2013 Lexus GS 350 Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

2013 Lexus GS 350 Long-Term Road Test

We took our long term 2013 Lexus GS 350 in for its 20,000-mile service. Here's how it went down.

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reminder

It's a wonder anybody other than millionaires can live in CA. The labor rate is double of what dealers charge where I am.
Ridiculous. They're not curing cancer, they're turning wrenches & reading computer analysis.

bassrockerx

Minimum wage there is 16 dollars an hour so im guessing the mechanics are getting paid 30 dollars an hour or more so when you figure about 100 dollars over labor cost most shops charge that is pretty close

noburgers

not that much more expensive than a Hyundai dealer--the oil changes are generally reasonable but you get nailed for cabin and air filters. so I change my own filters. I'm curious if they broke down the parts charges what they charged you for washer fluid--it's odd that they charge for an item that is considered part of the oil change routine as a top-off

noburgers

p.s. these dealerships have high overhead to pay--you are essentially paying for all those bells and whistles and the real estate it sits on

fordson1

7.6 quarts of 0W-20 should be around $60. Oil filter is $6.50 for a good one, air filter $24 for a good one, cabin air $15 for a good one. Cabin filter replaced through back of glovebox, with no tools required. So you could get the parts for say $110...not too bad, but the labor is ridiculous. In a fully-equipped shop with a lift - you change both air filters while the oil is draining - should be no more than half an hour all told.

desmolicious

bassrockerx, min wage in CA is $8/hr

desmolicious

edmunds, it would be interesting if you called other dealerships in the area to compare prices. Then we can really see if the prices are out of whack. Maybe some in the valley and in Long Beach?

schen72

desmolicious, minimum wage can also vary by city. In San Francisco and San Jose, minimum wage is $10/hour.

desmolicious

schen, fair comment but in San Mon it is $8/hr.
jobs like oil changes are given to the bottom of the rung mechs, so maybe they are making $10/hr. Same for changing the filters. It's maybe a 30 minute job for the entire service.

It still would be interesting to see what the other dealers charge outside west LA.

p.s this same service (including tire rotation, not including cabin filter) is $24.95 (with coupon) at my Jeep dealership in Orange County (south of LA) for my 2012 Wrangler Rubicon. While of course it is not the same car it has very similar electronics and OBD systems and the checklist is just the same.

It's crazy how expectations of service cost are tagged to the perceived sophistication of the vehicles.

yellowbal

You don't get Toyota Care with the Lexus?

hoseclamp

you guys seriously need to start using your 2 post lift and rockauto.com, and save yourselves some money.