60,000 mile service

[Bat21]

Greetings all,

My 2013 RX450h will be due its 60k service this year, obviously this includes the spark plugs being replaced.

Not having much faith in my local'ish dealer, Lexus Chester, I wonder if anyone can recommend a good independent in the Shropshire area?

I have done the last two services myself and replaced the front discs and pads. Having looked at YouTube videos of the Spark plug replacement procedure it does look a little 'involved' to say the least 😬

[royoftherovers]

23 minutes ago, Bat21 said:

Greetings all,

My 2013 RX450h will be due its 60k service this year, obviously this includes the spark plugs being replaced.

Not having much faith in my local'ish dealer, Lexus Chester, I wonder if anyone can recommend a good independent in the Shropshire area?

I have done the last two services myself and replaced the front discs and pads. Having looked at YouTube videos of the Spark plug replacement procedure it does look a little 'involved' to say the least 😬

Hi Paul, I`ve used Chester for 12 years without problems. Tom Skelton is now the Service Manager, so speak with him and tell him of your concerns.

The only local Indie I am Aware of is  Glyn Jones at Heswall on Wirral.

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Mobile

07545846762

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Copy Mobile

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Work phone

3429944

 

Good luck in whatever you do.

 

Regards

John

[Bat21]

13 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

Hi Paul, I`ve used Chester for 12 years without problems. Tom Skelton is now the Service Manager, so speak with him and tell him of your concerns.

The only local Indie I am Aware of is  Glyn Jones at Heswall on Wirral.

Thank you.

My 3 visits to Chester were not desirable ones. The last time they had my RX they phoned me up to say it urgently needed new front discs and pads, their quote for doing the work seemed high so I thanked them for letting me know and said I would do the work myself. I ordered genuine parts and duly fitted them, the removed discs were not in a bad condition at all and the pads had between 5 & 7mm on them, so I'm not sure why they decided they urgently needed replacing.

That was 3 years ago now and maybe things have changed but bad experiences, 3 times, will be hard to forget.

I will let you know where I end up taking the RX.

[royoftherovers]

9 minutes ago, Bat21 said:

Thank you.

My 3 visits to Chester were not desirable ones. The last time they had my RX they phoned me up to say it urgently needed new front discs and pads, their quote for doing the work seemed high so I thanked them for letting me know and said I would do the work myself. I ordered genuine parts and duly fitted them, the removed discs were not in a bad condition at all and the pads had between 5 & 7mm on them, so I'm not sure why they decided they urgently needed replacing.

That was 3 years ago now and maybe things have changed but bad experiences, 3 times, will be hard to forget.

I will let you know where I end up taking the RX.

Thanks for the update Paul. I understand where you are coming from.

What you describe is common practice throughout the motor trade. They hide behind Health and Safety Law, but that is no excuse. I`d suggest a meeting with Tom (and his assistant David) to express your views and experience.

I`m long retired now but throughout my life I have always tried to deal with matters head on.I have always found that problems miraculously disappear...or I offer an apology.

Anyway, please keep us all posted on whatever you do.

Regards

John

[Bat21]

On 4/18/2022 at 10:41 AM, royoftherovers said:

Thanks for the update Paul. I understand where you are coming from.....

An update to this one.

Just got back from Lexus Chester.
60k service done and looked after by Dave, they even did a short vid mid way through the sparkplug replacement which is an 'involved' job on the RX450h.

£630 for this big service.

Confidence restored in Lexus Chester once again.

[royoftherovers]

1 minute ago, Bat21 said:

An update to this one.

Just got back from Lexus Chester.
60k service done and looked after by Dave, they even did a short vid mid way through the sparkplug replacement which is an 'involved' job on the RX450h.

£630 for this big service.

Confidence restored in Lexus Chester once again.

Many thanks for the update Paul.

You are back on their Radar and should remain so.

I have recently taken out a 10 years plus Extended Warranty via Tom, so I`m covered until 2025, so why should I spend £30k plus on another vehicle?

[Herbie]

On 4/18/2022 at 9:38 AM, Bat21 said:

I have done the last two services myself and replaced the front discs and pads [...] The last time they had my RX they phoned me up to say it urgently needed new front discs and pads [...] the removed discs were not in a bad condition at all and the pads had between 5 & 7mm on them, so I'm not sure why they decided they urgently needed replacing.

Discs and pads should last a very long time on a hybrid with some people reporting 80 or 90k miles before they need replacing.

The whole idea of the hybrid is to brake gently so that the kinetic energy that would normally be lost to friction heat, is instead converted to electricity by regenerative braking to recharge the traction Battery. With heavy braking or an emergency situation the car would go straight to normal hydraulic brakes, but in normal use you need to brake gently and let the regen system do most of the stopping and I think I remember reading that hydraulic braking then takes over at about 7mph.

[Bat21]

4 minutes ago, Herbie said:

Discs and pads should last a very long time on a hybrid with some people reporting 80 or 90k miles before they need replacing.

The whole idea of the hybrid is to brake gently so that the kinetic energy that would normally be lost to friction heat, is instead converted to electricity by regenerative braking to recharge the traction battery. With heavy braking or an emergency situation the car would go straight to normal hydraulic brakes, but in normal use you need to brake gently and let the regen system do most of the stopping and I think I remember reading that hydraulic braking then takes over at about 7mph.

Totally agree with what you're saying here and that is exactly how I drive/brake.

But, todays service advised the front pads are 50% worn with 6mm remaining and front discs excessively corroded, this is after only 17k miles. I have had a quick look when we got home (it was dark so with a torch) and one disc does indeed look corroded, the other looks fine, they were both replaced 17k miles ago with genuine Toyota/Lexus ones.

[Bat21]

2 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

Many thanks for the update Paul.

You are back on their Radar and should remain so.

I have recently taken out a 10 years plus Extended Warranty via Tom, so I`m covered until 2025, so why should I spend £30k plus on another vehicle?

Dave pointed out I have a full 12 months extended warranty after todays service, this is for vehicles up to 10 years old.... mine is 10 in January so it only lasts 2 months 🥴

[Bluemarlin]

25 minutes ago, Bat21 said:

Dave pointed out I have a full 12 months extended warranty after todays service, this is for vehicles up to 10 years old.... mine is 10 in January so it only lasts 2 months 🥴

I believe that the renewed warranty covers you for the full 12 months, even if the car has gone over the 10yr mark in the interim. Others will correct me if I'm wrong.

After that you've got the option of the 10yr+ extended warranty, which is around £540 pa for an RX.

[Bat21]

9 minutes ago, Bluemarlin said:

I believe that the renewed warranty covers you for the full 12 months, even if the car has gone over the 10yr mark in the interim. Others will correct me if I'm wrong.

After that you've got the option of the 10yr+ extended warranty, which is around £540 pa for an RX.

Dave the service guy said it will only cover me for 2 months.

As with all 'insurance policies'  they will have done their home work, I will drop a 'monkey' in a spare bank account each year to pay for any unexpected work that needs to be done.... I doubt very much it will ever be emptied 😉

[Spock66]

30 minutes ago, Bat21 said:

Dave the service guy said it will only cover me for 2 months.

That's contrary to what others have reported, where you should get a full 12-months if you are under 10-years/100k when the service is undertaken.

After my last service I got a confirmation email, maybe that will clarify.

[royoftherovers]

8 minutes ago, Spock66 said:

That's contrary to what others have reported, where you should get a full 12-months if you are under 10-years/100k when the service is undertaken.

After my last service I got a confirmation email, maybe that will clarify.

That is my reading too Andrew.

Best if Dave in service s asked to confirm in writing to Paul in order to avoid doubt and misunderstanding.

[Las Palmas]

27 minutes ago, Spock66 said:

That's contrary to what others have reported, where you should get a full 12-months if you are under 10-years/100k when the service is undertaken.

After my last service I got a confirmation email, maybe that will clarify.

Wonder what the 100 K Miles is converted to in KM

[Bat21]

18 minutes ago, Las Palmas said:

Wonder what the 100 K Miles is converted to in KM

At a rough guess I would say 162,500km 

[Las Palmas]

20 minutes ago, Bat21 said:

At a rough guess I would say 162,500km 

So with 80K Km in 5 years it should be around 2027. Only other car we ever had that long was a VW Golf 2.0tdi DSG. Not as nice as the CT, but much cheaper in fuel.

[Bat21]

19 minutes ago, Las Palmas said:

So with 80K Km in 5 years it should be around 2027. Only other car we ever had that long was a VW Golf 2.0tdi DSG. Not as nice as the CT, but much cheaper in fuel.

I actually part exchanged my 450h in for a Porsche Macan almost 5 years ago now.

A week after trading it in we missed it so much we tracked it down and bought it back from the dealer, £2k more than I sold it for.... that was the most expensive 'car wash' I have ever had 😁 Still kept the Macan though.

It has been with us 7 years now.

[Frank the Hornet]

My RX450H is 10 years old on the 13/12/2022, I had the major 10 year service completed 3/9/22, LEXUS UK confirmed in writing RELAX will continue until 2/9/23 unless I reach 100000 miles first which in my case is very unlikely.

Next year I will look to take out the extended 10 year warranty, all being equal why look to change ? particularly at £540 for the warranty.

 

[Barry14UK]

Lexus Cheltenham pointed out in a video that that there was some corrosion on the peripheral 6mm or so of my front discs last year at just over 40k miles and stated that these and the pads needing replacing. I know through experience that corrosion once started can gradually extend over the rubbed area of the discs so I bought genuine discounted Lexus discs and pads and replaced them myself.  Lexus had offered to do this during the service at a cost of £300 but I prefer to do this myself, not just to save circa £100 but because I can spend more time on the job knowing parts were thoroughly cleaned and appropriately lubricated.  The stainless shims were fine but the ones that go between these and the pads, were in part rusty and holed, so I replaced them.  Whether Lexus would have replaced these shims is a matter of conjecture.

As regards the pads, there was plenty of life left in them except for one which had perhaps 25% of usable pad left.  The premature wear  of this pad was due to the pad not moving smoothly along  the slider pin.

I soon broke the new pads in and they are working well.  I have discarded the old pads but have set aside the discs that only require a very light skim which I will check the cost of having  done.

Incidentally, I used specially formulated high temperature silicon grease on the slider pins rather than red rubber grease that Lexus recommend but which had hardened on one pin.  However, regardless of whether you use silicone or red rubber grease, it is important that these pin sliders are kept appropriately lightly greased.

NB. When cleaning off the old hardened red grease with brake cleaner or the like from the slider pins, ensure you keep it away from the rubber bushes which will cause them to swell and cause binding. 

[Bluemarlin]

2 hours ago, Barry14UK said:

Lexus Cheltenham pointed out in a video that that there was some corrosion on the peripheral 6mm or so of my front discs last year at just over 40k miles and stated that these and the pads needing replacing. I know through experience that corrosion once started can gradually extend over the rubbed area of the discs so I bought genuine discounted Lexus discs and pads and replaced them myself. 

 

Barry, you might want to check out Bilt Hamber Atom-Mac. It's a water based corrosion inhibitor, so safe to use on brake discs. You dilute it at 5% (so it goes a long way), and spray it wherever you like.

[Barry14UK]

7 hours ago, Bluemarlin said:

Barry, you might want to check out Bilt Hamber Atom-Mac. It's a water based corrosion inhibitor, so safe to use on brake discs. You dilute it at 5% (so it goes a long way), and spray it wherever you like.

 

Thank you, I will give it a try.  I think the long period of non use during Covid may have accelerated the corrosion in my case.  Hopefully, the treatment you refer to doesn't need to be repeated frequently.  I find the Lexus wheels/tyres heavy so have to keep adjusting trolley jack in order precisely align to fit the wheel nuts.  This is more difficult on my Lexus as the nuts do not pull on like the conical bolts on my BMW which is made easy by first screwing in place a long  threaded temporary locator to slide the wheel in place.  Lexus would have done well use this system.

[Bluemarlin]

2 hours ago, Barry14UK said:

Thank you, I will give it a try.  I think the long period of non use during Covid may have accelerated the corrosion in my case.  Hopefully, the treatment you refer to doesn't need to be repeated frequently.  I find the Lexus wheels/tyres heavy so have to keep adjusting trolley jack in order precisely align to fit the wheel nuts.  This is more difficult on my Lexus as the nuts do not pull on like the conical bolts on my BMW which is made easy by first screwing in place a long  threaded temporary locator to slide the wheel in place.  Lexus would have done well use this system.

Replacing those heavy wheels is one thing I definitely don't enjoy.

You're probably right that lack of use during covid accounted for your corrosion. I dont think the atom-mac would be very long lasting on the disc surfaces, but you don't need to remove the wheels to use it, I just give the discs a quick spray each time I wash the wheels. It does get into all the crevices though, so probably provides longer protection there.

[Bat21]

On 11/23/2022 at 8:01 PM, Bat21 said:

Totally agree with what you're saying here and that is exactly how I drive/brake.

But, todays service advised the front pads are 50% worn with 6mm remaining and front discs excessively corroded, this is after only 17k miles. I have had a quick look when we got home (it was dark so with a torch) and one disc does indeed look corroded, the other looks fine, they were both replaced 17k miles ago with genuine Toyota/Lexus ones.

Well today I got round to removing the o/s disc. I have never seen a disc so corroded.

These discs (genuine Toyota allegedly) are 4 years old next month and have done just 17,000 miles. Corrosion has claimed about 50/60% of the inside surface and about 20% of the outside surface. The original discs and pads lasted 44,000 miles.

The calliper mounting bracket was showing signs of heavy corrosion too.

Do we have a preferred parts supplier as I will probably swap out the calliper carriers too when fitting the replacement discs and pads.

[Barry14UK]

I don't know whether it will make a difference to help stop corrosion on discs but I plan to drive slowly with my brakes lightly on for the last 80 or so yards to my home if I have gone through pooled water or it has rained. (I don't power spray the wheels when cleaning). Hopefully, the friction of doing this will will dry off the discs. 

I think it much more likely that the disparity between genuine Lexus discs with regard to corrosion, is down to varying factors to which these have been subjected, rather than in the actual material. I have seen how a salty atmosphere can accelerate rust for example or what driving  on salt sprayed roads can do. 

[Bat21]

Problem with re-gen braking is the actual brakes are not applied like a normal ICE vehicle.

After doing the job today I took the 450h out and was quite brutal with the brakes, when I got home they were still stone cold.