TruongKy

Bought a 05 RX330 almost 3 months ago from a non-Lexus local dealer. It's time to do an oil change (and probably tire rotation). Since it is still under Lexus's basic & powertrain warranty, I'm thinking of taking it to Lexus dealer service for oil change and complete detailed inspection (including road test). Is this a good idea? I just hope that Lexus tech would identify any fix any problem covered by the warranty. Would they do a detailed inspection for free if I request it? The local repair shops I usually go to wont do any detailed inspection, or they would do it for steep fee.

salimshah

Just be preapred ... depending which service is needed (miles based), the service cost can shock you .. if this will be your first visit.

When you go in for the scheduled service (past history can be even discussed on phone), the service writer will dig up the service history kept by lexus. (S)he will tell you what is reccomended at the current milage [and may even suggest more .. over_sell ..than what the factory reccomended minimum is ... so ask questions].

If no prior records are found or things are missing, then (s)he will reccomend a plan to bring the vehicle upto date.

One of the last items of the service is a brief road test. If the tech uncovers any item (warranty or not) they will bring it up to the service writer, who will then call you. After getting your agreement (specially if the item is non-warranty work) they will proceed to make the repair/fix.

Nowhere do they go looking for things that need repair. Why, it costs the dealership money to have a tech crawl all over the vehicle with a possibility of finding nothing. They may be more amiable if you are willing to pay the labor charge for the tech.

On the other hand if as a customer, you find a problem or have an issue they will investigate.

Salim
ps: The above is my expectation as a customer. You may like to ask your dealership. Also dont expect the same answer from all dealerships.

TruongKy

Thanks for the quick reply.

I communicated with Lexus service via email and they told me that my RX330 has not been serviced by Lexus since a year ago. The current milage is 21k, so I guess they will recommend 15k & 20k services (which could cost big bucks).

I would prefer to fix any problem only covered by warranty. What are the consequences if I choose not to follow their recommendations (or to follow some but not all)?

lexuslover

warranty related problems are not the same thing as routine service items. routine service is the customer's responsiblity and comes out of your pocket. if there are defects or problems within 4yrs/50k, then those are warranty problems and lexus picks up the tab. but as salim mentioned, the service dept isn't going to just start doing repairs for no reason, so you have to have specific complaints that are identifiable.

there's no real consequence to not following the service intervals exactly as prescribed by lexus. they can't deny you warranty repairs unless they find that a factory item was improperly modified or tampered with that should not have been. things like oil changes/tire rotations/brake pads/alignments performed by other shops don't normally result in any problems with lexus.

if no service has been performed at all, i'd probably do the 15k service (which is still an "intermediate" service) and then continue with regular oil changes every 5 miles from now. the 30k is your first big one, so i think you are pretty safe.

salimshah

Some of the items are the same such as oil and filter change, so you will save on some.

Not sure if your question is about suggested preventative maintenance or repair (warranty or non warranty).

For preventative maintenance, I would urge you to follow the manufacturer's to the T and trans at 1/2 the schedule. Look at the suppliment owners manual for service records and reccomendations.

Warranty repair is a nobrainer. Non-warranty repair is where you may think one can save money. I persoanlly beleive repair is a must but if you list the problem here in CL, there are lots of knowledable folks who are willing to share their expertiese ... all for free.. who will help you.

Salim