I want my IS to last 100k+. What'st the best and cheapest way to do this?
03-26-12, 10:47 PM
#1
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I want my IS to last 100k+. What'st the best and cheapest way to do this?
I recently got a 2009 certified IS250. It has about 30k miles and everything is great so far. I'm planning to keep this car for a long time (My last car I had for 8 years). I have some questions for those who have had their IS for a while:
1) I get one service visit free since it's certified. It's coming up soon and I'm wondering what to do after that. Should I take it to Toyota repairshops for the 5k intervals? And use the certified warranty only when something major comes up?
2) I've done some research on this forum and there are two potential issues I'm worried about. Nav screen failure and carbon buildup. Looking at my car's service records, it looks like the carbon buildup cleaning was done once by the previous owner. Is it likely that either of these will fail or happen again at 100k+?
3) I'm thinking about learning how to do some basic maintenance like oil changes by myself. The most I've done with a car is change a headlight bulb. Is this a good car to learn how to do this stuff?
Thanks for answering my questions.
1) I get one service visit free since it's certified. It's coming up soon and I'm wondering what to do after that. Should I take it to Toyota repairshops for the 5k intervals? And use the certified warranty only when something major comes up?
2) I've done some research on this forum and there are two potential issues I'm worried about. Nav screen failure and carbon buildup. Looking at my car's service records, it looks like the carbon buildup cleaning was done once by the previous owner. Is it likely that either of these will fail or happen again at 100k+?
3) I'm thinking about learning how to do some basic maintenance like oil changes by myself. The most I've done with a car is change a headlight bulb. Is this a good car to learn how to do this stuff?
Thanks for answering my questions.
03-26-12, 11:26 PM
#2
Lexus Test Driver
About the most you can do is just follow he oil change and service intervals. Anything else is going to be the luck of the draw. The IS is built to last, so I wouldn't worry as much as you are. If it's peace of mind for you, you can always get an extended warranty when your original one runs out.
03-27-12, 12:51 AM
#4
With proper service, there's a few members here that are already past 100k and one that is at 250,000 even!
To answer your questions:
1) Get the free service done at the dealership so you use it up at least. After that its up to you, you can take anywhere you'd like - take it to an independent shop, Toyota dealer or just the Lexus dealership. I personally take mine to the Lexus dealership. I supply my own oil (7 qts) and just get charged for filter and labor (about $45 after tax). You should have a service guide in your glove box, take a look at it, it will tell you exactly what has to be done at each interval. Don't pay attention to the "inspections". Never ask for the xxK Service" So don't go in and ask for a "20k service" you'll quickly notice it's just an oil change and a bunch of inspections which they will up-charge you on. Just get the things that actually need to be replaced done. Besides the fancy dealership, the only benefits of taking it to a Lexus dealership are loaner cars (For major services) and that your service history is stored each time (which you can view online and share in the future should you decide to sell it). The downside is that you will pay a bit more for the oil changes, and a lot more for any other service than you would have at a smaller shop.
Keep in mind things like the cabin filter and engine air filter (every 15k) you can change yourself. So don't bother paying anyone to do those. Things like a brake flush (every 30k), spark plugs (every 60k) and coolant (every 100k) you'll probably want a mechanic to do. And those 3 things are pretty much all you have to do besides the oil changes and filters. There's no timing belt, power steering fluid or even transmission fluid to worry about changing
2) Nav screen is just really luck - some people's Nav's are fine, others fail. It's covered under your 100k warranty, past that you just gotta hope yours doesn't clunk out. The carbon build up issue may come back though, at 30k miles, if it does come back it will come back before your 3yr/100k CPO warranty is up. Honestly its not that big of a problem, stick to using 91 gas, don't baby the car all the time and use synthetic oil would be my advice if your worried about it. But with direct injection and the way its built, the possibility is always there.
3) If you feel comfortable working on the car, by all means learn how to work on it! You'll feel great knowing your the only one changing your oil and you'll know exactly what is going in your motor every time. I don't do mine myself because I trust my dealership and give them my business to maintain a relationship. And honestly I like going there and sitting in the lounge... I can catch up on things while i'm waiting for the oil change to be done and enjoy "free" snacks and drinks.
The absolute cheapest way: work on the car yourself. If your not mechanically inclined to do major services, then the cheapest way is to either make friends with a mechanic, or build a relationship with an independent shop and get your car worked on there. Just keep all receipts for parts (and labor if from a shop) just in case you need to prove service was done.
To answer your questions:
1) Get the free service done at the dealership so you use it up at least. After that its up to you, you can take anywhere you'd like - take it to an independent shop, Toyota dealer or just the Lexus dealership. I personally take mine to the Lexus dealership. I supply my own oil (7 qts) and just get charged for filter and labor (about $45 after tax). You should have a service guide in your glove box, take a look at it, it will tell you exactly what has to be done at each interval. Don't pay attention to the "inspections". Never ask for the xxK Service" So don't go in and ask for a "20k service" you'll quickly notice it's just an oil change and a bunch of inspections which they will up-charge you on. Just get the things that actually need to be replaced done. Besides the fancy dealership, the only benefits of taking it to a Lexus dealership are loaner cars (For major services) and that your service history is stored each time (which you can view online and share in the future should you decide to sell it). The downside is that you will pay a bit more for the oil changes, and a lot more for any other service than you would have at a smaller shop.
Keep in mind things like the cabin filter and engine air filter (every 15k) you can change yourself. So don't bother paying anyone to do those. Things like a brake flush (every 30k), spark plugs (every 60k) and coolant (every 100k) you'll probably want a mechanic to do. And those 3 things are pretty much all you have to do besides the oil changes and filters. There's no timing belt, power steering fluid or even transmission fluid to worry about changing
2) Nav screen is just really luck - some people's Nav's are fine, others fail. It's covered under your 100k warranty, past that you just gotta hope yours doesn't clunk out. The carbon build up issue may come back though, at 30k miles, if it does come back it will come back before your 3yr/100k CPO warranty is up. Honestly its not that big of a problem, stick to using 91 gas, don't baby the car all the time and use synthetic oil would be my advice if your worried about it. But with direct injection and the way its built, the possibility is always there.
3) If you feel comfortable working on the car, by all means learn how to work on it! You'll feel great knowing your the only one changing your oil and you'll know exactly what is going in your motor every time. I don't do mine myself because I trust my dealership and give them my business to maintain a relationship. And honestly I like going there and sitting in the lounge... I can catch up on things while i'm waiting for the oil change to be done and enjoy "free" snacks and drinks.
The absolute cheapest way: work on the car yourself. If your not mechanically inclined to do major services, then the cheapest way is to either make friends with a mechanic, or build a relationship with an independent shop and get your car worked on there. Just keep all receipts for parts (and labor if from a shop) just in case you need to prove service was done.
Last edited by KillaIS250; 03-27-12 at 12:57 AM.
03-27-12, 04:21 AM
#5
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I would also try to purchase an extended warranty. Last thing you want is to spend large amounts of money to fix something on a car with less than 100k miles as doing this will probably deter you from wanting to keep the car that long.
03-27-12, 06:40 AM
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Getting regular oil changes is the best advice. I looked into to doing them myself, but found a better option. The Lexus dealership in Dallas charges almost $100 for the OC. I can do it myself, but the hassle of the special filter wrench and super sized oil collecter (the 5 quart ones will not work + I always end up spilling some oil on the floor) is not appealing to me. I found my local Toyota dealership charges $44 out the door for the OC (and is closer to my house).
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03-27-12, 08:32 AM
#9
Driver School Candidate
The 2 best things you can do are to follow the maintenance schedule (especially oil/filter changes) and to not drive it like an idiot. Just because its a sports car doesnt mean you have to smoke the tires leaving every stoplight and powerslide it around every corner.
03-27-12, 08:34 AM
#10
I do an oil change every 5k miles and I am pushing 92k miles for my next service already (2007 model year). The car never gave me a single bit of trouble, and it still looks really new if you wash the car and keep the interior clean like I do.
03-27-12, 12:40 PM
#13
.... If you say no to street racing, change good oil regulary and shampoo every wkend then ideally it would last up to 400k w/ smiles ; I expect mine to beat my current prelude
; I expect mine to beat my current prelude
03-27-12, 01:48 PM
#15
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