Intermediate or full service?

[Ala Larj]

I was wondering what other members would do? I have a 2014 GS300h with 70,194 miles on the clock. It is due a service at the start of November. Technically it’s due a full service for £630. As I have done just over 5000 miles since the last service. Prior to that service I covered less than 2000 miles since the previous one. I am therefore thinking of doing an intermediate service for £325. 
 

From what I can see the main difference between a full and intermediate is mainly checking more things! The only major difference, I think, is changing the brake fluid. I know that moisture can get into the system but surely the problems with that will be a gradual reduction in braking performance rather than a catastrophic breakage? £305 seems expensive for a brake fluid change. Am I missing something?

According to the dealer I will get the one year warranty regardless of which service I have. I also have my previous extended warranty till March next year. 

What would others do?

[royoftherovers]

23 minutes ago, Ala Larj said:

I was wondering what other members would do? I have a 2014 GS300h with 70,194 miles on the clock. It is due a service at the start of November. Technically it’s due a full service for £630. As I have done just over 5000 miles since the last service. Prior to that service I covered less than 2000 miles since the previous one. I am therefore thinking of doing an intermediate service for £325. 
 

From what I can see the main difference between a full and intermediate is mainly checking more things! The only major difference, I think, is changing the brake fluid. I know that moisture can get into the system but surely the problems with that will be a gradual reduction in braking performance rather than a catastrophic breakage? £305 seems expensive for a brake fluid change. Am I missing something?

According to the dealer I will get the one year warranty regardless of which service I have. I also have my previous extended warranty till March next year. 

What would others do?

Wont the Previous extended warranty become invalid if you do not have the service demanded by the service schedule ?

[Ala Larj]

15 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

Wont the Previous extended warranty become invalid if you do not have the service demanded by the service schedule ?

Apparently not. My extended warranty will be valid until March the the one year thing will take over. Most of the checks on a full service cover wear and tear items which aren’t covered anyway. Knowing my luck the infotainment system will pack up next April!

[VFR]

In that case the small service will do just fine (IMO)

£300 plus for a brake fluid change is simply outrageous (plain & simple)

[Las Palmas]

We just had a full service called 90K Km even though the car has only 80.1K Km on the clock. May keep Lexus doing service till we reach 100K Km. At least sure we will continue to pay to have hybrid Battery warranted.

[Ala Larj]

27 minutes ago, VFR said:

In that case the small service will do just fine (IMO)

£300 plus for a brake fluid change is simply outrageous (plain & simple)

That’s my thinking. Am just wondering if I have missed anything!

[Ala Larj]

As an aside it may be pertinent to mention that I’ve no intention of selling it it the near future so I’m not interested in keeping up a full Lexus service history for maximum returns. In fact I cannot think of anything out there that suits my needs better than this. I know some may suggest going to an independent but as a non gambler I like to keep the warranty for peace of mind. 

[Mr Vlad]

The difference between the 2 services is that in the full All filters are changed and a more thorough examination of your car. Plus brake fluid replacement. On the Lexus site from a couple years ago they gave a good table showing the differences. I can't find that anymore. 

[ColinBarber]

2 hours ago, Mr Vlad said:

The difference between the 2 services is that in the full All filters are changed and a more thorough examination of your car. Plus brake fluid replacement. On the Lexus site from a couple years ago they gave a good table showing the differences. I can't find that anymore. 

Air filter is only replaced every 40k miles (inspected at 20k miles and charged extra if needed) on all the modern vehicles. Pollen filter should be changed though at each major service.

I think this is the list you are referring to - Lexus seem to be less transparent these days although this generic list is only a guide as model specific requirements (as listed in the service book) take precedence.

Lexus - Service Table 0418.pdf

 

On 10/12/2022 at 9:36 PM, VFR said:

£300 plus for a brake fluid change is simply outrageous (plain & simple)

How can you say that, you are forgetting the £1 Battery for your key fob - totally makes it value for money. 😉

Equally, £325 just to change the oil, which really is all a minor service is, is simply outrageous too.

 

On 10/12/2022 at 7:11 PM, Ala Larj said:

I know that moisture can get into the system but surely the problems with that will be a gradual reduction in braking performance rather than a catastrophic breakage? £305 seems expensive for a brake fluid change. Am I missing something?

Moisture can cause the brake lines to corrode and become a safety issue/MOT failure. Historically Lexus used to test for water content and only replace if needed, now they just do it every 2 years - which in reality is overkill because unless you are removing your cap and topping up all the time not much water gets in passed the brake calliper and master cylinder seals.

I wonder if you can ask your dealer to perform a minor service and brake fluid - that should be much less than a major service but will have Relax warranty consequences (see below). Otherwise threaten them to go to an independent - they are likely to drop their price to keep your custom. 

 

On 10/12/2022 at 7:11 PM, Ala Larj said:

According to the dealer I will get the one year warranty regardless of which service I have.

I would not take their word for that. Get it in writing from Lexus UK, but I don't believe they will do so because you will not be carrying out all maintenance as recommended by the manufacturer:

Your obligations

To ensure you receive the benefit of the Lexus Relax warranty, you must comply with the following: You must:

1. a)  carry out all the maintenance and/or care specified or recommended by the manufacturer. Lexus Relax rights are waived when the fault arising is linked to maintenance and inspection work having not been carried out. These are specified in the Lexus service booklet.

[ColinBarber]

On 10/12/2022 at 7:51 PM, Ala Larj said:

Apparently not. My extended warranty will be valid until March the the one year thing will take over.

Extended warranty T&Cs require you to get your vehicle serviced every 12 month (with 1 month leeway) or 10k miles (1,000 mile leeway) by a Lexus authorised dealer - whichever comes first. That time/mileage starts from the date of the previous service. If your service is due early Nov then your warranty is technically invalid early Dec - whether this gets checked or not is another matter but you would be taking a risk.

[Mr Vlad]

That's an interesting file Colin comparing different services. The one outstanding part was differential oil change. On my last service which was a Minor I specifically asked for the rear differential oil to be changed. It was done. I did post it because I Wasn't charged. That service comparison chart isn't the one I was thinking about But it does clearly show the differences. 

[J Henderson]

If your MOT is due around the same time, most of the extra visual checks in the full service, would be part of the test.

That would just leave the brake fluid change to deal with.

[John Walker]

I always used to do only the small service for the two GS’s i had. Anything else is a ripoff. I used to buy from Lexus the air and cabin filters and change them myself each year. They cost less than £70 and it literally takes 2 to 3 minutes to change them both. Key fob Battery is easy to change as well.

When it comes to changing suspension parts, brakes or other fluids I always used my local mechanic that charged me 2-3 times less for labour. I always bought the parts from Lexus though.