starbai

iTrader: (1)

Hi there,

I have the car, a Gs350 AWD at a local tire kingdom right now to have an alignment done. I've been meaning to get the coolant flushed and refilled and to change the front and rear differential fluids.

Is there any reason these jobs are more intricate/difficult on a Lexus that I should be careful with letting an alternative shop (non-dealer) do this?

I've used the shop before on an 09 Accord to do similar services (no diff, but brake fluid and coolant) before and I had no trouble with the quality of the work.

I also inquired about them doing the transmission fluid change but because of the intricate nature of that job on the GS350, (refill procedure mostly) they told me flat out that they weren't comfortable with doing that job and that I should go to Lexus for that (which I respect and agree with) - but said they had no trouble doing coolant and diff fluid.

What do you guys think?

fastnoypi

its a crap shoot, it all depends on the staff experience and their professionalism (or lack thereof). I've even gotten burned by Jiffy Lube by having oil all over the valve cover of one of my old cars. You figure its an oil change place that they can put the oil in the hole.

swfla

iTrader: (1)

Your reasoning is sound. You've had good experiences with them previously, they declined to do work that they weren't trained for and coolant/differential fluids are very straightforward. The money you save here will offset the money you will spend for more complex dealer only work!

alexnguyen

I've got a Tires Plus near me (Chantilly, VA) —same question except do you guys trust 3rd party for general checkup? Specifically I'm up for the 30,000 mile maintenance (I already changed the oil myself).