Wheezer

I am new to Lexus after 5 BMW's and see that some here take their Lexus to Toyota dealers, independents and Lexus dealers for service. Would appreciate any recommendations and comments. Thanks.

jrmckinley

I take my 2004 LS 430 to David Maus Toyota in Sanford. Glenn is my service advisor- he came from Lexus in south Florida. Great guy, highly recommend. For what it's worth, Lexus of Orlando recommended I get new brakes- I wanted a second opinion so I lined up with Glenn for oil change and overall inspection of car...on first oil change no mention of need for brakes...same thing on second visit... I ended up going another 40k miles before Toyota recommended brakes... I've been loyal ever since and had them do timing belt, water pump, etc on my car at 180k miles. My car has 208k miles and runs like a champ. I also take my LX570 to Glenn. Highly recommend you go to him- I stay away from Lexus Orlando as I had 2 bad service experiences there.

Quipper

I have used Lexus of Orlando for 4 years, even though it's an hour and a half round trip. I love the waiting room, and I've been treated courteously by staff there, but I was recently in for minor service when they told me I needed new brakes too--front and rear. The car has been driven gently, but since it had 75k miles and its original brakes, I agreed. Now I wonder if I also should have sought a 2nd opinion....

I'd rather go to Sanford, it's much closer to home; and since you've had good success there, it seems worth considering.

Questions:

1. Do you know if you get genuine Lexus parts?

2. I've also been of the opinion that Lexus servicemen know all about my LS, whereas a Toyota tech may have never seen one before; I'm nervous about an LS-novice servicing my car. Thoughts?

3. Oh, and does David Maus Toyota wash your car when the work is done?

jrmckinley

I agree with you on the waiting room- definitely the nicest of any dealership I have ever been to (I recently took my LX 570 to Lexus of Melbourne for a free service they owed me and that waiting area wasn't nearly as nice as Orlando). Unfortunately, I'm now convinced I was paying for that awesome waiting room through unnecessary services!

I'm certainly not a DIY guy so I'm not 100% sure about this, but I think a lot of the general parts for the LS 430 are made by Toyota. I have been taking my car to Glenn for about 70k miles and through that we have done timing belt, water pump, spark plugs, replaced my passenger window motor (required Lexus-specific part; he ordered from Lexus Melbourne), replaced parts under my hood to stop my hood from bouncing on highway, and next is to replace my driver door lock motor (another Lexus-specific part). I have also used them for cosmetic things like headlight restoration and their full detail service.

Given how much I drive, I get a 5k oil change and tire rotation about every 6 weeks so I'm there quite a bit. So for your bread-and-butter stuff like oil changes, etc. I think it's all Toyota parts even when you go to the Lexus dealership- and Glenn will tell me if/when they have to get a specific Lexus part. Lots of times the mechanics at Toyota dealerships have Lexus certifications from working at a Lexus dealership in the past. And every service, even if it's just an oil change, comes with an exterior car wash. I've found I'm saving about 30-40% on the hourly labor rate plus not getting charged for things I don't need. I won't take either of my vehicles anywhere other than there. When you do major service (like a 60k or 90k interval) you can get a free loaner car. The waiting room is nice enough- free wifi, a cafe, a few desks to work from, etc. You could always go there for your routine stuff and go to a Lexus dealership if something big comes up if you'd feel more comfortable. But my car just turned 210k and once I get my driver door lock fixed it'll be good as new as far as I'm concerned.

randal

If you open the hood and look at some of the engine parts, it has "Toyota" stamped all over the place. For good reason. Its Toyota (high end) with a Lexus badge.

Most Toyota techs would know how to work on a LS engine. I would not be concerned.

And yes, David Maus personally hand washes your car on each visit. Nice perk.

Quipper

Thank you so very much for your detailed reply jrmckinley--very helpful!

Based on what you've said, I'll certainly be giving David Maus Toyota a visit next time I need some service....

BTW, did you know that Warren Buffett just bought the Maus family of dealerships? http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/b...-owner-of.html

Thanks again.

airchomper

For maintenance and light repair, you shouldn't be afraid of a Toyota dealer.

The LS430 uses a ton of parts from the Toyota parts bin, Toyota dealers can order the Lexus specific stuff, and mechanically all Toyotas and Lexii are pretty similar. Not to mention that Toyota dealers have the service manuals for Lexii on their laptops!

Our engine looks identical to the engine on every Toyota Land Crusier and V8 Tundra to a person who's changing the oil or a timing belt.

The suspension components are different, but any Toyota technician who has more than 6 months of experience in Florida has worked on a Supra or Lexus SC which have the same layout as every other RWD Lexus/Toyota car.


I've taken my LS430 to a Toyota dealer and it's gone well. I prefer to DIY or go to my local mechanic (a Lexus master tech with his own shop). But sometimes I get desperate or it's too cold to jack it up in my drive way. I've taken care of all my family's cars (Hondas and Toyotas) in addition to our motorcycles (Yamaha, Honda, and Suzuki) and it's incredible how many parts and designs are shared across Japanese manufacturers. A Yamaha motorcycle actually uses the same sort of oil filter as we'd put on our cars! And a Toyota highlander uses the same filter but smaller. A Honda motorcycle uses the same valve train design as a Honda truck and the cam chain tensioner and starter in my Suzuki is the exact same part as an older Corolla.

Any Toyota technician who gives a crap will do a good job working on an LS430 and in fact there are a ton of jobs that are easier to do on our cars than some Toyotas! And there's a ton of arrows and fittings on our LS430s which make it apparent what the right way to do something is!

The Toyota dealers aren't as nice as Lexus dealers, and make you pay for loaners. But you'll save a ton of money going with Toyota dealers.

Quipper

I appreciate your further insights, airchomper. You clearly seem to come from a position of knowledge, and you've given me additional confidence to send my precious LS into a Toyota service bay!

Thanks again for sharing!