gbracer04

My invoice shows the fusible link price at $25. You could be right about the diagnosis fee. I will know better next time.

SW17LS

Not for a Lexus dealer. If anything...I think $400 is cheap. Bear in mind that just an oil change, tire rotation & 10k service on my GS is nearly $300 at the Lexus dealer. If you don't want to pay the dealer's prices...don't go to the dealer (I don't, and mine is new).

No way on earth I would take a 9-10 year old Lexus to the dealer. He's lucky he got out of there for less than $1,000. Not because they are crooks, because their service is very expensive.

gbracer04

They did give me a rental at no charge. I thought that was a little suspicious..

SW17LS

Not suspicious, Lexus dealers always give loaners. Thats part of the service you are paying $130+ per hour for.

You didn't get screwed...you just patronized a business without understanding what their service costs.

the.wong.k

iTrader: (2)

dealership vs indy.

at a luxury dealership you're paying for the experience you don't get at an indy shop. you pay for the complimentary car wash, complimentary loaner vehicle, the food and drinks at the cafe. the same applies to a luxury dealership vs a non-luxury dealer

BradTank

What I don't understand is why all of those fuses were blown.

Was part of the labor chasing down some sort of short in the wiring that was eventually fixed?

If literally all they did was replace the fuses, that's not only overcharging, but they didn't fix the underlying problem. Multiple fuses don't just blow without a reason. And a fusible link is usually a wire that's acts like a fuse and "melts" when too much current flows through it.

I would just call a service manager regardless and ask for a breakdown. You should never have to pay something like 4 hours of labor for a dealership to diagnose a problem and them just say they replaced some fuses.

SW17LS

He already explained it. He replaced the battery backwards then tried to fire up the car...and well thats what happens.

Its 3 hours of labor, 1 hour diagnostic, 1 hour to replace the fuses, 1 hour to test and inspect the electrical system to make sure there were no other issues. 3 hours @ $130/hr labor = $390.

Like I said...he got off easy.

gbracer04

I never started the engine..cables would not fit on posts thank god. Like i said i barely touched them before I realized something was not right. Also my car was towed to the nearest dealer because i thought I caused considerable damage. I really didnt have much of a choice at the time.

BradTank

I just read his original post, I didn't see his explanation until further down.

If the dealership knew why the fuses popped, they took advantage of the situation. I don't believe for a minute they actually spent 3 hours diagnosing that problem. They popped in the fuses in less than 10 minutes and had a $400 tab waiting for him.

A more honest dealer would have charged him an hour plus parts.

SW17LS

Thats all it takes.

This is why you need to find an independent mechanic. Dealers have a set process for how they deal with repair scenarios. They:

1. Diagnose
2. Replace (note I said replace, not repair)
3. Test

They do this for every vehicle that comes in the door whether its 1 year old and Lexus is paying, or if its 10 years old and you are paying. It doesnt matter what the customer says happens, it doesn't matter what the tech thinks is wrong. This is their process. Like I said, its fine when its Lexus paying for warranty repair, but when you are paying its very expensive. A good independent would just charge him an hour plus parts...a dealer will never do that. The amount of time the dealer spends is meaningless, they go by the book rate for the job. Book says 3 hours...they charge 3 hours. The tech that works on your car has no say, the service advisor has no say. They aren't cheating you, its just how they do business.

I've owned these cars for 15 years...I've dealt with Lexus dealerships for 15 years, for both warranty work and for repairs on older Lexus cars. I also now have an independent mechanic who was a Lexus master tech for 16 years. I know how it works. I had lower control arms replaced on my old ES...you know how many hours the Lexus book said it would take? 12. How many did it take? 5 (its a big job on that particular car). My mechanic charged me for 5...Lexus would have charged me for 12...even if it had taken 5...because thats what their accounting system bills for that specific job. Labor at my guy? $445. Labor at Lexus? $1,560.

No dealer would have charged less than $400 in labor for that job, like I said they charge $300 just to change the oil and rotate the tires. You can't afford to take an old Lexus to the dealer, bottom line.

BradTank

Not all of them are like that.

If the customer came in saying "my fuses blew because I put in a battery backwards" they didn't need to do all of that diagnosis and troubleshooting. They could have worked with him and just replaced the fuses. It would be the equivalent of someone losing their gas cap and having a "Check Engine" light come on. They wouldn't actually spend hours troubleshooting, they'd replace the fuel cap, see it fixed the problem, and charge accordingly.

Now if the car came in with a "mystery" of blown fuses, I can understand all of the diagnosis fees (but 3 hours is still pushing it)

An example, I took my Lexus into a dealer because my car was mysteriously stalling out. The diagnosis was a bad fuel pump. They only charged me an hour diagnosis, and they offered to roll it into the repair. So basically, for what he payed to get a few fuses repaired for a 15 minute job was about the same I paid to have an erratic driveability problem solved, fuel pump diagnosed and replaced.

Regardless, I will agree that the best bet is finding a good honest independent, or at least a dealer that's honest.

Kira X

iTrader: (24)

That sounds pretty high to me. What SW13GS said is correct though. That seems to be the way they do things. The only way I've found to get around this is to know the techs personally or to find an independent mechanic/shop to do the work.

SW17LS

Every Lexus dealer I have used is like that (I've used 5 separate dealers for repairs over the years I've owned Lexus vehicles), and according to my mechanic, who again was a Lexus master tech for 16 years, thats how every Lexus dealer he ever worked for priced and billed work.

Something like checking a gas cap is different, thats a courtesy adjustment. Lexus warranties their work for 12k miles, if they are replacing fuses and warrantying that work for 12k miles I can promise you they will diagnose and fully test the electrical system regardless of what you say caused the problem.

BradTank

So because you had some bad experiences, you think every Lexus dealer would rape someone on this repair? Sorry, but because you've been to a few Lexus dealers, that hardly makes you some sort of expert.

Any DECENT service advisor would have arranged for a common sense solution before taking the customer down a rabbit hole of hours of electrical trouble shooting.

SW17LS

I'm not saying they are bad experiences, it just is what it is. I have said repeatedly that I do not think he was raped or overcharged, that sounds like a very reasonable cost for that repair at a Lexus dealership to me.

I have no issue with how Lexus does business or what or how they charge, there are PLENTY of people happy to pay and thats how free markets work. I simply choose not to pay, and suggest that he and others make the same decision if the cost of the dealer is objectionable to them instead of complaining that the dealer is screwing them. The dealer isn't screwing them...the dealer is just expensive. If there is a market for their service at their prices (and there is), then Godspeed to them.

I'm not an expert...but I have owned 5 Lexus vehicles over 15 years. How many have you owned, and for how long? I would consider my mechanic who was actually a Lexus master tech for 16 years an expert however. You have posted plenty of opinions on this subject...are you an expert? No.

Its not up to them. The service advisors are just customer service reps, they don't decide what needs to be done, or how things get billed, or what things cost. More often than not they actually have no automotive background whatsoever. They just interpret what the techs say needs to be done (and Lexus doesn't give the techs much leeway, they have guidelines about what thickness to suggest brake pad replacement, rotor replacement, etc, and those guidelines are way sooner than what my mechanic feels is necessary) to the customer. A bill is generated by the dealership's service management system based on the book hours for the job, and the service advisor presents it to the customer. Thats it.

I'm not trying to argue with you...but I know what I'm talking about here...