I just bought a new 2IS250 and at the dealership, I was told that I can take my car to a Toyota dealership to get the car's oil changed. Is this a good idea or a bad one? Also do I need to take the car to a dealer for an oil change? I'm new to Lexus and drove a MB c230 before and took that car to a MB dealership for oil changes also.

 

Depends.

It may be that some Toyota dealers will refuse and send you to the Lexus dealer (especially if the same group owns both).

You don't need a dealer to do an oil change and it can be a DIY mod, but an independent can do it much cheaper.

 

Do it yourself, or a Lexus or Toyota dealer, are prefered in my opinion. The el-cheapo places use the cheapest oil filters and probably not the best oil either. If you use a Lexus or Toyota dealer, at least you are getting a Lexus/Toyota oil filter and at least a reasonable quality of oil.

An alternative might be to buy the oil filter yourself and bring it to the independent. I know some independent auto repair places in So. Florida that charge $12, including oil and filter. You can't expect much for that price. From what I've read, I get the impression that these el-cheapo oil changes (including Jiffy-Lube) are the major cause of engine oil gelling.

 

I think the English side of my brain suffers since I speak and write 95% Spanish daily (and sometimes German when necessary with my European contacts), so hopefully no one takes me as literally in the future.

When I mean independent in the U.S., I am referring to those places that specialize Lexus/Toyota independent of the dealer, not Jiffy Lube and not the corner gas station.

An independent will almost always be cheaper than the dealer and sometime former mechanics from those dealers set up their own shops.

Independent south of the border means a place like where my uncle works. Rarely do you find places that specialize in one or two brands as everyone it seems is a mecánico en general down here since they need the cash. I don't have Lexus here.

Having grown up in S. Florida, I still know those places and horror stories involving wrong grade oil, wrong or misapplied filter, etc.

 

Lexmex, sorry if I took you too literally. Your English is great for someone who speaks Spanish 95% of the time. Better than most recent High School graduates aound here.

I had an independent, former Mercedes-Benz mechanic who worked on my car when I had my Mercedes. I haven't been able to find a former Lexus mechanic yet here in the Washington DC area (or Ft. Lauderdale FL area for the winter).

 

I apologize, sometimes I get a little too literal in the head. Just that when you do all you work in another language and the try to do your native one, all that cross interference happens. I think everyone on CL sees I make grammar and spelling errors from time to time.

Oh, I'm American and still have my RX300 with Florida registration (no emissions, no state inspection, nada) and grew up in thearea around Suniland shopping center on US1 at about 120th street (god that placed has changed when I last saw it).

I still have family in the DC area and they have two Mercedes and have been using an independent for some time. I can't remember someone off hand in the Miami-FTL area for Lexus and I don't get up there that often.

BTW, I saw your profile and noticed you have black painted calipers. That was actually one of my first mods, and my uncle did it with black DuPont paint left over from when we painted my lower panels black to match the rest of the car. I think VHT also makes a caliper paint as I saw it at the K&N dealer here.