You know they mark up the parts and labor by like 1000%

Example;

1991 ls400 needed rack and pinion, dealer price to replace $1450.00

Machineshop Rebuilt of Original rack and pinion $130 mechanic hookup, $210 for the general public, plus install.

What do you think?

 

i would not pay anyone to do any work on my car. i do it all myself. pft.

 

I get mine done at the dealer as i get a tech straight from Japan who also has a celsior over there. Having a modded LS also makes me confident in using him for service. Also i get a 20% of parts and labor so it works out pretty cheap for a piece of mind. Either i can't do the work myself as well as having someone who does it all day can do it better than me much faster it will go to the dealer . I have a Japanese adviser and tech and no one else works on my car . I would never take my babies to some indie who is guessing what is wrong and trying to fix it. They never BS me and know they can't so we never have issues.

 

I don't think it has anything to do with "dumb".

You have a better chance of it being done right by someone who is more familiar with your car than about any other mechanic/shop would be.

Sure, it's more expensive but so are the cars. People who have the $$$ to buy a Lexus also have the $$$ to pay a premium to make sure their baby is done right.

It's peace of mind and well worth it to someone who has enough money to go that route.

I personally do as much as I can myself (30k, 60k service) but I will probably have the dealer do my 90k service when I hit 180k. That's a big one and worth paying the extra, IMO, for something that only has to be done every 5 years or so.

 

Well, no Lexus dealer I know is going to pack up shop and leave (as is the case with some fly-by-night operations here in CA). Some people pay for piece of mind by a major dealer so they don't have to worry when they need to hold someone accountable for screw-ups.

Not that dealerships screw up...

 

I say only the lazy, ignorant, or affluent person pays for dealer markup. Not to offend anyone but its toyota parts and by paying a lexus price for it you refuse to educate yourself or take the time to learn the difference. As for service, each shop charges different rates and you are free to have it service where you want and trust but at least know how long it will take by researching it so you dont get charged more time than what is needed.

 

Wow ,what an intelligent comment ........

I as well as many other would not call me lazy ,ignorant or affluent (which is only a perspective).
Those kind of comment are for the civic and other entry level cars and their owners.

Toyota parts, they are all Lexus ones? Which Toyota parts are sourced in North America to get 1uz-fe parts from?

You need to word your comments to be more constructive and intelligent if you want to be taken seriously on this board. Otherwise you just sound like some 16 year old kid who got a hand me down Lexus.

 

lexus parts arent as bad as you guys are making them out to be as long as you know where to buy them from


and being out here in SoCal i get to get any work done that i cant/wont do myself (basically ONLY the trans and a few other small things) to a couple very well established independant shops who happen to have/be owned by Toyota and Lexus mastertechs

 

dealerships offer other tangible/intangible perks such as a sycophantic level of service, bagels, croissants, ice tea, wireless internet, putting practice and plenty of showroom cars you can run your hands on and feel how unbelievably smooth they are. really depends how hungry you are.

 

Dude, Lexus of Westminster Service Dept. was making espresso for their customers the last time I checked. You forgot to mention the cute receptionists as well! Can't be paying cheap with those looks...

My aunt's friend works there and treats regular customers to lunch while they wait for their car. Of course, she writes it all off...I only wish I was affluent or good looking, but I just drive a humble 1st gen LS400...and I happen to be ignorant, lazy, and BROKE.

 

A couple things, I agree it seems crazy to pay Lexus for any repairs considering the fees they charge. But if money is not an issue (it is for me) I don't see a problem with going to the Lexus dealer where they will certainly "know" your car better than just about anybody.

Somebody said in one of posts that if you can afford a Lexus you can afford to pay for it to get fixed by Lexus. I for one (hard to admit here) deliver pizza for a living with my car and the only way I can afford to pay to get my car fixed is buy remanufactored parts and having a mechanic buddy fix it at $40/hr.

Let's say I make $28,000 per year and I have to pay $1,450 to pay for a new rack & pinion. For me, $1,450 could ruin me/load up my credit card. Compare that to somebody making $110,000 per year. They make 4 times what I make. $1,450 for me is like $380 to them. I hope that makes sense.

On a side note, now that I drive a Lexus, delivering pizza has never been so much fun. I will be getting into the real estate game pretty soon though, found out yesterday I passed the state real estate exam after only 2 weeks of study. Hope my Lexus helps my career......it's already helped my self-esteem.

 

Wow.

The lazy, ignorant statement might have been too much. I dont go to the dealer unless its something that really cant be sourced somwhere else.

Maybe some people's financial situation is just better than yours. (being OP)

A poor man does not walk into the Lexus dealership willingly to give their car to be repaired. Common sense would tell you that the dealer is going to charge a crazy price. Isnt labor alone about $100/hr at the dealer?

I dont make a large sum of money, I work two jobs just to be at the 40-45K mark. I dont even have too much time to get my car fixed. But if you work hard for your money then who has the right to call you anything out of your name because you choose to pamper your car, the best way you see fit.

 

I think it is a piece of mind for some people knowing that Lexus is the one that is fixing their car

 

i understand what i said was brash and would offend some ppl but i want to educate ppl that you need to at least do the research when getting your car serviced or repaired and it doesnt matter if shop of dealer. It doesnt seem logical to pay a premium for similar parts that are interchangeable with toyota and lexus brand cars or to pay for 6 hours of work when on avg it takes only 3.5 hours. A couple extra $ may be acceptable to the extra services they provide but at some pt you are just being taking advantage of by trusting too much.

If you know your stuff you will be satisfied knowing you got good service, a fair price, having it done in a timely matter and all the other free perks.

 

Off topic, but hey--congrats on passing the exam! Best to you and your future career.