I'd prefer to have my ES350 serviced at a place other than a dealership as it is very far away. Firstly, if I did this would it somehow void the warranty? Second, what types of equipment would the service place need to have in order to do typical Lexus services (i.e. 10k, 20k service)?
Thanks, Walter
Warranty: depends on your location and the relevent consumer law there
You can save a lot of money going to non-Lexus service. I have been doing it for 5 years and have found that there is very little to do and it is much quicker besides being at least half in cost. In NC the warranty is valid as long as you have records as to what you have done.
Depends on the consumer laws where you live.
In the US, the only way a warranty can be tied in to service with the dealership (you have to go to the dealer in order for the warranty to be valid) is if that dealership provides the service for free for the lifetime of the warranty. (look into the Magnuson-Moss Act:
On
Do you have a Toyota dealer near you that has a good reputation? If you don't have a Lexus dealer near you, a local Toyota dealer can request Lexus/Toyota to do warranty service. As for maintenace, Toyota can do it, at an hourly labor cost considerably less than Lexus charges, at least in my area. And, personally, I get better service at my Toyota dealer. When it comes to servicing my car, I prefer "meat and potatoes" to "internet tech".
Can a Toyota dealer handle an LS430? Most OTHER Lexi have a Toyota that is similar. The LS does not.
It depends on what is being done. For example, the oil filter for the LS
430 is the same as for the Sequoia, but there are many other parts on the LS that are not used on a Toyota.But my experience is if you schedule your service in advance, the dealer will have all the necessary parts on hand for maintenence. When my Lexus has a problem outside of normal maintenanence, I drop by the dealership and have the service manager look at it to determine what parts might need to be ordered for the service. In any case, the service ends up being much less expensive than Lexus, and as I said before, I prefer the "meat and potatoes" style of my Toyota dealer to the "hi tech" style of my Lexus dealer. But, hey, that's me. Others may be feel differently and might feel comfortable paying twice as much for labor to get "free" wifi and "free" loaner cars.
Jose
Don't forget all the free juices/coffee/pastries, wide variety of reading/periodical availability, and the most exclusive and important people you'll see!
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