All consumers need to know that the workshops are in the money making business.

Why would they offer free [or for credit] inspection? They are drumming up their business.

Once you are in a shop and they cause intentional damage [yes there are shops who do this on regular basis] then clearly they are being dishonest. Some even go as far as luring or create false evidence a few miles away from their shop.

Then we have "gray" area. Like "suggest" or "recommend" certain items based on time and environment. This is also the upsell stage. Is it unethical? You decide.

Where Lexus excels is in the area of courtesy and comfort of the owner. In the process, it is reasonable (my choice of words .. others may disagree) the customer pays more than the average. You have to charge extra to maintain the difference. People who bought Lexus, paid a premium over almost equivalent non-luxury brand, should not be shocked when they are charged more for parts and labor.

The other is dealing with customer problem. Like the recent stripped thread instance. At the end the dealer did take care of the customer. [The thing not discussed is that they will spread the loss by passing it back to all other customers].

Salim

 

Salim is correct, they are just trying to make money like everyone else. Lexus is very customer oriantated. Lexus is still by far one of the best dealers i have had a pleasure bringing my car to. The lexus dealer would give me a loaner for an oil change and touch up the chips on the hood free.
Still i would rather spend the extra money at Lexus rather than iffy lube or joe blows engine works.

 

I don't recall the exact numbers, but I paid maybe a 10% or 15% premium over an equivalently equipped Toyota Highlander. The parts and labor costs are maybe 60% or 100% more. That too is just a rough guess and varies greatly among Lexus dealers. I would be as happy as a clam if dealer repair costs were just 10% or 20% more than a Toyota dealer (and my I think my local Toyota dealers won't work on a Lexus).

 

Having spent a bunch of years working in the automotive trade, I can tell you for a fact that there is way to much damage caused while the car is in the shop. I would say MOST of it is not intentional, (though I agree there are shops that are crooked enough to do it intentionally- ever watch a 60 min. hidden camera episode?), but rather simply careless, crude workers who are a bull-in-a-china-shop about how they work. You better believe the customer is rarely told about the damage caused while in the shop. Often, the damage caused by the shop will not manifest itself to the customer for anywhere from days to months afterward and the customer will seldom if ever connect the two. Sad, but true, and the customer ends up giving up part of his life (money earned) for something that was not normal wear and tear, but something caused by a visit to the shop to correct something that was normal wear and tear, and seldom is ever the wiser.

 

I take mine to my local Toyota dealership and they're happy to have me as their customer.

OP:
Take it to your local Toyota.

 

If I am not mistaken the labor rate is within 20%. Rounding and car wash etc may make Lexus experience [] cost more.

Parts are very hard to tell. Any one who has dealt with small inventory items can tell you that one can not deal in %. Like a crush washer for $0.80 vs a steering pump for $450.00 as an inventory item may have same fixed cost as inventory item.

In any case, a savvy customer will and should call around and compare. By the way a less turnaround of inventory puts Lexus in a disadvantage. They will pass the higher cost back to customer.

Salim