Stoneacre

[Bowserman]

I bought my car from Lexus Teesside before they merged into the Stoneacre group.

Now I have to speak with staff at a contact centre who havent got a clue about my car, as well as being more concerned about upselling me something I dont want or need.

I still have a year left of my used car warranty left and would like to know if there are any independant Lexus dealerships?

[cadman2k]

In the north east Stoneacre have monopolised the Toyota/Lexus dealerships when acquiring from RMB/Jardine Motor Groups. They acquired these at different times

As with any merger/acquisition come changes...for better and for worse....

I have experienced some of these changes as own both Toyota and Lexus vehicles using different dealerships for servicing.

It's always the case that key individuals leave the business both on the customer service front as well as the shop floor when presented with new terms and conditions and business models upset the apple cart.

If you turn the clock back 20 year the Stoneacre group whereas very small concern and no one would have thought that they would be as big as they are today.

I did use Lexus Teesside under the RMB brand and found service levels second to none. I did see some staff changes but decided I would try out Lexus Newcastle who I have used the last couple of years for servicing.

They are part of the Stoneacre group and for servicing I would thoroughly recommend them.

The technicians are fantastic.

A lot of dealerships have gone down the central call centre booking system (lexus newcastle included) however you can talk to them directly, you can also simply book in via the lexus link app for simplicity where you don't have to talk to anyone.

Would I buy my next Lexus from them? That's a question that remains to be seen given the power of the internet, however at this moment in time I can say my last 3 visits for servicing and maintenance have been excellent (I also have a service plan that can be used at either dealership)

Businesses are all about the people who operate them not necessarily the name of the corporate organisation. You can get very different experiences at two dealerships under the same brand name.

I have no experience of the 3rd North east location for dealer servicing which is at Carlisle as they are just a bit too far away (1.5hours)

I am not sure if I would use an independent given that I am happy with the dealership experience.

With your remaining service down to 1 have you had a requote for the next batch of 2/3 services?

Perhaps it's worth you considering Lexus Newcastle even if it's a bit further to travel, it's easily accessible now since it moved outside the city centre to silverlink, literally 5 mins away once you get through the tunnel.

Any questions feel free to pm

 

 

 

[Bowserman]

I live in Newcastle. When they moved from Benton Road (which was very good) I called Silverlink about a used car (I had a CT at the time and wanted an IS), and when they answered they said Ason Martin. I said I am after Lexus and they said they were busy and could I call back. I didnt. Second time I called about a different enquiry I got a similar response and decided they wouldnt get a third chance, so tried Teesside and had a totally different experience. So I bought the car from them together with extra warranty and service plan and then they changed to Stoneacre. Silverlink would be much closer but I will stick with Teesside until the service plan and paid warranty runs out next year.

When I say independant, I mean a main dealer not owned by an organisation like Stoneacre. We purchased a new Suzuki for my wife and she is having the same experience, telling her she needed an air conditioning disinfectant bomb on top of her first service. She declined then was hassled to purchase something else. All we want to do is call the garage and book the car in. I will be making this clear when I visit the garage in January. Also getting charged insurance on the loan car which I didnt in the past. They should include this in the service plan.

[cadman2k]

Lexus Newcastle share the same unit as Aston Martin (Aston Martin there first so answer the phone with that brand) and have a single reception that directs calls through to each brand.

new cars in the showroom are Lexus cars located for viewing on the ground floor and Aston Martins on the first floor. It's quite an experience to see if you haven't visited before.

Looking into Lexus Carlisle it appears they are owned by Parks Motor Group. I have no experience of these but if looks like it's privately owned, the same as RMB was prior to merger, so on the face of it sounds great. For me it's just to far away although I do know Amy Lexus dealership throughout the UK would welcome you if you were prepared to travel

Park's Motor Group is a private family-owned business which takes great pride in being Scotland's leading independent motor group.

I do not like the 'upselling' of services unless it is something that is part of a requirement then I have no issues with recommendations.

In relation to courtesy cars, I know when some of these mergers happened the rules changed a bit so an insurance surcharge was introduced. If you were insured with Lexus Insurance and or Toyota Insurance then as part of your policy these surcharges are waived as your policy stipulates that you can drive any vehicle loaned to you by a Toyota/Lexus dealer whilst your car is for for maintenance/repairs (essentially your driving on your own insurance)

This does have an added benefit if anything was to happen as courtesy/loan cars can carry much higher excesses than your own policy. 

From memory excesses likely £500.

If your in Newcastle would definitely try Lexus Newcastle if your going to continue dealer servicing etc to get a relationship established between yourself and the dealer.

 

 

 

[ikeja]

I communicate direct to Lexus Liverpool on all matters concerning my vehicle. They are very happy for me to do this and it provides continuity care.