Missing a Service

[daveenty]

Good evening people of the Lexus Owners Forum, I trust you are all well in these troubled times?

I don't really post here so forgive me if this is in the wrong section or a common knowledge issue but I have a decision to make in the next couple of weeks which I could do with some advice on.

The car is a 2014 RX450h Advance, with quite a low mileage of around 33,700. It was taken in to be serviced at my local Lexus dealer (Bolton) last March, where it underwent the big 60k mile one at a not inconsiderable cost. My issue now is that it's obviously due again next month though, due to various obvious factors, it's done less than 200 miles in the year. All I really do with it is to take it a quick run round the block once every couple of weeks to keep things from seizing up, the rest of the time it just sits there with a Battery charger on it.

If it were  2 - 3 years old I wouldn't hesitate but, as it's now 7 years I'm not sure. I'm not particularly bothered about preserving the main dealer history, I don't think that would really matter even if I do decide to sell it, but I'm reluctant to take it in for a service to Lexus with barely anything having had the chance to wear.

Any help appreciated, also any suggested independent in the N Manchester area would be welcomed.

[ColinBarber]

Do you have a Lexus extended warranty? That forces you to have a service at a Lexus dealer to maintain the warranty.

[Barry14UK]

Also, in addition to what  Colin asks, do you intend to keep the car for a very long time?  At it's age it qualifies for the lower cost Essential Service,  which is what I would do in the circumstances as this would include a check on the Traction Battery that provides a guarantee on this expensive to replace item.  It's reasonable to replace the oil each year, even in a little used vehicle as acids accumulate but I doubt would cause serious additional wear in the time but this is unquantifiable factor. Well you could get a sample of the oil analysed if you were of a mind to but not really practical to strip down engine components to determine amount of wear in present circumstances.

[daveenty]

Hi Gents, thanks for the replies. @ColinBarber yes, the car does still have an extended warranty though only till the end of March when the service is due. I can do the 2 year renewal thing for £995 but again, with the low mileage I'm currently doing, I'm not convinced if I should bother or not. @Barry14UK I'm not sure if I'll be keeping it or not as my circumstances have changed considerably since I initially bought it.

I  picked it up in August 2018 with the intention of using it as a winter car which I've always had. Unfortunately a bit of ill health got to me, forcing me to give up work so, in reality, I don't really have as much need for it now, as I tend not to go anywhere. I do however enjoy using it when I can and it's convenient as it lives outside by the front door so a lot easier access than the other one which lives in the garage.

It was bought with 30,800 miles on it so, in the two and a half years I've had it I've not managed to do 3,000 in it. I did get an offer from one of the "we buy your car" type companies and I must admit to being quite impressed with what they were offering though I decided that I'd only end up replacing it with something else for the bad weather so decided to keep it a bit longer.

I believe that the Lexus extended warranty is transferable so, if I did decide to get rid or it, this would be advantageous I suppose, as would full Lexus service history. Hmm, decisions...

[paulrnx]

If you sell to a trader they will take the fact that it was due or overdue for a service into account and reduce the value. If you sell privately, a buyer would also likely take the same into account. The annual hybrid health check will also be useful come sale time.

I would be tempted to sell it now whilst it still has warranty and whilst the service is not yet quite due. Either privately or to WBAC where you’ve had a quote. Selling privately at the current time would be difficult whereas selling to WBAC will be relatively painless although they will attempt to beat the value down by pointing out every single blemish, mark, scratch, etc when they see the car. Be prepared for this.

Or keep the car for now and get it serviced as cheaply as you can. Either via a good independent or via Lexus. As someone has said, you can use the Lexus essentials servicing scheme for older cars which has a fixed price regime. Look on the Lexus website and you’ll see what the price is for your car and it sounds like it will be an intermediate service so shouldn’t be too expensive. Bear in mind that you can stretch the service intervals by 1 month or 1000 miles without going outside of the recommended intervals.

But. You have a warranty which expires at end March and it would be a great idea, whether you are selling or not, to make sure anything that needs repairing/replacing is fixed under warranty if it can be. If it were me I’d book in for a Lexus essentials service in mid March and I’d ask them to check the whole car to see if any warranty work is required to be done. You’ll also get the annual hybrid health check done as part of the service and this is worthwhile especially if selling.

Your decision but I hope this and the other posts will help you in some way.

[Ian C]

The lack of service history will make a difference to the value. However whatever you choose to do the hybrid Battery check is worth doing as it preserves the Battery warranty.

Interestingly I am looking for a RX450h of similar age/spec to yours, so if you are thinking of selling privately let me know, I am a way away from you but travel (legitimately) with work to your area, and the private sale price should be more than Webuyanycar type prices.

[daveenty]

I've decided, mainly thanks to the advice given on here, that it will be going to Lexus for it's annual service as the hybrid Battery check is worth it on it's own. Still undecided about extending the warranty for another 2 years as it's a grand I could do without spending really, especially given my current mileage.

 

@Ian C I'm not currently sure about selling it as I'd soon get frustrated with not having a "go to" car. It's literally outside the front door, so all I have to do is open it and drive away (apart from the ubiquitous unplugging of the Battery charger which is permanently connected at the moment). I wouldn't want to use the other car regularly as it's locked away and is a bit of a garage queen, so I'd ultimately want to replace the RX with something else for pootling around in. I'm therefore thinking that "the devil you know" syndrome would apply. I change my mind often however so will let you know if I decide differently in the near future...

[m4rkw]

It's worth bearing in mind that very low mileage is generally the worst possible operating conditions for a car. Sure there are some parts that wear with miles but time is a much greater killer of cars than miles. I would much prefer a car with very high mileage that had been sat cruising at optimal conditions on motorways to one that had been sitting for a long time.

If you've only run it around the block the engine wouldn't be getting up to temperature in order to boil off condensation in the engine which over time will sludge up the oil. Under those conditions I would change the oil every 6 months, which is what I'm currently doing, however I do plan to keep my car for as long as possible.

Coolant also corrodes with time not with mileage, so you still need to follow the normal change interval for coolant regardless of mileage. Probably the same for brake fluid and steering fluid if yours is hydraulic.

Rubber perishes in the presence of heat, light and oxygen, not specifically miles.

There's probably loads of other stuff that degrades over time rather than miles. It's well worth having a service imho.

[andy le]

lexus essential servicing for older vehicles including hybrid check. RX 450h
Minor Service	£245
Major Service	£455
MOT	£49

[mikejt]

I'm going for the essential service next time as it coincides with MOT test at the same time and this should highlight any problems.

I believe they use the same quality oil and filters as the over priced servicing.

Incidently the Hybrid system check is £60.00 if done separately which Lexus are happy to do.

Many of us will be doing very few annual miles under lockdown and I think it's worth taking the car out for a good warm up to get the oils up to normal operating temperature if you're only chugging around normally.

 

[m4rkw]

3 hours ago, mikejt said:

Many of us will be doing very few annual miles under lockdown and I think it's worth taking the car out for a good warm up to get the oils up to normal operating temperature if you're only chugging around normally.

 

This, or change the oil much more frequently, like every 3000 miles or so.

[Sie]

On 2/21/2021 at 7:57 PM, andy le said:

lexus essential servicing for older vehicles including hybrid check. RX 450h
Minor Service	£245
Major Service	£455
MOT	£49

New to this. Just joined. 
I am looking at this thread. 
I have a 2017 RX 450h 

looking at these prices above they seam very reasonable. But Lexus have not quoted me these prices. 
please may I ask what age of car do these prices kick in. 

My 450h has done 34k 
regards. 

[ColinBarber]

1 hour ago, Sie said:

New to this. Just joined. 
I am looking at this thread. 
I have a 2017 RX 450h 

looking at these prices above they seam very reasonable. But Lexus have not quoted me these prices. 
please may I ask what age of car do these prices kick in. 

My 450h has done 34k 
regards. 

Essentials servicing is only available for vehicles 5 years or older.

[hprice1099]

2 hours ago, Sie said:

New to this. Just joined. 
I am looking at this thread. 
I have a 2017 RX 450h 

looking at these prices above they seam very reasonable. But Lexus have not quoted me these prices. 
please may I ask what age of car do these prices kick in. 

My 450h has done 34k 
regards. 

Try and quotes from your closest two dealerships, you will often get a discount to keep your business. I almost matched the essential service price. 👍🏻

[Cyclone]

On 2/20/2021 at 11:13 AM, daveenty said:

I've decided, mainly thanks to the advice given on here, that it will be going to Lexus for it's annual service as the hybrid battery check is worth it on it's own. Still undecided about extending the warranty for another 2 years as it's a grand I could do without spending really, especially given my current mileage.

 

@Ian C I'm not currently sure about selling it as I'd soon get frustrated with not having a "go to" car. It's literally outside the front door, so all I have to do is open it and drive away (apart from the ubiquitous unplugging of the battery charger which is permanently connected at the moment). I wouldn't want to use the other car regularly as it's locked away and is a bit of a garage queen, so I'd ultimately want to replace the RX with something else for pootling around in. I'm therefore thinking that "the devil you know" syndrome would apply. I change my mind often however so will let you know if I decide differently in the near future...

Hi Dave, hope you are well and keeping fit and active. I Forgot you had a Lexus. I don’t visit the MB Forum as much nowadays since selling the CLS63. How is the S Coupe? I miss my CLS, but the Tesla has been fine.

 

Be good to catch up....

Jules 

 

 

[Nick W858]

I have been guilty of ‘over’ servicing cars in the past if there is such a thing. My wife’s RX is in the same position as yours in terms of minimal usage right now and for the past year, it’s older than yours (2011) and 135k n the clock with current FLSH on the dot every year but this year we are going to give the service a miss. Plenty of cars go 2 years between services now, sure folks will say change the oil, keep it serviced every 12 months etc but not sure what evidence there is that this makes a difference particularly in unusual situations such as the pandemic. If you are keeping the car long term I don’t see what difference it will make and as a private purchaser who looks for FSH I would understand why you might skip one because of low miles due to pandemic. I’d either skip it, get a good independent to do it if it’s at a much lesser rate than Lexus or get Lexus to do it but with strict instructions to do the absolute minimum. On my old ISF the guy who owned it before me had actually managed to get one service done for £98 at Lexus Sheffield- he did have links to the trade and doubtless supplied the oil etc but I was amazed because I had never managed to get any of my Lexus car’s serviced for anything like that - they had always cost hundreds if not thousands of pounds. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[daveenty]

12 hours ago, Cyclone said:

Hi Dave, hope you are well and keeping fit and active. I Forgot you had a Lexus. I don’t visit the MB Forum as much nowadays since selling the CLS63. How is the S Coupe? I miss my CLS, but the Tesla has been fine.

 

Be good to catch up....

Jules 

 

 

Hey Jules, nice to see/hear from you. Things are good, though not convinced about "fit and active" 😄 I don't get on many forums at the moment either, been doing a lot of domestic duties. I've still got a bit of outdoor stuff left to do but it's too cold for me out there at the moment, especially on the roof which is the next job. 👴

The Scoop is OK as far as I can remember, not been out in it since mid October when a few of us went over to Norwich for a Terminal Velocity meet. In fact it's now going on 18 months old and still only got 2,200 miles on it. I do keep cleaning it, it's actually on the lift in the garage at the moment, but there's only so much you can do with a virtually unused car. 😞

Catch you soon hopefully, I'll be at a mutual friends in Birmingham when we get the opportunity to get out, just on a social call.

10 hours ago, Nick W858 said:

I have been guilty of ‘over’ servicing cars in the past if there is such a thing. My wife’s RX is in the same position as yours in terms of minimal usage right now and for the past year, it’s older than yours (2011) and 135k n the clock with current FLSH on the dot every year but this year we are going to give the service a miss. Plenty of cars go 2 years between services now, sure folks will say change the oil, keep it serviced every 12 months etc but not sure what evidence there is that this makes a difference particularly in unusual situations such as the pandemic. If you are keeping the car long term I don’t see what difference it will make and as a private purchaser who looks for FSH I would understand why you might skip one because of low miles due to pandemic. I’d either skip it, get a good independent to do it if it’s at a much lesser rate than Lexus or get Lexus to do it but with strict instructions to do the absolute minimum. On my old ISF the guy who owned it before me had actually managed to get one service done for £98 at Lexus Sheffield- he did have links to the trade and doubtless supplied the oil etc but I was amazed because I had never managed to get any of my Lexus car’s serviced for anything like that - they had always cost hundreds if not thousands of pounds. Good luck with whatever you decide.

I agree with the over-servicing Nick, which was why I initially posed the question on here as I'm not familiar with the specific traits of the Lexus range, namely the Hybrid Battery. However, I think that, even though the car will only have done ~250 miles since last year, having the annual check done on this and possibly other Lexus specifics will give me peace of mind and hopefully I can negotiate a reasonable price on what will be a 7 year old car.

[Cyclone]

1 hour ago, daveenty said:

Hey Jules, nice to see/hear from you. Things are good, though not convinced about "fit and active" 😄 I don't get on many forums at the moment either, been doing a lot of domestic duties. I've still got a bit of outdoor stuff left to do but it's too cold for me out there at the moment, especially on the roof which is the next job. 👴

The Scoop is OK as far as I can remember, not been out in it since mid October when a few of us went over to Norwich for a Terminal Velocity meet. In fact it's now going on 18 months old and still only got 2,200 miles on it. I do keep cleaning it, it's actually on the lift in the garage at the moment, but there's only so much you can do with a virtually unused car. 😞

Catch you soon hopefully, I'll be at a mutual friends in Birmingham when we get the opportunity to get out, just on a social call.

Hi Dave,

 

Good to hear you are well (important to stay that way), and that the Scoop is living a pampered life, I expected nothing less and it’s still a car I keep looking at. I’ll send you a pm to pick your brains about the RX450h as I’m likely to buy one in the next month or so👍🏼
 

Jules 

[BartLexusFan]

I got my 2013 RX Luxury with Lifestyle pack in October 2020, with 73k on the clock, I've done 400 miles since then thanks to Covid, BoJo nad The Lockdown band, and the car prior to purchase was sat at Lexus Cardiff for 6 months, and my service is due in March as well. I got both the warranty (purchased from Lexus), and essential service plan for 2 years paid for upfront. One thing I've learnt with Lexus cars I used to own (03 GS300, 07 GS450h and 04 LS430) is that they are very, very well built and reliable, but if anything ever goes wrong for any reason they're expensive to fix. I didn't have extended warranty nor essential service plan 5 years ago on 07 GS450h when Battery (£2400 fitted by Lexus) went, and so did the head gasket and radiator (£2000 to rebuild engine by independent specialist + batteries). When I had LS430 the car was outside Lexus warranty and warranty wise (234k on the clock), so when gearbox went (£4000 at Lexus), and radiator the car was total mess.  Funnily enough the cheapest 03 GS300 was the most trouble-free 3 year experience for me, apart from (you've guessed it), radiator failing and leaking coolant but this time it was spotted in time (and replaced for £150 by independent). A normal sane person would probably give up buying Lexus cars, but I can't find anything within similar price range to offer the same amount of kit and refinement, that wouldn't fall apart (I know it's a bit contradictory to what I've just said about numerous failures on different Lexus cars I owned), but it's all still peanuts money to my friends 7G-matic gearbox failing in CLS (£7500), my dads J160 Land Cruiser turbo failing (£500), and air suspension (£2000) and head gasket on D4D (£5000), but he can afford it. 

I've just read some had problems with rear door/tailgate not opening in RX450h, and apparently it's around £1200 to get fixed by Lexus which is £200 more than extended warranty for 2 years. While not cheap (warranty), the cars we're driving aren't exactly Peugeot 3008 or Dacia Dusters so stuff like that will cost serious money if it fails, and won't be fixable by zip ties and sellotape but that's just my point of view.

The decision as always, is yours 👍🏼

[Barry14UK]

As regards radiators, they go through a continual cycle of expansion and contraction every time the car is started and shut off.  They are a very lightweight component and it's only a matter of time and luck before they fail.  I think I have replaced the radiator on most of the cars I have had or had some of the early non plastic part ones recored.  

For people with cars younger than 5 years, they could check that their dealers honours the Gold Club discount which they can sign up for here which gives a discount on normal servicing and parts as well as from Halfords at least.

[daveenty]

Well, the car has now been serviced after doing around 250 miles since the last time.

Going off what people had suggested on here it made sense to have it done at the main dealer for the hybrid check alone, so it's now good for another 12 months, though whether I decide to keep hold of it or not is another matter.

Hopefully when normality has been restored and I can get out a bit more then I'll feel different but, at least at the moment, it seems pointless having 2 cars and using neither of them.

[Cyclone]

11 hours ago, daveenty said:

Well, the car has now been serviced after doing around 250 miles since the last time.

Going off what people had suggested on here it made sense to have it done at the main dealer for the hybrid check alone, so it's now good for another 12 months, though whether I decide to keep hold of it or not is another matter.

Hopefully when normality has been restored and I can get out a bit more then I'll feel different but, at least at the moment, it seems pointless having 2 cars and using neither of them.

Dave, You’ve made the right choice getting the service done. Gives you reassurance should you keep it or sell it.

Jules 

[daveenty]

Hate bumping my own threads but it saves starting a new one I suppose...

After much deliberation, I've now sold the RX450h. I was very undecided for weeks wondering if I should get rid or not, but I was going through various paperwork and realised that it was basically doing nothing and, as it had to live outside, costing me time and effort keeping it clean and presentable and constantly charging the little Battery.

I'd previously told Jules ( @Cyclone ) that he could have first refusal on it though he got fixed up in the meantime so I sold it through Motorway.co.uk in a seamless and easy transaction, from initial contact to payment received in under a week. And at a far better price than the "We Buy Any Car" people and I'd certainly recommend giving them a try at least.

I will be replacing it though not in a rush at the moment, I do have another car I can use if I need to, though only in the fine weather as I hate taking it out in the rain. 🙂

I'll hopefully pop back in from time to time though just as a guest now as I doubt I'll be getting another hybrid car, at least for a good while.

[Cyclone]

Happy for you Dave. Sounds like you did fine with the stress free sale, which is always good to hear. If the weather remains kind then at least you have an amazing “other” car as back up.

Jules