calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

I think this is a very, very smart idea. Paying $100-$120 for an hour's worth of labor to do a full checkover of the car and diagnostic checks is definitely worth it. There are too many posts on CL of people saying "I'm 500 miles out of warranty and now ____!" to count, and this check won't of course identify every potential issue, but it could definitely save you some headaches.

Also, just to throw my 2 cents in to the more general discussion, my personal opinion is that you should follow Lexus' recommended maintenance schedule, as very few people know better than the manufacturer how to properly maintain and care for a car. In the luxury car world, Lexus is far and away the best when it comes to recommended maintenance. By this I mean Lexus has the fewest maintenance recommendations and therefore is the least expensive of the luxury car manufacturers. I've owned Mercedes and BMW and both had far more stringent and expensive recommendations. Let's all be happy Lexus isn't recommending a $200-400 maintenance service every 5k/10k and just take care of our cars!

kevetard

you're right if i could i would ..but given that i dont own a house to wash my car myself the dealership isnt any different than any other car wash i take my car to..my car has to get washed somehow..i just have to take the extra time polishing and waxing it when i get home

viper522

Or they fracture something by being clumsy and it doesn't fully break until JUST after that darn warranty expires, leaving you holding the bill. Just playing devil's advocate.

freeflight

I think only the 1st one at 5K is free.

freeflight

BMW has free maintenance program for 4 yrs/50k miles.

KillaIS250

iTrader: (1)

Have you seen how much servicing is after that though?

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

as well they should since their cars cost many thousands more.

A 335i similarly (but still not quite as well) equipped would've cost $9000 more than my IS350.


I would HOPE I at least get some oil changes for that.

kuuqi

Yes but BMW also started to change their maintenance intervals to be longer. They originally had oil changes every 5000 miles but now they're at 10000 mile recommended oil changes. Plus the maintenance only covers scheduled services which within the 4 years or 50000 miles, you'll end up with 5 free oil changes, 1 free brake pad service, 1 to 2 free brake fluid flushes and a couple of free filters. At 60000 miles you'd want to change your spark plugs which is not covered. Honestly, I can do all of these "free" services" myself.

freeflight

Do you always get a free tank of gas when you take the car in for service?
If so, then the price is less outrageous.

freeflight

No question about the value of Lexus, otherwise I wouldn't have bought one. I am just pointing out a fact.

Tanquen

Before I bought my 2011 IS250 I looked online and it said (somewhere) that you got two complimentary services. One at 5,000 miles or six months and one at 10,000 miles or twelve months. I’ve now seen this in my 2011 IS 250, IS 250C Warranty and Services Guide as well. So why is did the dealer put a sticker in the window saying that the two free services are at 1,000 miles or 0ne moth and at 5,000 miles or six months??? Which is it? I'm a moth late for my one month.

Shahryar

^ when I bought my '08 IS 350 new, iirc, I got a 1k service and a 5k service for free. The 10k service oil change I paid for. There's also a free alignment you can get done before 12k if your car needs it which I did.

dorkacho

iTrader: (5)

looking to buy the 60k kit from sewell. is there anything else i need besides some mobi1 oil ? do i need brake fluids?

trblmkr

You've been given excellent advice! Speaking as the owner of an Independent shop (I'm merely the mouse in his pocket)--for $50 or less in our part of the country (unless you want/require synthetic), any good technician is going to do nearly everything on that list (check brakes, top off fluids, reset maint light,etc.). The exception is that we don't wash/vacuum it for you, and it will only be road-tested if the technician notes something unusual or the owner requests it.

A large part of our business is built on giving our customers GREAT service and that means that EVERY time your car comes in, it will be given the once-over. Our customers appreciate it when we are able to let them know that while they don't need X, Y or Z, now, they will need it in _____ amount of time and it will cost approx $XXX. While we STRONGLY encourage routine maintenance, we don't fix things that aren't broken, nor do we charge our clients out the wazoo. We do provide documentation that your service was performed in the event that your vehicle requires warranty work at some time in its life. (Many folks don't understand that the service does not have to be performed by the dealer. Particularly important when there is NO dealership in your town!)

I'm not bragging on "our" shop. I am simply pointing out that ANY reputable independent shop should do all of those things...and generally for a significantly less than the dealer. There are rare occasions when we send a car to the out-of-town dealership, i.e. when an unusual repair requires a special tool that we will likely never use again.