Lexus servicing... how much!

[Matt1986]

Just out of interest really I gave lexus a call today for a price on a service. They recommended the 100k mile service. Labour plus parts.... £1100

That's more than I paid for the car! £275 just for the spark plugs. I got them from Opie Oils for £55. 

I knew they charged a premium but that's crazy. Never been more glad I can do my own service work. :-)

[goldtop]

Does the 100k-mile service include the cambelt, too? If so that's a pretty good price.

If you look at the Lexus site, they do discounted servicing for old Lexuses (Lexii?) - from £155 for routine fluids and filters.

 

Thanks for the Opie tip, though. :)

[Matt1986]

No that didn't include the cam belt. Just oils and filters plus new spark plugs. Diff oil. Plus checks on some things. 

[Matt1986]

4 minutes ago, goldtop said:

Does the 100k-mile service include the cambelt, too? If so that's a pretty good price.

If you look at the Lexus site, they do discounted servicing for old Lexuses (Lexii?) - from £155 for routine fluids and filters.

 

Thanks for the Opie tip, though. :)

You can easily find discount codes for Opie Oils as well. I got an extra 10% off my order. 

[royoftherovers]

Good post Matt.

Lexus appears to be making the same mistake made by Audi, BMW and Mercedes by catering for the Corporate customer at the expense of the Private Customer, as that is where the big profits are made. Such action will in my view lead to the rapid establishment throughout the UK OF INDEPENDENT LEXUS SPECIALISTS. I know that discounted services can be offered by Main Dealers to older Lexus models, but the quality of servicing and personal levels of service will deteriorate.

Regards

John 

[ambermarine]

John

I have to agree with your views on corporate emphasis but Lexus will tell you that they cannot survive with private sales and servicing as the main thrust, there is too much competition.

The main business of these prestige marques  is corporate leasing then moving the returns down through the private clients at discounted prices but getting maximum profits on the servicing as the margins on sales and leasing would not be enough to keep a dealership going. 

[Malc]

............  what is the Main Stealer hourly rate + vat ?

Malc

[steve2006]

39 minutes ago, Malc said:

............  what is the Main Stealer hourly rate + vat ?

Malc

I can't afford to ask but would assume £90-100 + VAT.

[Verbout]

I would say higher, nearer to £150, but Im guessing............ wouldn't use them.

Do a better job myself, and I'm really cheap. 

[Tinonline]

Interesting. Current infrastructure and costs couldn't release lower cost capacity across the board. But they have a big untapped market out here for another service brand for older vehicles. To include Toyota brand. Not just servicing and nominal parts discounts but competitive repairs. 

[cornershop]

£141+ vat at edgware Rd lexus.

[Verbout]

17 minutes ago, cornershop said:

£141+ vat at edgware Rd lexus.

WHAT........... 

[cornershop]

£141+ vat at edgware Rd lexus.

WHAT........... 

That's their standard service rate, I'm sure I was quoted a discounted rate for the cambelt job together with water pump, pulleys etc

[Tinonline]

Surely £141 for a minor ?

[dutchie01]

Lexusdealers in general have a problem. I honestly dont know how they can survive. With Lexus beeing a niche marque they just do not sell the numbers needed to be profitable. Dont know the UK figures but in Holland BMW in 2016 sold 18k cars, mercedes 15K and Lexus 871 ( !!).

Then the reliability of the cars kills the dealers, They sell them and only see them back at the regular service as they dont break down ( unlike the Germans), so it is almost impossible to make a profit on service/repairs.

In my time a dealer made itś money on selling fluids, (oils, brake fluid, coolingfluids etc). In my Alfa days the cars were so utterly unreliable i knew all mechanics by name and did visit the Alfa dealer every month. Profitable visists for the dealer though.

How times have changed..      

[cornershop]

Surely £141 for a minor ?

Nope, I asked them explicitly for their labor rate, as I was asking about loc discounts on parts and servicing. He said I'd already been quoted using a cheaper labour rate, their standard is 141+vat

[RgrWynne]

I think that you also need to understand that most main dealers are only equipped to "service " cars. They do not employ technicians with the skills to do more than the basics. Anything more than that is sometimes shipped to outside independents, glad of the work in return for which they are often given access to the database and codes they can't normally get. It is true that the most unreliable Marques are often the most profitable because of warranty work, with Land Rover / Range Rover I understand high on the list. Likewise, Lexus and Honda struggle, because they rarely go wrong. I would not like to try and make these car showrooms/ workshops pay, which is of course why they need to charge the rates they do. The replacement cost of Japanese parts has always been high, but in return, by and large, do tend to last.

[Shahpor]

Lexus Reading also charge about £140 + VAT an hour.

I had my car in last week for a knocking noise and they told me they no longer do half hour inspections, so instead of £84 to see if there is a fault, it is now £168.

On the plus side, they couldn't give me a definitive answer on what the fault was, so I wasn't charged anything.  They also gave me an IS300h for 2 days while they investigated.

[MLW]

I think on an old car it is best to do as much as you can yourself, and find a good local garage for the rest. My local F1 Autocentre (Bury St Edmunds) changed all 4 pads + a brake clean-up, and did and oil and filter change (while it was up in the air) and balanced all 4 wheels for £155 all in. The young mechanic also said he has never changed pads that were so easy on any car! Look at a LEXUS service, it is an oil/filter change, plus 'a bit of checking'. Changing an air filter and cabin filter yourself takes 15 minutes and costs £20ish, and Bosch/Mann parts too. Plugs about £65 for the best iridium Denso's every 50-60K miles. 

I provided the Mann filter, Toyota sump nut washer, and 5 litres of Shell best fully 5-30 synthetic for £33. The 4 Pagid pad sets cost £57. The manager and team there are always happy to fit your bits (as they are cheaper than they can buy  ,,,,,,, yes amazingly true). That means for about £250 I am set up for a years servicing and about 5 years of brakes. 

[dendonc]

5 litres of shell 5-30 for £33 is very good.

[Mark G]

A good point made on the reliability of the vehicles giving the dealer the chance to make money on servicing only, mine is on a service plan for another 12 months, after that I will be looking for a good independent I can trust, problem is there doesn't appear to be any around the area I live.

[The-Acre]

14 hours ago, Verbout said:

WHAT........... 

That was exactly what came out of my mouth!

[Malc]

ok, £168 per hour ..... my indy charges me £30 ( or is it now £40 ) per hour and no vat  ( he's below the threshold )  ......  and I pay his cost price for the consumables too..... and I trust him totally.

You may remember i mentioned before looking at the Honda Legend bills that came with my purchase of that car that Honda Main Stealer charge £12 a litre for the engine oil ( x 6 ltrs ) alone but a really low cost  £120 per hour labour incl vat 

Heaven knows how any normal soul can afford to use main dealers for anything 

Malc

 

 

[MLW]

5 hours ago, dendonc said:

5 litres of shell 5-30 for £33 is very good.

Actually that included filter and sump nut washer. This morning, with online discount, the oil is £26.78p!

http://www.eurocarparts.com/basket

[MLW]

15 minutes ago, Malc said:

ok, £168 per hour ..... my indy charges me £30 ( or is it now £40 ) per hour and no vat  ( he's below the threshold )  ......  and I pay his cost price for the consumables too..... and I trust him totally.

You may remember i mentioned before looking at the Honda Legend bills that came with my purchase of that car that Honda Main Stealer charge £12 a litre for the engine oil ( x 6 ltrs ) alone but a really low cost  £120 per hour labour incl vat 

Heaven knows how any normal soul can afford to use main dealers for anything 

Malc

 

 

When I bought a SAAB, it had all the service documents. That old trick of charging an outrageous price per litre of oil was there (who buys it per litres, the garage has a 100 litre drum out back), but they had also charged him for 8 litres even though the car took only 4 litres!