Prepaid Maintenance (1 Viewer)

[Mainelexus]

Simply telling you per the conversation that I had with my salesperson, it is 10% less based upon today's pricing. I spoke with the extended warranty guy on this site, who can't offer it because he is toyota, and that is a lexus thing, but he said, the only place that it makes sense is in highly metropolitan areas, like New York City with astronomical labor rates. I would really double check your calculations with the service department to make sure, you may be correct, but at least in Maine that is what it is.

 

[Bluegill]

Understood. I was told by the dealer that the services through 75k miles would add up to over $9k at today's pricing. They showed me a draft service schedule with pricing and I quickly added up the totals to over $9k. Then I put together my own table with intervals and approximate pricing based on conversations with 2 service managers at 2 local dealers and I came up to $9k. Either way, I am covered.

Oh, and I actually bought my extended warranty through Midwest Toyota in Kansas.

LOL, it would appear that different dealers tell different customers different things!

 

[Mainelexus]

Understood. I was told by the dealer that the services through 75k miles would add up to over $9k at today's pricing. They showed me a draft service schedule with pricing and I quickly added up the totals to over $9k. Then I put together my own table with intervals and approximate pricing based on conversations with 2 service managers at 2 local dealers and I came up to $9k. Either way, I am covered.

Oh, and I actually bought my extended warranty through Midwest Toyota in Kansas.

LOL, it would appear that different dealers tell different customers different things!

He can offer extended warranties, just not the prepaid service contracts.

 

[Bluegill]

He can offer extended warranties, just not the prepaid service contracts.

10-4, I misunderstood, thought you were talking about extended warranties

 

[luxpow]

I paid 3k total.
2k for prepaid maintenance of 4yr/40k miles
1k for windshield warranty for 6yrs

Not sure if its a fair deal or if I got ripped.

 

[WhiteShark78]

Just received this from my dealer as my GX is sitting in the port.... I'm considering the prepaid maintenance since I do about 20k-30k of driving per year. I'm trading a 21 4Runner with 98K on it.... What are everyone's thoughts on the other plans (simoniz, wheel protection etc)...


The pricing is based on terms. I would recommend this if you are planning on keep the vehicle longer than 4 years. Your basic warranty is 48 months, 50K miles. This starts the day you purchase the car and will also fill in some of the gaps of the basic warranty (like tech issues.) Pricing is based on how long but the max for the coverage is 120month, 150K . What is nice about the plan is it also covers roadside assistance, rental car and lodging if you are traveling and if you get your repairs here at the dealership there is no out of pocket deductible. I sent you a link that you can see the pricing and the terms on. There is a way to finance this as well at 0% interest which is explained below.

https://www.cnanational.com/brochure-vsc-9226

This is the multishield. 60 month coverage for $1809. It has the tire and wheel coverage in it (which is $1334 for 60 months just for that coverage) - this is the biggest coverage in the plan and worth it since a rim replacement with a tire is about $1800. If you have a blow out or damage your rim - they will replace both at no charge - unlimited claims for the 5 years. That also includes curb rash if someone scrapes your wheels. It keeps your investment looking new.
https://production-prodigy-cdn-782149192491-us-east-1.s3.amazonaws.com/brochures/lexus-lehigh-valley/CFTDWK+Legal+Laminate.pdf

This one is Simoniz. Good for the lifetime of the vehicle. $996 is the cost. If you can't get it clean and we can't simoniz will replace or repair the part for as long as you own the car. If you purchase a protection plan (the VSA) and multishield you get this one complimentary on us. It is an application that can be done and is great if you have pets or children (or just messy friends).

https://prodigy-cdn.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/brochures/lexus-lehigh-valley/Simoniz.BenefitSheet.pdf

We do offer a way to purchase these plans without adding it to your loan - it is an internal payment plan with the dealership. You out 10% down and then break up the payments over the course of half the term on a debit or credit card on file. There is 0% interest on the payment plans.

 

[Bluegill]

$1334 for wheel & tire coverage

True, if you ram a curb and destroy your wheel & tire, it's going to be expensive getting them replaced at the dealer. But look at the current market - you can pick up a full set of 5 nearly-new Overtrail wheels and tires for $1200. The dealer would probably charge you over $4000 for a full set of 5 wheels and tires.

And how many times have you rammed a curb and destroyed your wheel & tire? Maybe if you're in an actual car accident, but then you are bringing in insurance companies and this extra warranty coverage is probably a moot point.

I could see using the coverage to frequently repair curb rash that my wife seems to enjoy inflicting on wheels, but it's not so much an issue with my GX as A) my wife doesn't drive it, and B) the larger tires generally protect you from curb rash. Wheels also frequently get rock hits off-road and you could probably use the coverage to repair this, but it kind of comes with the territory and a little black touch-up paint usually takes care of it.

The $996 Simoniz exterior and interior stain coverage may be worth it if your parking space is under a pine tree full of birds taking Exlax and you frequently puke all over your interior, but I don't see the value.

 

[YellowLab]

I was going to post a thread on this - so glad it's out here. I was offered bumper to bumper extended to 8 years 75K for $2415, or on the Maintenance prepay to 5yrs/50K for $2260 - both seem very attractively priced.

Any thoughts? I typically keep cars 7-10 years

 

[offroad]

I most probably won't buy a prepaid maintenance plan but just curious what is considered a good price for 50K mile/5 year plan, any idea? This would be 8 visits after the complimentary service. Thanks!

Greetings fellow GXters, finally my new GX is coming to the dealer this week., as many do I'm searching for repaid maintenance and extended warranty., My dealer is offering 4y/50k prepaid maintenance for $2195 - since I'm not sure I'll keep the car longer than the original warranty I guess this is a good deal., Any feedback ??

 

[offroad]

I most probably won't buy a prepaid maintenance plan but just curious what is considered a good price for 50K mile/5 year plan, any idea? This would be 8 visits after the complimentary service. Thanks!

Never sure about this prepaid programs., one can change the oil at any jiffy lube, air filters are a no brain to change., rotation at Costco, and spare plugs last many many years,...

 

[RetiredSteelWorker]

I prepaid maintenance for 6 years or 75,000 miles. My reasoning was partly to pay it now and not worry about it as time goes by but mainly to pay 2024 pricing for service into the year 2030. Pricing for Lexus dealership service isn't going to go down over the years.

To address your comments above:

The prepaid maintenance plan is fully transferable to a new owner.

The plan is good at any dealership. For example, I bought my GX way across town at the dealer in Peoria, AZ because they had a GX available. I'll be doing all the service at the Scottsdale dealership a couple miles from my house.

In pricing Prepaid Maintenance plans this week*, I note a small detail has changed. The plans max out at five years -- with 50k, 75k, or 90k miles limits -- but there is nothing beyond that, no six year options. This matches the brochure they gave me when I purchased a few months ago, it shows max five years.

Based on numbers you posted elsewhere, and my own questions at different dealers, I still think the plans are a very good deal. Although I would have been interested in a 6 yr/75k plan.

*Lexus plans, not third party.

 

[RetiredSteelWorker]

Reopening this older thread to ask a specific question.

Has anyone gotten to any of the 15k, 30k, 45k mile service, or the 30k pr 60k mile service, and had the front or rear differential oil (15/30/45....), or the automatic transmission or transfer case oil (30/60/90...) actually replaced and covered by prepaid maintenance?

Noting that the scheduled maintenance list, from the Warranty Guide copied below, shows "I" for inspect rather than "R" for replace for these service intervals I'm questioning if the cost to replace is fully covered, or does the prepaid maintenance plan only cover the "I" Inspection and one pays out of pocket for actual Replace work?

I thought I knew this, e.g., was expecting these specific fluid changes to be fully covered when I bought a plan, but after overhearing a conversation while in my dealer's service-writing area today I'm not so sure. I'm only at 10k miles, and wondering what might happen at 15 and 30 and beyond.

 

[rocksallday]

I don't fully trust the dealer as far as diff/t-case fluids. ATF is "lifetime" (10-12 years).
There is no simple 'inspect' that tells if it needs replacing unless it's very obviously horribly bad. If they open the drain plug it drains. If they open the cover it drains. If they just open the fill cap, what can they tell?
You'll never see anything on the t-case. You might see something on the diffs after deep water crossing.
Either way, oils are the most common, easiest simplest thing that any shop will do no matter where they are. This is the easiest thing to do outside of a dealer.

You'll also notice "Lubricate propeller shaft" every 15K and I can guarantee you no one even looked at the shaft at my 15K service. I know because I greased it myself and it was squeaky clean on the outside with old manufacturing grease coming out of the U-Joints. They are also very unlikely to touch it if you have aftermarket skid plates as it may limit their access.

My only real concern now looking at this table you posted is "Spark plugs" every 40K. Someone posted a dealer cost saying the 40K service is $750, but my wife just had a 30K service on her UX300 (corolla hybrid) and that was $900 for just an oil change, brake fluid and filters. I'm sure we'll be way north of $1K for plugs at the dealer. Modern cars are a b*tch when it comes to plugs.

While at it, I can also mention that when my wife got to the dealer for the 30K service (today), the dealer said $900 for this "big" service, or she can prepay 2 years for "just" $1100. So you can "prepay" even after owning the car for a couple of years if you think it's right for you.

 

[GR8Santini]

Reopening this older thread to ask a specific question.

Has anyone gotten to any of the 15k, 30k, 45k mile service, or the 30k pr 60k mile service, and had the front or rear differential oil (15/30/45....), or the automatic transmission or transfer case oil (30/60/90...) actually replaced and covered by prepaid maintenance?

Noting that the scheduled maintenance list, from the Warranty Guide copied below, shows "I" for inspect rather than "R" for replace for these service intervals I'm questioning if the cost to replace is fully covered, or does the prepaid maintenance plan only cover the "I" Inspection and one pays out of pocket for actual Replace work?

I thought I knew this, e.g., was expecting these specific fluid changes to be fully covered when I bought a plan, but after overhearing a conversation while in my dealer's service-writing area today I'm not so sure. I'm only at 10k miles, and wondering what might happen at 15 and 30 and beyond.

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Think twice about these packages. My warning is the Lexus service schedule shouldn’t necessarily be your gospel.

The engine oil & filter is the big one. Oil changes every 10K miles on a V35A - no thank you! You bought an off-road vehicle that is inherently, for its intended designed use, to be severe duty service - 4LO, towing, etc. That service schedule you’re considering is not how many of us use these vehicles. Need engine, AT, diffs, xfer case, coolant fluids all changed at much lower mileage intervals from severe duty use. Do your due diligence.

These are expensive vehicles to keep maintained over normal Toyota/Lexus vehicles.

 

[Bluegill]

I had mine in for the 30k service and I was a bit perturbed to learn upon picking it up that they didn't change the diff fluid. I haven't scrutinized the maintenance schedules lately but I thought diff and transfer case fluids were on the 30k list. As I was checking out I asked the rep how the fluids looked and he said I didn't need the diffs and transfer case changed because I don't tow. He said they'd do it at the 35k service - I expressed my displeasure and this was his response. I'll have the maintenance schedule with me at 35k and make sure it's all done to my satisfaction. I'm on the prepaid plan and I pay out of pocket for oil changes every off-cycle 5k.

 

[RetiredSteelWorker]

Think twice about these packages. My warning is the Lexus service schedule shouldn’t necessarily be your gospel.

The engine oil & filter is the big one. Oil changes every 10K miles on a V35A - no thank you! You bought an off-road vehicle that is inherently, for its intended designed use, to be severe duty service - 4LO, towing, etc. That service schedule you’re considering is not how many of us use these vehicles. Need engine, AT, diffs, xfer case, coolant fluids all changed at much lower mileage intervals from severe duty use. Do your due diligence.

These are expensive vehicles to keep maintained over normal Toyota/Lexus vehicles.

Maybe I misread this but the way it's written seems to imply if one gets a prepaid maintenance plan then one will stick to the Lexus maintenance intervals. That's just not so.

I have a plan and I already did an oil change st 500, 1k, 2.5k, 5k and 7.5 k miles, one reason being so I can see the trends in Blackstone analysis reports. Just had the 10k mile change done at a dealer. I think I'll do 5k, or maybe 3.3k and 6.6k, myself between the 10k changes under the plan.

These prepaid plans are an easy choice even if only factoring for the time value of money. Specific Inflation on OEM parts and dealership labor rates, tariffs, international shipping, blah blah blah are another factor. Everything in this says pay now for things that will cost more in the future.

 

[RetiredSteelWorker]

I had mine in for the 30k service and I was a bit perturbed to learn upon picking it up that they didn't change the diff fluid. I haven't scrutinized the maintenance schedules lately but I thought diff and transfer case fluids were on the 30k list. As I was checking out I asked the rep how the fluids looked and he said I didn't need the diffs and transfer case changed because I don't tow. He said they'd do it at the 35k service - I expressed my displeasure and this was his response. I'll have the maintenance schedule with me at 35k and make sure it's all done to my satisfaction. I'm on the prepaid plan and I pay out of pocket for oil changes every off-cycle 5k.

Thanks, this is exactly what I want to hear about, actual experience at 30k, 40k, ... 60k mile intervals.

I suspect few people have gotten to 60k or 75K more yet (that would be what, 30k miles a year?), and the combination of anyone having done so, and having a prepaid plan, and watching and posting in here is going to be slim to none.

I'm going to expand the scope of the question in this, to also question if brake pad replacement is included, or does the plan only cover the "I" for inspect?

I assumed plans did cover this brake pad work (in addition to the tran fluids) because I did something similar to what you wrote up elsewhere on here, I walked into a dealer service office and asked for actual service costs, "I'm thinking of buying a new GX 550, can you look up the cost of major service work on this platform?" They didn't hesitate, the two big ones were $1800 and $1200, those two alone were more than the cost of 5 yr/50k mile plan.

 

[GR8Santini]

Maybe I misread this but the way it's written seems to imply if one gets a prepaid maintenance plan then one will stick to the Lexus maintenance intervals. That's just not so.

I have a plan and I already did an oil change st 500, 1k, 2.5k, 5k and 7.5 k miles, one reason being so I can see the trends in Blackstone analysis reports. Just had the 10k mile change done at a dealer. I think I'll do 5k, or maybe 3.3k and 6.6k, myself between the 10k changes under the plan.

These prepaid plans are an easy choice even if only factoring for the time value of money. Specific Inflation on OEM parts and dealership labor rates, tariffs, international shipping, blah blah blah are another factor. Everything in this says pay now for things that will cost more in the future.

Agree, you can add on whatever you want in service intervals in between what you paid for. If you cannot do the services yourself, your plan might be a good idea for preventing maintenance cost increases. Just fair warning many people will follow the owners manual for service intervals - they argue on this forum all the time that Toyota knows best. One of Lexus/Toyota priorities in a maintenance interval is to market an overall reduced maintenance cost vs. competitors. That might not be in your best interest. You follow that factory interval & good chance you're going to run into troubles.

The GX is a maintenance hog with AWD, diffs, xfer case, turbo intercoolers, etc. that need much more care in between if it is used as intended off road.

 

[franchise]

We just cancelled our prepaid service plan (within 30 days so 100% was refunded) The GX is my wifes car and she barely does 5k miles a year. The plan would have expired before we hit any of the major milestones and should be cheaper paying for the services out of pocket.

 

[Bluegill]

...Toyota knows best. One of Lexus/Toyota priorities in a maintenance interval is to market an overall reduced maintenance cost vs. competitors. That might not be in your best interest. You follow that factory interval & good chance you're going to run into troubles.

Toyota is also in the business of selling you more Toyotas - if the 10k oil change interval turns out to be a bust, then step right this way, we have a fancy new model right here and we'll give you a number one customer deal!