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Independent Lexus specialist in London?


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Hello

Hope this finds you all safe and well.

Can anyone recommend a reputable and trustworthy independent Lexus specialist for maintenance / servicing in central(ish) London, please.

Ta 🙂 

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To the topic - I really don't know. For annual service I always used Lexus Dealers, their "essential service" cost is unbeatable value and keeps the "FLSH" tag if that is at all important (mandatory for extended warranty). What they not good for - for any ad-hoc work their hourly rates are just mental and makes it really uncompetitive.

So my tactic when owning older Lexus was always as follows:

  • Month before MOT take car to Lexus ~ every 12/14month or 10/12k miles for "annual" service. Ask them to inspect the car and drop few pointers on what I suspect is wrong (if anything).
  • Once they comeback with "health report" - pay strictly only the standard service fee (cheaper if you get 2 years service plan) and reject whatever else they identify e.g. tyres, brakes, ball-joins.
  • Then buy the parts online and either replace them myself (like fitting new brake disks or pads is 20 min job) or if I can't - take the car to closest independent garage give them parts and show them what exactly they need to do.
  • Then go and do MOT, which passed all the way to 192k miles (and probably beyond).

The independent garages I have used... I simply cannot recommend them, I would not trust them to work on putting two bricks on top of each other, never mind servicing my car without me watching. But they have the tools and with me watching and telling them what exactly to do and how to do it they are capable of doing the job. I probably don't give them enough credit they deserve as I am sure they are capable mechanics, but I just don't find them trustworthy - so my relationship with them was more like with friends: "let's grab few cans of beer and let's go figure out what is wrong with my car" sort of relationship. That said I prefer unbranded smaller garages, but void places like Kwik-fraud or Halfrauds as a plague (they are), although I found ATS trustworthy (but they are more expensive then Lexus) - I let them do my tyres thought.

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51 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

To the topic - I really don't know. For annual service I always used Lexus Dealers, their "essential service" cost is unbeatable value and keeps the "FLSH" tag if that is at all important (mandatory for extended warranty). What they not good for - for any ad-hoc work their hourly rates are just mental and makes it really uncompetitive.

So my tactic when owning older Lexus was always as follows:

  • Month before MOT take car to Lexus ~ every 12/14month or 10/12k miles for "annual" service. Ask them to inspect the car and drop few pointers on what I suspect is wrong (if anything).
  • Once they comeback with "health report" - pay strictly only the standard service fee (cheaper if you get 2 years service plan) and reject whatever else they identify e.g. tyres, brakes, ball-joins.
  • Then buy the parts online and either replace them myself (like fitting new brake disks or pads is 20 min job) or if I can't - take the car to closest independent garage give them parts and show them what exactly they need to do.
  • Then go and do MOT, which passed all the way to 192k miles (and probably beyond).

The independent garages I have used... I simply cannot recommend them, I would not trust them to work on putting two bricks on top of each other, never mind servicing my car without me watching. But they have the tools and with me watching and telling them what exactly to do and how to do it they are capable of doing the job. I probably don't give them enough credit they deserve as I am sure they are capable mechanics, but I just don't find them trustworthy - so my relationship with them was more like with friends: "let's grab few cans of beer and let's go figure out what is wrong with my car" sort of relationship. That said I prefer unbranded smaller garages, but void places like Kwik-fraud or Halfrauds as a plague (they are), although I found ATS trustworthy (but they are more expensive then Lexus) - I let them do my tyres thought.

Thanks for your reply.

Yep, in essence I think I'll do the same: Lexus Battersea for the basic service, and for any ad-hoc / 'extras' I'll use Stevens in Wanstead, which is a helluva schlep but I trust them 100% - they've looked after my various VAGs for the past 15 years. (They also supply tyres cheaper - eg, 18in Goodyear F1s were always £10 less per corner compared to Camskill, Blackcircles, et al.) 

Cheers 🙂

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