Yes, once every 10,000 miles, OR 12 months. I think I put on about 700 miles a couple years ago. I'm actually driving my ES more this year than I have in the past 6.