Tom44

went in for 10k service...Dealer rotated tires (not realizing they were staggered) and put in incorrect engine oil. I wouldn't have expected this level of incompetence at a dealer. Only performing two tasks at a 10k service and somehow managed to botch both.

I guess these guys are just used to working on RX's and IS's and are on autopilot when a car comes in for a basic service.

DeepBlue99

Sad... but this is an all too common story.

After having a look at the actual description of these service packages, I don't even do them on my wife's RX.

40k service was a joke, most of the items were done recently anyway by the same dealer in relation to some repair work they did earlier same year. The only relevant item on there, my mechanic was able to do at 1/3 the cost and much less drama.

Its buyer beware I'm afraid. You can't really expect personalized service or even trust the dealer to do the right thing for you in these matters.

TrevorR

iTrader: (2)

Wow, what did they do to remedy this?

Tom44

Well I am in the NY/NJ area so as you'd expect, they did two things....Jack and Sh * t

Lexus dealers are just better in other states.

DeepBlue99

Well, in my experience... the key to not being disappointed is having the right expectations going in. That goes for everything in life.

Your quote is pretty much my expectations ballpark when it comes to dealing with any dealer. If they exceed that, they got a happy customer! Having learned this lesson a few times, I micromanage everything done by a dealer now, including bringing in my own parts when it makes sense (and if they let me). Otherwise, I stay involved in everything they do and question everything!

I'm in the same general area and currently drive 50+ miles one way to do basic service. Well worth it in my opinion, given that local dealers are crap in my experience.

Even so, I would expect any dealer to remedy this sort of situation at no cost. Given that this is essentially malpractice that could result in material damage to your car and your wallet.

Tom44

They did fix the mistake but I’d expect a comp’d future service and/or refund of my service cost.

Which dealer do you recommend/travel to?

DeepBlue99

I've had nothing but great experience with Rallye Lexus in Glen Cove, LI. Coming out of Jersey, LI will likely be a schlep for you tho.

Otherwise, I would lean heavily on https://www.dealerrater.com/ reviews. Rallye has 425 lifetime Service reviews on DealerRater to date with a 4.8 rating.

Have a look around DealerRater, I'm sure you can find a decent dealer in your area.

MasterWork

Rallye Lexus is amazing, I order all my Lexus parts through them for my body shop (in Brooklyn) and they did the low pressure fuel pump flash TSB for me after Prestige Lexus had forgotten to do it initially while the car was owned by the previous owner. As awesome as they are I did have to tell them to make sure not to do anything to the car other than the flash; No wash / no alignment / no oil change / no tire rotation. In and out in less than an hour, plus their parts department is on point, never had any issues with them.

DeepBlue99

Completely agree. Goes back to what I was saying earlier.

You just have to watch over any dealers shoulder at all times. Everything else aside, absence of specific guidance, most will try to do the right thing. Still, that might not be the choice you would make had you been asked.

SolidG1

Quick question: They recommend changing the oil every 5k or 6 months...but what if I don't drive my car that often and I only make it to 5k in a year. Should I still change my oil every 6 months? Cuz to my understanding the oil is just sitting in the oil pan doing nothing.

MasterWork

The "or" is for whichever comes first. I Have had times where I changed my oil in 4 months because I hit 5k miles within that time frame, but this oil change coming up is going to be 6 months however with only 3400 miles. I think its a bit excessive, but it does make it much easier to remember intervals plus staying ontop of the oil life is never a bad thing.

DeepBlue99

You'll likely be ok with either.

Its a subjective thing in any case. My wife's RX barely covers 5k in a year and since she is not one to hang out at the dealership more often than absolutely necessary... that means we have been doing oil changed on her car once a year! Not trying to say that its optimal, still its a Lexus, so no adverse effects that I or anyone been able to point to have been observed in quite a few years.

Having said, lets say the car in question is a GS-F and instead of it being wife's car, it would be my car... I would do oil changes at 5k OR 6 months on the dot.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

I have a string of used oil analysis reports indicating you could go considerably farther than 5k miles without any issues at all. My IS F has gone as much as 14k miles on a change, and it's still got solid numbers from Blackstone, and it still runs as hard as I ask it to. If you let the car sit, the only bad thing that happens is the oil oxidizes over time. The worst thing you can do is drive short distances frequently. That does force a shorter change interval because water condenses inside the engine after start up and sits on top of the oil until the oil gets hot enough to boil it off. If it never gets to full temperature, the water continues to sit on the oil and dissolves organic acids from exhaust vapors leaking past the ring stack. Those acids break down the oil's viscosity. So, the more important thing about when to change your oil is, how do you use your car? Short trips, frequent oil changes. Mostly long trips, longer change intervals.

UZ214

I am curious what dealer this is? very surprising indeed! Lexus of cherry hill is good, I love Lexus of Chester springs.

CobraGSF

iTrader: (2)

This is a little scary. I have my car at Lexus of smithtown for an oil change and wheel replacement. so far I've had good experiences with them, and they have a few moddedF cars they work on. so id like to think they know what they're doing. stories like these make me cringe.