60k / 6 year service queries please

paulrnx · May 23, 2021

The next service on my NX300H AWD Luxury is the rather expensive 60k / 6 year service. I have a few queries which I am hoping people can answer for me please.

1. Is Lexus essentials servicing available on a 5+ year old NX? An NX is not listed on the website for this servicing. What is the price for this service under the essentials servicing regime?

2. Spark plug replacement is part of this service and therefore a considerable part of the hefty cost. My understanding is that spark plugs are a mileage dependent replacement item rather than an age replacement. Am I right? If so, has anyone delayed spark plug replacement? My car will have only done less than 30k miles by the time this service is due.

3. Is there anything else done during this service that is a mileage as opposed to an age dependent replacement?

4. What are the differences if any between normal servicing and the essentials servicing?

Hope you can help 😀

paulrnx · May 23, 2021

Oh and I have to consider whether to extend the warranty at end July. On paper it seems like a no brainer - £795 for two years which includes breakdown cover for me and my wife - but then again nothing has gone wrong (touch wood) in nearly 12 months. Nothing went wrong with a previous NX I had for 12 months too.

A good price then and good value. But nothing much goes wrong with these cars. I get the peace of mind thing and this means something to me.

Malc · May 23, 2021

I'm reading on other very recent posts here that Lexus Essential Servicing has been dropped from their offerings

Malc

08ISF · May 23, 2021

The six year service cost is just part and parcel of the cost of running a Lexus and keeping the warranty intact. True they don't go wrong very often but when they do, the costs are eye watering and your car is reaching the age when things will be starting to wear out. The drive train is pretty robust but it's all the other things such as window motors, mirrors, seat motors etc which could fail, expensively. The door mirror on my RX failed to retract/adjust and the cost to replace the motor etc was well over £800 (paid for under warranty). Look at it this way, the warranty cost is comparatively low compared to other premium manufacturers so to keep it intact you have to pay a bit more on the servicing.

Just my opinion.

royoftherovers · May 23, 2021

And a very good opinion it is Graham. Extremely sensible and thoughtful.

Maintain good relationships with your local Lexus Dealer.

royoftherovers · May 23, 2021

35 minutes ago, paulrnx said:

The next service on my NX300H AWD Luxury is the rather expensive 60k / 6 year service. I have a few queries which I am hoping people can answer for me please.

1. Is Lexus essentials servicing available on a 5+ year old NX? An NX is not listed on the website for this servicing. What is the price for this service under the essentials servicing regime?

2. Spark plug replacement is part of this service and therefore a considerable part of the hefty cost. My understanding is that spark plugs are a mileage dependent replacement item rather than an age replacement. Am I right? If so, has anyone delayed spark plug replacement? My car will have only done less than 30k miles by the time this service is due.

3. Is there anything else done during this service that is a mileage as opposed to an age dependent replacement?

4. What are the differences if any between normal servicing and the essentials servicing?

Hope you can help 😀

Paul, I think that a Service Agreement at approx £35 per month would vapourise the 4 questions.

wendle · May 23, 2021

39 minutes ago, paulrnx said:

The next service on my NX300H AWD Luxury is the rather expensive 60k / 6 year service. I have a few queries which I am hoping people can answer for me please.

1. Is Lexus essentials servicing available on a 5+ year old NX? An NX is not listed on the website for this servicing. What is the price for this service under the essentials servicing regime?

2. Spark plug replacement is part of this service and therefore a considerable part of the hefty cost. My understanding is that spark plugs are a mileage dependent replacement item rather than an age replacement. Am I right? If so, has anyone delayed spark plug replacement? My car will have only done less than 30k miles by the time this service is due.

3. Is there anything else done during this service that is a mileage as opposed to an age dependent replacement?

4. What are the differences if any between normal servicing and the essentials servicing?

Hope you can help 😀

Sorry but i can answer most of your questions, only have a opinion.

1. so far i haven't owned a Lexus over 5 years old, yet, so don't know much about the essential service, only that my brother in law has used it on his 12 year old IS 250 for the past 7 years.

2. I would ask the same question, my car will have done around 14k miles by the time it gets to its 6 year service.

I think it would depend on how long you intend to keep the car, most potential Lexus buyers would look for a full Lexus service, but if your going to keep it for a long time then i would go for a independent garage and ask them to replace what you consider to need replacing, my run around car has its oil & filter changed every 18 months, and a full service every 4 years, it only does 1.5k miles a year.

Phil xxkr · May 23, 2021

36 minutes ago, paulrnx said:

The next service on my NX300H AWD Luxury is the rather expensive 60k / 6 year service. I have a few queries which I am hoping people can answer for me please.

1. Is Lexus essentials servicing available on a 5+ year old NX? An NX is not listed on the website for this servicing. What is the price for this service under the essentials servicing regime?

2. Spark plug replacement is part of this service and therefore a considerable part of the hefty cost. My understanding is that spark plugs are a mileage dependent replacement item rather than an age replacement. Am I right? If so, has anyone delayed spark plug replacement? My car will have only done less than 30k miles by the time this service is due.

3. Is there anything else done during this service that is a mileage as opposed to an age dependent replacement?

4. What are the differences if any between normal servicing and the essentials servicing?

Hope you can help 😀

Paul, there are documents somewhere that show what's included in a "full-fat" service schedule, Essential is no longer an option so no point comparing, however I would not enter into any service agreement until after June 1st. As I understand it the 60k/120k involves extended labour costs replacing the iridium plugs. Couple of points that I have mentioned previously, Gold card membership will win you up to 20% off service plans, not warranty however, Barclay card now offers 0% finance over 28 months, get one then amortise your total bill into one readily affordable monthly cost with Section 75 cover. Finally a FSH has got to be a plus point when/if you sell 😎

steve2006 · May 23, 2021

Regarding the spark plug replacement, manufacturers normally quote for example 60k miles or 6 years whichever comes first so in your case it is the recommended time to replace them.

The spark plugs are installed in an unpleasant environment subjected to extremes of temperature, products of combustion which includes water and a build up of carbon.

You only need to look at the brake discs after washing the car to see the rust formed.

Add to this the plug threads are steel and the cylinder head aluminium which can cause the plugs to seize in the head due to the reaction between 2 dissimilar metals.

ColinBarber · May 23, 2021

3 hours ago, paulrnx said:

2. Spark plug replacement is part of this service and therefore a considerable part of the hefty cost. My understanding is that spark plugs are a mileage dependent replacement item rather than an age replacement. Am I right? If so, has anyone delayed spark plug replacement? My car will have only done less than 30k miles by the time this service is due.

Lexus is very clear on this in the service schedule. It is every 6 years, not age related. You should request that the plugs are not carried out if you don't want them done, and expect a normal 20k service price.

If you have purchased a service plan then the full 60k price was probably taken into account when taken out and therefore you are unlikely to get a refund.

paulrnx · May 23, 2021

9 hours ago, Malc said:

I'm reading on other very recent posts here that Lexus Essential Servicing has been dropped from their offerings

Malc

Thanks. Yes, saw that too. Still shown on the website for now.

paulrnx · May 23, 2021

9 hours ago, 08ISF said:

The six year service cost is just part and parcel of the cost of running a Lexus and keeping the warranty intact. True they don't go wrong very often but when they do, the costs are eye watering and your car is reaching the age when things will be starting to wear out. The drive train is pretty robust but it's all the other things such as window motors, mirrors, seat motors etc which could fail, expensively. The door mirror on my RX failed to retract/adjust and the cost to replace the motor etc was well over £800 (paid for under warranty). Look at it this way, the warranty cost is comparatively low compared to other premium manufacturers so to keep it intact you have to pay a bit more on the servicing.

Just my opinion.

Thanks. Yes, I feel the same way. Pretty sure I will renew the warranty. I do want to maintain the Lexus service history too.

paulrnx · May 23, 2021

9 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

Paul, I think that a Service Agreement at approx £35 per month would vapourise the 4 questions.

I tend to steer away from these John because from time to time I get bored with a car and change. No plans to do this now but I’m not prepared to lock myself into a service deal. I do have a slush fund that I use for servicing, tyres etc so it just comes out of that.

paulrnx · May 23, 2021

9 hours ago, wendle said:

Sorry but i can answer most of your questions, only have a opinion.

1. so far i haven't owned a Lexus over 5 years old, yet, so don't know much about the essential service, only that my brother in law has used it on his 12 year old IS 250 for the past 7 years.

2. I would ask the same question, my car will have done around 14k miles by the time it gets to its 6 year service.

I think it would depend on how long you intend to keep the car, most potential Lexus buyers would look for a full Lexus service, but if your going to keep it for a long time then i would go for a independent garage and ask them to replace what you consider to need replacing, my run around car has its oil & filter changed every 18 months, and a full service every 4 years, it only does 1.5k miles a year.

Thanks. We intend on keeping the car for a long time so using a specialist for servicing has crossed my mind. Pretty sure I will renew warranty and maintain Lexus servicing for at least the next two years. Might well change my mind in 2 years time though.

Spacewagon52 · May 23, 2021

3 minutes ago, paulrnx said:

I tend to steer away from these John because from time to time I get bored with a car and change. No plans to do this now but I’m not prepared to lock myself into a service deal. I do have a slush fund that I use for servicing, tyres etc so it just comes out of that.

The cost of a service deal varies. I looked at a 450h and it was £78 a month.

paulrnx · May 23, 2021

8 hours ago, Phil xxkr said:

Paul, there are documents somewhere that show what's included in a "full-fat" service schedule, Essential is no longer an option so no point comparing, however I would not enter into any service agreement until after June 1st. As I understand it the 60k/120k involves extended labour costs replacing the Iridium plugs. Couple of points that I have mentioned previously, Gold card membership will win you up to 20% off service plans, not warranty however, Barclay card now offers 0% finance over 28 months, get one then amortise your total bill into one readily affordable monthly cost with Section 75 cover. Finally a FSH has got to be a plus point when/if you sell 😎

Thanks. Good points. Will consider these. I always use credit cards when paying for goods and services to get that added protection. Bought some plants last year on line which were sub-standard when delivered and the supplier refused to play ball. The credit card company immediately refunded the money.

paulrnx · May 23, 2021

We’ve bought about 26 cars in the past 20 years. For both me and for my wife. Too many. We’ve enjoyed some lovely cars but as we approach retirement we are intending to keep our current cars until they become uneconomical to keep and run. More so given our annual mileage has dropped so much. The only exemption will be a modern convertible in the garage when we do retire for those lovely sunny days we occasionally experience. Albeit not in 2021 so far!

We do maintain our cars properly and have tried to pass this onto our kids. We have stopped replacing things just for the hell of it or because we fancy a new replacement though. Hence me questioning the spark plugs. I would have thought these would be mileage dependent and not age dependent given that they would age by usage cycles rather than by a specific time period.

I do from time to time question the “I drive a Lexus because they are so reliable but I still pay for a warranty” thing. But of course £795 for two years which includes breakdown cover for me plus my wife is about as good value as you could get I think.

doog442 · May 23, 2021

1 hour ago, paulrnx said:

I tend to steer away from these John because from time to time I get bored with a car and change. No plans to do this now but I’m not prepared to lock myself into a service deal. I do have a slush fund that I use for servicing, tyres etc so it just comes out of that.

You don't get locked in and will get the money back pro rata from any unused months on your service deal. I had a three year deal on an IS, I utilised one service but had still overpaid at the time of sale as the monthly costs included the major service in year 2 as well as minor in year 3. I was refunded automatically as soon as I told them the car was sold. In effect I simply paid for the one service and it was cheaper than a stand alone service.

paulrnx · May 24, 2021

12 hours ago, doog442 said:

You don't get locked in and will get the money back pro rata from any unused months on your service deal. I had a three year deal on an IS, I utilised one service but had still overpaid at the time of sale as the monthly costs included the major service in year 2 as well as minor in year 3. I was refunded automatically as soon as I told them the car was sold. In effect I simply paid for the one service and it was cheaper than a stand alone service.

Thanks, Still not something I’d consider myself. I’d rather just pay for servicing as and when.

Deathstar · May 29, 2021

On 5/23/2021 at 9:04 AM, Malc said:

I'm reading on other very recent posts here that Lexus Essential Servicing has been dropped from their offerings

Malc

Oh no! Where did you see this?

Barry14UK · May 30, 2021

More incentive for owners of cars of 5+ years to use Independent specialists if Essential Servicing is to be dropped. S/plugs used to be just a few minutes job and now take hours. Engine should be fairly hot to minimise risk of c/head threads being stripped. These plugs should really go to 100,000 miles which I believe was recommended figure for Nissan Fairlady many years ago. So 80,000 for the Lexus would not be unreasonable. (Interval on turbo charged cars is a lot less).