ycl1688

This reminds me of pentagon was charged $900 for toilet seat and $150 for hammer by contractors. Of course that is government, every one is entitled for it.
Lexus are making solid products cannot get that bad, it is a habit to the dealers after 2 years or so brakes need to be replaced,so they say. Pure gangster tactic.
time to talk to other mechanics or dealers,

DrWOBJr

Wow!. I just bought a used 2005 RX 330 with only 60,000 miles on it. After reading his post, I'm thinking of selling it. I used to own a Toyota 4Runner and ran it to 150,000 miles and never put a nickle into it other then brakes, oil etc. I bought the Lexus because I thought like Toyotas, they are indestructible and have very low operating costs.
This post really scared me.

droopy128

Chris - Am sure they ripping you new one.. LOL LCA doesn't cost that much, I did a replacement for my niece on a sienna van and parts is $160.. I wouldn't pay no than $600 for the LCA replacement. The rest of the minor stuff, am sure ind-shop wouldn't charge you on labor.

LEXRX04

Don't let this post scare you...this is a tactic from some dealerships...not just Lexus. I used to be a Lexus mechanic, yes some of the early years had some little issues but nothing that was out of hand. You will get the distance out of your 05...

OP: Take it to a Toyota dealer and have an inspection, or what you can do is call the Lexus dealership that quoted you the parts that need replaced. Tell them that you would like to see the inspection done with your own eyes being there....now they will try to state that due to insurance blah blah blah you won't be able to do that...trust me be firm. Either the parts that need replaced will magically be repaired, or they won't want to touch your car.

05RX330TX

I am in the same boat here just bough a 2005 RX330 AWD took to Lexus dealer to inspected the exterior power mirror, power steering rack start to leak and needs to replace soon total cost $1500
I owned a 02 Tundra V6 with 162K miles still running strong no major issues whatsoever, I am not sure if I really want to keep the RX or not getting scared after found so many problems.

gusar

Maintenance of Lexus should be on pair with any other Toyota cars (as mine is). Parts are mostly the same, same job. You just have NOT to go to dealership for it. That's it.
No big problems though - rear wheel hub replaced ($350 at independent mechanic, including the part, Lexus quote was about $1000 part only), breaks, timing belt. It's very reliable car.

NYKnick101

$879 to replace a $21 drive belt that takes 21 mins to uninstall and re-install... YEAH RIGHT!!, Theres a youtube video of a guy replacing one in an RX300 in 2 mins and 37 seconds all that work plus parts and labor would cost less than a grand if and thats IF you really need to replace all of that.

Sounds like the dealership is trying to meets its monthly money quota through you!

RX330inFL

As an example, here is the cost for the belts in question:

http://lexus.sewellparts.com/accesso...2004/3403.html

The rest would be labor charges and as pointed out previous the work is not all that complicated. Perhaps something lost in translation -- one can hope. Personally, I think your days with this dealership, with the exception of any recall items, should come to an end for the sake of your pocketbook.

cjf_moraga

Many thanks for the comments so far! (And I certainly did not mean to scare anyone!) I have pushed back on the quotation and told the dealer I will probably look elsewhere with the suggestions made here. I am now waiting for the SA to get back to me after "speaking to management". There are certainly some things that need doing and I am fine paying if reasonable, but based on your input so far I think the quotation is padded by at least $2,000. Will keep you updated.

I am a little saddened though, as this does not feel like the Lexus I bought two RX's from in 2000 and 2004.

DavidTB

I wouldn't even give the dealer a second chance. I'd take it to a Toyota dealer. I just had my 30000 mile service at local Toyota and bill was only $192 and that included a brake fluid flush and synthetic oil change. Filters and brakes were ok.

Rainbird

I guess it depends on the dealer and where you live. I had Toyota do the 30k service in May 2009. The bill was $289 and they used dino oil. Still much less expensive than the Lexus dealer.

DavidTB

They originally quoted me closed to $400 but the filters and other fluids were ok. The best part is they're only a few blocks from my house and the Lexus dealer is an hour away.

5gears-IS

iTrader: (5)

Take it to your local Toyota shop, these things are nothing but a dressed up Toyota and most engines are found on the Toyota counterpart vehicles.

Cheaper labor cost vs Lex
Cheaper parts cost vs Lex
Same job as Lex
Happy pockets!

cjf_moraga

Here is an update.

After challenging the initial $7,000 quotation (and that did not even include CA tax) and that I would go to Toyota and independent mechanics for alternative quotes, the SA asked what type of figure I had in mind. I told him based on feedback here and going through each item, that their quotation felt at least $2,000 too high. After going away to talk about it with his management, the SA came back with a revised quotation for everything out of the door including tax that saves me at least that $2,000.

Could I have got the total figure even lower going elsewhere? Possibly, but my time searching has a value as well so I have gone with the revised quote as it is a significant reduction and as Lexus they will do a reliable job. The sum also includes a whole new set of tires as well as everything else I listed. I don't mind paying for genuine issues that need attention, but this quotation felt like gouging and I am glad I pushed back. Thanks for the advice and help everyone - you are all great!

Hopefully we can run our RX330 to 100,000+ miles without anything as expensive being required anytime soon.

Cheers!

Chris

Rainbird

Glad it worked out for you.