Johnhav430

Emphasis is on the word, "dealer."

I wonder. My buddy texts me that his Subaru Legacy is in need of the "30k mile major service." huh? lol

So he says dealer wants $580, but he has a $100 coupon, what do I think?

I said look at the owner's manual, see what's required, and then take it to an indie and get those done a la carte. He decided to go with the dealer.

He texts me the invoice. As suspected, it's a bunch of check this, check that. The only actual service I see, is replacement of the air filter, cabin air filter, oil change, and brake fluid flush.

I get that dealers are in business to make a profit, but that much haha

imho Lexus is far worse. Buddy's wife did the same with a NX200 and it was over $900.

Toys4RJill

Look at the owners manual. That tells you all you need to know. Toyota and Lexus has recently changed their guide and have made it into #1, #2, or #3 type of service depending on the miles. A #1 is just inspection now, nothing gets changed. A #2 is the same as a #1 but includes an oil change.

Johnhav430

#4 should be a middle finger and see you later! lol Or up there where you're polite, a smile and a bye-bye wave

Toys4RJill

They have gone to 10K oil changes, but they bring you in for a 5K check. Dumb Toyota/Lexus IMO I am not against 5K changes for your oil

ArmyofOne

On my truck, the lifetime powertrain warranty dictates all recommended dealer service must be performed at time dictated in the owners manual.

mbarron37

coolsaber

Dont hate the player, hate the game? It costs a dealership service center absolutely nothing to suggest crazy maintenance ideas at their own specified intervals. Some folks know something about cars, other folks are totally misinformed or are allergic to saying "no", since someone has told them the dealership knows best or the warranty is invalidated when performing services outside of the dealership (nope, but the relative ease of warranty claims with vehicles primarily serviced at the dealership is favorable)

Bare mini:
If it aint specified in the manual, automatic no.

If it is, I`d like to go over by myself what these services are.....If its a simple DIY with no programming required afterwards, it gets a big fat no.

Johnhav430

True. Imagine being at Subaru and having to push a $580 30k service, it's your job and you have to do it.

Some services in the manual don't even make sense (where the owner has to make an informed decision "to replace" something not recommended at all....my wife's SUV, states that if the vehicle is used to tow, trans fluid is 50k. If not, there is no replacement lol So I just DIY'd at 72k. It was back to pink in 2 drain/fills which is likely like 30% old. But on YouTube there have been failures unrelated to fluid. Seems like the clutches are really nothing at all, the way the techs toss them around in a box.

Trans is a sensitive subject. On the 3rd gen forum, people have been told by the dealer they will not service the LS430 tranny.

Johnhav430

I think the difference? Mfg. recommended service, and dealer recommended service, do not align. Services differ across dealerships. Lexus of course is bad with 5k recommended services, but when I was a new owner I would search online, and some gave their prices. Those who did, did not have a timing belt/water pump at 90k on the 3UZ-FE. Because the idea is that you now see the services, the prices, and book. Nobody is gonna book a 90k service at $1400+, so they remove the timing belt/water pump and show $5xx. Doesn't make sense. I bet they bring it up at the appt.

Honestly more and more, I feel like somehow things are faceless, meaning processes drive everything, and people are not in a position to change anything.

For example, going back to a model year 2007 BMW, that was white glove and obviously when the mfg. is paying for free maintenance to include wipers and brake pads and rotors, nothing "unnecessary" is going to be recommended. Because now, it's throwing away the mfgs. money, not the customer's. With a 1/yr./15k free oil change, many people who wanted an "interval" change at 7,500, because they owned their cars, would pay out of pocket. Upon doing this interval change, the BMW dealer does not touch the oil counter, so it's like a tree that fell in a forest that nobody saw. People like myself, who only drove 1-3k/yr., would live with the free 1/yr. oil change. BMW felt this was costing them money (was the oil really spent at 1k, just because a year went by?), so they said those who went under 1,200 miles, would not be entitled to a free oil change. It caused an uproar, because 1,199.9, no free oil change. 1,200.0 or 1,200.1, free oil change. Process makes no sense and they briefly removed it, then upped the interval to 2 years!

Anyway, I told my friend because it's ok coming from me, you got ripped off, in my opinion. It's no better than people getting on an airline flight when their carry ons are clearly > 22". They are simply checked for free at the gate and they beat the system. System doesn't change, neither will the game.

Kira X

iTrader: (24)

I work at a Lexus dealership and I see people do every service here all the time. I also see people do prepaid maintenance packages when they buy cars. It's so common it blows me away that people will drop so much money so fast. It's like people don't compare prices or ask questions about the necessity of the service. Our guys are pretty honest but everything is so pricey.

Sometimes I customers who ask my opinion on if they should get a service. I tell them the honest truth that they could get it done elsewhere for less and to check Rockauto for parts. I don't make money from them getting overpriced maintenance through our service department, so I'm not going to push a big ticket service on someone.I owned my Lexus long before I started working for my dealership and I know the feeling of getting quoted ridiculous prices for something I got done elsewhere for a fraction of the price.

If customers I run across mention that they would like to get the work done with us but can't afford it, I let them know that they can bring their own OEM parts from Rockauto and just pay labor. I did that for my oil changes and smaller jobs I needed. Parts are insanely expensive at a dealership, even with me getting them at cost.

mmarshall

The Owners' Manual is a good general guide, but cannot dictate different service-recommendations for every possible different driving environment the vehicle is likely to find itself in. Sometimes, local dealers are in a better position to see what happens with their vehicles in typical local driving conditions, and what may be needed to deal with those conditions. For example, in the Southwest, you deal with extreme heat and a lot of dust. In the Midwest, particularly the Upper Midwest, you have bitter cold. In the Snow Belt, of course, a lot of salt on the roads, which speeds up corrosion. And, in congested areas, a lot of stop and go driving. I'm not saying the dealership always knows best (and, yes, sometimes unneeded service is "recommended" simply for profit-motive). But, in general, the Techs, at the dealer, see the results of poor maintenance, up front, every day......the people who write the Owners' Manuals don't.

heidihidin

you getting a lexus part at the dealership at cost is more expensive than the same exact toyota part at rockauto?

Toys4RJill

Wouldn't the engineers be the ones who come up with the information for the owners manuals?

mmarshall

To some extent yes, but much of the manual is written by lawyers...that is why it is so full of disclaimers. The lawyer-origin of much of the manuals today is obvious....and why so many of them are 400-500 pages thick, although some of that long length is simply the complexity of today's vehicles.

Toys4RJill