shmelvin1

I am going to be towing a relatively heavy trailer a 1000 miles so I thought it would be a good idea to change all the fluids just to be safe (I have 40K miles)
I called my local dealer and was quoted $1,400 to change the engine oil, transmission, transfer case, and Diff. This seemed a Tad High so I called my local independent Toyota specialist who I have used before and they have a great reputation. They quoted me $295, How can the dealer be so egregiously high?

ObsidianBl

$295 seems like a great deal for the fluids and labor.

most people don’t know much about cars and when you add the Lexus name plate on top, you’ll see dollar signs in every service advisor’s eyes.

overhead, insurance, training etc is also built into the pricing.

lionsfan54

they don't call them "stealerships" for nothing. They make almost all their money on used cars and service...

coolsaber

Maybe they just priced themselves out cause they dont want the business?

qwertykid0

The best is the service item of checking that the drivers floor mat is properly installed.

WRD4chano

i feel your pain, mfers charged me $800 to put in new kdss/sway bushing front and back. **** off.

btw how did you find a local toyota tech? just google search or word of mouth?

nuclearn8

Depending on the fluids, $295 seems like a great deal, even with the cheapest fluids and too good to be true for even somewhat reputable fluids.
A reasonable stealership, excuse me, dealership estimate I'd expect to be
Engine oil and filter, $125
Transmission Fluid: $150 (for most dealerships this merely means a single drain and fill which gives you 25-30% new fluid in the system)
Transfer Case: $150
Diffs: $100 each

so .... $625 would seem reasonable base minimum for any dealer nationwide. depending on labor rates and fees and mark ups it can get out of hand guickly. the reality is there is a lot of time overlap here... the fluid can be drained at the same time concurrently (but most dealers charge the flat rate for individual times for each)... Any experienced master technician could perform all these services in less than 1.5 hours, and likely charge 6 or 8 hours... it's a gravy train for the dealer. Heck I could do this in my garage in under 3 hours total, easy.

msgs350

iTrader: (2)

Sounds like a Lexus of Bellevue or Fife "special"

TheHighLow

I love my truck but I can understand why people love Teslas. There’s practically zero maintenance.

lionsfan54

That's really not true. They can go through very expensive brakes in a hurry as they tend to rust up. And, while there isn't much maintenance to do, they are horribly built and have lots of break downs and other issues that require dealership visits.

L3xusGX

Teslas are certainly not maintenance free and do require attention to tire rotation, fluid checks and depending on who you ask and reference the coolant needs to be changed during certain intervals. Granted, compared to ICE vehicles is much less to be concerned with overall. As for quality, it depends on the model but if you're referring to the 'cheaper' Model 3 then yes there are a number of complaints about QC. I don't own a Tesla so take this with a grain of salt based on my forum lurking.

lionsfan54

It's well established that all Tesla models are trash in terms of quality. Spending more doesn't help.

coolsaber

Teslas have really long extended maintenance intervals, like any other EV or hybrid (100k+ brakes etc).

That great benefit however gets negated with the number of quality issues that say a tesla develop straight from the factory. Roofs and rear bumpers flying off, reat seats that dont sit flush, doors that dont open, panel gaps etc etc. The average youtuber (I guess something that you have to open once you decide Tesla is your next vehicle) documents multiple either mobile service appointments or actual tesla service appointments.

I`d say for arguments sake, if an EV mfg fixes those mundane issues (At least from a legacy automaker pov), EVs will be soo much more popular to those who want a maintenance free vehicle.

shmelvin1

It was Lexus of Seattle (In Lynwood, not actually Seattle) I don't remember how I found the Indi but big shout out...

Bothell Toyota Specialists

TheHighLow

any car can have an extreme problem pop ups. I'll give you that they are built like civics BUT on average, however, owners pay nothing for maintenance. And there are droves of happy owners. Forums only highlight problems as you know.