hi everyone,

my name is jason! relatively new member . my car is lowered on megans (just to close the gap) and 19's and recently just had the wald side skirt installed. when i took my car in for oil change today my car could not clear the hoist or alignment rack. Dealer was not able to provide any special accommodation thus my car won't be able to go back to my local dealership for service anymore.

my car's not that low but the side skirts make the car hang lower. i never had this issue at any auto/tire shop before. i went to the dealer in cerritos, southern CA.. does anyone know if other dealer in the area has more lowered-car friendly hoists?

any suggestions? i'm worried that all my service won't be on lexus record anymore and it might impact future resale?

by the way, the filers i can get here:
http://is.sewellparts.com/accessorie...2010/1896.html

but what kind of mobile synthetic engine oil should i use? what other service parts should i get from sewell besides oil filers and spark plugs?

thanks a lot in advance , guys!

 

the oil debate is huge and there is no correct answer

I would try westminster or long lexus. Those two dealership service seem to be the most mod friendly. Your last options would be to either raise your car up or remove your sideskirts/bumper when you go in for service

 

I respect the dealer for saying no versing giving it a shot, scratching the paint then you getting in a war with them. Almost every mod has some implication down the road. This is one of the reasons I don't mod cars any longer.

 

(bolded for emphasis)

first of all, you made the mistake of going to Lexus of Cerritos. their service department is one of the worst in southern california. drive up to Longo Lexus, or drive down to Lexus of Westminster. i've found both dealers to be more friendly towards modified vehicles than anywhere else.

second, you can log into your owner's website and manually enter non-dealership service entries into the vehicle's maintenance record. a lot of owners in here prefer to handle simple oil changes on their own rather than overpay at the dealership.

finally, a periodic service record is nice to have, but not having one isn't hugely detrimental to resale value. on the other hand, it's highly recommended to at least have a record of major services and recall work.

it's your choice. go with the recommended grade in the owner's manual. from what i've seen in here, owners' choice in brand ranged from motul (!) to royal purple to mobil 1; the latter two seems like the most popular. i went with castrol GTX full synthetic for one oil change and my 2is was fine with it. comes down to what you're comfortable paying for.

btw, if you're just changing motor oil, get the filter and a oil pan gasket for the plug. no need to change spark plugs unless they're past due.

 

Thanks so much for your comprehensive response, so insightful my Lexus is new so I didn't know better, will definitely stay away from Cerritos Lexus in the future. Just curious, in what ways are their services worse compared with the other 2 dealers so I can warn my brother about them, too?
Just called longo, like you said they were much more friendly and even asked me what kit I have, seems like they do have more experience in handling mod cars! Can I trust them from beginning to end or would it be better if I drove my own car to the hoist / lift so it doesn't get scraped? If they have courtesy car wash can I trust them not scratching my paint , etc?
I am going with mobil1 . I heard for summer it's better to use the 10w-30, and winter5w-30? Will do more research to find out what those numbers mean...

 

This is Cali we're talking about, what Winter?!

 

I too have severely parted out my car. It's not that I don't love it anymore, its every problem I've ever had with my IS has been a modification I've done

 

Doesn't it get cold in the north?

 

Average temp in San Francisco is 68 degrees. Night time in the mountains can be in the 40's.


I say try another dealer. My buddy who works as a mechanic at Lexus brings in some ramps to change my oil and ONLY he is allowed to drive my car and no free car wash!

 

Try Jimmy Thach at Longo. He's cool and willing to work with people.
As far as mods, I too gave them up. Not worth the mechanical and cosmetic hassles/stresses, negative attention, and lowered resale.

 

If that dealership can not service your car then they also cant service a LFA. Tell them to use the LFA special service tools to lift the car.

 

to Longo and jimmy thach just mention cl. Just don't let them wash the car.

Specifically request for a no wash hat when you drive up and they take your information.

As far as documentation for oil changes I'd say as long as you have the paperwork and mileage stated it wouldn't hurt resale value.

 

what's wrong with their car wash?
i asked, they said no
seems like no one likes dealership washes why is that? is jimmy a service advisor?

 

Optochu, some people don't like the free car wash because they have been known to scratch the cars. It all depends on how well you take care of your paint and what color you have. I only wash my car myself.

 

If your car is too low for there service bay, its not the dealerships fault. Be happy they didnt force it up there and risk your car.