Dear Lexus owners:
I bought my 2017 RX 350 almost 2 years ago at about 12K miles - now has about 35K miles - This is my 4th Lexus since about 2000 - I really love this SUV - and have had no issues - except gas usage - I would love to get a hybrid But like the extra cargo room for carrying my bike w/o removing front wheel…
My only recent concern involves Lexus service, which isn’t anything at all like it was just a few years ago -
My question: How can one confirm, for example, that a thorough inspection has been done - if that’s all that’s required for a 35K mile service? I did check odometer to see that a test drive was done …. Also - Any issues with this make / model anyone can share ?? Maybe I’m being paranoid..but overall level of service - especially the call centers who know nothing about service can be quite frustrating…
I have stayed with Lexus largely for the service - but it’s not what it used to be ….
Open to suggestions on a more fuel efficient RX type hybrid - or perhaps something similar - like an Audi, which seem more expensive…

 

You may be right about the service not being what it used to be. A friend of mine back in the 90's bought a ES300. Back then it was basically a luxury version of a Camry. I was amazed when I heard his dealership offered a hot breakfast free of charge every Saturday while his car was washed. He had to get there early to beat the crowd. The service I get from my Lexus dealer is OK but no free breakfast. Toyota dealers will work on your Lexus and record the work into the Toyota/Lexus computer. If you have a Toyota dealer you like go there. They'll be a little cheaper too.

 

>> How to confirm that a thorough inspection has been done?

No, like everything else in life, there is no way to "confirm" anything.

Knowledge is your dearest friend. Second to that is finding people you can trust.

I've been teaching my daughter since she was 2 years old (now a PhD student) that she doesn't need to do everything; but she needs to have some knowledge so that people can't BS her. If she doesn't have enough knowledge, she'll have to find people she can trust.

Case in point - last week, a co-worker frantically called me at home and asked if I could recommend any plumber that he could trust. My answer was, "You're talking to him." When I asked what went wrong, he told me that the water heater in his house had not been working for 3 days. He was confused because he had talked to three different plumbers, each giving him a different answer/opinion/quote.

I ended up fixing it for him. The cost: a $12 thermocouple from Home Depot and an iced cafe latte for me from the local coffee shop.

I told my daughter: you don't need to replace the thermocouple yourself. But you have to know enough to determine that replacing the heater (quoted $2100 by one of the plumbers) is not needed in this case.

 

I think that the only way to know if it has been done is to do it yourself.

Unfortunately much of the inspection stuff is probably not done. I heard a mechanic say that when they do a basic service such as the 10,000 mile, about the only thing they do is oil.

I once marked my tires to see if they were rotated when they were supposed to be and of course the answer was no....all the marks were still on the same tires.

When I moved to a new town I took my vehicle to a shop and pretended to know nothing....asked if my brakes needed to be done. I knew that they were fine but wanted to see if I could trust the guy. He came back after looking and said "no....brakes are fine". He did my work for the next couple of years until he retired. Now I just do most of the work myself.

The good news is that the service on a Lexus is mostly fluids and filters, so with that you should be good for quite a long time.

 

Without proof, you don't know what they've done, and so it's a matter of trust. Here (UK) though, I've just had a minor service done by my Lexus dealer, and they emailed me a video report, where the technician shows you how much tread is left on the tyres, how much wear there is on brake pads, and will highlight any areas of potential concern. Last time they also gave me report, listing all the things they checked, marked with either Good, Advisory, or Needs Attention.

 

Was the iced latte prepared properly?

 

Nice dealer!

 

My Lexus dealer routinely has the technician servicing my car shoot and narrate a video while he checks tread depth, brake pads, looks for fluid leaks, anything loose underneath, etc. They then text the video to the customer. I would suppose, for a price, I could make an appointment to bring a different car in for a full inspection, with video, and they would agree to do that.

 

What even is a “thorough inspection?” This a little like going to a doctor for a checkup and expecting that they have then checked every organ for every possible disease. It isn’t going to happen. The most you are ever going to get on a routine service appointment are things you can mostly do yourself - check fluid levels, brake pads, tire tread, etc.. You won’t get what you are probably hoping for - a guarantee that nothing will go wrong in the near future.

 

...isnt it possible that a "check up" by the dealer is most likely true?....since they hope to find things wrong that they hope to repair thus bringing business in?

 

That’s probably true. But one can’t just blindly trust that it is properly done. I certainly don’t.

 

...with all due respect, isnt that the way it is on most of all things in life?...unless you are present to verify and have knowledge of what you are looking at?....
I am an old guy...I, like you, never trusted anyone...bend a little bit, dont torture yourself with all kinds of doubts....trust a bit to make your life a bit more relaxed.. not a 100% trust but lets say 25%...you will be happier with your Lexus ...my 2 cents...

 

Unless your Lexus mechanic is your best friend there is no way to confirm the service. In all my years dealing with Lexus service departments never had one issue except a discrepency in price and they corrected it. When I read the J D Power survey of customer service who has surveyed many many Lexus owners I feel good about them being #1.

https://www.jdpower.com/business/pre...ndex-csi-study