My buddy with an e46 M3 pays $260 at the dealer for an oil change. The M3 apparently uses 10W60 which you cannot buy anywhere but imported directly from BMW HQ in Germany. The extra viscosity is designed for the engine's expected abuse for track use and if he doesn't use 10w60 BMW will void his engine warranty.

ouch

 

Evitzee, I would have to agree with you. Especially with the new IS our cars has so many electronics and gadgets I'm not sure our typical neighborhood garage has the equipment or the knowledge to maintain our vehicles anymore, other than just the simpliest of things like an oil change.

Like everyone else, I don't like throwing money away but I'm not going to hassle myself looking for the best complete deal either.

For example, I was looking to get the OEM front lip and rear spoiler. Dealer up here in Canada charges an arm and a leg, so I looked around and bought them both from Lexus-parts.com for more than 50% less. Rather than going to a local garage and install them for 2/3 the rate that my Lexus dealer is charging for, I decided to go with OEM installion. I still save a load of money on parts by buying online, but I will have the peace of mind that my Lexus dealer will know how to install the parts correctly, and everything is under warranty.

Ha ha, there are a lot of mama's boys on the IS forum (parents buying them the car) so they are extra keen on getting the best deal so they don't get scold by the parents when they have to ask for money to do maintenance =)

 

for some people, it's not about saving a few bucks..but the joy and accomplishment of getting it done themselves.

 

Completely agree there are many ''hands on" owners out there, and to them I say go for it and do as much maintenance as you like if you enjoy that sort of activity. Personally, my days of crawling under my car to drain the oil are OVER. Been there, done that. I don't want to do that any more.

 

this post may be a little late so its been dead for awhile, but i thought i would add my 2 cents since i was doing a search for this anyway. I bought a prepaid service plan as well...the program is through Fidilety Warranty Service and the plan is Car Care Service plan out of deerfield beach, fla. I bought my wife's IS250 through an Acura Dealership in Jax Fl. We previously had a Acura TL so we could trade the acura through them and then buy the Lexus through them since the corp umbrella includes like 35 dealerships including the highest volume lexus dealer in the world...JM LEXUS. we bought the service plan which i don't think is a good deal now b/c the Lexus dealer in Jax is not part of this warranty group so they do not honor the coupon vouchers. So I have to pay for the service and then mail the coupon and dealer receipt to the warranty co and then wait for my check. On my first coupon for my 5K service I brought in was for the oil change and filter plus tire rotation. THe total was $120 and they reimbursed me for $85.
The plan I bough was for all the 7500 mile intervals (7500, 15K, 225K,30K and 37500K). I pd $540 up front. The 15K and 30K on the voucher only includes Lube,Oil and filter change, tire rotation (which the IS can't do) plus multi point inspection. Since my dealer won't just take the voucher, I have to call ahead and find out how much everything is and how much reimbursement to expect. I'll see what happens after I call tomorrow and then get it serviced next week. I definetly won't do this again unless its through my local dealer.

 

well first of all the Lexus 5000 mile service is supposed to be free, so you got screwed TWICE!

 

I dont intend to do anything but the 30k, as I wont have it at 60K. That with the oil changes at 50 bucks, and im good.

 

How is this a better deal if I have to bring my own oil? Based on your rate, I would save exactly $1.90 versus what the dealer charges, assuming that the price of my oil is the same.

 

my mistake...we did get it free. i did the 5k svc at 12k miles since the free one was at 6k miles. i just called the warranty people and they said any toyota dealer is part of their program in the southeast and to try them. the lexus of jacksonville dealer is the worst across the board of every dealer i have been to...i've had 6 lex cars in 10 yrs. i also will make sure they only do what the mfr recommends in the book and not what they want to do additionally

 

My oil changes are all free of charge for the first 25K miles. I've been told that they don't do much else until after the 25K. Beyond that, I will be changing my own oil, because I hate waiting an hour or more for an oil change at the dealer. Also, I can do it on my own time, and don't have to make it to the dealer before they close, or worry about scheduling an appointment.

I don't believe in having a lot of unneccessary maintenance done on my car, especially one that is essentially made by Toyota. I've owned many before, and have skipped the major "dealer recommended" maintenance on all of them. The basics have to be done...brakes, fluids, belts, hoses, tire rotation (though not required on most IS's), wheel alignments, etc. Anything beyond the basic stuff really isn't necessary.

 

same here, I look at the actual owners manual and see what is recommended to change/replace . I can check fluids myself and won't pay $300 to have someone check the brake fluid, etc....

 

i hear you. i wouldn't pay for the third party stuff where you have to ask for permission and send in for reimbursement. with my current plan, i drive and drive out.

in fact, i took my car in to have something looked at and they noticed that my service was due and did it without me even knowing or asking. no problem.

 

i recently extended my serive plan, it's the 2009 flexible maintenance savings. here are the details:

50,000 miles charge: $162 my price: $116
55,000 miles charge: $162 my price: $116
60,000 miles charge: $1,000 my price: $711
65,000 miles charge: $162 my price: $116
70,000 miles charge: $162 my price: $116

total charge: $1,648 my price: $1,174 savings of $474 or 29%

i really don't plan to keep my car past 60k or 70k at most.