Lexus maintenance?

[tcho]

The last time I owned a luxury vehicle, it was a Jag. I loved the car, but there were very few places in town (Edmonton) I could take it to for service, and it was always expensive.

I'm thinking about jumping back into the luxury pool with a Lexus. I've heard that most places that deal with Toyotas CAN also service a Lexus. Is this correct? Any Lexus owners out there care to comment on their maintenance costs/habits?

[tcho]

bump

[TrevorK]

You're correct in that all the Toyota dealers here in Edmonton will be able to service your Lexus.

I wouldn't lump Lexus into the same grouping as Jaguar, etc... for parts availability. They are typically very good.



As for maintenance costs, your best bet is to find the model you are looking for and ask the dealer what the scheduled maintenance is, and what it costs for each interval. Every model will have it's own costs. Also, Lexus consistently ranks near the top for reliability, so the odds are in your favour you will have few unforeseen costs.

[Pete_Coach]

Don't know what you are after. If you are looking to dip your foot in the luxury pool then perhaps you may have to pay the price. The parts often are unique so there may only be one source (OEM) so if you are looking to save, then it may be on labour. Dealer versus jobber.
There are benefits to both organizations. Just understand that if you buy new, more often than not you will be tied to the dealer for a number of years as so many give you a maintenance package for the first 3 or 4 years. This normally has to be done at the dealer or else you will void the remaining portions of the package.
As to your question, can any Toyota mechanic or shop do the work, sure. Almost any mechanic anywhere can do the work. Will they have the specific special tools, the specific tech bulletins, the unique test equipment? On some cars, there is so much electronic integration that in some cars the sunroof and windows need special software tools for auto open and close.

[mr_raider]

Typical intervals for my car (IS250) are 10000km or 6months. For the 1st 3 years, it's nothing but oil, filter, air filter, cabin filter, inspect this and that, etc....

Parts for routine miantenance are cheap, and can be gotten cheaper online. The real expense is in the labor where Lexus "packages" things and charges you outrageous sums.

Toyota will service your Lexus IF they are not a Lexus/Toyota dealer. I found one Toyota dealer in Montreal willing to work on my car for less than half what Lexus charges.

There are several forums out there for lexus owners who that can help you save the maximum amount of money.

If you want a luxury car that is relatively "cheap" to own, Lexus, Acura, Lincoln or Cadillac are the way to go.

[ThePointblank]

Mechanically, most Lexus vehicles share Toyota platforms, and there is extensive evidence of Toyota's ownership of the Lexus brand. For example, the window glass. It's often marked 'Toyota'.

[mkerian]

Almost every Toyota dealer is paired with a Lexus dealership...at least in urban areas...so it shouldn't be hard to find a place for service.

[Flyhigh]

cheapest way is to take ur lexus to a private shop specializing in Japanese brands, with OEM parts. still much cheaper than getting it done at dealership

[excel]

I recently did the 16000KM service on a 09 rx350 at the dealership and it cost $300. $180 of that went to labor. Oil change, inspect this inspect that. Changed the AC Filter. :twisted:

[sg2386]

My mom leased a 2005 RX330...lease is up next month and she's giving it back and she told me hardly any major maintenance was done, all she did was go for the oil changes every 10k, change air filter, inspections and that was basically it. There's about 80K on it but the brakes look like it's about to go.

She's considering going for the Cayenne S or the ML350 next but i heard the maintenance for both are pretty high. The Audi Q7 was also considered but when she went to the dealership the guy said they don't have any 09's left in the province and the only model left was the diesel with the '10 coming out Sept/Oct.

But the Lexus was an excellent SUV...i drove it many times and was a really smooth ride. Can't really go wrong with the brand.

[excel]

maybe lease the new 2010 rx350. the interior is so much better now and has the tiptronic shifter.

[Flyhigh]

I actually liked the old interior better on my 05 RX330, and thought the new interior is ugly lol. The heads up display on the windshield was the only thing I liked.

maybe lease the new 2010 rx350. the interior is so much better now and has the tiptronic shifter.

[HP_John]

Lexus' are not cheap for routine/scheduled maintenance. In my family's experience, we found it to be just as much as BMW. Although each scheduled visit was cheaper than a scheduled BMW visit, Lexus' require more scheduled visits due to shorter maintenance interval times.

As for taking it to Toyota, we used to do it until the last time, when we were told the prices had been jacked up on Lexus' (about double). The service rep said he couldn't justify the new prices, it was Toyota corporate that wanted Toyota dealers to increase prices when working on Lexus', so as to not hurt Lexus dealers.