mr. tetsuo

iTrader: (3)

I tried searching for any information about this, but came up empty. IIRC I had read that some members have taken their Lexus' into Toyota dealers as a cheaper alternative for Lexus maintenance prices. So after my starter started to give out, I took my 98 LS400 to my local Toyota dealer. The mechanic said they do not service Lexus because if they mess up, it's not covered under warranty and blah blah. I told him that I knew people who did it and he stated that corporate was the one who made that decision against doing so.

Now was he right? Or did I not read correctly? Any insight is greatly appreciated!

RTIS250

iTrader: (9)

Realistically, any dealership can do work on any car. We do plenty of used car safetys and reconditioning. We often have our Lexus customers who own Toyotas bring their Toyotas to us. I dont see any problem with a Toyota dealer doing work on Lexus vehicles. I can see their position though... if they replace the starter, and it failed within the parts warranty time period (1 year/12k miles), they will not be able to do the warranty repair and get paid for it through Lexus. But certainly the dealer can work on the car.. there are just limitations on their side.

LDNN

They didn't say anything when I brought mine in for an oil change.

imherenow

for things like oil change, tire rotations , n some basic stuff a Toyota can do it..but for something major only a Lexus should do it.

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

I don't agree.

Lexus are actually very basic vehicles to work on. Unlike many German cars and a few other special ones, Lexus are built to be worked on and are relatively straight forward, especially if a tech is already knowledgeable of Toyotas...

imherenow

ooh i meant in terms of dealerships..here the lexus service was all booked for like 2 weeks or so..n i need a oil change..( i usually DIY)..but the toyota ppl were free for appointments..so they said they could do oil change and thats about it..they didnt want to take responsibility for other things done on the lexus

Kira X

iTrader: (24)

I've seen a few guys on here get work done at Toyota since it was cheaper. I've never tried it personally though.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

I wouldn't even consider the starter to be 'something major'. Yes it takes time to get to the starter because it's buried under the intake manifold, but it's no different than the 4.7L found in the Toyota Sequoia, Tundra, and Land Cruiser. We're not talking about a complete engine overhaul.

monrovea

Just took mine into the Toyota Dealership for timing belt, water pump, and serp. belt. Very happy with the service which was less than half of Lexus.

mr. tetsuo

iTrader: (3)

Like GSteg said, it's not like they aren't familiar with the v8. I don't see the problem.

On your 98 LS? Say whatt... They didn't give you a hassle or anything? Maybe I need to try a different Toyota.

GS4_Fiend

iTrader: (22)

What hassle are you expecting? They can get OEM parts and work on the Lexus (Toyota) too ya know.

mr. tetsuo

iTrader: (3)

@monrovea - nevermind, i couldnt see your post title on my phone. your lucky tho.

@GS4 - On my original post, I said that my local Toyota didnt want to service my LS400 because according to him, corporate said not to. I was just asking if his Toyota had said anything to him about servicing it there (maybe hassle was the wrong word). I tried at mine and was shot down

monrovea

Hassle? They were more than happy to have my business. Service manager spent a lot of time explaining how their mechanics were completely capable of working on my Lexus. I believe the V-8 is similar to the Tundra, I could be wrong. Anyway, they saved all the old parts, did the job in about 5 hours, and the cost was less than half of what Lexus quoted. By the way, I have a 2002 LS430 UL.

pronkie1

The wife takes her 99 ES 300 to Ventura Toyota.....She been going there for over eleven years because she bought a 2000 Camry new from them(currently my car) and has a good relationship with one of the service rep(Kevin)...He did say that getting certain Lexus parts are a pain but that they can get them....Also cuts her a break because she has been going there for so many years....Sometimes I question the cost of a repair but in the end it is a dealership and they are higher than independents.....Been to a few independents here in town and they've screwed me on little things so just pay a little bit more and go to the dealer....


Frank T
Camarillo CA
99 ES 300 171k(wife's car)
00 ES 300 79k(stepsons car)

USLEX

I took my LS600 in to my Toyota dealer earlier this year for a 4 wheel alignmnet and I was assured the Toyota techs would be able to do it. (This is the same dealership that does the 4-wheel alignment on my wife's mini-van.) The Toyota dealership is closer than Lexus and as far as I know, they use the same machine to do the alignment. Anyway, after my Toyota alignment, I started hearing clicking noises and brought it back to Toyota. They said they had no clue what was causing the noise. The service advisor said he had his Master (at what) Tech do look it over from start to end and couldn't find the problem.

I took it to Lexus and the tech asked me if I had an alignment done recently and I confirmed that I did. Tech brought back to the shop and did the work. He told me Toyota didn't tighten one nut/bolt down. It took him about 10 minutes to get me out of there. Maybe my case is isolated but I wouldn't trust my Toyota to work on my LS600 beyond oil changes.

PS
I did get Toyota to reimburse me for the $50 bucks I had to pay Lexus to locate the problem and tighten down the nut.