If I were to sell my RX, it would definitely not be to the dealer. They buy yours 20% under market value, since that's their profit margin. Carvana pays more, and looks at service history records from Carfax. Better to sell it to an individual. I would put the Toyota records into drivers.lexus.com service history, and then use that on the listing. Just as good imo.

I had an individual that bought a car from me without any Carfax, or mechanical inspection. Just a drive around the block and then to the bank. Those are usually the best people to sell to.

For a RX, your looking at a retirees or soccer moms. I don't think those age groups care where you got the service done from.

 

Am I required to go to a Lexus dealer for maintenance on my leased RX350 or can I do it myself and keep receipts? Do they have to see all the maintenance being performed at a Lexus dealer? I usually do most of my own maintenance and want to keep it that way.

 

That's a great question. The only thing I can think of is that majority of the items on the maintenance Check list are insurrections. How do you prove that you were qualified to do the inspections and did them?

 

No one is going to put a gun to your head and force you.

Perhaps better questions would be, what does your lease agreement say about maintenance, and what does the Lexus warranty say about maintenance? And if it happens they both say that you are responsible to have the recommended maintenance performed, then the followup question would be, if you need to prove you complied with those requirements, what evidence do you have to show that you did?

 

Read up on Moss Magnuson.

 

Here's the FTC answer to the "do I have to ...." question, regarding warranty: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/article...maintenance#do

However, "non-dealer performed maintenance" versus "no evidence of required maintenance items" are two different things. Beyond receipts for oil and filters, it's best to have some evidence that the inspections and wheel rotations were done, if there's a failure while the lease and warranty are in effect.

 

just keep receipts and a spreadsheet of what you do, when you do it (miles and date), and who does the work. You do not need to be Lexus certified to work on your car and keep the warranty intact. I use the spreadsheet that I posted here somewhere that follows the maintenance guide from Lexus. If we are talking basic work like fluids, brakes, etc you should be fine. If you drop the transmission and it was your first car, then they might have a case.

 

You are probably right on. But someone can add whatever they want into the Lexus.com service history. No verification. Almost a joke if the service was not done at a Lexus dealership. And actually, there are a lot of retirees that are more **** about this than the usual 40 year old..As I said, will the extra money spent for Lexus service be "repaid" when selling, most likely not. Will it make a difference if trading in at a dealer for a new model - absolutely. Lexus, and many individual buyers too, don't care about the receipt from Joe's repair down the street, or even Toyota for that matter. Maybe not right, but "it is what it is". None of us enjoy paying the Lexus service premium. Sometimes it is worth it, other times no.

 

Will be fine when selling the car on Craig's List. All those buyers want is the best car at the cheapest price. Honestly, while non Lexus service records may help to snag a buyer, anyone would prefer a Lexus service record from a dealer. Receipts from the neighborhood repair shop, even for simple things like oil changes, just make everyone wonder about how the service was done. We all pay too much for dealership service. Sometimes you get what you pay for, other times it doesn't compute when selling the car.
If you were buying a used Lexus, and one had all the dealer services preformed, and another had service/oil changes etc. by EconoLube, which would you choose?.

 

Gotta go with the EconoLube vehicle. Their mechanics go through a rigorous training program and they also specialize in Lexus/Toyota products. Just make sure there's an oil drain plug in tact before you close the purchase

 

.... AND that's it not a rubber replacement for the stripped OEM plug!

 

Rubber replacement betterbthan none🤣🤣

 

A "rigorous training program......specializing in Lexus/Toyota" at EconoLube. Must be said with tongue firmly implanted in cheek.

 

I have a neighbor that once had tranny fluid changed at one of those places - by the time he was back home, half the fluid was in his driveway.

 

My wife had her Accord serviced at the Honda dealer. During one service visit the service manager came out and told us that she needed a new oil pan b/c the bolt was stripped. I reminded him that they had been doing the oil changes since we purchased the car new.
They paid for the new pan and we started taking her car elsewhere.
This is one of the reasons that I do my own work for routine service. I know who did what when. Even the dealers put the new kid on the routine stuff. Enjoy working on car and save a ton of cash.