I had an oil change "special" for my 2011 LS460 at my dealer. Charge was $25 more than the "special." The service writer said that was because they "had" to use genuine Lexus oil, per Lexus instructions. I got nowhere disputing the charge, done without my permission. Does Lexus really state "their" oil must be used, for any of their models? (I now know better than to use the dealer for anything that isn't warranty, i.e. something I will have to pay for.)

 

i don't know about the 2011 model, but the 2007 manual states "Toyota Genuine Motor Oil or equivalent"

 

And there is another good reason to not have your Lexus mundane service done at the dealer.

One would have to assume that a Lexus dealer is going to make maximum profit selling you official Lexus oil.
So a strong case is made that you knew, or should have known that when you decided to have them change oil.

I don't know any better so I go to Valvoline oil change, 0-20 synthetic of their brand and change every 7500 miles.

 

If I read you correctly, you say its my fault, I should have known the Lexus dealer was going to scam me, charge more than the stated price in their ads; not tell me about it until the oil change was completed;lie to me about the oil being "required" by Lexus; refuse to make a price adjustment.
I use an independent shop that specializes in Toyota and Lexus repair.. It's not near me, and I thought the closer-to-me dealer couldn't cheat me on an oil change, for which I had a coupon for a set price. This is, after all, a LEXUS dealership. not a back street no-name shop in someone's back yard.
(Independent shops don't necessarily wear halos, auto repairs are among the top complaints to the BBB.)

 

No such requirement. The LS does use a lot of oil, 9.3 quarts. Many places charge a surcharge.

 

Thank you. As to surcharges, the ad and coupon for the oil change and "inspection" said nothing about extra charges. It was dishonest, no question about it.

 

No fine print on the coupon at all? Can you post it?

If there is no fine print on the coupon that says anything about any amount of oil or type of oil then they should honor that price.

Most coupons Ive seen do specify the amount of oil

 

Coupons had to be given to the service writer, so I can't post it. There were no limitations about the amount or type of oil, nothing other than "oil change" and inspection, plus the price. If you don't believe me, then don't. , And of course they should have honored the price, you may have missed that they were running a scam.

 

Its not that I don't believe you, I wonder if you just missed the fine print.

The "scam" makes no sense. Why would they alienate customers and risk this sort of bad press to make $25 extra? When dealing with these sort of situations when you start throwing accusations around you don't get anywhere.

In any event, they should have told you that before they started working on the car. I would have asked for the service manager and calmly asked them to please show you where on the coupon it said that the "Special oil' for the LS wasn't included, or that the LS was excluded from the offer, or it only allowed for a certain number of quarts of oil. If they couldnt show you that, I would calmly tell them you expect them to honor the price on the coupon. If he refused, escalate it to the general manager. I guarantee they would have honored the price.

 

Curious - how much exactly did you pay after the “special” $25 charge?

 

Do it yourself! It may seem like it takes some of your time, but no wierd overcharges! I wait for the specials on the oil and filter, and I buy some for 2-3 oil changes, at the price of less than 1 at a shop!

bringing the car in any shop usually takes me more time than just lying under the car and turning a single bolt anti-clock wise, then changing a filter, putting the bolt back and filling up... Max 30minutes, if all the tools are there.

While at a shop, it can take easily an hour only to drop the car off and pick it up after they are done. They will also always suggest other work. I stopped going to these places when they suggested to change the brakes that I had done a few months earlier myself. I went in the bay to ask the mechanic what i thought was wrong with them, and he said "well, they look a bit old", and he pointed some rust that was just there because the pads are a bit smaller than the rotors, no big deal! Pads are ceramic, and I think they are almost at their full thickness after 10s of thousands of kilometers driven (but its not an LS, not as heavy and not as fast!)

 

Sounds like a ripoff to me. I say impeach 'em..

 

Cochiseg,
O.K. I did it myself.
First, I bought the tools to remove the filter and the drain plug. ($22)
I'm 86 years old, and my walker doesn't fit under the car, so I purchased a lift ($3100).
My landlord doesn't allow working on cars in the garage (and the lift didn't fit), so I rented space in a warehouse ($780), and had the lift delivered there and installed ($980)
My arthritis kicked in and I couldn't keep my arms raised, so I paid a homeless person to do the manual labor ($55)
The next morning, there was a pool of oil under the car. The homeless guy had cross-threaded the drain plug, and the crankcase emptied. My landlord billed me for steam-cleaning the garage floor. ($212)
I had the car towed to the dealer (AAA no charge), who inspected the motor and told me I'd ruined it beyond repair by driving with no oil. A new motor costs $13,000 (labor included), but because I'm a regular, who'd always used them for maintenance and oil changes, they'd reduce that to $12000.
So by changing the oil myself this time, I saved $1000.
Good deal!
(Know anyone whose in the market for a slightly used lift?)
.

 

Alrighty then

 

You're right, there MUST have been fine print that escaped my eye, and that the service writer didn't point to to justify the extra charge. Because, as everyone knows, car dealers are, every one of them, honest, ethical,and trustworthy. And service managers never overcharge customers, or tell them they need things fixed that aren't really broken, their bosses don't evaluate them on the dollars they bring in.
You've been so helpful I'd like to return the favor. You may get an email from a Nigerian government official who has discovered $2,5000,000 of U .S. dollars in an account. The problem is the money can be paid only to an American bank. If you allow him to use your bank account to transfer the money to, you keep 50% ($1,250,000), and send the rest to him.
There's a slight catch, it will cost $10,000 in Nigerian taxes and fees to access the account. Please send him the money, which you will get back from your share of the proceeds ($1, 260,000)..
If you're lucky enough to get that email, send him the $10,000. You will in turn be a millionaire.
I guarantee it.