Is comparing a BMW to a Lexus or a Mercedes an apples to oranges comparison? BMW thinks so.

did you know lexus charges me over $200 for a oil change? I had to start taking the RX to EZ Lube but I still take the IS to Lexus, only to get riped off. That being said, my SLK350's oil change is $95 once every 12,000 miles and my Honda Accords is $21.99.

Lexus may have reliablilty, but when they are chargeing double for every service, maybe im paying for keeping my car alive an extra 50,000 miles. Has anyone done a study on how much a Lexus costs to run for 200,000 miles?

My 1991 LS400 needed new suspension after 10 years. That cost me 2 grand. The AC broke. To fix it, it cost me another grand. After that, I just sold the car and leased a new LS430 (2001). Turned out, I needed to change the brakes right before the lease ended. I ended up paying $600 for that.

Lexus's are expensive to maintain. Maybe they are not worth the extra reliablity. But ill still buy a new one for my dad, becuase he LOVES luxury and doesnt care too much about a sporty car. He just wants a car that he can not feel/hear anything. Lexus builds that car.

Take it to a Toyota dealership then. They charge less and are trained to handle Lexus.

i wouldnt bother getting oil changes at dealerships, their all a rippoff. they dont do anything different than those cheaper places but charge a fortune. just get them at those lube world places.

i still take my RX to the dealer. i also take my IS there. Its not 200 dollars for the oil dude, its inspection, its the customer service, its the loaner cars. factor that all in

Why don't you just take it to a Toyota dealer or any local shop? Most of thier models are the same as a Toyota. For example, your RX is like the Highlander. As for the IS300 is like the Supra non turbo. I used to have GS300 and SC400. I have mechanics at my dealer do all the services without any problem. The only thing that I notice is the timing belt for the GS300 is a little different than the Supra eventhough they have the same exact engine. As for maintenance wise, it should be the same.

Hahahaha you get ripped off,Good thing I'm a factory trained Toyota and Lexus technician,it cost me about $3 dollars to due my oil change,which is the cost of the Toyota oil filter..

funny thing about taking it to EZ lube. I took it there last week and i guess the guy didnt really know what he was doing so he broke one of the hoses and didnt even tell me. So i took it home, had hte check engine light come on, had to take it to a lexus dealer and paid $150 to get it fixed. Then, i had to fight with EZ lube to cover the cost of the repair.

As for Lexus charges more the loaner car, customer service, etc. MB gives me a loner car and great customer service at half the price. Lexus rips people off because it can. One day, it will catch up to them and they will face the same fate as GM.

You should be taking your glorified toyota to the toyota dealership, as your local dealership probably stocks the same cars, just with toyota badges on them... or at least the exact same components.

LexusKindaGuy, the LOANER cars?! I pa under $100 for oil on my S4 and A3, and I usually get new A4 or A6 loaners; when my wife puts in the RX, not only is the oil expensive, but she usually gets something like a 2001 ES300.

then i suggest going to a different dealer. i have gotten 2007 ES350's and 2007 RX350s with nav. lol

p.s. its not really 200 dollars, he was exagerating. when i got in for just oil changes, at its cheapest time, its like $168

I seriously cannot see how Toyota and Lexus can suffer the same fate as GM, as long as they copy the dumbest business move by GM and the other American Auto makers when they started to offer the Employee Discount on Cars. That is why GM is in so much trouble, more so Chrysler and Ford, who copied they afterwards. It may have gotten sales, but They still losts loads.

MAYBE if GM and ford and Chrysler started to charge for service like Toyota/Lexus then all those cars they sold during that "idiotic promo period" can recoup their losses.

it is not free service. Everyone is forced to buy it in the price of the car/

If you came in to my dealership and I tried to sell you an Audi. Then said "you have to pay $1,000 more because I am forcing you to buy a Service Contract" You would leave and probably call the Better Business.

it is not Free it is included in the price

BMW offers a great deal of convenience with it's free service . It's too bad that one has to make an appointment to make an appointment in some areas. Beyond the dollar savings one must also compare the level of customer service .

I'm not saying that BMW service is poor , but I am saying that to only compare one aspect (cost) is not the entire picture .


My opinion is that I would rather pay and have the better service but will always opt for what I feel is the better car regardless of service or cost .

In conclusion --I feel that the advertisement would work great with more economical car but at least for me if I am going to buy or lease an expensive car a 1700 cost savings over a three year period will not sway me in or out of a certain vehicle purchase.

As for myself --I have owned both MB and BMW .

Actually I prefer an appointment, makes the in and out much faster.

it's a very nice plus.

except for tires, i've spent exactly $0 on my leased BMWs.

and appointments are very easy to get and efficient. every time i've dropped the car off in the morning and gotten it back at the end of the business day.

Brake pads and rotors are covered, unlike 90% of the other makers who specifically exclude them.

Free oil changes on their own are almost meaningless. I took a 4-year lease on a new A6 Quattro from Audi Canada in 2004 only because of what they called Audi Advantage. This covered not only free scheduled maintenance but also a number of important warranty aspects not covered by the standard warranty. All that plus a 0.96% lease rate. For me that was a no-brainer: all I have to do is drive it and Audi looks after me until 2008. A lease rate of under 1% is virtually free use of Audi's money. I definitely would not have done business with Audi without those advantageous provisions because of costly experiences with Audi cars back in the eighties. BTW, Audi has come a long way since then in terms of luxury and reliability and I put the A6 ahead of the current C-Class and BMW's 3 and maybe even the 5. I have yet to see the 2008 C-Class so the jury is still out on that one. I absolutely swear by the excellent performance of Audi's Torsen-center-differential AWD system in winter storms.

Yes, why would you?

And why would you base your perception of the Audi brand on their cars of the '80s? Any car guy knows how far they've come since then. In the '80s, I would've never considered an Audi over my fun little 900 Turbo, but in 2000, after I drove the A6 2.7T for the first time, I realized how great they really were. It's not even a comparison, then and now. The fact that they're fighting with Mercedes-Benz and BMW on the podium of best-selling luxury car in the world just proves my point.

the rate was probably 0.00096 but slang people cay 9.6

when you times 0.00096 x 2400 that is your apr 2.034%

No problem there either. I just keep mine in a gas can and recycle it when I go to the auto parts store for my next oil change. Or, give it to the neighbor who owns an oil burning heater.

sure, bmw may have a free maitenance program, but they probably wouldnt take care of the stuff they should. Its an oil change every like 15,000 miles, when lexus does it at 5K. Im not saying its necessary at 5K, but 15K is probably a bit long.

Also, factor in the cost of a bmw over a lexus. Your basically paying for that "free maintenance program"

Nope. European cars have had long oil changes for a long time. It is better for the environment.

But, ever heard of "built in"

so Lexus charges $200 for an oil service and you have to do it every 5000 miles? If that's the case how can you possibly argue against maintenance being included as a good deal?

Nothing is for free, but as I have proven in the past the MSRP cost saving on the Lexus doesn't amount to much if the BMW has a better lease deal.

here's how it works.

EVERYTHING is covered except tires. this includes rotors, brake pads, winshield wipers, fluids, you name it.

furthermore, you get as many oil changes as you need based on your driving habits. every time you start a BMW an indicator tells you how many miles to service based on how you drive. i drive hard, so i typically go in for brake pads/oil change every 7k miles. ALL COVERED.

sewingmachine:those so called express lube are not even trained to do a routine oil change,they always leave drain plugs loose,their cheap oil filters always leak, and they never inflate your tires to the factory specs,which is on the decal on the side to the door.We have had many blown up engines due to improper oil changes,one case was that the forgot to add oil,the customer had to pay for half of the repair and the lube place paid the other half,just thought I'd let you guys know the service is never the same as the dealer!!

Yo, I get the same thing with Audi, free oil changes and all that maintenance, so what the big fus about BMW? Even the brakes are included in maintenance. And of course any warranty repairs. And I get free car washes any time I want .. just stop by any Audi dealer in my area.

what area is this?

i also used to get free car washes, but since my dealersip had an arguement with the car wash service over what the dealership was billed, there is no more free car washes.

i knew when the car wash service started crushing my ticket for car wash, instead of putting it on the stick as they always did, that something was going on, i mean how could anyone keep track? well the dealership was overbilled and no more car washes!

I haven't paid a dime on service for any of my BMWs...but when I had my Acura, it was pretty cheap./

I'll second that. I have an Acura and the recommended oil change is at 10k miles. Last time I went it was about $32.

Your list line gave it away: these are US ads.

Believe me, Mercedes-Benz and Audi keep BMW up at night, when you're talking about worldwide sales. They are so close that to split their sales is like splitting hairs.

I own a 3 series and let me tell you, I am glad it has this free maintenance. Was a definate plus. Did it sway me one way or the other when I was shopping, not really. Their cars did that for me. But it is nice to not be paying out all thos maintenance costs...I didn't get rich by blowing my money like I have it coming off a tree in the backyard. Now it's just extra cash I have in the bank for when I go on a vacation!

let me tell u what the biggest difference is between Audi and BMW: Suppose your a technican in Germany and u need to fix cars, so then u need supplies and/or equipment. The difference is when you go to a BMW factory...you will find "BMW" parts in a "BMW" box, however when u go to an Audi factory you will find "Audi" parts in a "Volkswagon" box! With this being said, the same can be said about Lexus!

And I'm sure you've been to the factory, where they took Audi parts out of a VW box?

Did you know that the only Audi product that is 100% based on a VW is the A3? And do you know how good the A3 is with DSG?

The A3 is structurally a VW yes, but 100% is a bit too far.

I pay $0 for oil changes, wiper blades, brakes, inspections for 4 years with my BMWs. I never keep them past the warranty period, so I am never out any additional $$$. I also get a BMW as a loaner car while mine is in for free service. Peace of mind....ahhhhhhh.

When paying for your overpriced BMW, you already pay your service fees. But the term "free" does make some people feel better. ^0^

supra:

actually, many BMWs are less expensive to LEASE than the lexus counterparts.
for example, the 3-series has a higher residual than the IS, and combined with free service, it's actually less to drive a 328i than an IS250.

so it comes down to what matters to you: handling/performance equals BMW, lexus equals luxury amenities.

It really is a matter of the customer service you receive. My last three cars have been a BMW 530i, a Mercedes CLK430 and a Lexus IS350. I'm in north suburban Chicago. The difference is astounding. Here, the average wait time for an appointment with a loaner at either the BMW or the MB dealers averaged 3 weeks and if you hadn't bought the car at that dealer - you were SOL. In addition, you were treated as though you should be honored to be having your car services by them. The Lexus dealer always has loaners available whenever it's convenient for me and I'm treated like someone who actually is valued. And don't think you don't pay for the maintenance one way or another. They aren't in the business of losing money.

This free maintenance isn't really 'free'. I just leased my 535i, and when you look at the whole picture, it makes more sense. It appears that BMW intentionally built their latest vehicles extremely well as to be virtually problem free so they don't really need to serviced that often. Also, You don't get an oil change until 15,000 miles. So for a standard 36 month lease, you only get 2 oil changes. When you further factor in the premium price they charge for a car over their Japanese counterparts, you've in a sense 'paid for' the extra quality. Everything else is covered by warranty. And also, tires are NOT included in the free service. So, it's a good selling tool, but we all know nothing is really 'free'. On the flip side, it's nice to be able to drive in a BMW these days and not have to worry about the traditional high costs of a German automobile.

Our Toyota/Lexus/GM/Mitsubishi/Suzuki dealerships over here overprice and the service isnt even great.I heard Nissan/Renault also has expensive service and doesnt do anything for extra. I am not sure abt the Daimler Chrysler/Subaru/Porsche/Peaguot dealer. While the FoMoCo/VW has phenomenal service which is not that expensive and that do go the extra mile it has the longest warranty on the island with free paint touch ups and inspection. This is on SXM

To my understanding, you have to fork up all sorts of admin fees, security deposits, pay for pdi, freight, etc....with a plus, plus, plus. Just to get into any BMW, from the sounds of it, you have already paid the free maintenance program...just when it sounds to good to be true, it probably ain't.

I have 2 mb's (s430 and an ml320) and 1 BMW (328 cab) and even though I have to pay for it, the MB service wins hands-down. Maintanance on these cars is much simpler than it used to be but every MB service rep has had a much higher level of knowledge and professionalism than their BMW counterpart.

The BMW service reps were not all that knowledgable, on the margin compared to MB.

Like I'm sure it's been mentioned, it's not "free" they just bundle it in with the price of the car. Take all the other manufacturers they mention, add all the options necessary to make the cars equally optioned, including any optional maintenance packages which all makes carry, then re-tally the totals. I'm sure BMW wouldn't want you seeing that number.

Free maintenance is a huge advantage over others and I having owned 5 bimmers I'm also a bit surprised that everyone talks only about oil changes. The brake job I had recently done on my X5 was over $1400 (BMW replaces all rotors as well as pads). My cost: $0. I did not buy BMW because of the free maintenance, but it's nice to know it's there.

Audi dropping their program definitely had an influence in sending me to the BMW dealership.

ricemaster:

"dumb enough" to buy a BMW?
just because people value different attributes in a car doesn't make them idiots.
i wouldn't call a lexus fan an idiot for liking soft leather and luxury amentities as lexus does those things well.

ricemaster:

and here's how BMW free maintenance works. you're mistaken in your assumptions....

EVERYTHING is covered except tires. this includes rotors, brake pads, winshield wipers, fluids, you name it.

furthermore, you get as many oil changes as you need based on your driving habits. every time you start a BMW an indicator tells you how many miles to service based on how you drive. i drive hard, so i typically go in for brake pads/oil change every 7k miles. ALL COVERED.

Is that English? Your comment does not make sense.

I'm on my 3rd M car and believe me, the way I drive, I don't want to worry about "normal wear and tear" items breaking at 5 times the normal rate, like they do on these Mercedes & Lexus. Mercedes does not build their cars as sturdy as they used to. When I buy my BMW, I know what my cost of ownership will be and no surprises no matter what I do.

The last car I owned (prior to my M3) was a '03 M5 and I drove it like it was stolen every day and no problems. Two sets of brakes $1300 each, 3 oil changes, 7 sets of rear tires over 32k miles. That would have costed me 3-grand for brakes and 500 in oil changes, which are wear items, all covered (not the tires). And free BMW loaners to drive.

The BMW maintenance program is fantastic. It shows that BMW stands behind their cars. The M-cars hold up. Believe me, I drive the piss out of them and I've yet to have something break. Rock friggin solid, and that's how BMW can afford to do the maintenance on them in the price. They build them well in the first place.

ricemaster:

STOP misquoting how the free maintenance works. clearly you've never owned a BMW.

WRONG....BMWCCA hosts track day events and some BMW dealers install DINAN performance parts with full warranties. BMWs are designed to be driven hard, unlike your '89 Honda Civic DX with EX badges....LOL! Stick to making comments on what you know best...Hondas.

Let me also add that my E55 AMG that I owned fell apart with hard driving that I gave it. I got those rotors so hot the pistons would freeze up they made me pay for new calipers. A rear strut broke, had to argue with them to fix it under warrantee. The most expensive item was the $1800 rear diff (not limited slip, mind you) that I had to escalate to MBUSA and didn't get my money back for six months and until I wrote letters to the CEO. Total Pain in the ass.

BMW is the way to go.

The Lexus SC400 I had back in '96 was a nice car, but would not handle the "spirited driving", worse than the Mercedes. The brakes would easily warp. At $400 a pair, it got old real quick, and a hard stop at 120 MPH would warp them in one swoop. I also took an IS350 out on a test drive and warped the rotors. What the hell?

Who wants to worry about this stuff. With BMW, you don't have to worry because a) It probably won't ever break, and if it does, they stand by it.

Having this maintenance program makes the enjoyment of driving a BMW much more because when you DRIVE HARD you don't feel you wallet wincing in pain.

Yup, Ricemaster, you should go buy a clue and get some education on how the BMW maintenance program works.

Hell, read my post. I received two brake services, THREE oil changes. And it's not always driven by mileages - there is a "good oil" sensor that can tell if the oil is getting crap in it faster than it should. I got mine changed in 9-10k intervals because I was apparently driving an M car the way it was supposed to be driven.

My service technician gave me a pat on the back and said "It's always great to see people drive these cars they way they want to be driven".

Loved my BMW maintenance when I had my 3 series coupe on lease last year. Would never keep a BMW beyond the service warranty though. For leases, it's always BMW. For purchase, I go Lexus and have it maintained at a certified Toyota repair shop.

Although I do agree, the parts that are genuine Lexus are no cheaper than BMW/MB. What I like is the overall build quality, so I don't have to take it in for the petty items.

Sweet. Now we are finally arguing about oil changes.

What's next, the great autospies.com ashtray debate?

It is possible to talk about cars without constantly arguing about them.

Time=Money
Why in the h-e-double hockey sticks would I want to spend my free time in the garage trying to change my oil/pads & rotors/windshield wiper blades/belts/filters, when I could be spending that time with my family. We work to enjoy cars like this and provide for our family. I love cars too but I've got plenty of better things to do when not at work. Some of us aren't 20 years old anymore.....ah the good ol days of changing the carb on my 66'

By the way.....my Grandmother loves her Lexus. In fact, I think that all grandmothers love Lexus. No drama, no excitement....."Go straight, turn right, not too fast, nice and easy".

Time=Money.

Ricemaster=Idiot.