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Did the dealer service dept take advantage of me? Calling on service pros replies pls
Hi! I had my 2019 Lexus GX460 serviced at a local Lexus dealership and after reading the invoice at home I cannot shake the feeling I was taken advantage of. Please help me understand.
I drive this SUV to remote places in Death Valley and Mojave deserts in the summer (125F in the shade) and absolutely cannot risk breakdowns due to improper/low quality fluids.
I requested 100% synthetic oil change,brake system flush and transfer case fluid exchange as required by the 30K service in the manuals.
1) The oil used was Toyota 00279-0W201-01bulk oil. Is this a full synthetic oil suitable for V8 or a blend? I used and specified 100% synthetic and not a blend.
2) The original OEM brake fluid was replaced with BG brand. However, there is a yellow sticker around the brake fluid reservoir opening IN RUSSIAN that says to use original brake fluid
Why is this sticker in Russian? How did it get there? I leased this SUV brand new. I do speak Russian. Is this a dealer or factory customization ?
If the factory wants original brake fluid then should I request another flush using OEM brake fluid?
3) Is transfer case fluid the same as the gear oil for 2019 Lexus GX460? I had Transfer Case Fluid Exchange Service – not sure what was serviced. The invoice says “REAR TRANSFER CASE SERVICE”…using “ULTRA FULL SYNTHETIC GEAR” variety. As far as I know BG does not make transfer case fluid for GX460. I could be wrong. Did the technician replace rear gear oil instead of the transfer oil? I'd like to know how to verify the proper box was serviced.
You have to specifically request a certain oil, like, Mobil 1 0W20 Full Synthetic. They should have it all on hand or can get it... heck, you can even bring your own oil if you want. Plenty of Corvette guys did that when I worked at Chevy for awhile.
BG is a well respected brand. I wouldn't worry about that brake fluid.
Don't worry about the Russian, mine is the same;
The transfer case fluid is special unless they changed it for the later year GX460s. The front diff, rear diff, and TC should be done at 30k or 60k depending on your preference and usage.
There is the expensive stock 75W or the cheaper Ravenol alternatives.
Is the use of gear oil going to damage your transfer case? IMO: Probably not and the thicker fluid may be less of an issue if you frequent hotter regions. That being said it probably won't help fuel economy either. I'm not aware of any long term trends either way that using standard gear oil in transfer case will cause any long term damage. The 4R Limited trims uses the same exact center Torsen diff so that may help in locating established reports.
I used the OEM golden fluid when I serviced mine last time.
Hopefully someone on BITOG has tested out that bulk oil. I thought all 0W-20 was synthetic but could be class 3 versus a 4 or 5.... but I do not claim to be an expert on the designations.
Thank you, Romanova. The service has already been done, so I cannot explicitly request anything.
So the questions above still remain unanswered.
Well, you can for the next time. For the oil that is in your vehicle now, it will be fine. Most large dealerships process their oil in bulk. As long as the weight is right, you should be fine.
Not limited to dealerships ... the majority of shops go with bulk fluids for cost and labor efficiency purposes. So the consumer many times has no clue or ability to verify what "mystery oil" is contained in the 55-gallon drum stored in the back room of the shop. For me, all the more reason for DIY specific to fluids ... or go to a shop where you can witness the (non-bulk) containers as new fluids are being added.
To the broader question, "Did the dealer service dept take advantage of me?" the answer is usually a resounding, "Yes!". Dealerships are making the bulk of their money off of service instead of sales. If you've ever seen the ridiculous list of "recommended" items on a maintenance "fishing expedition", then you'd know that, yeah, unless you've got a guy/service advisor/dealership you trust with your bank account, there's gonna be a lot of "padding" going on... Do everything you can yourself, and then be vigilant, and at peace with knowing you're overpaying for what you're getting. It is the way things are...
05-31-21, 03:01 PM
Did the dealer service dept take advantage of me? Calling on service pros replies pls
