Explain this to me because I've heard this countless times from other members, "lack of interest from various dealers to compete for my business"

Does this mean they weren't gong far down enough on price, the service was bad, what? And what did BMW do in particular that was different from Lexus.

I can name an issue my family had with Mercedes that really ticked us off. We took in our 1993 190E 2.6 for a 60,000 mile maintenance and the dealer proceeded to look over the car with literally a fine tooth comb and charged us for stuff like a broken wheel jack, which when I looked at the fine print of the 60,000 mile maintenance wasn't required (you have to make sure, you never know what nonsense is in these things). In fact, they even went so far as to find a 'scratch' on the windshield wiper fluid reservoir (it's plastic) claiming if the scratch had turned into a hole there might be a problem (who knows how the scratch really got there or if there was one at all). We asked to see both the broken jack and scratch and the couldn't even show us the old pieces. The final bill came out to well over $3,000 by the time they had done this. We argued and even brought in a family friend who was a contracts attorney and eventually got the the final bill down under $1000 where it should have been given what little really needed fixing or looked over.

That's the last time either Mercedes was taken to the dealer again.

 

All additional work by the dealer have to be ok by the customer, if they did work on your MB that you did not ask for, then its free.

 

How about this story:

My father bought 2008 MB GL450 which came w/out back up camera, which he wanted. Dealer said, fine we will install it no prob. Idiots installed some cheap after market camera which did not even worked properly and drilled a hole in the back to installed it, and it was in the wrong place anyway. At the end after a big fight they had to replace the whole back door.

 

They pointed to something in the fine print that allowed them to make any corrections deemed necessary. The word deemed being ambiguous until you realized under contract law that ambiguity must be in a light most favorable to the consumer in this case. I wonder how many people they have pulled this thing upon.

 

100 dollars for a synthetic oil change at the Lexus dealer? That is a good deal.

 

The last time i brought my RX in for regular service (oil change and tire rotation which cost close to $300 and vehicle had to stay overnight) I walked into the showroom to talk with the sales manager about a new RX. He quickly passes me onto my original salesman who was already busy delivering a new RX with another customer. I waited over 45 minutes with no one else dealing with me. I spot the sales guy outside and let him know I am still waiting. I ask him if I could test drive the car and he indicates it will be a couple of minutes. More than 40 minutes later I end up leaving in frustration. I called around a few other dealerships to get pricing, with some not even calling me back with a price. I know the RX is popular right now and
dealers can afford to be arrogant when it comes to negotiating, but to me this shows a total lack of respect for
your existing customer base. I decided to check out
a BMW dealership close by. I was floored by the way they treated me. They had me test drive a a nicely equipped X5 even though I believed it was out of my price range. Guess what, they found a way to make it work. On top of that my eyes were opened to how nice the BMW really is driving and quality wise. I guess there is a reason BMW is the worlds top selling premium brand.

 

You need to separate the dealer from the product. BMW is certainly a GOOD product, but if all the surveys show Lexus is top in quality. Maybe the dealership was busy. Maybe someone was having a bad day. Maybe there is another Lexus dealership. Don't cut your nose off to spite your face man.

 

True. I remember a 1990 325ic I once owned and getting it at the dealer was some chore with the salesman playing the let me check my manager to see what I can do. Eventually we got it, but only after knocking off a bunch of extras like dealer prep, etching and the like.

I will say that my experiences helping people in Mexico in buying vehicles really enlightened me to stereotypes, prejudices and incompetent people. They had similar negotiating strategies (the salespeople), but they were much more obvious (at least to me) whereas not so obvious to my Mexican friends and family members. I did learn very easily that if you want attention from the salespeople (and I don't agree with this), you have to dress nicely. That worked just as much as in buying a Chevy (the grandson of the Chevette) all the way up to a BMW (there's no Lexus down they yet, though Acura comes close in their mannerisms there). I walked in and out of dealerships there dressed in a polo shirt and nice slacks (not blue jeans) and nobody gave me attention, but come buy after work in my suit and it's a different story. Again, that shouldn't play a role in the equation and especially in this economy ANYONE who walks into a dealer should be treated royally. I've heard plenty of stories here in Miami about local dealers (including Lexus) of people being treated like dirt and then telling others about their experiences.

However, there is the vehicle and there is the dealer. They are in the eyes of the uneducated consumer, the same thing. However, it's a far different cry if you get a great deal on a BMW and then have to throw it into service much more often than a Lexus, and on top of that deal with a crappy service department, than dealing with a bad Lexus salesperson, but getting a vehicle that is more reliable than any you have owned. Not saying that's going to happen, but it did with our two Mercedes despite getting great deals on the vehicles when we bough them.

 

I have to agree about Lexus service and, in general, the treatment. Not rude, everything with the smile. As long as they smell $$ at the end, noone will step out of their way. Actually, with Lexus is nothing less than $$$. I really think my next visit will be for something Lexus Corp recalls (with N/C on the invoice), or another dent occurs (to make that dent protection pay off), or its time to move on.

I always said, the true ownership experience starts after 3-4 service visits, a few winters, and one major repair (at least, brakes replacement). After almost a year of ownership, the honeymoon is over. In real world, RX handles well - I have no problems and happy with it for most parts, but with service - I am not.
Its my first Lexus. With everthing I experienced so far, it's likely my last.

 

It certainly helps but it isn't a requirement. You just need the right salesperson who realizes that you can't judge a book by its cover. Especially true here in SoCal where beachwear is common. :-)

 

Same is true here in South Florida.

 

Funny. You find this type of salesperson attitudes in all trades. A few years back I picked up my son from a BD party and decided to stop at a $M+ home builders showroom. Two sales ladies present treated me like I didn't exist forget greeting or talking to me since they had seen me driving up in a pickup truck and dressed in dockers. Their attitude infuriated me so much that I went home changed in ugly jeans & plaid shirt and drove right back in our MB S class. This time they were all over me even though I was borderline rude and cocky.... LOL they even gave my son ice cream.

 

People that work on commission cannot be judged (well, not all of them watched "Pretty Woman", I guess). When dealing with the whales at a car stealership, I usually come prepared, and invited, and with paperwork already faxed and discussed over the phone. Saves time, and there is no need to show off your 'tude.

 

The quality of the BMW X5 have come a long way since it was 1st introduce, the wife and I test drove one 2 month ago. The interior is every bit as nice as the RX but it seems like the BMW was put togther better, do you agree?

Of course the X5 cost like $15000 more than an RX and the X5 is not considered an entry level luxury SUV. In life, you get what you paid for, you paid more, so you get better service. If you were at the Lexus dealer looking to buy a LS460, then you might have gotten service.

 

You are right, the BMW X5 has a nice interior (nicer than the RX) and it does feel a lot more solid. I was really surprised by how much better it drove as well. I love my RX, but I am beginning to believe that I should have considered the BMW earlier. This is the problem when a loyal customer is pushed to consider the competition, they may not ever come back.