RX300 Questions

My experience with Lexus service is that they typically charge at least double what a Toyota shop would charge. For example, a tire rotation and balance can be around $80 or more. A 4 wheel alignment can be around $100. Once my warranty is up, I will be doing all my 2002 ES300 service at the local Toyota dealership. I don't really see the value in paying 2 to 3 times as much as I should, just for the sake of the service being recorded in the "Lexus database". When I go to sell my car one day, I'll put it up on ebay motors, and the Lexus database won't mean squat. It's only of value to the dealership when they go to resell your car after the trade-in, it helps them market that whole "Lexus recertified" thing. Regarding tires, I've always had pretty good luck with Michelins, although they tend to wander a bit. I've heard good things about Toyo.

"Steve Larson" wrote in message news:epK3d.87400$ snipped-for-privacy@bignews4.bellsouth.net...

While I generally agree that dealer charges are excessive, I'm not sure that you don't get what you pay for at least at some Lexus dealers. I recently acquired a '99 RX330 and took it to the local Lexus dealer because the front brakes where making noise. I'll comment on a few positives from the experience. First, the service rep treated me like a person, offering me coffee etc. and most importantly offering a loaner car or to drop me off at the local mall or at home and pick me up later when the car was done. Second, they were able to look up the history of the car (which I had a good idea of since I bought it from by brother-in-law) and confirmed that it had a full service history. Third, I was surprised when I got a call an hour or so later telling me that the front rotors were glazed but that they would recommend not replacing them at this time (e.g., not worth the expense of replacing parts that had good life left just for a noise). They did find that the rear pads were below renewal and so I agreed to have them replaced, but as I recall the cost was not different from what I've paid recently for other cars at independent shops. Finally, I had used a loaner and gone to the mall to kill some time and so got back to the dealer before my car was done. While waiting for my car, I sat by a window that looked out onto the shop floor and watched one of the technicians working on what looked like a normal service visit. I was amazed at the amount of work and the attention to detail (e.g., it was not just a pull the plug and filter oil change). So, if all you want is the basics, go to the local Jiffy Lube for the oil change. If you want full service and don't mind paying a little more, find a good dealer (there are a few out there).

Gus

P.S. I friend of mine at work bought a used Lexus (from a different dealer) a couple of years ago. She recently noticed that the seat belt was dirty and commented to the dealer who suggested several cleaning methods. She later took the car in to have the brakes checked and when she went to pick it up was told that the brakes were fine and that the dealer had installed a new seat belt to replace the dirty one at no cost (e.g., they had noticed that she had not been able to get it clean and just replaced it on their own).

I've not been blessed with affordable service at Lexus dealerships in the Atlanta area. I guess I'll need to shop around a bit more.