LEXUS DEALERSHIPS-ARE THEY ANY BETTER?!

[Juicedrinker]

Firstly I apologise for the length of the message.

I have owned / driven many many different cars in  my life reasons being 1. That I'm old and have driven for ages 2. I spent over 20 years on the road in various sales roles 3. I love cars and driving.

Recently following many years of research and due to a back problem I decided that my sports car can not be used much anymore and that I should get an older Lexus to try it out with the view of buying a much newer one in a couple of years.

I ended up with a IS250 petrol 08 plate 2 owner with full Lexus / Toyota history and have now driven 3500 miles in just under 3 months and love everything about it, even that it is automatic which was (for me) always the HUGE hurdle I had to get over as have previously returned 3 company automatics within a few weeks of receiving them..  

The only issue I have so far is the one that I was least expecting.... Lexus dealerships!!!!

I had read time and time again just how good they are in every way but to be honest I am VERY unimpressed so far and am wondering if this is typical of them or just an area related thing (I live in the South East).

I found that when I lived in Northumbria the dealers in Carlisle for Honda, BMW and Alfa Romeo were absolutely brilliant but in the many years I have lived in different areas of the South of the UK only one Peugeot dealer and a Mazda dealer I used that provided a good service and all other brands have been extremely poor indeed.

I knew the Lexus I was getting needed the airbag replaced under recall and phoned the main local'ish dealer.  I asked if I could bring it n on any day they had available and I would wait or go to the local retail park for however long they needed to do the job.  They said I could not wait and they would only let me leave the car if I did not take a loan car from them!  I said I had no issue at all with keeping myself occupied the whole day but they insisted I could only leave my car if I took a loan car.  Now I know a lot of people would say what is the issue with me doing that but due to their opening times I would have to take extra time off work if the job went past one day, also two loan cars I had in the past, one was driven into and one was stolen!!!!  So I said I would never have one again.  I assumed they just wanted my car there for them to fit in when better for them and if I have a loan car they could keep it for days potentially.  I spoke to Lexus recall centre about this and they said it was nonsense, typically a 3 hour job and I could wait if I wanted to and did not have to have a loan car if I did not want.  They also said as I was only 12 miles from the centre they could collect it from me and return, however the dealer had told me I was ouotside their permited mileage and they would not offer this 

Lexus recall recommended I contact another main Lexus dealer so I selected the next one closest which is 40 miles from where I live.  They were very obliging and said I could wait in the service reception no problem at all.  As they were so affable I booked it in for a full 80K service and knowing (from what they said) this would then take about 5-6 hours total I would go shopping.  However they could not guarantee to complete this in one day so I suggested if they could not I would go home by train and collect the next day Saturday to which they replied their service department is always shut on a Saturday!!!  I have NEVER in my life with all the cars I've owned known a service department of a main dealer be completely closed on a Saturday; This would mean I would need to reserve two week days off work just in case they can not complete in one day.

I thought oh well if I have to do that then maybe they can adjust some settings whilst it is for me regarding the auto lighting sensitivity which I would like increased and steering wheel retraction which I would like switched off whilst they have it as it says this can be done by dealers in the manual.  However the service manager said he had no idea how and if this could be done and that I should find my own independent garage who might be able to do this for me, I offered to pay for this but he said it is something they are not equipped to do!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe I was expecting too much from all that I have read about the amazing Lexus back up service but to be honest I'm surprised because although I would never own a BMW again their back up / attitude etc etc in Carlisle (and Honda and even Alfa Romeo!!) was simply outstanding and WELL beyond what I had expected.

Would appreciate any of your thoughts on this please, thanks Charlie

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

[madasahatter]

35 minutes ago, Juicedrinker said:

Firstly I apologise for the length of the message.

I have owned / driven many many different cars in  my life reasons being 1. That I'm old and have driven for ages 2. I spent over 20 years on the road in various sales roles 3. I love cars and driving.

Recently following many years of research and due to a back problem I decided that my sports car can not be used much anymore and that I should get an older Lexus to try it out with the view of buying a much newer one in a couple of years.

I ended up with a IS250 petrol 08 plate 2 owner with full Lexus / Toyota history and have now driven 3500 miles in just under 3 months and love everything about it, even that it is automatic which was (for me) always the HUGE hurdle I had to get over as have previously returned 3 company automatics within a few weeks of receiving them..  

The only issue I have so far is the one that I was least expecting.... Lexus dealerships!!!!

I had read time and time again just how good they are in every way but to be honest I am VERY unimpressed so far and am wondering if this is typical of them or just an area related thing (I live in the South East).

I found that when I lived in Northumbria the dealers in Carlisle for Honda, BMW and Alfa Romeo were absolutely brilliant but in the many years I have lived in different areas of the South of the UK only one Peugeot dealer and a Mazda dealer I used that provided a good service and all other brands have been extremely poor indeed.

I knew the Lexus I was getting needed the airbag replaced under recall and phoned the main local'ish dealer.  I asked if I could bring it n on any day they had available and I would wait or go to the local retail park for however long they needed to do the job.  They said I could not wait and they would only let me leave the car if I did not take a loan car from them!  I said I had no issue at all with keeping myself occupied the whole day but they insisted I could only leave my car if I took a loan car.  Now I know a lot of people would say what is the issue with me doing that but due to their opening times I would have to take extra time off work if the job went past one day, also two loan cars I had in the past, one was driven into and one was stolen!!!!  So I said I would never have one again.  I assumed they just wanted my car there for them to fit in when better for them and if I have a loan car they could keep it for days potentially.  I spoke to Lexus recall centre about this and they said it was nonsense, typically a 3 hour job and I could wait if I wanted to and did not have to have a loan car if I did not want.  They also said as I was only 12 miles from the centre they could collect it from me and return, however the dealer had told me I was ouotside their permited mileage and they would not offer this 

Lexus recall recommended I contact another main Lexus dealer so I selected the next one closest which is 40 miles from where I live.  They were very obliging and said I could wait in the service reception no problem at all.  As they were so affable I booked it in for a full 80K service and knowing (from what they said) this would then take about 5-6 hours total I would go shopping.  However they could not guarantee to complete this in one day so I suggested if they could not I would go home by train and collect the next day Saturday to which they replied their service department is always shut on a Saturday!!!  I have NEVER in my life with all the cars I've owned known a service department of a main dealer be completely closed on a Saturday; This would mean I would need to reserve two week days off work just in case they can not complete in one day.

I thought oh well if I have to do that then maybe they can adjust some settings whilst it is for me regarding the auto lighting sensitivity which I would like increased and steering wheel retraction which I would like switched off whilst they have it as it says this can be done by dealers in the manual.  However the service manager said he had no idea how and if this could be done and that I should find my own independent garage who might be able to do this for me, I offered to pay for this but he said it is something they are not equipped to do!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe I was expecting too much from all that I have read about the amazing Lexus back up service but to be honest I'm surprised because although I would never own a BMW again their back up / attitude etc etc in Carlisle (and Honda and even Alfa Romeo!!) was simply outstanding and WELL beyond what I had expected.

Would appreciate any of your thoughts on this please, thanks Charlie

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Yes when my car went into lexus bradford, was informed a full day job. Strange some people had theirs done in a shorter time. Brotherinlaws avensis took a hour and a half same air bag.

Done at local toyota dealer.

[Juicedrinker]

2 minutes ago, madasahatter said:

Yes when my car went into lexus bradford, was informed a full day job. Strange some people had theirs done in a shorter time. Brotherinlaws avensis took a hour and a half same air bag.

Done at local toyota dealer.

Thank you for this info.... maybe they just want to keep the whole day clear in case they come up against issues?

A friend of mine in a diffferent part of UK has an IS250 and they had his car in for a 3 hour / morning slot which is what I originally expected. 

 

 

 

[madasahatter]

They normally do a video on the car. Brakes tyres exhaust etc and send it to you, by email. Pretty good in a way, at least you get to see the underside of the car properly.

I have always had the car picked up. At a day that suits me, comes replenished with a tank of fuel. I opt out of the car been washed or cleaned. I am a funny bugger do them jobs myself.

[madasahatter]

15 minutes ago, Juicedrinker said:

Thank you for this info.... maybe they just want to keep the whole day clear in case they come up against issues?

A friend of mine in a diffferent part of UK has an IS250 and they had his car in for a 3 hour / morning slot which is what I originally expected. 

 

 

 

 

15 minutes ago, Juicedrinker said:

Thank you for this info.... maybe they just want to keep the whole day clear in case they come up against issues?

A friend of mine in a diffferent part of UK has an IS250 and they had his car in for a 3 hour / morning slot which is what I originally expected. 

 

 

 

Welcome to the forums and enjoy your car.

[Shaunomercy]

To be fair I've never known a franchise dealer service cars on a Saturday !! Parts dept are generally open to mid day but that's it.
As for time windows on servicing cars... They only need a nut to shear or find something unexpected and the timed slot goes out the window.

I never use a franchise dealer. I have my trusted independent that's local enough to walk to. They drop the car off when they are done and I drive down and pay them for it.

I work nights, so it's a big help to me, but I've used them since 2001. They trust me and I trust them.

And when they drop your car off with nearly a 4k bill outstanding and tell you to try the car and come down the following week to pay. That says alot about the relationship I have with my indi.
And no it wasn't the Lexus that landed me that bill. It was my Passat alltrack that lunched it's haldex 4wd. A bearing failed at 39000 mile !!! The new part was 3400 quid.. so much for famed VW reliability..

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[Juicedrinker]

2 hours ago, madasahatter said:

They normally do a video on the car. Brakes tyres exhaust etc and send it to you, by email. Pretty good in a way, at least you get to see the underside of the car properly.

I have always had the car picked up. At a day that suits me, comes replenished with a tank of fuel. I opt out of the car been washed or cleaned. I am a funny bugger do them jobs myself.

Ha ha, I'm exactly like you... many years ago I was a car detailer and will not let anyone wash my cars at all.  Mazda and Honda never understood why I always said 'DO NOT' wash my car when they were serviced.

[Juicedrinker]

1 hour ago, Shaunomercy said:

To be fair I've never known a franchise dealer service cars on a Saturday !! Parts dept are generally open to mid day but that's it.
As for time windows on servicing cars... They only need a nut to shear or find something unexpected and the timed slot goes out the window.

I never use a franchise dealer. I have my trusted independent that's local enough to walk to. They drop the car off when they are done and I drive down and pay them for it.

I work nights, so it's a big help to me, but I've used them since 2001. They trust me and I trust them.

And when they drop your car off with nearly a 4k bill outstanding and tell you to try the car and come down the following week to pay. That says alot about the relationship I have with my indi.
And no it wasn't the Lexus that landed me that bill. It was my Passat alltrack that lunched it's haldex 4wd. A bearing failed at 39000 mile !!! The new part was 3400 quid.. so much for famed VW reliability..

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 

Thats interesting because every single car that I have had be it company or private, Ford, BMW, Alfa, Mazda, Peugeot, Renault, VW, Audi, Honda... I have always had serviced on a Saturday.  My current MX5 had the big 3.5 hour service done on a Saturday morning last year. 

However you have made a very good point regarding independents.  I have a friend of mine who owns a family garage, MOT and service centre it has been operating since 1960.  I may as well get them to do the servicing work as they looked after my Volvo for 5 years perfectly and my mothers cars.  The Lexus stamp is not going to make the blindest difference to value when I sell it in 3 years time -  it will be pretty much worthless then anyway.

When I next get a nearly new one I will keep that maintained at Lexus themselves until it reaches a high mileage.

 

  

 

[Shaunomercy]

To be fair juice drinker, even when my Passat was under warranty, my local indi serviced it.
I don't like franchise dealers at all.
And I don't believe a dealer stamp actually makes negligible difference to the price when you sell.

My bone of contention with them is they charge exorbitant hourly rates, but the guy on the spanners is not far off the basic minimum wage. If the guy was paid a decent hrly wage of 20-30 quid an hr I'd find it more palatable. But your paying for a pretty lady to guide you to a seat and a posh glass showroom and a coffee.
But the other issue I have with franchises is that the technicians are nothing but fitters. The majority are not true mechanics.
If the computer doesn't tell them what's wrong they don't have a clue.

Years ago I had a pos zaffira b turbo diesel. Had nothing but grief with it.
On the last issue I had with it, the engine was chattering. The top tech ended up dealing with it and he didn't have a clue.

They threw an induction manifold at it, new airflow meter, then a turbo. At that point I asked if they new what they were doing because turbos work or they don't and it was deliverering boost.
In the end they took the top off engine and found a broken rocker arm.
But then they were going to fit the original timing belt they had removed until I went ballistic at them.
Thankfully it was all under warranty.

My local indi in comparison had the haldex diff off the car and opened up to see if they could repair or get it repaired. Sadly the bearing had gone between the cogs, cracked the diff case and was a complete wreck inside.

They then spent a week searching all their trusted suppliers looking for a second hand unit, but no success. They were a few on eBay, in Germany for about 1500 but we both agreed that as it wasn't one of their trusted suppliers, it was better to go for a new unit with warranty.

Whilst the Lexus stamp is nice to have, I trust my local indi far more.


Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[Juicedrinker]

56 minutes ago, Shaunomercy said:

To be fair juice drinker, even when my Passat was under warranty, my local indi serviced it.
I don't like franchise dealers at all.
And I don't believe a dealer stamp actually makes negligible difference to the price when you sell.

My bone of contention with them is they charge exorbitant hourly rates, but the guy on the spanners is not far off the basic minimum wage. If the guy was paid a decent hrly wage of 20-30 quid an hr I'd find it more palatable. But your paying for a pretty lady to guide you to a seat and a posh glass showroom and a coffee.
But the other issue I have with franchises is that the technicians are nothing but fitters. The majority are not true mechanics.
If the computer doesn't tell them what's wrong they don't have a clue.

Years ago I had a pos zaffira b turbo diesel. Had nothing but grief with it.
On the last issue I had with it, the engine was chattering. The top tech ended up dealing with it and he didn't have a clue.

They threw an induction manifold at it, new airflow meter, then a turbo. At that point I asked if they new what they were doing because turbos work or they don't and it was deliverering boost.
In the end they took the top off engine and found a broken rocker arm.
But then they were going to fit the original timing belt they had removed until I went ballistic at them.
Thankfully it was all under warranty.

My local indi in comparison had the haldex diff off the car and opened up to see if they could repair or get it repaired. Sadly the bearing had gone between the cogs, cracked the diff case and was a complete wreck inside.

They then spent a week searching all their trusted suppliers looking for a second hand unit, but no success. They were a few on eBay, in Germany for about 1500 but we both agreed that as it wasn't one of their trusted suppliers, it was better to go for a new unit with warranty.

Whilst the Lexus stamp is nice to have, I trust my local indi far more.


Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 

I absolutely agree with everything you have said there regarding the mechanics at main dealers.  It is completely ludicrous that most know very little compared to experienced mechanics and engineers, they rely on plugging system checkers in and seeing what the diagnostics come up with.  They NEVER agree or acknowledge comments that you may make for example I used to have a Honda S2000 and am a fanatic about them.  There were very well known minor issues / niggles with them that have been documented by owners and Honda themselves but if you ever mentioned anything to a Honda mechanic no matter how experienced they were they would deny / act as though they had never heard of such a thing.  It was completely ridiculous.  In fact with the S2000 there are a handful of independent specialists that are Far Far better than Honda when it comes to servicing and repairing them, Honda are not at all good with them.

I actually work in a Motorsport company (Export division for past 8 years) but one of my biggest customers is not a Motorsprt team / individual but a prestige insurance repair centre in Thailand.  He works on Porsche, Bentley, Aston Martin, Lamborghini etc.  Occasionally he has Audi R8's and (in his words definatley not mine!!) low value cars.  I order parts for him from bodywork to the smallest electronics items like Air bag detonators etc.  A few parts I ordered for a Lambo the other week were delivered to me by the Audi dealership and in VW/Audi branded cartons, obviously I know of the company ownership structure etc.  However I was concerned because I could not accept them in as there was a slight difference in part number on the label although the actual parts looked identical in every way to what I had ordered.  I phoned Lamborghini and they apologised and said their parts were on back order so substituted with the exact same Audi part.  They thought we were fitting it so the box part number difference did not matter.  I told them it had to match in every way or my customer could not put through with the insurers in Thailand who had signed off what was going to be an £80k job following a smash!

So they arranged for me to receive some cartons branded Lambo with the correct part number on them, I established following receipt of the invoices and phoning them to query them as too low value (from what we had BACS payment across to them) that each Audi part which was exactly the same as the Lambo one was 30% less expensive!!!!!!!!!!!!   This is just one of the examples of the lunacy that goes on in the car world that I have seen.

As you say a good independent wants to keep their customers and because they have no allegiance to a specific brand can be as truthful as they wish.  My Mazda was maintained on the dot every year by Mazda regardless of how low the mileage was at the time for a full 12 years and it made diddly squat difference to the resell value of the car.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Shahpor]

Welcome Charles

That is a very interesting account of an not very accommodating dealership!  Care to name them?

I can't comment on Lexus dealers in general, but I have always had very good service from Lexus Reading.

Interestingly, something similar came up for me recently: While my car was there getting a tyre pressure sensor programmed, I asked for a setting for the indicators to be changed at the same time.  They did this without question, but the car was in for quite some time, so when I enquired as to the reason I was told it was because they were having trouble programming the indicators!  I would have thought that to be the straightforward part, but apparently not.

Again, the Saturday thing is strange since I know that Lexus Reading are open till 12:30 on Saturdays so that people can collect their cars, pick up bits, etc..

So, are you going to (or did you) get the dealer to do the service?

[Eggie]

I think it may vary dealership by dealership. For example I have just had my first service at Lexus Bolton and they did it this Saturday morning whilst I waited. Very satisfied with their customer service.

[Herbie]

30 minutes ago, Eggie said:

I think it may vary dealership by dealership. For example I have just had my first service at Lexus Bolton [...] Very satisfied with their customer service.

Now that's interesting because I'd heard one or two (not 'bad' but we'll say 'dodgy') reports about Lexus Bolton and my own personal experience of them was that they didn't reply to any of the four email queries I made before actually buying a Lexus.

As you would imagine I was not best pleased. So much so, in fact, that we bought our car from Lexus Teeside (just because that's where it happened to be) but also went on to take out the extended warranty and service plan with Teeside too - and we live in Preston!

Lexus Preston is supposed to be opening later this month so I'll see what sort of reports it gets in the coming months and maybe look at transferring there if it's warranted.

[Juicedrinker]

On 1/7/2019 at 5:46 PM, Shahpor said:

Welcome Charles

That is a very interesting account of an not very accommodating dealership!  Care to name them?

I can't comment on Lexus dealers in general, but I have always had very good service from Lexus Reading.

Interestingly, something similar came up for me recently: While my car was there getting a tyre pressure sensor programmed, I asked for a setting for the indicators to be changed at the same time.  They did this without question, but the car was in for quite some time, so when I enquired as to the reason I was told it was because they were having trouble programming the indicators!  I would have thought that to be the straightforward part, but apparently not.

Again, the Saturday thing is strange since I know that Lexus Reading are open till 12:30 on Saturdays so that people can collect their cars, pick up bits, etc..

So, are you going to (or did you) get the dealer to do the service?

Hello Shahpor,

That is very interesting regarding the Reading dealership...  I went in there when looking for an IS250 and they had an approved one for around £12k.  The woman I saw when I walked in (on a Sunday) talked to me like she thought I could not afford a Lexus even an older one which surprised me and she hadnt obviously noted the car that I had arrived in either.  Anyhow I waited until a man was available and he was pleasant but for various reasons the car wasnt for me (it had sat nav wich I do not want) and I decided on an older one from soemwhere else to test Lexus out with the view (as will happen) that I will buy a much newer one in 2021.  Once I got my car I needed a new wiper blade and phoned Reading and they said they would call me back, a week later no reply so I tried again and got the service department this time.  They said they wuld have to find out the price of the arm or refill and let me know.  As I didnt hold out they would reply I also contacted Swindon Lexus ad they to said they would call me back.  In the end I purchase a Michelin hybrid arm whcih unfortunately had the J hook design but works brilliantly.  4 months later still no phone call back from either branch about the wipers.  I tried to book in for the airbag at Reading as they are my cosest dealer b ut they wanted the car at least a day and INSISTED I took a loan car.  So I booked in the airbag with Swindon a good hour drive away but they were very polite on the phone and I thought I may as well have a full service at the same time (which isnt due yet).  It was them that told me they never work on Saturdays which I have never heard of with all the cars that I have had.  When I had company cars I didnt want any impact on my work day so always had any service carried out on a Saturday morning and that was a large range of brands. Anyhow I have now decided to have my family member / engineer friend do the servicing in their garage that they have owned 60 years and I will supply the oil etc as I can buy at great prices through my job. 

When I get a much newer one I will take that into Lexus for servicing as I do with Mazda for my Mazda.   

[Juicedrinker]

On 1/7/2019 at 7:06 PM, Herbie said:

Now that's interesting because I'd heard one or two (not 'bad' but we'll say 'dodgy') reports about Lexus Bolton and my own personal experience of them was that they didn't reply to any of the four email queries I made before actually buying a Lexus.

As you would imagine I was not best pleased. So much so, in fact, that we bought our car from Lexus Teeside (just because that's where it happened to be) but also went on to take out the extended warranty and service plan with Teeside too - and we live in Preston!

Lexus Preston is supposed to be opening later this month so I'll see what sort of reports it gets in the coming months and maybe look at transferring there if it's warranted.

That is interesting regarding not replying back to some of your emails, I was trying to get answers from a dealer in London when I was originally looking and it was nigh on impossible getting an answer.

[Juicedrinker]

I was just really surprised by the variable response etc from the Lexus dealers I have dealt with so far, as prior to this I had seen all the reports about how good they are.  I would never have a personal BMW again (dont like their image) but the level of service / back up parts department etc I got from BMW Carlisle was just unbelievable in every way (simply perfect the best I've ever known) during my 4 years / 90,000 miles of ownership.  My Mazda dealer is excellent to, so much so that I drive 180 miles round trip for the service

 

[Shahpor]

51 minutes ago, Juicedrinker said:

Hello Shahpor,

That is very interesting regarding the Reading dealership...  I went in there when looking for an IS250 and they had an approved one for around £12k.  The woman I saw when I walked in (on a Sunday) talked to me like she thought I could not afford a Lexus even an older one which surprised me and she hadnt obviously noted the car that I had arrived in either.  Anyhow I waited until a man was available and he was pleasant but for various reasons the car wasnt for me (it had sat nav wich I do not want) and I decided on an older one from soemwhere else to test Lexus out with the view (as will happen) that I will buy a much newer one in 2021.  Once I got my car I needed a new wiper blade and phoned Reading and they said they would call me back, a week later no reply so I tried again and got the service department this time.  They said they wuld have to find out the price of the arm or refill and let me know.  As I didnt hold out they would reply I also contacted Swindon Lexus ad they to said they would call me back.  In the end I purchase a Michelin hybrid arm whcih unfortunately had the J hook design but works brilliantly.  4 months later still no phone call back from either branch about the wipers.  I tried to book in for the airbag at Reading as they are my cosest dealer b ut they wanted the car at least a day and INSISTED I took a loan car.  So I booked in the airbag with Swindon a good hour drive away but they were very polite on the phone and I thought I may as well have a full service at the same time (which isnt due yet).  It was them that told me they never work on Saturdays which I have never heard of with all the cars that I have had.  When I had company cars I didnt want any impact on my work day so always had any service carried out on a Saturday morning and that was a large range of brands. Anyhow I have now decided to have my family member / engineer friend do the servicing in their garage that they have owned 60 years and I will supply the oil etc as I can buy at great prices through my job. 

When I get a much newer one I will take that into Lexus for servicing as I do with Mazda for my Mazda.   

Hi Charles,

The staff have always been very nice to me, but like you have said, it could be variable.

Sue, who is one of their receptionists, is especially nice whenever I pop in.  Also, should you ever want to contact Lexus Reading for work again, speak to Michael Hobgen in the service department.  He is the one I always deal with when I go there and is always very helpful.

Lexus Reading also did insist on keeping my car a whole day for the airbag recall, but since I was taking a loan car anyway, I can't speak to whether they would have required me or not.

One last thing that might be worth mentioning:  If you call them (or any Jemca group dealer) and you don't get through to reception at the dealership, I always hang up and try again later.  The reason is that there appears to be a 'central' call centre that you get routed to and they aren't always very helpful.  For example, I was booked to have some work done and was taking a loan car.  As it turns out, I wouldn't be able to get back to the dealer the same day, so I called and asked about extending the loan for an additional day.  The person at the call centre said it couldn't be done and I would have to cancel and re-book, however, after getting hold of Michael, it was done in less than a minute with no fuss.  There must be some difference in systems/rules since the dealer obviously had the car available to give me.

Anyway, that is some of my experience with the dealer in Reading so far.  I am taking my car in for some more work on Monday, so I get to test how good they are again.

[Linas.P]

@Juicedrinker - I have use Lexus dealerships, not as much because they are great, but because I have found their price to be quite reasonable.The only thing which stands outs with Lexus is that these cars are unbelievably reliable, which makes dealers look more competent, car simply don't go wrong and there are not as much to look after. Equally, the customer is always happier when simply paying what it says on the service plan instead of splashing £800 on top of service price for all million parts which has failed between services like the case on some other makes.

In terms of service, Sales are very sweet - but are we really surprised about that? Trying to rip you off by £40-80k of your hard earned cash they really need to be "sweet". Although, from my experience with BMW and Volvo sales - Lexus is certainly better, more caring and listening... well unless you say you are not really into 300h, then conversation kind of ends, because Lexus do not have any other mainstream offer apart of 300h in every model.

The after-sales/service department is mediocre at best, I personally quite disappointed with them, but again for the price they are doing alright. They have miss-serviced my car in the past as all other makes services does. I mean Audi managed to forget to screw in drain plug on my mates Audi Q7 and I am sure we have heard all kinds of similar stories on internet. Car dealership services are not better than any other service networks, they just work under the dealership so you might expect more consistent service and them being more familiar with particular makes quirks.

I would suggest you try different dealer if you have one nearby - they all work on franchises and some are significantly better then others.

 

[Juicedrinker]

Hi all, just wanted to give an update as I have finally (at last) had my airbag replaced, an essential minor service and air con cleanse / re-gas.

I ended up going to Lexus Swindon and have to say I am extremely pleased with everything about them!

The whole Atmosphere in the dealership, the service manager and front of house reception were lovely people and the technician who I met outside when I arrived was also brilliant.

I am very thorough with my cars and check all lights, tyres etc at least once per week and had new Michelin Cross Climates less than 1,000 miles ago.  The technician found a small (and I mean small) bulge / damage to the inside of a front tyre that I know could of potentials been extremely dangerous / have blown out!!!  It was amazing he spotted it and shows just how thorough they were at checking around. When the service manage brought the car around to me we spent ages trying to find it and whilst extremely small I never take any risks at all with tyres so ordered a new one from a business I use.  I get ridiculously good prices on tyres as work in Motorsport and have great contacts but unbelievably the service manger said he would not only match but try to better the price that I could get!!! 

On top of this I wanted two new wiper re-fills / rubbers, I have had a Michelin equivalent and whilst perfect at clearing I did not like the ‘J hook’ appearance.  

I still can not believe it but I was told they could not supply just the rubber but only the complete piece.  I said oh well I will just have to pay the £50+ for the two and when I got the invoice the total for both of them was under £20!!!!!!

In fact I am totally confused with their invoicing (doesn’t really make sense) but the cost of everything was superb and my Mazda MX5 is FAR more expensive for parts and servicing which I have done at Mazda.

The best company I had ever dealt with before was BMW Carlisle but even though the service was fantastic it was all a bit too pretentious and uncomfortable in the dealership and the people were totally ‘up themselves’.

The experience I had yesterday at Lexus Swindon was without doubt the best I’ve ever had and I have had a huge variety of brands both company and private.

So I’ve decided that after the summer my Mazda is going and next year when I get a pension through i am buying a used RC as love everything about Lexus.

 

 

 

 

[joelfigueira]

Hi all,

my local indi was getting old so I decided to go to main dealership and I have to Lexus Teeside has been really good I cannot fault them.