Dealer called me to try to get me in for first 5000 mile service. I asked is it even necessary on an IS since the wheels are staggered and the biggest part of that service seems to be tire rotation and visual inspection. So this is where it gets interesting, the guy says "Oh its more than that. We may not need to rotate the tires, but we do a visual inspection of all fluids which lets us know if there is a leak somewhere and we do an assembly line check."
So of course I asked whats an assembly line check. "We torque down all the bolts in case anything came loose."
I know this is good practice for upgrades and replacement of certain parts but I find this hard to believe and not sure why he is pushing so hard for this complimentary 5k check. I am not going to trade in yet, what else can they upsell? So I am asking anyone that works at a Lexus dealership how much BS is in that statement or do you really have techs go and retorque everything?

 

You can skip it if you feel confident that everything is OK, but personally I always did them just to make sure brakes were OK and to report any minor issues I had, for instance, rattles or creaks.

Then again, I also did 5k oil change intervals. Probably was overkill on my IS 350, but I also drove it in a spirited fashion often.

 

Yea thats what I figured. I plan on doing my own oil change at 5k as well and I can do the oil myself in less time than it does to drive down there. So far I dont have any issues and I figure if I do I can bring it up at the 10k oil change service.
I wasnt sure if the retorque all the bolts line was BS or not, if anything I felt him mentioning that made Lexus sound like they are Chrysler.

 

If it's free, I don't think it can hurt to have techs look over everything. The odds are slim anything needs adjusting, but it's free... so why not?
On the flip side, avoid the free wash. Damage can take place there.

 

Well free in a monetary sense but there is time cost associated for me if no meaningful service is being performed.

 

They’re pushing you to come in because that’s how they get paid by the manufacturer- warranty work pays the dealership.

Also LOL at a tech tightening every bolt. Maybe a few underneath max.

Howwver skipping the 5k might be trouble if a problem comes up later and Lexus tries to deny coverage saying you should have come on the for 5k we could have caught it before it got bad, you neglected your car.

 

If they find a warranty issue that needs attention, the dealer gets paid for it (or that's how it used to work), so probably just looking for some possible revenue for the service department. I had a 2014 and a 2016 and skipped the 5K in both cars.

 

Couldn't agree more with this !