It's not just the Cadillac Dealer

[jschunke]

It's not just the Cadillac dealers picking our

pockets.

The Lexus dealer just took $600 from my

dad to diagnose the "check engine" light,

and replace two measly oxygen sensors.

Each sensor $186, plus $200 tip. That can

buy a lot of Craftsman tools.

[MAC]

What year and model Lexus?

[Ranger]

So much for the reliable, inexpensive maintanence on the Lexus.

[jschunke]

"What year and model Lexus?"

It's a '93 LS400 with 135k mi. He took it off my

hands in 2001 with 100k mi. It's still running on

the original spark plugs, and other than new wires

and cap (another half-grand donation) that's

all he's put into repairs. Oh, it can't sit more

than a week without draining the battery, but the

dealer insists there's nothing wrong.

[MAC]

Well, it appears your dad paid a premium for the oxygen sensors. I checked rockauto.com and the highest priced sensor was about $103. And $200 for diagnosis and labor sounds high, especially when the diagnosis was probably just a matter of reading codes. This is the typical problem with going to dealers—when you pick the car up it may be fixed but at the same time it feels like you’ve just been robbed. If you feel the price is too high then perhaps you should check pricing with other dealers to see if the dealer that made the diagnosis and repairs is in the same ballpark.

[thu]

I remember pulling up to a self-serve gas pump at night. The guy on the other side of the pump pulled up in a new Lexus LS400. He was an elderly gentleman; he looked like he was retired. This was back in 1996 or so. I was fueling my 93 Deville. We got to chatting and after a while, he leaned over to me and said, "you know, this car ain't worth sixty thousand". I think he may have been a bit envious of the 93 Deville's good looks and relatively inexpensive cost. I know he knew that it doesn't cost near as much to maintain a Caddy as it does a Lexus.

[tjtjwdad]

"... you know, this car ain't worth sixty thousand ... "

Don't ya' just love all the cynical SOB's that are out there ... especially those that drive a Lexus.

Jim

[jschunke]

Most Lexus owners are brainwashed into belieiving

it's the quietest car ever. Truth is the road noise is

horrendous - that's why I dumped it. The more

intelligent Lexus owners will tell you right off, if

you want quiet get a Lincoln or Caddy.

[thu]

Most Lexus owners are brainwashed into belieiving it's the quietest car ever. Truth is the road noise is horrendous - that's why I dumped it. The more intelligent Lexus owners will tell you right off, if you want quiet get a Lincoln or Caddy.

I think this goes to show us that the marketing departments at the foreign makes are very effective. GM should sit up and pay attention.