cjs1043

Buying a new Lexus and wondering if it is cheaper to pay for scheduled maintenance upfront. I did that with the Odyssey and it was smooth for the first 4 scheduled maintenance trips. has anyone done that and if yes, how much was paid and for what services?

How much does the typical scheduled maintenance cost?

thanks in advance.
CJ

azipod

I don't know why anyone would want to "pre-pay" for services down the line. The only rationale I can come up with is if the "pre-payment" option results in a significant discount.

The downside, I believe is that you are limited to using the services at a particular dealer. What if you happen to move? What if you end up selling your car? Do you get that "pre-payment" cost back? What if it turns out that you don't like that dealership because you discover shoddy workmanship down the line? Better yet, and god forbid, you get into a wreck and you lose your car. Do you get the cost back?

cjs1043

Good point Azipod, i wouldnt want to get tied to a dealer, especially mine who is far away and there are closer options near home. But what they are telling me is that it is pre-purchased maintenance from Lexus and can be used at any Lexus dealer across the country.

They are also telling me that if I do not use it i can get a full refund but i would need to check the fine print on it.

CJ

bc6152

The other option is to use a dependable - and honest - independent garage for service. Doesn't affect the warranty and usually much less expensive than dealer cost. You would have to compare and also decide if you want non-Lexus service.

azipod

I don't think the vehicle requires much maintenance during the first several years anyway. It's really oil changes and tire rotations. All of the other gimmicks they try to sell you on are all "inspect this and check this....." which is really worthless because any reputable shop will do those checks when you bring a car in for an oil change.

Keep in mind the pre-pay maintenance only covers maintenance, and for the most part, just oil changes and tire rotations since thats really only what the car needs for its first few years. Since the plan covers maintenance, you will still personally be responsible for other wear-and-tear costs.

You should figure out the cost of the each oil change + tire rotations for the duration of the plan, and figure out if paying for each service out of pocket will cost more than the plan or not.

A five year plan from Lexus may sound great for $1500 (example). But you really need to figure out the cost of the services included to justify whether you want to pay that cost up-front.

Bottom line, I really don't see why anyone would want to give money away to a business YEARS AHEAD. Its not like you get a tax break! =P

Mike728

Also, don't forget that the first two are already free.

lesz

Even if there is a significant "discount" with pre-paid maintenance, the cost of having your maintenance done that way at a Lexus dealer is still likely to be considerably more expensive than it would be using some of the available alternatives. Using a reputable independent mechanic is likely to be much less expensive and so is having maintenance work done at a Toyota dealer. For example, the cost of my most recent oil change, which was done at the local Toyota dealer, was about $50 (with a coupon) with the same Toyota filter and full synthetic oil that the Lexus dealer would have used. For the same service, Lexus dealers would likely have charged something in the range of $125.

Maikerusan

Never understood why people pre pay for maintenance. You don't prepay for gasoline, you don't prepay your groceries for the next 6 months. Why prepay something like maintenance?

Universe93

Well, people prepay for the Lexus maintenance because there is some discount. Now, I bought my car almost 3 years ago so I don't remember the costs. However, I remembered that it was not worth it to me to prepay. On top of that, I definitely do not do every service at the Lexus stealership and pay for their high labor rates. The tire rotation service can be done anywhere. I'm not paying $100 for Lexus to rotate tires and "inspect" a bunch of stuff. I tried an oil change at Toyota and it was fine. I realize we are driving a Lexus; however, servicing it is not rocket science.

zes

The benefits of oil changes at the Lexus dealer are the nice snacks and the Lexus loaners :-)