Magellan55

Just got the 120k done - nearly $900. Manager said the big ticket item was the spark plugs; 3.5 hours of labor to remove everything to get to them! Is this what others are seeing? Glad I only have to do this once. Also glad there's no timing belt in this car. And the brake pads are holding up fine so far - hooray for regen.

Up until now, my annual service costs have been reasonable for a luxury brand. Guess it was going to hit me eventually.

Clutchless

If this was for your HS250h that is complete bull*****. In less than 30 minutes I changed the 4 spark plugs in my HS250h while the car sat in my driveway. Once you pull off the engine cover (takes 15 seconds) they are right in front of you. Of course, being an old guy from the days when you had to clean or change your plugs every 5,000 to 10,000 miles I have done this countless times.

Look at this Camry hybrid video, same engine.
I would file a complaint.

I hope they at least changed the transmission fluid, both coolants and brake fluid for that expensive service.

Magellan55

Wow, now I feel like a complete lazy-butt fool for just trusting the dealer. I didn't inquire on the price up front, which I'm now sure was what set me up to get scammed. Same service manager I've always had too. I was wondering why he walked me back to his office before discussing the cost. No, they did not change any coolant or tranny fluid, just the brake fluid and oil change / filters. Basically the 30K service + spark plugs. I'm going to check the engine myself this weekend and see what it takes, so I have a reference when I go back.

I am so glad I'm getting a Tesla for my next car. No more dealerships trying to milk me, no more oil changes, spark plugs, etc. I was planning to keep this HS for my younger kids since it's held up so well, but now I'm thinking of just buying an old beater Honda for them in high school like I gave my son. I guess I first need to see what Lexus will do when I complain.

MedicalDoc

Another reason to DIY or for an indy mech.

isfvss

The more I see on car forums the more it scares me how little people know about cars, being a 59 years young mechanic so many people getting ripped off for simple work. PLEASE people don't be spanner challenged start twisting wrenches. You have no excuse with the interweb everywhere cheers.

Clutchless

I think the coolant was supposed to be done at 100,000 so maybe it had already been done. Check your records.

However it is important to change the tranny fluid if not done. Again this is a simple drain and fill 4 quarts of Toyota WS until it spills out the fill hole, just like a manual transmission. Your local independent shop could do it in 30 minutes if you brought them the fluid.


https://www.greenhybrid.com/forums/f...-change-28564/

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/91...id-change.html

Clutchless

On the spark plugs, you first remove the individual coils (one bolt) then slide that out of the hole, then using an extender for your spark plug socket, remove the plugs.

MedicalDoc

Not to be a downer, just a heads up.
Some Lexus stealerships do not do a proper brake fluid exchange. They syphon out some fluid,i.e. with a turkey baster, and refill with new fluid. The amount they remove is generally less than a full bottle, which leads to ask, what happens to ALL these fluids left in the bottles? I am guessing that techs are using them in their cars.
Regarding the brake fluid, check your color after some time has elapsed. It should be clear. If not, well...

Magellan55

Yeah I had the coolant changed at 100k. And just had the transaxle recall done, so no need to change that fluid. I need to dig out my 90k service bill to see what the delta is in labor with this one. As I recall the 90k was maybe $300 total, so not that bad.

I was one of those guys that did all my own work, but about 15 years ago I started getting nauseous every time I laid on a creeper under the car to change the oil. So i gave it up and let someone else do the work now. But I don't want to get ripped off.

TheAirman

Are you saying that's all they do for a brake fluid change, is suck out the old fluid in the master cylinder with a baster and refill it, and call it changed?

If so, you could call them on that and get your money back because that's only step one. First you suck it out with a baster and refill, then you have to go to each caliper and bleed it out from there. It usually take about two bottles.

I had a BMW once that needed a change. I saw the color of the fluid and how much dirt was around the master cylinder cap. It was the same when I picked it up and paid. I called them on it, embarrassed the Mechanic and service department, got my money back and did it myself. It's not just Lexus. Sadly they think we are idiots and try to rip us off at every chance.

TheAirman

If you think a Tesla will be the end to your service department woes, you better talk to a few who own them. Hopefully you're not thinking of a Model 3.

Think of it this way. You know the production problems the Model 3 is having? It'll be the same when you need it serviced. And you will. It won't be as trouble free as your HS. There is a lot of other fine EV and PHEV's choices out there.

Magellan55

Actually I bought a Model S. Was on the waiting list for the 3 for two years but changed my mind last minute as it came my turn to configure. I've been on Tesla owner forums for months now and so far the recent M3 builds have been pretty good. Yeah the early ones had problems, mostly with panel alignment and the keyless/fobless entry. As for production ramp-up, we'll know in a month but all indications are their issues are behind them. Model S issues were pretty much ironed out 2-3 years ago and Consumer Reports gives it a <edit> "much better than average" reliability rating. I don't expect it to be quite as reliable as my HS, but then there's a lot less maintenance too, so overall probably the same amount of service time, and Tesla comes to you / your office for many services. And no more CVT throttle lag :-)

And don't get swayed by all the negative press out there - it's very one sided. Anything bad happens in a Tesla and it makes national news. A BMW fire burns down a house, or kids get killed in some other car, and you don't hear a peep, probably because it happens every day so no longer sells clicks. There's a ton of money betting against Tesla, and a lot of interests (big Oil, other car companies, NADA) hoping it fails. The S now owns 34% market share in the US premium sedan segment, and the 3 will likely do the same in the entry level premium sedan segment. This disruption has a lot of moneyed interests with their knickers in a wad.

TheAirman

I get what you are saying. The S is a fine car, and I wanted one. But range anxiety exists, and no place better than around here in Western PA. Especially in the winter.

Maybe it's different around you, but around here there is no infrastructure set up for a Tesla. It's real Hoopie land around here, and the nearest DC Fast charge is a hour away. Plus there are more Chademo plugs that no one uses, and the nearest level 2 Tesla plugs are at the hospital in West Virginia. So the few Model S owners I know don't venture to far from home where their chargers are. And they carry adaptor plugs so they can charge at the J1772 ports at the local mall.

That's why I got a BMW 330e. No range anxiety. I go days before my ICE even starts. Besides that, the HS only has 45,000 miles on it and maybe by the time it makes it to 120K, Lexus might actually have a plug in worth looking at, and the Model 3 might be worth considering. But I doubt it.

Magellan55

I was really hoping Lexus would make a plug-in GS450h and I would have given it serious consideration. I have a 45 mile commute round trip though, so any plug-in hybrid would end up on gas coming home. Tesla is busy rolling out hundreds more Supercharger stations, so maybe your area will fill in by year end. Most Tesla owners just charge at home and only use Superchargers on road trips, and with a ~300 mile range, that gets you pretty far before needing a refill. That doesn't help those living in apartments and can't access home charging however. And NC doesn't get as cold as Western PA :-) Still, going EV is a bit of an adventure, though I'm cheating by keeping the HS as a backup and my wife's Highlander is probably still our road trip car unless I can convince her that supercharger stops aren't that bad!

TRW88

Do you have to disconnect the 12V and/or hybrid battery before changing the spark plug? Thanks.