Originally Posted by bostonsnow

comment noted and in some cases I agree - but I think this varies by dealership. Some have their own machines, that may vary in style/quality. Some contract out to a local car wash. I think it depends on how/what they do.
For my wife's acura - the dealership we go to has a crew of 4 guys who just wash cars by hand with water from hoses and soft clothes. I have watched them closely- they use clean cloths and rotate them appropriately. I fully trust that acura dealership to do washes in that way. But I would not allow a dealership to run my car through an automatic machine with nylon brushes!

Originally Posted by user420

Never, ever let the dealer wash your car (just my opinion).

Originally Posted by Ward6096

I couldn't agree more, but I suppose it depends on your dealer as well as your expectations. Only let the dealer wash if you enjoy a crappy job with complementary water spots. Our dealer always asks if they can wash my car and I always respond "I wish you could but we both know otherwise so please don't bother trying." I need to learn to politely decline rather than respond with sarcasm but if you saw how bad the wash job is from our dealer you would understand why I am insulted by the question. Someone on this forum said they have a sign they leave in the car that states "no car wash please" and I think that is a good idea for my next visit.

Edit: I should have pointed out that my dealer uses a machine wash. I don't believe any drying occurs beyond the fan in the wash tunnel.

Originally Posted by bostonsnow

agree with all other answers. Which part of Calif are you in?

With the synthetic oil in our new 6th Gen ES's, the 10K interval is just fine (as mentioned, could go even longer. With the older ES's where regular oil was recommended, 5K was the recommendation, which is what i used to do on my old ES 3rd Gen. I just kept using reg oil, never went up to synthetic. But for my new ES i will stick with synthetic and every 10K miles. ). Only reason to consider more frequent changes of synthetic might be if you truly are in a very dusty environment. As you mentioned, the 5K dealership 1st service is primarily to rotate tires, plus they will check and top of your fluids.
I plan to go to Lexus and have them do this as part of the free service (but still haven't decided exactly which dealership. The dealership I bought from is a bit far for regular visits). Keep in mind, if you have questions about the tech stuff or want some things changed that are not changeable by owner, they are supposed to do this for you as a courtesy . So keep a list of these types of items. Depending on dealer - you may get free car wash too (particularly if it is the dealership you bought from), and coffee donuts etc.

Once you start paying - many dealerships have a service package per mileage interval that you get stuck with, but for me that is usually ok. When going to my dealership with my last 3rd Gen ES, they would not try to upsell on other stuff, but I knew they were making profit on the comprehensive service visits (> $100 for basic 5K mile service where you could probably get oil change/tire rotation elsewhere for $30-50 or even less). For me it was worth it for peace of mind and they took care of me well, found some issues early that were covered under warranty etc. But this may vary based on dealership. What you don't want is to get upsold on unnecessary or early radiator, brake, transmission fluid replacements/flushes etc. Keep track of your owners manual to make sure of this!

Originally Posted by jloftus

Yeh I asked the salesman who sold me the car if it was truly first oil change at 10000, and he said yes, but it seemed
like he was a bit hesitant about it, like if I planned on owning the car long term maybe I should go with 5k to 7k to be on the
safe side. It could be simply that he was a mechanic for years and is just so used to thinking that they have to be changed sooner,
doesn't totally feel comfortable going that long.

So I got the feeling that because I was just leasing it it shouldn't be a big deal to wait that long, but if I were planning on having a longer term
relationship with the car I should show some more respect to it.

But now from these posts I can see the synthetic oil they use truly lasts even beyond 10k.

Originally Posted by prosgal73

I had this same exact conversation with the service advisor at the dealership. He said since I bought it I should do it sooner but again it seems that's just what he's used to thinking based on past recommendations, but from these posts I can see the synthetic oil they use could go up to 10k. But it sure does seem like a long time....

Originally Posted by lesz

The longer oil change intervals are the result of both tighter engine production tolerances and improved lubricants. BMW and Mercedes vehicles have a 10,000 mile oil change interval, as do most manufacturers with full synthetic oil, but BMW, for a few years, actually was recommending a 15,000 mile oil change interval, and I've seen ads for a Mercedes van with a 20,000 mile recommended oil change interval. Since I can't imagine that BMW and Mercedes (and other manufacturers) are using tighter production tolerances or better synthetic oil than Lexus, I'm confident that 10,000 miles is quite satisfactory and actually somewhat conservative.

With regard to tire rotation, I just do it when I have the oil changed, which is once a year and with between 8000 and 9000 miles. During the course of a year, my experience has been that there will be about 1/32 of an inch more wear on the front tires with the ES, but, after 2 years with a rotation after the first year, that wear evens out. So, I also believe that the 5000 mile rotation interval is quite conservative.

Originally Posted by prosgal73

Any thoughts then on just skipping the 5000 mile tire rotation complimentary service visit and driving it closer to 10k and getting everything done at the time of the oil change? Just not sure if making that 5000 mile tire rotation visit is worth making a trip to the dealership...does anything else happen at that visit that makes the visit worthwhile?

Originally Posted by prosgal73

Thanks for putting things into perspective with the comparison to the German cars. Any thoughts then on just skipping the 5000 mile tire rotation complimentary service visit and driving it closer to 10k and getting everything done at the time of the oil change? Just not sure if making that 5000 mile tire rotation visit is worth making a trip to the dealership...does anything else happen at that visit that makes the visit worthwhile?

Originally Posted by bostonsnow

Well, they do also do their multi-point inspection and check all fluid levels. At 5000 miles, there is low chance of anything coming up on the multi point inspection, but you never know. I guess you could skip the 5000 mile one and wait until 10,000 then do oil change and rotation then. However, in years 2, 3 and beyond, I think it is a good idea to go for those in between 5000 mile checkups in case some issues come up.

Actually - I wonder if skipping the 5000 mile service may void warranty? Lexus says to follow manufacturer recommended services and service intervals. It does'nt say that you have to do it at Lexus. So, if you went to a local competent mechanic, or Toyota dealer for the 5000 mile services, you should be ok. If one skips the 5000 mile service visits altogether, and just goes in for the 10,000 mile/1 year services, and a mechanical issue comes up, I wonder if they can consider your warranty void for not going it at the recommended intervals?

Originally Posted by bostonsnow

Actually - I wonder if skipping the 5000 mile service may void warranty?

Originally Posted by jollick

I agree with bostonsnow, get it done.