Mark: Hi, it’s Mark from Top Local, we’re here with Bernie Pawlik, Pawlik Automotive
in Vancouver, Vancouver’s favourite auto service experience, 16, 17, how many times
is it now Bernie?
Bernie: 17
Mark: Seventeen time winners of Best in Vancouver, how you doing today Bernie?
Bernie: Really well.
Mark: So let’s talk about Lexus vehicles.
How reliable are Lexus?
Bernie: Well in a nutshell, very reliable.
There’s not a lot that goes wrong with them.
They have a very good reputation.
If you look at consumers reports and other reporting services for years and years and
years, Lexus comes out on top for best reliability and lowest maintenance costs so they’re
excellent vehicles in that respect.
Mark: So Lexus is the premium brand of Toyota, so how similar are they to Toyota?
Bernie: Well, in many ways they are very similar, although certainly they’re much more luxurious.
So the interior fitments, you know the options in Lexus vehicles are definitely higher than
Toyota’s.
The Toyota Avalon is about the highest level of car that Toyota makes and Lexus kind of
starts there and gets better, you find features like heated rear seats, just numerous luxury
features that you won’t find in Toyota vehicles.
But underneath the hood, a lot of them are similar and that’s a good thing because
you’ve got shared components which keeps your repair and maintenance costs down and
also allows the company to make more reliable components overall.
So they are similar by they’re just you know, you won’t find a luxury version of
a Toyota Echo for instance or a Lexus version of an Echo.
But at the higher end models it just kind of goes up from there and they make a lot
of sportier cars as well in the Lexus line which they don’t in Toyota
Mark: So what do you most commonly repair on Lexus vehicles?
Bernie: Seems like the most common repairs we do, I mean engine wise, so we’re talking
newer, maybe in the last decade of vehicles, water pumps seem to leak, we seem to do a
lot of shocks and struts and suspension items as well and again, these are on a little older
side, you know they’re the 10 year and older cars, but really not a lot else, brakes of
course things that just wear out in all cars, we do those.
But it seems like suspension issues and the water pumps seem to be one of the weaker things,
one of the components that seems to wear out more than other things.
But other than that, they’re really exceptionally reliable.
Mark: So how about the hybrids?
Bernie: Hybrids are great.
Hybrids, you know as a mechanic, they kind of scare me, not to fix them but just that
there’s so much to go wrong, so much complexity and you’ve got your internal combustion
engine and all the sophistication that goes along with that, plus you’ve got an electric
motor, transmission unit, inverters, batteries, a whole plethora of other items that can go
wrong and they rarely do.
The only vehicle we’ve ever had was a Highlander hybrid that had a blown inverter.
That’s the only major component we’ve ever seen go wrong with a hybrid.
Now we don’t fit exclusively hybrids but generally there’s not a lot that goes wrong
with them so it’s a kind of hybrid that I’d actually want to own myself.
I don’t really want a car that I’d have to fix all the time especially one with the
expensive parts, so the hybrid is, it’s a good option in these vehicles.
Mark: So what maintenance services are typically required on Lexus cars?
Bernie: So, things like spark plugs for instance, that will need to be replaced in the mid,
between 100 and 200 thousand kilometres.
We recommend fuel injection cleanings about every 50,000 kilometres for good improved
maintenance, certainly oil changes on a regular basis are critical and especially when you
get into the mid 2000’s and newer.
The engine uses timing chains, you’ve got to change the oil regularly on these, you
cannot let it get low.
You’ve got to be religious with it, otherwise, you get into spending a lot of money and wrecking
your engine, which you don’t want to do.
Other maintenance items, timing belts up until the mid 2000, most Lexus, at least the RX330’s
all use timing belts, some of the V8 engines use timing belts as well, even into the later
2000 model years, some of them use timing belts.
So those are something that needs to be done around 160 thousand kilometres.
Other than that, fluid flushes, transition, differentials that kind of thing, brake fluid,
basic maintenance, timing belts are really the only big thing and unless you don’t
change your oil then you’ll be doing timing chain repairs, which you don’t want to do.
Mark: So any final thoughts on Lexus automotive cars?
Bernie: You know Mark, they’re just really reliable, I highly recommend them.
If you’re looking for a luxury vehicle, I’d recommend one of these over a Mercedes.
I think sometimes they don’t quite have the prestigious feel for some odd reason,
but they’re a beautifully built vehicle and very reliable which is worth a lot.
Mark: And that’s coming from a Mercedes owner
Bernie: That’s right, yup
Mark: So there you go, if you’re looking for repairs on your Lexus in Vancouver, the
guys to go see are Pawlik Automotive.
You can reach them at 604-327-7112, they’ve got 5 bays to serve you but they’re busy
so you’ve got to call and book ahead or check out their website pawlikautomotive.com.
Remember 17 time winners as voted by their customers for Best Auto Repair in Vancouver.
Thanks Bernie
Bernie: Thanks Mark