How Long?

bluenose1940 · December 17, 2015

OK, here's a question for you more well informed forum buddies.

How long do you think it would take a main dealers service department to carry out a full service and a software update on an IS300h?

wendle · December 17, 2015

if you book in your car for first thing in the morning as they open i would think around 2 hours

bluenose1940 · December 17, 2015

if you book in your car for first thing in the morning as they open i would think around 2 hours

Thanks Chris, your figure of 2 hours, is that the time that you think that they would be actually working on the car? That's the figure I'm looking for, the time taken to change the oil, brake fluid etc etc. The service also included a full hybrid healthcheck, so that needs to be included in the time taken.

Cracksta · December 17, 2015

Within the day i would expect? I ask for a courtesy car so I dont need to sit there.

bluenose1940 · December 17, 2015

Sincere apologies folks, I don't think that I am making myself understood. What I am looking for is an idea of the time it would take a main dealer mechanic to carry out a FULL service and a hybrid health check on an IS300h

I'm not concerned with how long they have the car for, just the time taken to do all of the required processes involved in the service, i.e. the time actually working on the car.

ganzoom · December 17, 2015

Given my local independent charges me £60 for brake fluid change including the fluid, and £120 including any oil, the actually amount of time spend is probably no more than 1hr - 2hrs max. The hybrid 'check' is pulgging something into the OBD port and should take <5 minutes.

What a main dealer will bill you for is anyone's guess :)

C Mclean · December 17, 2015

Probably be around 2-3 hours labour as a guess.

Rabbers · December 17, 2015

If you drop the car off at 8 a.m., it would be unacceptable to have it back later than 11 a.m., and not unreasonable for

you to show up around 10.30 and start pacing about impatiently.

200h · December 17, 2015

i would say 2 hrs as the other items dont take long ,whilst they're dropping the oil the brakes can be looked at so 2 jobs car be done together.

bluenose1940 · December 17, 2015

Some intersting replies here.

Some of you may remember me starting this thread (link below) wherein I expressed concern over whether the jobs listed in a full service would get done, bearing in mind the fact that my car only has 6000 miles on the clock.

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/104432-lexus-servicing/

I have been studying the files on my dascam and can see that my car was moved into the bay and on to the ramp at 12.35pm and was moved back out onto the parking lot at 13.36 just one hour later. At no time does it show the car being raised on the ramp and there is a fair amount of video where the mechanic is sat in the car messing about with the mouse, you can clearly hear the unmistakeable beeping, I had asked them to install the latest software so that was probably what he was doing. The camera showed the bonnet open and you can just catch a glimpse of the mechanic removing the dipstick and checking it. There was also some video of two guys with the boot lid open and one of them has the gunk dispenser in his hand. This was then put back and the boot lid closed. Nothing happened after that.

I was wondering if it's possible to post the video files for others to see. I feel quite uncomfortable that may be some of the work wasn't done.

wendle · December 17, 2015

interesting read Geoff, the video would also be interesting to watch, i would like to no how they changed your oil in they didn't rase the ramp, unless they sucked it out, but i don't think a reputable garage would do that. mines going in in the next 2 months for its first year 10k service with only 3.5k on the clock so they probably won't even open the bonnet.

ganzoom · December 17, 2015

^^ Doesn't suprise me one bit. One of the reasons why I NEVER use any main dealers for anything. Our last Honda was serviced at the main dealer under the 'service pack'. When I eventually took it to my local independent they showed me the air filter that clearly hadn't been changed since new, the oil filter was filthy much more than what you expect from a 12 month old filter, and the there no signs of the dealers had touched the fuel fitler was supposed to changed at the final service.

Take your video to the dealer manager, they will pretend it's something that's no happened before, give you a refund, and carry on as before. It wouldn't change the behaviour of the dealer but at least get your money back. Our IS300H is never going near any main dealer, even if the hybrid pack develops problems in later life there are plenty of independents who can sort that out.

rayaans · December 17, 2015

My RX was serviced in an hour. Full service and all

Mikeyb999 · December 17, 2015

I was wondering if it's possible to post the video files for others to see. I feel quite uncomfortable that may be some of the work wasn't done.

You could upload it to youtube then link to it. I would be interested to see what they did.

I wont name and shame, but I wasn't very impressed with the dealership I bough my (used) CT from, so decided to have it serviced at another dealership. It went in a couple of weeks back for interim service and first MOT.

I had forgotten, but a rear number plate bulb was out. Check list still states all lights checked, and it passed its MOT. Makes me wonder if they actually did anything, and it makes a joke of the check list supplied

Eire Lexus · December 17, 2015

I've worked in the trade for a long time. Full service alway had 2.5 hrs billed but actually took approx 1.5 hrs tops sometime only 1 hr. Intermediate service billed 1.5 hrs and took 40-50mins.. However this is common in all Dealers no matter what manufacturer. Lots of garages now suck the oil. A car with 6,000 miles to be fair will need little checks but the fact you are paying for them means they should be completed. Likelihood is an apprentice technician did it as its a very basic job. The apprentice wages are tiny so the margin is huge. Post copy of invoice with essentials hidden and I can easily tell more.

ganzoom · December 18, 2015

I've worked in the trade for a long time. Full service alway had 2.5 hrs billed but actually took approx 1.5 hrs tops sometime only 1 hr. Intermediate service billed 1.5 hrs and took 40-50mins.. However this is common in all Dealers no matter what manufacturer.

So what your essentially saying is all dealers openly commit fraud but because eveyone does it it's OK. I cannot wait till more manfacture go down Tesla's route of having no franchised dealers.

Eire Lexus · December 18, 2015

The dealers will twist this by using fixed price or menu priced servicing. In an intermediate service all they basically use is oil and filter. They then use a check list. Now on a fairly new car this does not take long. Major service is only air, and possibly pollen filter added. Plugs may not be required to be changed as lots are now longer life. Brake fluid change may also be done. Technicians who work 8 hrs CB be billed out for 12-14 hrs. I'm going in for my 6th service next week but to be fair they do clean and wax my car as part of the service FOC. It's a lease car, but if it was my own car I would be slow to use the dealer just because I know how cheap it can be done elsewhere and the standards are no different.

To be honest most industries work like this, factor in the costs of the showroom and all the coffee and fluffy stuff. That prob costs more but subsidised by the high margins.

The margins for warranty work are low as the manufacturer has tough set allowances on time and much lower labour rate. So the customer paying for the service is their cash cow!!

DJP · December 18, 2015

I've worked in the trade for a long time. Full service alway had 2.5 hrs billed but actually took approx 1.5 hrs tops sometime only 1 hr. Intermediate service billed 1.5 hrs and took 40-50mins.. However this is common in all Dealers no matter what manufacturer.
So what your essentially saying is all dealers openly commit fraud but because eveyone does it it's OK. I cannot wait till more manfacture go down Tesla's route of having no franchised dealers.

Tesla are hardly giving their service plan away though are they? Especially when you consider the lack of serviceable parts.

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bluenose1940 · December 18, 2015

Well folks, I sat and watched the video in its entirety this morning and have to admit that I may doing someone a partial injustice (possibly).

When I watched the video after the return of the car, I was doing a bit of file skipping, but today I have watched it more carefully and have noted the times and, it is clear to me now that there is a time span of about 42 minutes where there is no video, this could be due to the Battery being disconnected. I am assuming that the Battery would be disconnected for some of the processes. However, having said that, I would have thought that the video would have captured images of the mechanic hovering in the Battery area with the screen going blank as soon as the lead was removed from the Battery. there is no sign of this.

I have checked the oil and it does look clean, but how dirty would it be if only 3000 miles have been done since the last service. Does brake fluid look dirty after a while or does it always appear to be clean in the master cylinder. Mine looks very clean.

I have also noted that on the sheet showing all of the required processes, some of the items have been ticked (as done) even though they are not applicable, it makes you wonder why they would do that.

I couldn't make out what the guy was doing in the boot, he couldn't lift out the rubber boot liner etc. without removing the spacesaver wheel and there is no evidence of that being done.

Sorry if I seem overly suspicious!! This all stems mainly from the time the dealer told me that work was needed on my IS250 (exhaust) and when I took it to a specialist they told me that there was nothing wrong with it.

Rabbers · December 18, 2015

The possibility of getting ripped off when any car I've ever owned has gone in for scheduled servicing at a dealership

has always given me a bad stomach, the reason being that you can never be 100% sure that everything that should

be done will be done - and done properly - despite the higher bill in respect of an independent workshop. And, given

my mistrustful nature, so it will always be. However, I have to some extent factored my stomach pains into the cost

of ownership, and, as specifically regards Lexus, I take comfort from the fact that, after religiously following the

recommended service schedules, I have had remarkably few reliability problems with any of the five ISs I have bought

from, and had serviced by, three different dealerships. How much of this has been attributable to the cars' intrinsic

reliability and how much to the regularity and goodness of the specialist servicing I don't know. And since I have no

basis for technical and financial comparisons, I never will. What I do know is that after buying my first Lexus I have

kept going back.

ganzoom · December 18, 2015

Tesla are hardly giving their service plan away though are they? Especially when you consider the lack of serviceable parts.

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I have no problems paying top £££ for quality service, I spent over £7k in aftermarket parts/labour for my old 335i.

What I have a problem is what OP is highlighting. Main dealers charging stupid amounts for sometimes not even doing any work. I honesty don't see the point of main dealers, they are just middle men/women, in this day and age I rather just deal with the manfacutres. I don't mind people making a profit, that what business are there to do, but I rather th profit margin went straight to the manfacutres so that they can use is to improve their product line, rather than bone idle franchised dealers.