I know this has been covered before but.
Shopping around for a decent price for the 20k service on my 18 month old
IS250 SEL Auto i found some wildly varying prices.
My local dealer Newcastle £416.00
Teesside £253.00
Carlisle £290 inc vat

All include all parts and labour so why the vast difference at the Newcastle dealer
is it because they know i'm local and would prefer not to travel elsewhere
or are they just more expensive. They are obviously also owned by different companies.
I may be labouring under the misapprehension that all dealers applied the
same or similar charges for the same services, is this correct or not ?

A call to the service manager may be required or Hello Teesside.

Infinity.....

I've just had a quote from Newcastle for a 10k service of £240.00. I wonder if it would be worth phoning Teeside for a quote off them?

You need to be careful here. Some dealers will change brake fluid, coolant at 20k so you may not be comparing like for like.

Northern Boy, i think i only paid £180.00 my 10k at Newcastle.

Thanks Steve,
All dealers should follow the prescribed Lexus service schedule
if the fluids need changing they should be included
All the quotes i recieved included all parts and labour, i am assuming
all parts includes fluids.
Or
Is assumtion the mother of all f#@k ups.
Buyer beware.

Infinity.....

Edit. Teesside have also kindly agred to loan me a GS hybrid while mine is serviced.

Sorry but don't assume anything You must ask specifically as some dealerships regard some things as optional. As mentioned above.

Just double checked with Teesside and the quote of £253.24 is inclusive of all parts, labour, fluids
and the dreaded VAT

I'm happy with that. If the service is as good as the price i will move my business to Teesside from now on

Infinity....

Last post on this

Did you ask them what fluids they are going to change? ( Only reason I ask is I have been down this route already with a different dealer ..... )

That is probably the crucial bit! The handbook/service book states what is required - and they should be doing only what's listed in there. If there stringing more stuff on then they are taking the fiss - especially when they start playing with your conscience WRT safety and all that.

Mine is due it's 20k soon, and I am dreading it. I'm just not used to paying so much in such short timescales. My previous luxusry cars were all variable, and I eeked out over 22000 twice in my Audi, and the family get >15500 in BM's before servicing.

It's the one part of Lexus ownership which is so far behind the times...and on area where the dealerships are coining it in.

Wasn't there a RAC report recently saying that variable servicing isn't a good thing due to the oil not being in a good state after 12 months and obviously drivers not regularly checking?

It may be worth asking Hodson Toyoya (Silverlink) for a quote. I have had a number of Toyotas and they have always proved to be competive. I mentioned this when I asked about service costs when I was considering a purchase at Lexus Newcastle, it was quietly sugested that I get a quote from Hodsons and then challenge Lexus Newcastle for a price match.

Update; I called Lexus Teesside and they quoted me £170 all in including fluids and VAT for a 10k service - 30% cheaper than Newcastle. I've booked it in there and cancelled with Newcastle.

Northern Boys - I would say you have got yourself a very good deal at Teesside I will keep that in mind for when I am due a service - Merv

Northern Boys - I would say you have got yourself a very good deal at Teesside I will keep that in mind for when I am due a service - Merv
[/quote]


Same here - I bought mine at there so I will be asking too.

I'll keep them in mind for the next time i need a service, if its in this car.

I'm considering switching to a GS450h over the next 12 months, i'm testing one tomorrow as a loaner while mine is serviced
although it may need to wait a little longer as i've just blown the cash in a new bath/wet room .

I did ring Lexus Newcastle back and challenge them with the Teeside cost but all they said was the could take off the engine
flush and something else and get the price down to £320

Anyone driven a GS450h i would be interested in some general comments.

Infinity.....

I drove a GS450h at The Taste of Lexus event at Slaley Hall. It did feel a big car after the IS, but otherwise inside it was similar - albeit I think the IS's instrument binnacle looks better. The main difference is the speed - it is so fecking fast!. It really does take off like a rocket. It is eerily quite when you turn it on and press the accelerator, although that only lasts a couple of seconds because above 5mph or so the engine kicks in and it sounds more normal.

So true. Reverse is even worse - it works almost totally on Electrics...

I did one of those Magnum PI Ferari starts (like the one where he fishtails on a gravelly road at the opening credits) from a lay by on the open road event - totally accidentally. It is one awesome quick car, and bigger in the back. Just a shame the boot is the size of a pea pod.

I've often thought about the GS - 'cos it so much quieter inside, and is deceptively fast - even the GS300. You don't know how fast you are going unless you look at the needles.


Just not sure how economical th GS450h really is in real worlds.

Brief report on the service experience at Teesside.

I was met at the door by the salesman who originally sold me the car at Newcastle he knew who I was and was very chatty
and pleasant. Introduced me to the service manager Iain, a very nice guy.
He explained the service and was happy to have the car ready for me at the protracted time frame I was under
during the day. I dropped mine off at 9:30 but needed it back 12:30pm. It was ready on my return, washed
and hoovered inside and service book stamped. The bill was less than I expected as I produced my members gold card
and was dully rewarded some discount.
I'm extremely happy with the service and the attitude of the staff at Lexus Teesside, and the coffee is very good too.
I think from now on I’m moving my business to Teesside. First Rate.

Teesside loaned me a GS 450h SE for the short term the car was being serviced.

Wow ...... The power is incredible coming off the roundabout outside the dealer I pushed the throttle
in a similar manner as I would in the IS and the tail let go straight away followed by the traction control
stepping in to hold the slide. The acceleration from stationary is ferocious. I agree with you Jamboo the car running on
batteries is really weird complete silence in the cabin, really gentle acceleration holds the car on the battery
up to about 30 then the engine glides in the only reason you know its happened is the graphics change on the
screen then the KW needle drops as the engine takes the strain. I found the suspension a little on the very hard side
then I realised it was on the sport setting, switching this off didn’t really make any notable difference.
Driving from Stockton to Hartlepool and back I pushed it on the outward journey to look at the performance
and took it easy on the return to look at fuel consumption, on a mix of 50/50 dual carriageway and local roads
the car said I averaged 23.3mpg outward and 38.1mpg on the return. I bettered my IS on the return leg
but was obviously worse in performance mode with the larger engine.

Pros. Superb performance, feels much more solid than the IS and more rigid in the chassis. Interior is a pleasant
place to be but the two tone white lower half leather wasn’t to my taste in this car. Economy is very good
for a large car when you drive conservatively.

Cons. Suspension is very hard and the boot is tiny, and i think it would struggle to pass the two sets of golf clubs
test.

Would i have one ?. Oh Yes. the performance does it for me. i think the GS450h will be my next car
unless 5 and the bonus come up on Saturday. Then its a Maserati Quatroporte.


Infinity........

It is so deceptiv. You can be driving at license killing speeds before you blink...

On topic - Been quoted £380 for the 20k at Leicester, minus discount for LOCGold. Boy that is expensive, especially when you look at what they actually do.

I just hope the brakes are OK...

PS - just called Cov - GULP £445incl Vat - though I was asked if they had seen the car before he quoted...to which I said No...

What do they think we're made of....? It's not a question of affordability, it's more that they really are taking you for a ride. And the threat on the threads of "..it'll lose £1k if you take it elsewhere..." has got to be an illegal practice...

I somehow don't see this car lasting another year in our household...

that is harsh. £445. for my 20k i think im goin to take it to hanley. seem cheaper. pais £200 for my 10k last month at cov.

Service costs are mainly dictated by Labour Rates. Lexus are far behind their 'competitors' like BMW, Merc (dare I mention Audi too?) who charge circa £120 +VAT - Lexus might be slowly increasing their charges to reflect the market position. These costs will only go up, up and up. This is a reason why I believe the pre-paid service plans are a very good idea (if you cannot get to Lexus Hanley!)

I think I got a result with my £65 per month for 30m = 9 services. Its interesting that BMW are offering servicing over 5 years/60000miles for £635. It makes £380 for one service a little steep!!

Strange one this - I've rang to get my 250 Sport petrol 20,000 service and Carlisle come out at £333 and Teesside comes in at £318 (all inc. Vat) - rang Newcastle who have said they are more than happy to match the Teesside price.

thats what i did with lexus coventry who charge 270 for 10k service. told them hanley charge 120. so they brought it down to 200 which still isnt as low as 120 but better than 270

What I find amazing about Lexus servicing is that every deal I speak to has a different idea what is required for each service. I assumed that there is a standard Lexus service shedule and every dealer should comply with it. Our wrong I am. I have just had a 20000 mile service in a car that is just 6 months old. What I have come accross is amazing.

For the 10000 mile service I was quoted £226 and this is what I was charged. However when I look at the bill against the job sheet/service shcedule its starts to look dodgy. First of all, I am charged £14.36 for changing the battery in the remote. Yet when I look at the job sheet it seems to be required only on a full service at 20000 miles. When I asked the dealerwhy they did this on a car 3 months old the reply was "its done due to customer demand" When I complained they said that I should have specifically told them not to replace it at the service. How could I tell them when I didn't know they were going to do it?

Then I find a litre of top up oil in the boot for which I was charged £14.68. Again, the car has never used oil and the reason they did it was "due to customer demand" To be fair I returned it for a refund which they did. However thats £22 I was charged for things I didn't need.

For the 20000 mile service I changed dealers and specifically said I want the service in accordance with the manufacturers schedule but I didn't want the battery or top up oil. Certainly sir that will be £380 which I agreed. However they changed the coolant even though its supposed to be long life without needing a change. Why? Because we believe it is better to do this and you should tell us before hand if you don't require it. I give up. £606 over 20000 miles is a lot more expensive than my Audi

I cancelled my 10k service with Newcastle (they wanted £240) because I had got a cheaper quote from Teesside (£170). When they asked me why I was cancelling it I told them I had got a cheaper price elsewhere - they then offered to price match, but I refused - it wasn't fair on Teesside.

In my book you quote your best price first time to loyal customers who've bought from you, we shouldn't have to shop around and find only then will you drop your price . I like the people at Lexus Newcastle but at the end of the day £70 is £70. When it comes to the 20k service I'll give them another chance to quote but they better sharpen their pencils.

This is all quite shocking. What I've learned from this is that when you buy a car, always call the service department first...find out what the servicing costs are...trouble is - I did do this and was told it used mineral oil and was cheaper to service, and the prices hadn't been released!

Once again, LGB will probably have a scout looking at this post, and if you are, please tell the dealers not rip their customers off.

Just because someone owns a Lexus, it doen't make them stupidly rich, and what's worse is that you can only rip a customer off once...then they walk. That's simple Customer Service basics....

Anyway - it'll be interesting to see what I get for £380-15% LOC discount - which incidently makes the £25 p/year for Gold membership very good VFM! I'm expecting a short weekend break thrown in....

The beemers are on variable servicing, and you can eek out 3 services driving with warm engines, motorways, constant revs etc - so at an average of £215 p/service, it is cheap!

I suppose those s****y showrooms at the Lexus dealers, the cofee and free biccies, the car wash clubs etc are expensive and have to be paid for somehow...

That's outrageous. I'm half expecting to see an entry for 'Shagged Mrs Dazed ..... £50 x 2' on my bill.
"What, you mean you didn't want us to send two of our highly trained mechanics round? You should have told us".

I'm going to keep a damn close eye on my dealership.

Mine is going in for a 20K service at Wolverhampton on Tuesday. I didn't ask for a quote, which may have been a mistake, because I just assumed that there'd be a standard charge.

I'll report back on what happens.

I've been quoted £315 for 20K service by Lexus Bradford and £330 by Lexus Leeds. It does seem somewhat steep, does anyone know any decent independent garages (pref Lexus specialist) in the Yorkshire area ?

Hello all

I have just had my 30k service done and I am still finding it dificult to understand the difference in costs by Lexus dealers.

Lex TWells quoted £350 inclusive VAT. I spoke to Lex Canterbury (owned by the same group) and they quoted £260. When asked about the difference, they couldnt justify - one said - "there are two types of service", we can give you the cheapest for £260. Finally Lex Twells agreed for £260. I was surprised by this - a diff of almost £100!! I then called Lexus Croydon(the guy was not interested in knowing what prices I received)..they quoted £350. Lex Bromley quoted £280 and Lex Brighton never came back!

Jamboo - I enquired what they actually did during the service - they all said it was state of the art technology..blah blah...all dealers did exactly the same thing!!! In the end, I drove to Lex Hanley - £125 inclusive everything!!!

Javz

I had my 30k done by lex derby. 169 inc gold discount.

220 d se-l

Hi All,

Could not resist an more and just had to comment,
Details of my last Lexus service .

20k service Bristol

1 full 20k service /2 years 161.5
2 semi synthetic engine oil 81.59
3 enviro charge 3.48
4 consumables 4.68
5 oil filter 8.3
6 battery remote 5.23
7 screen wash .89
8 brake fluid 8.92
9 filter .pollen 29.12
10 gasket drain plug .83
11 75w90 synthetic gear 13.56
12 mobile 0w 40 protectio 10.21

total inc vat = 385.76 plus front discs and pads

this all comes back to cost of ownership ,read the official press launch doc from Lexus
Improved ownership costs raise all-round value

KEY POINTS
Excellent cost of ownership benefits fundamental to new Lexus IS
Class-leading insurance groups, from 12E
Major gains in standard servicing, maintenance and repair labour time and costs
Designed for ease of repair
Exceptional residual values predicted by CAP Monitor – 47 per cent for IS 250 and 45 per cent for IS 250 SE after three years/60,000 miles

If car-buying decisions depended on emotional factors alone, the new Lexus IS would prosper, with its distinctive dynamic styling, unmatched quality and exceptional driving performance. But most motorists have to take budget issues into consideration, too, and balance factors such as appearance and performance against the longer term impact of ownership on their finances.
True to Lexus’s unmatched attention to detail, the IS makes substantial advances in cost of ownership benefits, setting class-leading standards and making the new car an even stronger proposition than the previous generation model.

Lexus has achieved all-round improvements in efficiency in the standard programme of servicing and maintenance for the IS’s first 60,000 miles or three years. Compared to the previous generation model the contract servicing costs have been reduced by £288 (for models running on 17-inch tyres), while the cumulative length of time required to do the work has fallen by more than three hours to 5.1 hours.

This has been achieved through a series of measures, including the adoption of longer-life or maintenance-free components. These include:
Maintenance-free valve clearances
Transmission oil that does not require changing during the vehicle’s lifetime
Air filter life extended from 30,000 to 40,000 miles
Engine coolant life extended from 30,000 to 100,000 miles
Brake pad replacement scheduled at 30,000 for front and 40,000 for rear
Engine uses mineral grade oil rather than expensive synthetic type

Furthermore, the all-round strengths and appeal of the new IS are set to make it a wise buy in terms of its retained value. CAP Monitor has calculated a residual value of 47 per cent for the IS 250 and 45 per cent for the IS 250 SE, figures two per cent higher in each case than the equivalent BMW 3 Series model.

ENDS

Ref:051114N

39219/141105

interesting reading ,perhaps all Lexus UK dealerships/service managers should read it

cheers

swager

If this is the official Lexus blurb, why is it that every dealer I know uses the expensive synthetic oil and why does my dealer think its better to change engine coolant at 30000 miles rather than 100000 miles? I need to ask him some questions

I'm sorry, but I cannot agree with semi-synthetic oil being used for servicing of these cars. It should only be genuine fully synthetic oil only. High performance engines are engineered to a high level of precision - they have certain characteristics that require the use of only the highest quality engine oils - semi-synthetic oils by their very nature cannot be suitable for such uses.

Surely no-one here would be 'happy' to chuck in 15W40 mineral oil into their engine?

Extended drain intervals aside or even condition based servicing that can prolong a service to circa 18 months between intervals, the use of fully synthetic oils should be an exclusivity for these types of engines. You can't see BMW, MB, Audi even advocating the us of such oils, then why do Lexus? To save money on service costs? Then cost savings should be sought elsewhere and not in the life-blood of a car's engine.

I can't agree. When you are talking about service intervals of only 10k in a normal passenger car you can put mineral, semi-synthetic, full synthetic in and as long as the viscosity grade is correct and the right formulation of detergents are used it will not make one iota of difference regarding engine wear etc.
Anyway the IS doesn't have high performance engines.

The diesel certainly isn't high performance. I got out dragged by a Mondeo 130TDci the other day - how embarrassing! Anyway - this, along with the fuel consumption is going to make any outsider looking at this site steer clearly away from these cars...

It's a shame. The dealers are shooting themselves in the toe with this - especially when they charge you £81 for the oil. What we need is a good availaibility of specialists. Anyone know any in the Midlands?

Update on my 10k service at Lexus Teesside:

Just had my 10k service done at Teesside and I really can't fault them - £170.56 all in, inc. wash and vac. New dealership only a year old and they took the car in and did the service immediately while I waited. Newcastle quoted me £240 so I had a look to see where the difference in price comes in.
It turns out the labour rate at Teesside is £65.75 per hour, whereas Newcastle is £112.50!. So there's £46.75 of the difference straight off. Newcastle also include a couple of things that aren't necessarily on the Lexus service schedule; they include an oil top up bottle (£8.79) and do a flush and fuel treatment (£26.32) whereas Teesside just do a fuel injection clean. Funnily enough Teesside are more expensive on oil by a tenner.

The service advisor commented that he'd had quite a few owners from the Newcastle area coming down to Teesside - with the difference in labour rates I'm not surprised.

lexus coventry use semi-synth on their services. am sure theres a lex specialist somewhere in tamworth. need to look for more info

80 quid (+vat no doubt) for a bit of oil *****, have they got their own North sea rig to run or something

I never use whatever the dealer wants. Always supply oil for them to use so as to avoid that fleecing.
Just been to the shop and bought the oil for my next service - 4.5 litre's @ £17.49
And if you want a top up the 1 litre pot is £5.99

I use Duckhams Q. That's their semi synthetic which used to be called 'QXR'
Used it for years in all the cars I've had after it cured a bad emulsifying problem with Castrol GTX - Struth that was rubbish.

Don't leave the garage to do (and charge the earth) for trivial jobs.
So, supply your own oil for them to use and any other parts you prefer - spark plugs for example.
Fill your washer bottle right up before giving the car to the garage.

TG

RUBISH!
Synth or semi-synth oil only mke a difference if used for longer periods of time and/or miles. The short chage of oil with the Lexus makes it possible to use semi-synth oil without any problem. The deterioration of the oil in 15000Km is small. I we where talking 20000 plus Km that could be a problem.

whats the 3 items u got there? thought the ow40 mobil was the engine oil? and whats the synthetic gear?



is that for the engine oil? dont know whether to bother doing it or just using what dealer gives. need to find out what viscosity the oil they used for my 10k service.

Yes its my own fault ,I was so pis-ed off with having to pay for front discs and pads I did not question ever item on the service bill- I think its either top up for transmission auto box or diff and the other is some kind of additive for the oil hmmm
I wonder if this is as per lexus Schedule for 20k service or somthing stealerships make up .

It looks like they think if you can afford a Lexus you pay with out question ?????

cheers

swager

It's for the diff - at 20k they drain and refill it.

had a clutch fitted in exeter lexus over xmas and technician topped up oil and fluids for free! musta been the crimbo spirit, though they are crap at ringing back when trying to make an appointment, one very sh ty e-mail later and it was booked in for clutch £395 all in full service is just over £220, which is due again if they ever contact me, it has been requested twice now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I do this, but unless I've specifically told them to leave it alone, I'm always charged for a top up. It's not just Lexus either....

The windscreen washer bottle one is a classic - they always charge you something approaching a squid. It all adds up.

With the Toyota's I had, they used a small new bottle of concentrated stuff, and left the remainder of the 500ml bottle for you in the car.

Made you feel a bit better...it was Toyota branded too. With the Audi, they did the same on the last service, and left me a free tin of mints, AA national UK roadmap and a brolly!! And it only cost £286 (after 22k - long life)! Seemed expensive then, but I'm just a tight git.

Had my 10 service done today at Teeside. £153 all in including LOC discount and a wash/hoover.

I was very pleased with the service and how they looked after me while I waited. When it came to pay I did ask the service guy why the prices quoted for service was different at different dealers. He showed me the Lexus price matrix on his computer - he puts the reg no/model in and it shows a matrix for service interval and age of vehicle. For example a 20k in the first year is different from 20k in second year because of the brake fluid being included. He said they use the Lexus standard time for all jobs.

This might explain some of the price difference although the local labour rate will also have a bearing.

While waiting I was chatting with a couple of other guys and one of them said he had a car that was coming up to end of warranty. The dealer had mailed him suggesting he bring it in for a thorough checkup and any corrective action. Nice touch I thought. Cynics could say it was a sales ploy but he was not under any pressure and it all seemed genuine care to me.

All in all a good experience :=)

Mine had a 20k service at Lexus Wolverhampton on Tuesday.

The total (after LOC discount @ 15%) came to £246.56, which I'm happy with.

Whereas I agree with (and am very pleased to see Lexus adopt a much more realistic oil change interval than the extended ones adopted by so many other manufacturers) the degredation of oil comment, I cannot agree with the other statement. For one thing, the level of protection on start up will be very different due to the actual make-up and viscosity of the semi-synth. over the fully synth. With modern engines being precise complex machines it is important they are properly lubcriated. Extended drain intervals aside, it is the properties o the fully synth. that make them better suited (I would say ideal) for use in these types of engines only.