Scottsims1

Freds430

I use my local Toyota dealer. I take in my Mobil 1 five quart jug bought at Walmart for $23 and Toyota oil filter bought on line for $5 to them and they charge me $25 labor. if not them a use an independent mechanic down the street. As you stated the 20,000 mile checkup is an oil change, tire rotation an a bunch of inspection things that do not need inspection. In the fall and spring Mobil give a $12 rebate on line for the five quart jug. This brings the price down to $11 for the 5 quart jug.

lesz

I also use the local Toyota dealer. The full synthetic oil change costs $41 (with a $10 coupon that is always available), and the tire rotation is $10. They do all of the "maintenance checks" for no additional charge.

I've been using the Toyota dealer for all maintenance and repairs, except for warranty-covered work, for about 15 years. They use the same parts and materials that the Lexus dealer would use, and the cost of their work is typically 1/2 or much less than what it would have been at the Lexus dealer.

The $400 that your dealer wants for 20,000 mile service is outrageous. Their business model seems to that, if people are willing to pay a premium price for a Lexus vehicle, they will be willing to pay outrageously inflated prices for service.

SugarmillM

lesz

The Generation 6 ES uses the same cabin air filter as the Toyota Avalon.

SugarmillM

EdgarLex

This depends on dealer to dealer but chances are that it might be much busier. Shouldn't be too much of a prob if you have appts and anticipate an hour for oil change.

lesz

The nearest Lexus dealers to me are about 100 miles away. The nearest Toyota dealer is 35 miles away. So, it is a nice bonus for me to have the closer dealer be the one that is less expensive.

I'm sure that the service experience at Toyota dealers can vary from one Toyota dealer to the next, but, at the Toyota dealer that I use, there isn't much difference from what happens at the Lexus dealer. The Toyota dealer's waiting area is just as nice as that of the Lexus dealer. Like the Lexus dealer, there is a big screen TV, Wi-Fi, Starbucks coffee, snacks, etc. Just like the Lexus dealer, I can get a loaner at the Toyota dealer. The only difference is that the loaner is likely to be a Camry or other Toyota loaner, instead of a Lexus loaner.

SugarmillM

lesz

I had a leak in the refrigerant line of my GX. The Lexus dealer said that the entire line needed to be replaced at a cost of $1800. The Toyota dealer said that all than needed to be done was to replace the fitting that was the source of the leak. They replaced the fitting, and the total cost was under $300.

Also, on the GX, the Toyota dealer replaced the timing belt (required maintenance at 90,000 miles or 8 years) and the water pump. They did the job for less than half of what the Lexus dealer would have charged.

I've also had brakes and other assorted repairs and maintenance done on my Lexus vehicles at the Toyota dealer. Like with everything else I've had done at the Toyota dealer, there were no issues with the quality of their work.

Poppa

$400 to change the oil / filter and rotate tires... wow, that's robbery.. For this kind of service you can either take it to a Toyota dealership ( where the work is generally cheaper ) or you can find a mechanic's shop somewhere.. someone you trust. But I wouldn't pay the lexus dealership that much for just an oil change and rotation.

Roland

Freds430

Our six Lexus and had not needed any mechanical repairs just maintenance. Seven years #1 in dependability by J D Power is one of the main reasons we drive Lexus. If I did need repair, I would take it to the Lexus dealership if it was a major issue.

SugarmillM

I agree with taking my Lexus to the Lexus dealer for any major issues or warranty work. Of course, some issues are going to be detected during those "routine maintenance" sessions while at the Toyota dealer.
Is it possible to have Toyota do the warranty work under the Lexus warranty and bill the appropriate account at Lexus?

lesz

Considering that the mechanical components of an ES are essentially the same as those of an Avalon or that the RX is essentially a Highlander, the NX is essentially a RAV4, etc., I have am completely confident that the technicians at the Toyota dealer can do any maintenance or repairs just as well as those at the Lexus dealer. I could understand, however, that owners of, say, an LS or an LC, models for which Toyota has no direct counterpart, might feel more comfortable having work done at a Lexus dealer, but I would still be confident that a Toyota dealer would do do quality work on such vehicles.

No, Toyota dealers cannot do warranty work on Lexus vehicles.

What Toyota dealers do have the capability of doing, however, is to enter any maintenance or other work that they do into the Lexus Drivers data base so that that data base includes a complete record of all work done on the vehicle. (Also, if you choose to use an independent mechanic for maintenance work, you can enter a record of that work into the Lexus Drivers data base yourself.)