I just took my '02 UL to Lexus of North Miami and paid $275 for a full synthetic Castrol oil change and a transmission power flush. Invoice shows charge for 4 qts of trans fluid and filter. Isn't it supposed to be around 8 qts of fluid at least? And what filter are they referring to? So sick of second-guessing everything they do.

 

Does seem high. You can do that all for less than half the price but since it's dealership i guess that's reg price but still too high.

 

I can live with the fee as long as I got a real transmission flush and not just a simple drain and fill.

 

Oh and they also put 0w20 oil in it...

 

the transmission has a small filter that can be replaced. Basically, after years of wear, there can be little gunk or debris that settle at the bottom on the filter and it needs to be replaced. in some vehicles it is a pain to get to and take out and replace. if you did this at a lexus dealer, you will definitely pay an arm and a leg for the services. I assume that they know what they're doing when flushing the transmission fluid but check the dipstick for the trans oil to see if it is precise or it needs more.

i called up my dealer to see how much they charge for just a basic oil change on an LS and they told me $66. I asked them what that entails and they told me that is just a basic oil and oil filter change up to 5 quarts of oil. I can get the same thing done at a mom and pop shop for $20-$30 using the same type of oil or I can do it for less if I do it myself. But sometimes for the convenience and the pampering that some dealerships provide, you do pay a little or alot more for the same service.

 

For your transmission's sake I hope they did do a drain and fill. A power flush is not recommended by most manufacturers.

 

If a power flush is not recommended by Lexus then why would they do it? The advisor did say they do a low-pressure flush and not a high-pressure flush, which could damage solenoids etc. Also I was mistaken, there are no charges for transmission filters; there is an $8 charge for two transmission gaskets(?).

 

When you said power flush, to me, that does not sound like a low-pressure service. I still wouldn't do it to my LS but it's good to hear that they didn't do a high-pressure flush.

 

4 quarts would be a drain of the trans pan and fill. I think the trans holds about 12 quarts. $275 for 5 quart syn oil change and 4 quarts of AT fluid could qualify as a rip off but I am sure its their standard rate they charge almost everybody.


You certainly could do the same job yourself for about - 5.5x$6 syn oil + 4 x $6 AT = $57+$8 oil filter and $5 gaskets = $71. That saves you about $200.



Note: you also could have brought the above fluids into the dealer and paid about an hr labor (apprx $100) saving you about $100. This is what I do - why pay dealer markup on the parts when you can buy the exact same thing for 40-50% less in 10 minutes time.

 

Oil change is amateur but the tranny change might have had you scratching your head if you aren't mechanically inclined. But if you can do the il change, the tranny should be no problem but you won't have to worry about tranny for a long time now. Does it shift smoother? Is it noticeable?

 

they let you bring your own parts in? i work as a service manger at a repair shop (not dealer) & our company policy is that we can not install customer supplied parts due to our nationwide warranty.

personally, i think as long as the customer understands that we can't warranty the work due to a part failure, we should be able to do it.

but as for the price, sounds like they did a drain & fill, hence the charge for the gaskets & small amount of fluid. i don't see why they would need to charge you for gaskets if they were doing a flush. unless they do flushes differently then my company.

 

The Lexus and Toyota service departments I use in the DFW area let me bring in my own fluids (oil, AT, and coolant). For AT and coolant I buy and bring in Toyota brand so there is no way they can object. I just buy it online or at Toyota parts counter doing a little haggling to get a good discount. For oil, I use Toyota filter and major brand high quality syn oil which is what they use so no objection there. In terms of parts I can order a part online from a Lexus dealer (like a Toyota OEM rear sports sway bar or OEM brake pads) at a significant discount and then bring it in to Lexus and have them install their own part cheaper than they would charge me for parts and labor if they supply the part as part of the service. Its crazy but that is how it works. I have never had anyone in service object, I just explain up front that I am not rich and have to work within a tight budget for my cars trying to save a few bucks but still maintain my cars exactly per the book.

 

The car still shifts kinda hard when it's cold, and the ATF looks brown, not red or pink. Disappointed!

 

[QUOTE=The car still shifts kinda hard when it's cold, and the ATF looks brown, not red or pink...[QUOTE]

Only 4 qts tranny fluid? " Low pressure" in this case must be atmospheric pressure from opening the 10mm drain plug on the tranny pan. Apparently only a single D&F was performed hence the color of the remaining fluid. When I got my car back in Feb of last year I did six drain and fills over a few weeks time and the color went from murky brown to translucent red when checked at the stick.

For regular/easy service stuff like fluids Dealer = overpaying. Sad that they charged you eight dollars for one tranny washer gasket + one oil drain washer gasket, especially since the oil drain bolt gasket comes included w/ the Toyota oil filter.

I go the DIY route even more for peace of mind than for the cost savings. Once after a service at Lexus my wife's RX went home w/o its oil filler cap. I only noticed it when I popped the hood a few weeks later when washing the car. Another time Acura was supposed to do a free service on my TL which included an oil/filter change. When I checked the work my old aftermarket filter was still on there and the oil stick indicated overfill of about 1.5 qts. By the look of the dark/dirty oil it was apparent the dealer just added oil to the crankcase and called it good to go.
Needless to say we never patronized those service departments again.

 

In my area the local lexus dealer gets 59.95 for an oil and filter change. With a online coupon from the same dealer its 39.95. Just had it done at the local toyota dealer for 23.86 out the door with a free exterior wash. And the toyota dealer is 10 mles closer.

If your car is still under CPO toyota oil changes will not affect the warranty, but they will save you over 50%. Happy New Year All.

Oh and by the way you can add the service to your lexus service history online. You will have the paperwork to back it up.