SW17LS

Lexus used to do this too. Some dealers still do.

bagwell

https://owner.lincoln.com/how-tos/ve...ln-pledge.html

tex2670

Pure profit, at a price set low enough that if people notice, they likely will let it go. Like the "convince fee" for downloading tickets--I save them money and effort by not having to ship my purchase, and I get the privilege of paying a fee on top of the savings.

When I had my Lexus, I went to Lexus of Chester Springs, PA. They had pick up and drop off for service, as long as you scheduled your service a few weeks in advance because they only had 2 drivers per day. They would pick up for any service request, even minor items. I believe their radius for pickup was 60 miles.

SW17LS

Yep, exactly.

Aron9000

60 miles, that's pretty crazy

I know my local Lexus dealer(Leuxs Cool Springs in Franklin TN) will give you a free shuttle within 5-10 miles or so. Which if you want to go shopping while your car is in service, there is a huge mall about a mile away from the dealer. There are also two huge office parks nearby, so for a lot of people the dealer is anywhere from 1/2 to 5 miles from work.

situman

So dumb. They could have just raised the overall service bill by $5 and no one would have even batted an eye. Well can't fault them for being transparent at least.

JDR76

That's too bad.

My dealer provides a free loaner for service appointments scheduled to take 2 hours or more, though you can sometimes talk them into a loaner for shorter service appointments, depending on how busy they are. They also offer the shuttle service, which we've used multiple times and found to be quite handy, but I still prefer a loaner.

rld14

If it's just a $5 cash grab then this is a great example of "Winning the battle and losing the war".

Here in NJ, as I mentioned, there's a tax that some dealers collect (I am not sure if we even collect it from customers tbh) but it's explained as a tax.

If this is just some made up fee then you're going to **** people off over pocket change. This is rarely a good tactic.

RXSF

Consider yourself lucky. When gas prices were high in the mid 2000s, my dealership was already charging the $5 gas fee. Then it rose to $10. It has currently stayed at $10 for a good number of years. My trusty SA has left my dealership for about 3 years now, and its impossible to get a loaner anymore unless you are spending $$$ with a major service

tex2670

I doubt a $5 loaner charge will cause many people to switch dealers. Most people already go to the dealer that's most convenient to them, so to start going to a less convenient dealer miles away is unlikely to happen. Maybe some of them are lucky to have one dealer convenient to home, and another dealer convenient to work.

Plus, considering how inept most of the general public is with cars, a $5 charge is nothing. How many of them are paying the dealer at $200/hr labor to replace their wiper blades? I lot, I bet.

SW17LS

The dealer will be fine I'm sure. Little things like this just erode at that dealer satisfaction. I've been a Lexus owner for a long time, service is nothing like it was.

I still like the product but the company really doesn't impress me much anymore.

mmarshall

Part of that might have to do simply with the numbers. As the number of Lexus owners has grown sharply over the years, the (limited) number of dealerships simply haven't kept pace. They have to accommodate more cars (and more owners) with limited resources. For instance, here in the huge D.C/Baltimore. area, one of the largest Lexus markets in the country outside of L.A., there are only four reasonably close-by Lexus shops......Pohanka, Lindsay, Rockville, and Silver Spring, which is less that what you will typically find for the German luxury brands.

JDR76

My wife took our RX in today for service at our local dealer. She was provided a no-cost loaner and a very pleasant experience that really makes us want to stay with Lexus.

SW17LS

they charge plenty, they're capable of delivering great service. Anyways, delivering great service is not always about money. It's about how the customer is treated, how the company makes them feel. When they do things like this it sends the message that what they really care about is money. When Lexus as a company tries to wriggle out of standing behind their product, which you see here more and more, that sends the same message.

When I had my Jeeps, and I had that problematic first one, FCA never one time even hinted that they wouldn't fix something, or that something might not be their issue. Every time I ver had an issue it was just a given it would be fixed. Lexus tries to explain away everything as normal and weasel out of fixing anything nowadays. That is not at all what Lexus used to be.

There red are more Lsxus dealers than that here. Within 50 miles of DC you also have Annapolis, Len Stoler in Owimgs Mills and Lexus of Towson.

Fizzboy7

Keep in mind, everytime a dealer adds a loaner to the fleet, he's eventually going to be able to sell that car on the lot for profit. That is once they certify it, jack up the price, and collect financing over the sale. It's a great way to ensure the used car inventory compliments the new car inventory with similar models. When someone just can't afford the new car, he/she may be able to afford the certified unit for a little less. This covering of all the bases increases marketshare, which brings in even more sales. Having said all that, I see no reason to charge for loaners. It's really double dipping. The only time I think it's legit is when someone doesn't fill up the tank to the same level.