Hi,

I'm finally getting around to creating a usable service log for the RX300 that I acquired in 2012. To accomplish this, I'm going through the stack of invoices that the previous owner provided to me and inputting milage, dates, type of service, parts numbers and remarks.

As usual with dealership invoices, I see the typical unnecessary oil/filter changes at 1000 mile intervals only months apart. It's a pity that innocent folks get charged for these. So, no surprise there.

Well, today I have a new one to share with you and . . . we get to solve a little puzzle at the same time. Here goes:
How many quarts of 90w gear oil goes into the "differential" of a FWD RX300 ???
Hint: "Both FWD and AWD have this front differential, as it drives the front wheels."
Hint: See the picture of the Lexus invoice here on my Skydrive (case sensitive) : http://sdrv.ms/18DsNSz

Any takers on this ?

Regards . . .

 

I'd be happy that the oil was changed every couple of months with only 1000 miles. That's the way it should be with short trips and this sludge monster. lol

 

If I read that right they charged for rear diff oil on a fwd (that uses ATF in the front)....I guess the tech needed to change the diff oil in his AWD RX....I have heard of techs doing things like this adding a quart of oil to the bill of 6 customers so he can change his oil, most people don't know how much oil their car uses anyway. Or charging them for a quart and only using a 1/4 of quart and keeping the rest of the bottle for a personal project.

 

The invoice says the drive shaft was checked and bolts re-torqued. Maybe the Service Writer had two RXs (a FWD and a AWD) in the shop at the same time got the services mixed up and charged the AWD service to the FWD car and vise versa. That would be a stupid mistake but an honest one.

I doubt this is a mechanic's scam. I have worked in the mechanic's business for a long time - and those type of mechanics would not last long at a high end (i.e. Lexus, BMW, Mercedes) dealership. These dealerships are very focused on quality, training, and customer satisfaction.
Now the local "auto repair/bait&tackle shop" - is a different story.

 

I should post up the dealer receipt from Lexus of Tampa Bay and what they charged the previous owners on my newly acquired SC400... It's crazy what the dealers get away with, and the people who let them do it are just as much at fault.

 

I think the folks who do their own repairs/maintenance tend to be the ones who join the forums to exchange ideas and learn or share their learnings. Majority of the owners by far don't even know how to open the hood of their cars. I personally know a few myself. The dealers and/or their mechanics are not inherently dishonest but the chances are they have to meet certain financial targets and that may drive bad behavior. I personally think its incompetency not dishonestly that causes poor diagnostics.

 

Hi kalali,

Knowing little to nothing about the AWD model, I didn't even notice the "retorque" entry on the bill. Given that I didn't see the 90wt oil or bolt "retorque" on any of the other invoices, I'm now inclined to believe, as you suggest, that this may have been an honest mistake.

If there's a "take-away" from my original post and the threads, I guess it's that we shouldn't feel rushed when it's time to pay, we should take our time and completely read the invoice, ask questions about things we don't understand on the invoice, don't be afraid to say "show me that work please", and do all this before taking our wallets out.

My thanks to you and all the other threaders for chiming in on this post.

Regards . . .

 

Hi hypervish,

So as to not muddy up the waters of this post, I'm going to start a new post on the oil change frequency topic. I'll search 1st to make sure it's not been hashed over on clublexus before.

Thanks for your thoughts and thread :-)

Regards . . .

 

We have a local McDonalds where they specialize in these techniques. Place an order inside or at the drive through window that involves that potato "hash brown" thing that they put in a little paper pouch in the breakfast meals. 9 times out of 10 you don't get home with one. It's happened so many times that I don't even call the manager about it anymore. I just sit there in the vehicle, take all the stuff out of the bag and put it on the passenger seat, then ask them to fork it over.

Thanks for the comment and your thread :-)

Regards . . .

 

Ah ha ! I suppose these are tricks of the trade that I've missed all these years :->

If there's any consolation, like mshumack said, the kind of techs who would try to pull this off, probably wouldn't last very long at higher-end shops.

Btw, we have a local general purpose repair shop around here that shall remain nameless (JJJ Automotive, Inc.). It's owned and run by a guy that tech'd for BMW for over 15 years. It's clean (ie. not a pig pen), and the most honest shop I've ever dealt with.

Thanks for your thoughts and thread :-)

Regards . . .

 

I wonder why they used 10W-30 oil instead of the recommended 5W-30?

 

Nothing wrong in using 10-30 in south states. I personally prefer using smallest range in dino-oils. User manual has more details of what is OK to use.

Salim

 

In one of my previous lives, I purchased for manufacturing. That taught me that when I'm paying for something, don't be afraid to ask anyone, about anything, at any time.

I hear you about people who know they're getting screwed, but just decide to lay back and enjoy it. Yep, there are plenty of folks out there too shy to openly question when they're handed paper they don't understand. Maybe it's the fear of publically looking stupid about something we don't understand. In the IT business, it's called "selling FUD" (ie. fear, uncertainty and doubt). We all suffer from this, whether its vehicles, computers, appliances, etc.. This just reminded me about "The Four Stages of Competence" :

1. Unconscious incompetence - you're screwed up, but don't realize it.
2. Conscious incompetence - you're screwed up, but realize that you have a problem.
3. Conscious competence - you're competent, but only when you concentrate on it.
4. Unconscious competence - you're competent without having to think about it.

Hope you enjoyed that saying as much as I have over the years.

Thanks for the thread :-)

 

Yes, please do hang that laundry out to dry. I'd like to see it. I didn't even get into some of the other snake oil line items shall remain unspoken.

Regards . . .


Internal Combustion Chamber Cleaning.
E.F.I System Kit.