I was in for my last freebie oil change yesterday for the GS350 and while I was waiting for an hour and a half I began reading all the signs hung all around. One caught my attention because there were several of them. It explained the dealer "service charge" which would be added to every bill. The sign went on to say that the charge pays for shop stock used in performing maintenance, safety training for the technicians, and a host of other things among which was listed "increased dealer profit". Their honesty is refreshing but certainly telling. I have seen these shop-stock ad-ons for years but never one this comprehensive. It left a bad taste and was certainly what I would consider crass. It seemed to say that their normal high prices have not satisfied their thirst for profit so we have dreamed this one up to justify your bill. And, oh yea, you were warned beforehand by all the signs.

OK. I'm warned. I won't go back. Just change it myself.

 

We have a charge like that at my dealer as well. When I questioned what it was for and why I was being charged an extra fee, I got an answer that made no sense whatsoever. So I'm surprised your dealer has signs posted to clarify what that charge is. Oil change for me at my dealer costs $84 with that charge added and with the $10 off Saturday special.

 

The signs (I should have taken a picture of one) are not in jest. In addition, the signs say specifically that the fee is not made up of required government taxes or fees. It's not a joke as they are posted in the hallway and out in the drop-off covered driveway. It's not a small sign, probably 2X3 feet. They aren't trying to hide it. To be fair we are all faced with this kind of thing for all kinds of services we use. There are so many add-ons on my cell phone bill that it can't be understood, for example. It's either pay it, or go elsewhere. If all cell companies add these same fees, there is no where to turn. It's kind of like gas prices.

Consumer Reports has had articles about these add-on fees in all kinds of market segments. Some people have been successful in having them removed from their bill; probably the reason for the large signs at my Lexus dealer. It could be that corporate tells them what they can charge for maintenance items and then leaves the additional fees up to the local dealer's discretion. It's kind of like buying a loaf of bread for $7. The bread is $3. Then they add in the flour, yeast, and water fee, then the employee training fee along with the fee for the little paper hats the bakers have to wear. But they have the cheapest bread in town at only $3 a loaf. Something akin to car sales dealer Administration fees... Everyone's into it to a degree.

 

Hey, the same info from the sign is printed on the invoice. Here you go. Maybe everyone has this on their invoices.

 

Here's a friendly reminder that we're shanking you. Go to Kwikie Lube next time.

 

Just got my 10K oil change(free) and noticed that my oil change was not synthetic. Don't the GS350's get synthetic oil? Also, they claimed of tipped off fluids and rotated the tires but they didn't.

 

which dealer? are there any dealers in so cal that dont suck????????????????????????????????????? longo in el monte is straight up garbage

 

San Diego - Lexus of El Cajon. I purchased in Escondido (largest dealership in SOCAL) but El Cajon is closer to my home. I'm going to contact dealership on Saturday to find out why they omitted.

 

On my last trip to Longo for service, I knew I had a nail in my front passenger side tire. I didn't have it repaired prior to my visit because I wanted to see if they would point it out in lieu of all these stories about how bad of service they perform . After service was finished, invoice said they rotated my tires and inspected them. Well guess what? Tire with the nail was still in the same spot and there was no mention of the nail. In fact, my results weren't even given to a service consultant to be discussed as they usually have in the past. They just gave my paper work to the guy at the front counter who just asked for my payment. Never going back there ever again!

 

This is why I like to work on my own cars. It's becoming more apparent that shady dealer's will quote you one price and when you go to pay you find out after the fact numerous fees have been added. It's kind like the "dealer service fee" for buying a car. I refuse to pay such fee, I shouldn't be charged to spend thousands of dollars with you, if so, I'll go to another dealer that will happily accept my money without such a ridiculous fee.

 

It's becoming more apparent that dealerships and mechanic shops are charging for services that they are not performing. I used to only go to dealerships thinking that the service will be performed per manufacturer instructions but clearly that's not the case . GEN2IS26, I would have contacted Lexus with your findings.

 

I've learned to check behind anything that's done to my vehicle. It's paid off more than once. I've had oil changes that curiously had the same filter I had scribed an X on before going. Besides rotated tires that haven't been touched, I've found oil caps left off and drain plugs loose. I went to a Toyota dealer for an oil change once and woke up the next morning to find my garage floor full of oil. I bought oil and filled it up after tightening the drain plug so I could take it back to the dealer. When I got there, the service manager wanted to give me a coupon for a free oil change. I just smiled and smiled...

My mother who lived down in Florida near my sister went there with a brand new Cadillac. She passed away after 10 years. As I was going through the records on the car, I was astonished at what I found. She had visited the dealer every three months for service including oil changes and inspections. The car had 22,000 miles on it. According to the records, they had replaced all the brakes, changed the antifreeze every year, changes the brake fluid every two years, and a host of other things. I took it to my local mechanic who said the original brakes were still on the car, the intake manifold was so loose he could wiggle it by hand, with a whole list of things that should have been caught with service like she had been charged for. Of course, I wouldn't mention the name of the dealer but it's in Palm Beach Gardens area and starts with an "S"!

Actually I think, there are some very good dealers and I know there are a lot of excellent mechanics out there. It's like any other profession, a few stinkers tarnish the rep of all of them. Take heart that most of us can still make sure we are getting what we pay for. It's the older people I worry about. They just take the dealer's word and drive on.

 

I wanted to. I figured the best statement would be to no longer give them my business. It's going to be very inconvenient though. Longo is 3 miles away from my house. The next closest dealer is about 22 miles away.