OK, I was cheap. I went for the $19.95 oil change at a local "PROCARE" chain. I see from the invoice that they put 10-30W into my '02 ES300 instead of the 5W-30 it says under the hood. Is this something to worry about?
In the summer time you won't see any difference, but I would be a little concerned that they put in generic "barrel" oil vs. name brand quality oil. Ditto the cheap generic filter.
Please don't take offense, but this stunt of yours reminds me a litle of the (now deceased) millionare theater-owner friend of mine who spent fortunes on medical specialists of every ilk, but bought his false teeth and glasses at an estate sale.
Yes and no. I accept the your criticism. Yet that same eye for value is how I got to afford a Lexus in the first place! $119 dealer oil changes are a poor value. And the oil was Valvoline and the filter, I am sure, is good enough. And in reviewing the book, I now see that 10W-30 is also a recommended oil, so it should be fine.
Unless it is really REALLY COLD where you are located, the 10W-30 will be fine.
Not at all. Dealer mythology.
What the hell is with Lexus Dealers charging $119 for a bloody oil change? Heck the oil filter and the oil is almost identical to the Camry V6 Engine (I assume you have the 1MZ-FE V6 engine) so why should it cost 10x the cost?
The way it was explained to me -- was that I would not have any problems in obtaining warranty work (oil gelling problem) if the work was done by a Lexus dealer and I had the receipts. I just read a letter in the local paper (Car Talk) by a person who lost a V6 in a Camry where the work was done by an oil change shop. Toyota said the shop must have done the oil change incorrectly -- no warranty. Toyota = Lexus.
Quite right. There is absolutely nothing magical about a Lexus dealer oil change. For the kind of money they charge they should use synthetic and a super-premium oil filter and they don't. A good brand of dino-oil of the proper service grade and a $3 name brand oil filter is COMPLETELY adequate. I waste a little on my LS400 oil changes by using synthetic, but I do my own changes and so the overall cost is still about $20, same as a quickie place would charge.
I admire your rational of saving money where you can so you can buy a Lexus in the first place. Shows proper respect for your own hard work.
If the shop really screwed up, they owe him the repair. If there is no reason to believe they screwed up (other than that Toyota says so), the guy should get himself a lawyer and Toyota WILL pay in the end.
There are laws on this. The only way they can require that you use their dealers to do regular maintenance, is if they pay for it. Some brands now do exactly that in supplying "free" regular maintenance during the warranty period. Does Lexus do this? Don't think so.
One of the reasons I get my car serviced at Toyota is that when they do the service, and see something that may be a problem, they are more likely to take care of the problem then have it dwindle. If a certain part is defective, Toyota warranties cover that part and they would replace it. A quick change garage place may not know enough about the engine then just to drain oil, close drain plug, refill oil and change filter. Having said that, I am certain that most dealers would be using a low paid employee to change oil then someone who is a Master Diagnostic Technician (MDT).
Toyota's main claim to the warrantees are not to dismiss the claim, but to make sure the customer did in fact that care of the vehicle and the person who performed the service was a skilled Toyota person. Toyota (or any other dealer for that matter), would be right to say that if the wrong oil filter was used or wrong grade of oil, or if a part should have been replaced and was not, this is grounds for voiding warranty.
If you want to save the costs on the Lexus, I would suggest that you find an independent garage that has a certified or qualified mechanic for Toyota and Lexus vehicles and then get him to perform the service. In Canada, mechanics can get 30% off the parts. In that case, if you give him the jug of Mobil 1 5W30 and he supplies you the Toyota OEM oil filter and he is skilled enough to perform the necessary checks, then the odds of future problems are limited.
The thing you have to keep in mind is that if the services are performed correctly and you change your oil frequently and before the oil becomes degraded (about 5,000 KM to 6,000 KM) using a good quality motor oil with the proper grade, then I suspect that you will probably have no issues with oil gelling or sludging. Out of the 100,000's if not 1,000,000's of Toyota engines on the road, only 4,000 or so people were effected. That is about a
4% to 0.4% rate of failure which is very low.Probably what the non-dealer did "incorrectly" was forgetting to put oil in the engine or doing something wrong with the filter which resulted in the new oil being pumped out on the ground. In such a case, the place that did the oil change should fix the car.
When I bought my IS300 I specifically asked if the warranty would be affected if I changed the oil myself. They told me to save receipts for oil I bought, and that if the eng>
Depends upon available program offers, local competition and your negotiating skills. Complimentary routine maintenance for the initial 50k miles is in fact available at some Lexus dealerships in major cities where there is more than one dealership. (There's 4 here!) I'm sure you probably pay for it indirectly, in some other obscure charge or undiluted fat in the price, but it's available in most cases. You may only have to ask.
What's the big deal with oil changes? Do your own. $4 for a Fram filter and $18 to $24 for 6 qts. of synthetic (or $6 for premium dino-oil).
Builds character and let's you get a look at what's happening with the car's underside, too.
A good set of ramps will cost you less that $50.
Have NEVER paid for an oil change service dating back to 1973 and never had any engine problems and keep everything ten years plus. That's a Ford Capri though a Mazda 626 through an F150 through an LS 400 through a Corvette through a Yukon XL.
What do you do with the drained oil?
Just take it to the auto parts store. Discount Auto, Autozone and others have recycle containers.
I take mine to the local oil change shop......they accept used oil without any problems...also, AutoZone, Advanced Auto Parts, PepBoys all accept used oil.
--- Curtis Newton snipped-for-privacy@remove-me.akaMail.com
ICQ: 4899169
You can also take it to Wal-Mart's auto dept. They recycle oil, also.
Take it to the store I bought it from. Use a ~$10.00 container that holds 5 gallons. Wal-Mart takes oil as do most if not all of the auto parts stores as do many of the quickie lube places. I think it actually has value and is recycled.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.