What do you like to change to make Lexus dealers better?
 

I'm asking this question because today me and my service manager were talking about" what can we do to improve the sales and services experience at the Lexus dealer."

Back in the 90's a free car wash, a nice waiting area with TV and taking care of the customers like the guess at your home were some of the leading idea in the industry back then. Now, 17 years later, customers have higher expectation than the car wash, coffee and internet access. Some dealer offer the flat bed pick up for service and drop off when the car is done, the shuttle to air port while keeping the car at dealership with no charge and so on..( those are some biggest dealers in the country).

My question is what the average Lexus dealer can do to make things better, easier, more enjoyable experience and some thing that every Lexus dealer can follows( not just the high roller). Some thing that you can expect when you walk up to the Lexus dealer across the country and you'll know that you will have the same level of customer service

Right now at the dealership I work, we offer a free 45k service for the customers that do every single service with the dealership, higher $ on the trade in and deep discount on the new car. We're under a $10M upgrade to meet the customers expectation.

Any idea or input to make it better. Better for me when I go to work and better for you guys when you stop by...:D

Have salesmen actually talk cars rather than just sales?

IMO the services guys are a lot more friendly than the salesmen.

I understand that it's the salesguys JOB to sell cars, but it wouldn't hurt them to shoot the **** every now and then.

Show it off.
 

I think something very special for the car buying customer at the conclusion of the sale. Nothing would be more spectacular than to have your new Lexus on display ready for your first drive off. A place either inside the dealership or outside. Think how exciting your new Lexus would look at the auto show with special lighting soft music playing in the back round maybe even on a turn table slowly revolving showing all side of the car. Rich carpet, velvet ropes attached to gold standtions circling the display area. And of course a “Congratulation to the Name of buyer on there new GS350” in lights above, maybe color LED. At the time the buyers are escorted to the viewing area a chime would sound over the dealership sound system signaling the arrival of the new buyer to the display area. Probably other costumer would want to see what’s going on and maybe they would like the same attention at the conclusion of there Lexus buying experience. It should all be done first class so as to leave a lasting memory and a story to be told to all there family and friends. I'm sure you guys can start brainstorming and come up with more ideas.

One thing that would be interesting is what I found that a master mechanic up at the dealer in San Antonio showed me about 2 years ago the last time I had my Lexus in the states. He basically took me on a tour of my own vehicle mechanically, showing me what made my vehicle state-of-the art unique by pointing out things here and there. Granted, I knew a lot about mechanics, but I didn't know everything (I still find something new every day) about my RX300. It conveyed to me not only that they knew the vehicles as mechanics, but also they enjoyed the vehicles they worked on.

Haha, sorry osokuko, but that might be a little annoying on your sixth or seventh purchase when you just want in and out :D

It would be nice though for the dealers to actually PUT INTO PRACTICE WHAT IS SAID IN THE LEXUS STORY! :o

Greeting people by name -- haha. :(
Being able to see your baby get worked on -- haha. :(

The last time I asked my service advisor if I could simply watch my car be worked on, he replied "we don't allow customer back there for insurance reasons"

The Lexus service advisor did walk me back to the service bay once...but it was just consultation not viewing work up close. Still they all do have windows et al.

One thing that is important to me is if I'm going to wait while the service is done, don't tell me it's going to be 1/2 an hour and 90 minutes later I'm still waiting.

Maybe have more than 1 TV in the waiting area so not everyone has to listen to Kelly Rippa's whiny voice. :p

Have more things to buy while people wait - I think dealers miss out on a GIANT opportunity here. Go beyond the Lexus baubles...

Do the loaner process QUICKLY. If I'm to get a loaner, I want to drop the car off, get into the loaner, and LEAVE. Not wait around on a curbside for 10 minutes while someone drives it up from a far off lot. If it can't be done quickly for everyone, maybe reward those who service frequently with fast drop off or pick up, kind of like Hertz Gold (which is EXCELLENT).

Treat people with SC 300/400's like you treat people with LS460's. I drove to L.O.C. in my SC400 and the salesman walked in the other direction, came back two days later in my Benz and he almost tripped coming out the door to get to me. When he got there before he started his rambling I stopped him short and said don't bother, if you'd been as interested when I was in my SC 2 days ago I might have wanted to talk to you. I'll speak with the GM when I am ready.

Yeah, Bit, Hertz gold is so efficient and fast. I love it too, and I get some really nice cars. Hertz has an impressive fleet of rentals.

As for Lexus dealer improvements, I'd like to have LS460 loaners, as well as IS350s and GS430s. LOL I know I'm dreaming.

I really can't think of anything off the top of my head. I actually have no complaints about my dealership experience...and I'm one to complain. LOL But it helps that my service writer is a member of ClubLexus (Brad at Lindsay Lexus), and is TOTALLY cool, and knows all about this aftermarket stuff.

AND, the same tech works on my car everytime I bring it in, and the tech is excellent, and is also familiar with all this aftermarket stuff.

So my Lexus dealer experience has been outstanding.

Convenience convenience convenience (did I mention convenience?)

I'm too busy to enjoy the comfy leather couches while sipping a cappucino, snacking on cookies while watching plasma tv in guest lounge!

Longer service hours (cut tech work shifts in 2 - day shift and night shift) because I can't make it to the service department by 7 pm which is when most of them close.

Faster check in and out, have loaners pulled up front and center - gassed up and ready to go so I can get in and out as quickly as possible.

Mobile oil changes.

:)

Hmm..the fancier dealerships become, the more you pay for your car:sad:
I kind of like that idea though:)

Reading some of what you guys already have my wish is just for that:p

I wish we had a nice leather couch in our dealer waiting room. I wish we had a TV at that. Nah, actually, I realize our dealership is on a small lot so they can't have everything. All I really wish for is good service, actual Lexus loaners (We only had 1 actual Lexus ES350 loaner ever), and what OLT mentioned. For the sale staff to treat every potential customer the same whether they are looking at buying an LS460 or an IS250.

I think most Lexus buyers and buyers of any car for that matter would not want that. When I buy a car, especially a Luxury car I want to remain low key. Just have the car clean and ready for delivery on time. I personally wouldn't want any of that fan fare and attention.

Like someone else said earlier have the salesman know what the hell hes selling inside and out.

Also dont discriminate because of age or how you are dressed.

I was with a friend of mine and he was from a quite wealthy family and was about to graduate from college, he was telling me that he wanted to buy himself a car (a M3 to be exact) for his own graduate present. We didnt have anything to do one afternoon so screw it, we went to a BMW dealership. Mind you we look quite young and looked like ass since we both came back from work and it was a spur of the moment thing. We walk in, look around, pretend that we were window shopping hopping that a salesman would ask us that special question to make his day. First 3 mins nothing, 10 mins nothing, 45 mins nothing, you get the idea. So after 1 hour we left and my friend was pretty fed up with BMW's lack of service to us so we go down to the bank and stop by the Lexus dealership, right when we get out of our car we have someone walk straight up to us and us if we need any help without hesitation so long story short, he gets an IS300 and the dealership gets full cash. We go back to BMW and show the sales manager my friends brand new IS300 and a recipt and tell him that he could of made a sale but his employees were too stuck up. We go home happy as we saw the manager go yell at the sales reps.

I dont know how your dealership is but remind your reps that kids have money too.

I had only one real complaint against my local Lexus dealer when I had my IS300. Lexus policy, when their cars are in for service, is to hand-wash each one afterwards. Well, I don't like others washing my car...I would rather do it myself. The dealer's General Manager would not allow it, even after I walked into his office and b**ched.......notwithstanding the fact that the Saturn dealer where I got my old SL2 had no problem with it (Saturn's policy, like Lexus, is also to hand-wash every car in for service).


Of course, I realize that my request, especially for a Lexus customer, was pretty unusual......most customers would rather let the guys in the wash bay do it, but I'm not impressed by the washing methods they use. Still, as far as I'm concerned, the Saturn people treated me better than the Lexus people did. And the Saturn service shop didn't need appointments, either, unlike the Lexus shop. The Saturn SL-2 I owned was very difficult to change the oil on...you had to put it on a lift, so I couldn't do it myself at home like I often do.

I would also like to see, at Lexus dealerships, a no-haggle, discounted Internet price on each car that includes everything but tax and tags. The Fitzgerald Auto Mall chains in the local D.C. area operate like this.....it is an excellent policy, IMO, and really makes car-buying much simpler, with fewer hassles (Unfortunately, they don't have a Lexus franchise....yet). For instance, when I bought my 2001 IS300, I negotiated for hours trying to find exactly the car, options, and price I wanted.

I would like to the sales people to be more willing to do a custom order with all the options you want and non that you do not, more like BMW. And not to have to wait 6 months for it to arrive with no sales discounts! Also, being able to rent a lexus for a weekend trip would be nice, you get a chance to experience a different Lexus than what you drive. Much better than a basic typical rental car! When my wife and I rent cars we cannot wait to get back into ours, it really makes you appreciate what you have!

I think a lot of these depend on 'how good' your local dealer already is.... mine for example already has a special area for new owners to take possesion of their car.

1) For customers that do not want their car washed (I don't) have pre-printed signs with a rope that can be hung from the car mirror that say "Customer does not want car washed"... Both my GS and LS have 'accidently' gone through the wash. Get some pre-printed signs made for each service advisor to hang rather than just

2) Better education for service folks on how to handle aftermarket parts - specifically aftermarket wheels. I read time after time about how a dealer scuffed this or scratched that. Wheels are a more and more common modification and dealers should be able to handle them with appropriate care and service a car with them on. Get specific training for the service team rather than turning away business. It'll help OEM-shod cars as well as factory wheels get larger and more expensive (19" on LS460 for example)

3) "E-quip" service advisors. My old service advisor (now gone) used to check his email 10 times a day and get back to me with answers, updates, etc. I prefer email vs having to call or get a call - less invasive to my schedule. Make sure service advisors frequently check email and offer that to their customers as a communication method.

The too-obvious lack of attention to customers who are young and or underdressed is definitely a turn off. Shoes and watch are not the only things that should be watched to determine a potential customer.

Also, back in Japan, "service" is something free, a courtesy, a show of kind gesture. Like setting the radio to the previous car, sending thank you mail (NOT email) when they visit, or something like remembering names were something I remember when my father bought his car.

I really could care less for leather seats or big flat screen TVs. Just don't forget about the customers; they are sometimes worried sick when they put their car into the service bay, or havent slept the last night b/c he or she couldnt decide if they wanted the red/tan or white/black IS350.

just my 2cents.

I forgot a BIG one :egads: ...........be like Longo Lexus out in CA and have all the cars in stock (or as many as possible) inside a large building, under cover.

And most car dealerships, Lexus or otherwise, especially in this overcrowded area, NEVER have enough customer parking.

Make sure they continue to hire "people" people. I just went to Nalley Lexus Saturday and Monday b/c I was in the area (needed some plastic clips) and trolls and gremlins are more friendly. Lexus is expanding a lot and I hope they continue to look for people that have the Lexus covenant in mind and not just people looking for a good job.

Continued focus on the "service" aspect, Lexus cannot get cocky or arrogant and nor can its people. My mother raves about Hennessy Lexus for example and she knows nothing about cars. She can't tell the sound of a V-8 to a lawnmower engine. However, she always raves of the treatment she gets.

Dealership parties, not just for debut cars, but "appreciation" gestures and maybe a "get to know your dealership" experience where you can meet everyone there.

Bikini contests. Nuff said!!! lol

I do like the idea of a "delivery suite" of sorts but maybe without the lights, etc. Picking up your car for the first time can be a stressful situation, contract closures, covering the extras they want to sell you, getting the tags, etc. I never liked the situation where you're sitting at a little table on show room floor or when they shuffle you around to various offices at the dealers. A separate area where your car is and a table where the dealer personnel can come to you away from the floor would be less pressure. Also, here in the Northwest, you can never be sure of the weather so having your car outside the door in the rain is not conducive to closing the final bits and having the salesperson hand over your keys and explain some of the details you may not have covered before.

When I picked up our Mercedes SLK32 the dealer did have a separate enclosed room where the car was. When we did the final inspection, went over the details again with the salesperson, got the seats adjusted, etc. we weren't in the weather and didn't feel rushed to get the car out of there.

I just left Hennessy this morning and would really like to see their service cashier in a bikini. :rockon:

I couldn't agree more with this comment from Dave. :thumbup:

My local Lexus dealer and a second one not too far away absolutely refuse to touch my car for even the simplest things like an oil change simply because they claim it is too low and the lip might get scratched when the car is put on their hoist. This is total BS as the lip of my car on the front bumper is a good 4 inches from the ground, so I don't see how it can get damaged if they put the car on the hoist. Lexus won't be getting this business.

Needless to say, they lose business like that and it can amount to a fair bit. My car needs a timing belt change, and guess what? I have to find a shop that works on these cars and is willing to put it on their hoist.

I typically don't wait to get work done, so all the amenities for customers waiting is not really relevant to me.

My local dealer is great in almost every way. The one area that really pisses me off about them is how full of themselves they are when it comes to selling a car. You can hardly even get the words out to ask about a discount and they'll damn near ridicule you.

Pretty much like "What??? We're lexus. don't you know our cars are the only cars you should ever buy and you have to pay exactly what's on the sticker?

They have this attitude because they're the only Lexus dealer within 200+ miles radius of here. But with that kind of attitude I won't hesitate to buy from that other dealer and bring the car back here.

The service dept of my nearest lexus dealer here in NYC(Lexus of Rockville Center) is great! No problems working on my car which is lowered, heck they did a perfect alignment on my car:thumbup: The sales dept. need some work imo. I was cross shopping for a new cute ute, and was interested in a Rx350 I wanted at least 4k off msrp & they would not budge even though I am a loyal Lexus owner, who was looking for a 3rd, who purchased 97 Es300 & 98 Gs400 both from Bayridge Lexus in Brooklyn. Little room for negotation in price, and it seems as if they were all about the bottom line.. profit profit profit.:thumbdn: Change that perception. Did not encounter that problem with BMW of Bayside.

Avoid crap like this. Showing a customer park assist, letting them PAY for park assist, then buying a $2 e-bay kit and calling it park assist and putting black nimples on a white car to a NEW owner.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...=1#post2596764

My local dealer Lexus of Richmond has serviced my first IS300 off and on since I bought it in Nov of 04 and I never had a complaint with there service. When I totaled that car and bought another last month i bought from Lexus of Richmind sales person was great dealer personnel remembered my name car was delivered to me outside but was under a canopy. Got two free Lexus keychains a Lexus CD case and a Lexus mug plus a set of liscence plate brakets. Very impressed will only buy from this dealer from now on.

^sounds good. It sounds dumb but alot of small things make you feel important.

This one I agree. Our Lexus dealership has about 5-6 stalls available. Other than that you have to find parking on the street.

Aston Martin dealers put your car in a vault when you buy it. To retrieve it, they give you this special code and fingerprint. When the door opens, there's your new car! They're playing off the whole 007 thing.

Do you get something, Bond-style, for the right front seat as well? ;)

as in... Honey RydeR, or Jinx? :p

It's true they did light the path for what luxury ownership should be like.... but it's also true other luxury makes have equaled the experience. I bought (leased) my 1st Lexus in '94. It was a '92 SC400 off lease. I went on a test cruise not a test drive for about 45 minutes. I got to know the salesman, manager, and owner through my 3 years of ownership (totalled it) then continued my relationship when I bought my ES.

Through the early '90's not too many people even knew what a Lexus was, let alone have expectations of how to be treated by a :cough: salesman / service department.

Having been in and out of Lexus cars & dealerships over the past 13 years does give me some insight as to how things have changed... and yes some dealerships have kept the "Lexus Covenant" and are willing to consistently go the extra mile for their customer, while plenty of others are just riding the tail of the Lexus 'commodity' (read: more people have more disposable income to spend on more non-essential goods).

My suggestion to improve the sales/service of Lexus is to really get back to what differentiated Lexus from BMW, Jaguar, Benz... heck even Hyundai, Subaru, & Mazda... make it more about a relationship than a car sale/deal.

That’s my $.02 anyway

Only if you buy the Vanquish. :p You don't get it on "lesser" Astons

Somebody tell me more about this airport parking service. Do they have this at all dealers?

Definitely more customer parking. My dealer only has about 8 customer spots, and 2 of those are handicapped. Granted I live in Florida so those are always used, but still. Our BMW and Audi dealers each have >20 customer spots and I never have trouble finding parking.

Other than than we have the leather couches, big screen tvs, internet room. Preferably, at our GMC/caddy dealer they have laptops you can check out so you can go sit on the couches and watch tv rather than sit in the internet room.

Also the comments about loaners. In the morning when there is the onslaught of people dropping off cars, keep loaners on the side of the dealer so you can just grab them and go.

I'm in my early 30s but I look like I'm in my 20s, I went to Lexus of Mission Viejo w/my gf and no one gave me service AT ALL. I walked back and forth between a couple of cars right in front of the salesmen. No one came to great me. There were at least 4 salesmen right there and they didn't seem to want to help us. A few minutes later another couple rolled by and they helped them right away.

Longo Lexus on the other hand was extremely friendly. I've only been to 2 BMW dealerships and they have all greeted me and asked me if I needed help (Irvine/Newport).

Thanks for all the valuable suggestions guys. I will try to learn and apply some of the idea to make it work at our dealership.

Its all comes down to customer firsts and I know Lexus corp. knows and do their best to keep it at top notch. They know one day every dealership will be so busy selling cars and servicing the cars they sold,but not enough time to take care of the customers. It's like eating at one of the best restaurant in town, good food, good atmosphere,but you can't get a glass of water from the waitress. After the meal you're kinda wonder that you want to come back here again, even know they have the best food in town or just go to Hooters with so so food ,but you got some eye candy...lol.

I work at Lexus dealership for 10 years and I've seen so many happy customers and so many upset customers too. I really feel bad for the one that upset about whatever reason they're upset for and sometimes its kinda bring me down a little bit.

Right now we're working on pre-printed repair order, quicker loaner to the customers and more valets to do the pick up and drop off. The sales are trained to be more relax without pushing attitude and don't talk down about another car manufacturer.

Keep it coming guys...:thumbup:

:thumbup: Lexus dealers have NO parking...
Last time i went to Kearney Mesa Lexus, i had to park two blocks away and walk there.:egads:

- Better loaners.

- More parking.

- As mentioned before techs and service reps who are more receptive
to the installation of aftermarket wheels would be nice...