Tensi

What the heck?? What Lexus recommends is tiny... listed all above. What the dealer recommends is HUGE for $429.

15,000 Mile Dealer Service [2002-2004 SC430]

Service includes the following :

Replace engine oil and filter, reset reminder light
Replace transmission and differential fluids
Replace engine air filter
Replace cabin air filter
Replace wiper blade inserts
Set tire pressures and inspect condition of tires
Scan engine control module for diagnostic trouble codes
Top off all fluids
Road-test vehicle

Inspect the following:
Ball joints and dust covers
Body
Brake lines and hoses
Brake linings/drums and brake pads/discs
Differential oil
Drive shaft boots
Exhaust pipes and mountings
Rack and pinion assembly
Steering linkage and boots

Additional maintenance items may be required based on special operating conditions. Please consult with your dealer to determine if any of the following apply:

Inspect engine air filter
Inspect nuts and bolts on chassis and body
Replace differential oil

Price may vary. Please see your Consultant for details.

$429.00

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

The actual service of fluids and turning the rotors and replacing wiper blades are most important on this service. You can get it done at a Toyota Dealer for $300 tops including the most important fluid-coolant. IMO, coolant and tranny are the two most important fluids. Rear diff if you take a lot of short trips (engaging and disengaging the drive train a lot). You can do a mix of DIY, Lube Chain and Lexus dealer for $250.

You are paying for the inspection, etc. They actually don't do much. I always had a hunch that this was BS, and one time a trusted lexus service tech on a drive told me they eyeball it and just "glance" at it. LOL...

Do the oil change and inspection at Lexus and perhaps the tranny service because of the need to ensure Toyota Type IV ATF. Go Take it to valvoline instant oil chance www.vioc.com and get the rear diff, coolant done there and maybe tranny (my VIOC has Type IV Toyota). $49, $59 and $79 there and DIY on the air filter and a/c filter. Find them at Sewell online parts or eBay. $20 for AC filter (denso, eBay) and $40 for K&N filter or $20 for OE filter. $15 for wipers. DIY as well. $180 for fluid service, $75 for parts and $40 for Lexus Oil Change puts you at $300 tops-and I'm adding extra service which I think is MOST important-Coolant. Lift the hood and stop the wipers while they are moving at the top of the windshield (and then turn them off, lol!) Takes one minute for air filter, three minutes for ac cabin filter and maybe ten minutes for wipers.

Get a turkey baster and syphon out your p/s fluid and brake fluid from the top. Refill. Drive it a few days and do it again. Not a flush, per se, but at least you are replacing fluid. If I remember you have super low mileage, right? Just doing the service based on years/months not mileage.

You can get it all done for $250 probably the cheapest. Dont' do the $429 at Lexus. No coolant or rear diff in that service! What a rip off.

My best advice is to find several coupons from one dealer on the most expensive stuff...like the ones below where you can save $25-$50 off a service like the flushes and see if your Lexus dealer will match. Mine always does! Plus you get a lexus expert working on your car, the red carpet service plus a loaner car. Now that's a deal!

Not sure where you are at in NJ, but here is an example of one at Gateway Toyota in Toms River
•Transmission service - $74.95

• Coolant service - $69.99

•Brake clean and adjust - $69.95

Prestige Lexus has some nice advertised specials:

http://www.prestigelexus.com/MiscPag...01225303445034

$50 off 15k service...maybe theirs is cheaper to start with?

10% off tune up parts-get your filters, wipers here and DIY!

Lexus of Bridgewater charges $491 and still no coolant!!! Rear diff though. http://www.lexusofbridgewater.com/MiscPage_3 hope this helps...you have to clip some coupons and maybe make two trips to really save some money. Hopefully we gave you some ideas one how you can do it as cheap as $250 and perhaps at a Toyo/Lexus combination for $300 or just save some money with a Lexus combo and DIY. Either way, the $400 with no coolant or rear diff service is a bad deal

Tensi

OMG! Thank you thank you thank you!!!! Amazing post with some seriously great information. I appreciate all of it. I am gonna do exactly what you said. Coupons and shop around!

Vioc?? Never heard of it, thanks for the link. Glad to see there is one near by. I am trusting that you think they are reputable. I have always had issues getting good service on my cars from non-dealers.

I just read the post twice, and plan on reading it several more times to fully "get it". haha thanks again. I feel like I am much better informed and ready to do this right.

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

You are welcome Feel free to pm me if you have any questions.

I am a big dealer person (I've bought a Lexus Platinum Warranty for several cars including a SC and a few CPO's before, most recent SC) when it comes to very specific lexus issues, very difficult or replacing parts that are not easily replaceable/matchable for non-oem parts. Even the tranny service can be done at Toyota or VIOC.

Do some searches for some of the fluid services and 15k, etc on this forum. About every three to four weeks we have a good discussion about them.

I swear to you that if you have any sort of skills you can replace your own air filter, a/c cabin filter and wiper blades. Those three alone may save you $100 in labor.

I started my relationship with Valvoline Instant Oil Change (VIOC) about five years ago when a new one opened up next to our neighborhood. At the time, I took my company vehicle there and I noticed how careful they were with not getting the car dirty and very detail oriented. They were also carried higher quality fluids too, which I liked. Their flush and fills on the company car for coolant, rear diff, tranny were very clean jobs and done very quickly (as I watched too) with precision.

I don't know if you'll have the same luck with yours...I hope so, but thought I'd give my two cents on them. Their coolant, rear diff and Toyota Type IV tranny flush are true flush and fills, not just drain and fill. Definitely a cut above your average Jiffy Lube, Pep Boys, Firestone and Goodyear. They only do fluids and filters and belts, but not all. They wouldn't touch my serpentine belt. That's another thing I like about them-they don't mess with anything they are not trained or haven't done before. Nothing like taking your rare car to a place and they say, "well, we can give 'er a shot". C-YA!!! No way.

Tensi

Man! That sounds awesome. I like to hear that they admit when they can't/won't do something.

Thanks for the offer for help via PM. I might take you up on that. I am so new to Lexus and kind of scared of the whole maintenance thing. haha

Glock3540

Excellent Advice scdroptop!,
I'm a life long shade tree mechanic. I do almost all of the maintenance on my vehicles
(except for my company vehicle and Ford takes care of that).
sc is correct that the dealer, although most likely more expensive, typically does the best job on maintenance of your vehicle.
As a little guy hanging on my dad's leg while he managed/owned a service station (remember those? lol.), I learned much about cars. Our "father/son time was usually
working on something or another. That sparked a life long passion being curious about
the way things worked. My neighbor, although he really likes me, thinks I have a screw loose or something. I bought my wife a new Accord and took the entire front end clip off a few weeks later. (I was adding some "factory" fog lights and a compass mirror).
I tell you guys, these Japanese really do know how to design a car...Very well made.

Back on topic; After much research, I use Amsoil lubricants almost exclusively. They make Very High Quality products. Others may be just as good but I'm very confident that there are none any better.
I do a transmission drain fill once a year. sc is correct that a transmission flush is better. The way I do it (I use Amsoil synthetic trans fluid even though Honda recommends using only their fluid) is, I drain the pan, and measure how much fluid came out. Refill with new fluid and drive around for awhile. I then drain and refill and drive around some more. I repeat this several times and although messy, I believe it replaces most of the old fluid. It also makes the transmission shift SO MUCH Smoother!
After reading and rereading sc's post, I may take my own fluid to Valvoline and see
if they will do a flush using my fluid. If they could, it would be much less wasteful
of lubricant.

My dad had a guy, that owned a transmission shop, tell him once "If everyone
changed their transmission fluid and filter once a year, I would go out of business".

The other thing I do once or twice a year, is bleed the brakes. After many,many brake jobs, I have seen what conventional brake fluid can to to calipers and brake lines.
It absorbs water and rusts from the inside out. I use only synthetic brake fluid,
and this is a relatively inexpensive way to prolong the life of your braking system.

I also have seen/heard about what happens to some engines when the timing belt breaks. Wow, it can be major damage! I changed the belt in my wife's V-6 this past spring and replaced the water pump while I had everything apart. I had to purchase a special tool to get the crankshaft bolt off. That dude was tightened by the hammer
of Thor! I'm 6'2", 225lbs and work out several times a week and could not budge that bolt. I broke a Craftsman breaker bar in the process!
After I bought the special socket ring, all went well and the car runs great. I would not recommend doing this yourself unless you are very experienced. I checked everything several times and said a prayer before I started the car after completing the work.

Like sc also recommends, use factory parts when possible. I use our local Auto Zone and Advance Auto parts and have had very good service in the past.
I always use their best batteries,brake pads, etc., but I like using factory parts when replacing items like water pumps, power steering pumps, etc.. They seem to work better.
AZ and Advance have "lifetime warranties" on most of their parts, but we all live busy lives and it is a pain to remove and replace on the weekend.

sc is also correct (again great advice) is replacing the coolant at least once a year.
Aluminum is great but when mated to steel anywhere in your system, corrodes.
Don't believe the hype of "lifetime" coolant. Buy the best you can afford and do it annually. This is cheap insurance!

Use synthetics whenever possible. Before Amsoil, I used Castrol Syntec and also Mobil One. I used to own a Taurus SHO. (I still think it is one of the greatest looking engines ever.) I did a 100,000 mile service on it and had to adjust the valves. actually you cannot adjust them. They are solid lift and are the exact same as the Kawasaki KZ1000, go figure... Anyway, I measured the specs on the tappet shims and they were new car engine specs! The same with the camshafts! This engine had 100,000 miles on it with no appreciable wear! That is what sold me on synthetics and am a life long convert now.

After researching many vehicles for many years now, I think the SC may be the sweet spot for this type of vehicle. I think it was designed when Japan was "on top of the world" so to speak. I'm not saying they are not still the best, but have lately seemed to drop a little in their quality.
The SC430 is a beautiful car, Very well constructed with high quality materials and I think the engine and transmission, properly cared for, are almost bulletproof.
The prices have also come down to reasonable levels.
I looked at the SL's and the XK and although they are knock out good looking, they
leave me with that uneasy feeling that it is just a matter of time before they will
cost me a great deal of money. Easily, even more than the car may be worth!
(scdroptop even helped me come back to my senses in the cost of ownership)

Sorry for the long post, but suffice to say, maintenance can double the life of your car.

Hope This Helps.

Blessings,
Brian

P.S. Does anyone else think the SC looks better with the top up than down? I do....

Harold57

Yes, I do. It still looks good with it down, but it becomes a bit less unique with the top down. It is very distinctive with the top up. Having said that, I prefer driving with the top down...

jjbenzo

$100 for an oil change at a Lexus dealership? I don't buy it. I only go to the dealership for maintenance and have gone to several Lexus dealerships for oil changes and never paid over $40.

Just for peace of mind, I change the oil and filter every 3,500 miles. The cabin filter and air filter get changed twice a year. I tend to have the coolant system and transmission flushed/refilled on our cars every 30,000 miles/3 years and brakes checked whenever in the dealership (they tend to last between 40-60k. I only buy factory OEM parts for all repairs. I feel as if I have had great luck with our cars by keeping everything OEM. To keep our cars looking great, I wax 2-3 times each year (clay at least once) including all painted parts, plastic parts (B-pillars, ect) and headlights/taillights. I typically condition the leather twice per year and apply plastic/dash protectent once every three months. The only thing I seem to lack on is tire rotations. I usually only have this done twice per year.

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

the two lexus dealers here in Dallas are $50 for oil changes. maybe $100 including an air filter change?? That's around $40...or a/c cabin filter replacement? that might be more. not sure...$100 sounds really high.

I like the top up look on the SC, which is rare for me because I don't like many convertibles with the top up...SL/SLK looks great, the CLK looks good too. The Miata has always looked good, the rx-7 convertible to name a few. The first generation eclipse convertible tops were good looking, the XK jags are nice too. Some of the ugliest: The Sebring, the PT Cruiser, the 6 series, the new 3-series hard top, the ISC and the G6.

+1^^ on the Amsoil products. I used them exclusively in my rx-7s and I kind of forgot about them. They are kind of a PITA to find...typically have to find at race shops, that's why I stopped using them.

igorxx

I have sometimes thought of doing my own periodic maintenance. I take my Sc430 2002 to the Toyota dealer. It coast about $150. Thats cheaper than my motorcycle. Besides that it is a military town and he gives me a military discount because I am a veteran.

mandyfig

Wow, talking about an old post...!

bryceis250

lmao nice! stealerships! PERFECT! been thinking of a nasty name for them

jwrichter

I wouldn't take my lawnmower to Firestone with who they hire to work on cars!!