They're not technical people imho, they're in the business, so they are aware of all the lingo. It's like my friend's mom telling me something like, you probably want to check out the tie rods and ball joints, and then get the car aligned. I was like your mom knows all that? He goes, not really just that she picked up all the lingo from being around us fixing our cars all the time.

One time a BMW sa calls me up and tells me you need a new muffler (this was on extended warranty, not covered). It's gonna cost $1,300, do you want to go ahead? I knew the condition of my muffler at the time as you would on your LS, whether it needs it or not. So I tell him you hold on one dang instant, I do not need a new muffler. I have never heard of an '07 needing a new muffler, that's absurd (it was around 2013 and my car was 6 y.o.). He makes up this line of bs, yeah, some go bad. I told him you drop the car now, and I'll be back tomorrow or the next day with your loaner and I want to see the bad muffler. Guy was and is a piece of work, we had some trouble last year that went up the chain.

Anyway, the deal was, that the actuator that closes the left muffler to quiet the car down, made a tinny rattle sound, and it is not replaceable separately. Nobody would spend $1300 to get a new muffler, when the muffler is fine and should last 25 years anyway. My point is he was very standoffish, as a matter of fact, and really doesn't even understand the situation...

 

While a Lex SA isn't necessarily a mechanic, he/she should know the basics about cars. CV joint in an LS? Even if they don't know the 430, the LS series is RWD. My SA (when I do the occasional dealer service) knows cars in and out. Rather than just selling lots of unneeded service (to keep the coffee fresh) he's had good suggestions about an appropriate level of repair. Also for stereo related, referred me to a 3rd party he uses personally. A ignorant SA will cost money and create frustration.

 

Enveous people always try to bring a person down. Pay no attention to such negative comments which are not based on fact.

 

I don't think he meant it that way, but he too is into cars...so it seemed to him that the handle part of the door handle rested just a little higher than the cap portion when compared to the others....he actually was familiar with my car before I got it, and was saying I think your visor slides back so it can block the sun from the side as I remember....then I looked and thought huh, it does...

This thread made me wonder, will there ever be a need to replace the rear axles? I would think not? They're over $600 a piece discount...I would think the only rear end service is to replace the gear oil....

 

I've been a CL member for years. Maybe it's happened but I've never seen mention of an axle replacement on any of the ultra high mileage cars (or any LS for that matter). Drivetrain usually described as "bulletproof".

 

Yep, I never gave it any thought, but after this thread, decided to see what they actually looked like for our rears, and they're not at all like cv axles...I remember people spending as little as $60 on axles for my Maxima, aftermarket...one side easy to replace, the other difficult....