ES 300 servicing: Lexus Dealer vs. Toyota Dealer

On 03 Jun 2003 07:16:03 GMT, (Iona Camry) wrote:

That is what I did, I had the Toyota dealer in Colorado Springs
perform the 60K interval. Lexus wanted $700 (including spark plugs)
and the Toyota dealer charged $385.

I took the Lexus sheet to the dealer and he performed all of the
services. The only difference was, the Toyota dealer didn't
wash/detail the car like Lexus would have.

As an added bonus, the Toyota dealer found the water pump was seeping
a bit and called the Lexus dealer in Denver to setup a time to get it
fixed -- under warranty.

-
--
Curtis Newton
cnew@remove-me.akaMail.com
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On the same topic, would anyone recommend doing a 30K service for 2000
RX-300 at a Toyota dealer.
The cost at Lexus dealerships if very high .. in the $600-750 range.

Thanks
-- Bimal

I agree, they treat you very wellhowever, for us, it wasn't worth
the extra approximately $350 over the Toyota dealer -- considering
they use the same parts, Toyota service just made sense.

-
--
Curtis Newton
cnew@remove-me.akaMail.com
http://surf.to/cnewton
<delete remove-me. to respond to email ICQ: 4899169

Well. Are the sparkplug supposed to last 100,000 miles though?

Friend of mine had an ES300 for 5-6 yrs. He loved the car. But last
two years, the yellow light kept coming on 2-3 times already. Each
time he bring the car into service, it's a $700-800. Because it is
highly sophisticated with computer and sensors, he couldn't fix
himself. Last time I talked with him, he is ordering a computer
decoder so he can read the code by himself.

Meanwhile, his 10 yr old Honda Accord hardly require any service that
he cannot do.

Also, have any of you replaced a starter motor on an LS400? It located
between the V and right next to the firewall. It's a bitch.

I'm thinking about purchasing an RX300 - would you say that in general it
would be fine to go to a Toyota dealer for service??

Thanks
...

For routine, straightforward service, probably not. Just keep in mind that
the Toyota dealer will not be able to do warranty repairs nor have access to
Lexus-specific manuals and service bulletins on the car. But if you're
sticking to routine stuff for systems that are common to the Camy and ES,
they should be fine.

- Mark

I would use Lexus service. There is a big difference in how you will be
treated as a service customer.

Same deal. Toyota sold a version of the RX300 called the Highlander so for
routine stuff, a Toyota dealer should be fine.

- Mark

A Lexus dealer in Southern California offered me the 30K service
on my 2000 ES 300 (43K miles on it) for $495.

Instead, I did the following at the Lexus dealer:
(includes overall inspection of the car too)

Oil change: $55
(includes flush; even the Lexus service department
uses a chemical flush fluid before an oil change.
Someone said those things might make things worse)

Transmission service: $190
(I think Transmission fluid is supposed to be cherry-red;
the transmission fluid was very dark when I bought this car)

Inspect brakes squealing at low speeds: $45
(the pads and rotors were supposedly in very good shape;
the slight squealing at low speeds was apparently a design problem
on the ES 300? !!
I just want to say that I have very quiet brakes in my 1988 V6 Camry,
but the ES 300 brakes are much more effective)

The Lexus dealer gave me a free rental car (4-cylinder Mazda 626
from Hertz rental) because I brought my ES 300 in quite late
in the afternoon.
I had to endure some V6-withdrawal-symptoms driving that 626 ;(

Best thing is I requested a printout of the FULL service records
from their historical database for my car (5 screens).
I can see all the oil changes (at a Lexus dealership)
the previous owner did, and I see a 5K and a 25K service done on time.
I also see that the seals on a front door and the weatherstripping
on the sunroof were replaced.
A couple of Front Seat Assembly (OPCODE 711041, once at 12K miles
and then again at 16K miles) issues and a rear door power window
regulator issue.
And I see that the Turn Signals Technical Service Bulletin was done.
They even document if they washed your car (OPCODE 000101) each time.
My car didn't look washed when I picked it up :(

Overall, a pleasant experience at the Lexus dealer.
I think it is a good idea to take a Lexus you purchase
from a private party into a Lexus dealership for its initial
servicing (at the very least), get your particulars into their database,
and get that printout of the full historical service records for the vehicle
for your records.

I have an '06 Lexus IS250 and I took it to the Lexus dealer for it's initial service.  For an oil change (back in '06), I took it to the Toyota dealer since Lexus & Toyota are the same and it only cost $35 and Toyota was down the street; Lexus was 3 hours away.  Toyota was the only place in town authorized (and knowledgeable/certified) to find the sensors to turn them off (at this point, it was just the oil change light).  
Admittedly, Lexus' customer service far surpasses Toyota, but come on...it's because they want your business for life.  I've always been given a loaner car - always the newest models out - which was very very nice, but generally, and overall, I only take my Lexus to the Lexus dealer for warranty work and recalls.
Toyota is your most feasible option.  And now they are all trained on servicing Lexus'.  It's a no-brainer if you're looking for cost efficiency for the same SERVICE on your car as Lexus would.  The only difference is Lexus washes & details (slightly) and their loaner cars kick ***!
*Note:  Every.single.time I take it to Lexus, they want to do more stuff to my car like "We saw a chip on the hood, we can fix that for an extra $180"....No, thank you, I'll buy the touch up paint. :)
Hope this helps.