Hi my nx is due for the 48 000km Maintenance and the dealer quoted me $780 on top of $300 for the oil change, and brake fluid change.
I'm not very good at comprehending car information. Thinking about it now Im not even sure what he said the $780 entails. He mentioned something about coolant ?
I am very lost right now.

Should I go in and only ask for oil +filter change and brake fluid changed ?

any help is greatly appreciated

 

If my conversion is correct that is 30,000 miles. When I go in and get the 30,000 service I ask for brake fluid changed ($120 US dollars), oil change($75), and tire rotation ($30). So total would be $225. I buy my air filter and cabin air filter on line both $50 and takes five minutes to change both. I am done for a total of $275. My 40,000 mile service is just the oil change and tire rotation so $105. Coolant gets changed at 100,000 miles.

 

Freds430, I have a little problem with having the dealer (or anyone) work on my car:

a) how do you really know the work was DONE?
b) how do you know it was done correctly, 100%

This is what I've been up against for several years now.

I purchased a brand new vehicle for the very first time back in 2003. For one of the first 'scheduled services' I was coaxed by a friend into letting the dealer do the service (and paying thru the nose). I went ahead and did it. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. They were supposed to do about a dozen things. From what I could tell, they didn't top off the battery, they didn't clean out the air filter box. So my question was "How do I know whether they did ANY of the menial tasks they were supposed to do, including changing the oil and filter?"

From that point forward I have been very skeptical. I don't care if it's a dealer, or a local shop. Unless you know the mechanic, you really don't know IF or WHAT they did.

When I am ready to bring my car in for the 5k, I will pull out the cabin filter and mark it. I will also mark my tires so I know whether they were rotated.

I would not mind having to pay to have work done. I wouldn't even mind paying MORE for a 'better' job, but I've been burned and I'm not gonna recover. You can get a botch job from a dealer, paying higher hourly rates, just as easily as from your local yokel, paying a tad less. To me the big advantage to going to a dealer is that they are (supposedly) a tad more familiar with the vehicles, because they see those same vehicles all the time. So they might be more apt to be aware of little tricks and nuances that would help the process.

When I get to the point where these services are not free, I will do what I can on my own, as I've done for many years. Yes, even something as simple as an oil change can be done wrong, or shall I say, "not the way I would do it". There's a right way, there's a wrong way, and there's an acceptable way. I want it done 100% right, to the 9s. Sorry, that's just who I am !

When I change my oil I know exactly what fluid is going into my engine, and precisely how much. I know that I've let the oil drip out long enough to get as much out as reasonably possible (i.e. I don't want to just drain it and wait 2 minutes to put the plug back).

If I happen to screw up on any of the DIY maintenance, then I have no one to blame except myself, and I'm okay with that.

 

I just got a invoice from my local Lexus Dealership.. Their Labor Rate is $165.00 an hour. There are many Oil Change Shops in the area. What's nice about those are you can stand in the parking lots and watch them and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg. You don't need to be a Certified Toyota/Lexus Mechanic to change the oil.

 

Hi folks I ended up going into a Toyota dealership and asked for the oil + filter change and the brake fluid replacement.
He said my tires didn't need to be rotated because the wear is very even so they just put it back in the original spot ?
said my filters were still good. and topped off my fluids. came to $350.

Been out of work for 11 months and counting sooooo I'm gonna hope that's all the car needs for now !

Thanks for the replies everyone

 

I did my first oil change at 2,500 miles. I will do the next one at 5k, and every 5k thereafter.

This oil change was THE EASIEST of any car I've EVER owned. It is so simple. I drove the passenger wheel up on a home-made wood plank to elevate a mere 2 inches just so I could visually see everything up close. Next time I won't even have to do that, now that I know what it looks like.

VERY SIMPLE, even a 12-year-old could do it!

Oil - $25 for a 5 gallon jug at WalMart, $5 for additional single quart at COSTCO (6-pack of 1-quart jugs under $30 on sale).
Filter - $5 at dealer