chicolex

hi all...

i'm approaching 30,000 miles, any suggestions on what services i should perform ?. the guy at lexus dealership told me that the cost will be around $ 500

flipside909

If you live here in SoCal, I recommend you go here to do your 30k service. 30k is a major service mark.

www.luxurymotorworks.com

They specialize in Lexus...particularly IS300's and will do all the factory service items at half the cost. I'm at 20k with my 2004 IS300 and will bring it to them later this year for my 30k. I had my 15k done with them.

mmarshall

It's a good idea to change and flush the coolant at 30K and at least change, if not flush, the transmission fluid. Flushing is usually best ( it will get more of the old fluid out) but can be expensive in some shops, and they have to have the correct machines for it. And have a look at the power steering fluid and see if it is in good shape..sometimes dirt gets into it and it needs to be flushed too...mine did at 15K.
If you have the 17' high-performance tires they will probably be gone by then, too.....15-20K is very common for these tires, 30K if you are easy on them.

chicolex

thanks for the reply guys

i live in nor-cal, sacramento area. i bought the car at lexus sacramento, that's where i usually do my services. so do you guys think $ 500 reasonable ?. i might go down there this weekend and one more, any suggestions on what kind of oil brand i should put ?

thanks ciao

flipside909

$500 Seems average for lexus service dept. I like to use Castrol GTX when i can with a Genuine Toyota Oil Filter.

mmarshall

I'll second that...I use Toyota filters and Castrol GTX non-synthetic myself...a good combination. Valvoline and Penzoil are also good oils.

If no warranty work is involved, however, and if you're just going to get routine service, a Toyota shop will give you much the same service and factory parts and filters for less money than a Lexus shop ( in many cases for half the price ). Some Toyota shops....like the one I use.....employ some Lexus-trained technicians.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

man i must be one of those that don't really follow the normal maintenance

i change my oil every 3k miles, flush my tranny every 15k miles, together with differential. change my brake fluids every yr

and the coolant, it's still like new so...

G2FAST

I take my IS300 to Toyota, they will do the same services for less than half of what Lexus is charging you.

mmarshall

You do excellent though expensive service...your drivetrain and brake lines will probably be like new at 200K. If you have the E-shift tranny, regular fluid changes or flushes are even more important than with the manual 5-speed.
Toyota and Lexus, in my opinion, don't really give good service recommendations in the owners' manuals.
They really don't say much about changing or flushing critical fluids.
Of all of the noted Toyota and Lexus excellence, this probably their biggest weakpoint...poor service intervals in the book.
Mercedes, even with all of its noted quality problems, has its dealers do much more routine fluid changes and flushes.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i agree, to me a lot of times they give out these guidelines but they didn't stress enough on driving habits, weahter, etc.... here in CA we have some of the best weather imho, so maintenance is relatively easy, but in other areas it's worse

i have the 5 speed so it's easier to work on by comparison i guess. i always keep in mind that it's "never too early for oil change", so with the way i drive, i think the way i do it is good. at least i feel so

YoNadz

How hard is it to flush the tranny yourself? I have never done this, and probably should. Is it something you can do yourself??

rominl

iTrader: (4)

auto or 5 speed? i have no idea bout 5 speed, but for auto, if you just drop the pan and replace those fluids, it's ok hard and probably diy if you are inclined enough. but if you wanna do a full flush, which is what i do every 15k miles, that's not a pretty job. you need someone experienced

flipside909

It's not too bad for a shadetree mechanic. But if you want to do a full flush as Rominl explained, that involves hooking it up to a machine.