I have a 2008 Lexus RX350, washer fluid is leaking. Had to take it to a new shop and they are quoting me $475 CAD for a tank which they say is the last in Canada and might never be manufactured again because it’s an old car. They are saying it will take three hours of labour and cost $877 including an oil change and coolant flush. I am worried that I am getting scammed as this is much more than I was expecting and the “last tank in Canada” is a bit of a red flag. Any advice?
I didn’t work at Toyota/Lexus, but for Nissan/Infiniti. Very common for a part to be completely non-existent or only 1 in stock for the entire country. We couldn’t see inventories in US or Japanese warehouses, and definitely had no information as to whether or not a part was still in production. Most stuff was on back-order.
So it wouldn’t surprise me if it was the last one in Canada. But I don’t know how things work at Toyota.
The shop likely picked up the phone, called the dealer with the VIN number, and was given a price on that part. The shop either gave you the list price they received, or applied a specified markup to their cost on the part. The easiest way to find out if you’re being gouged on the part is to call a Lexus dealer yourself and ask for customer cost on the part.
As for the parts available on RockAuto, your local shop likely doesn’t have access to the same suppliers that RockAuto does, and parts availability will be different. I have no listing for a washer reservoir on my stuff, and don’t see one on Canadian online sellers like Parts Avatar. Ordering from RockAuto is a poor business strategy in Canada, because shipping times can be unpredictable. Sometimes its 3 days from Florida, sometimes it’s 3 weeks from California. Fine for the individual, but I would never expect a business to rely on RockAuto if they wanted to make money every day.
My labor guide on that part says 0.6 hours. Including an oil change and coolant flush, and tax, your price is probably pretty close to what I would expect.
List price on 10L of Coolant (Dexcool) from Carquest the other day was $57.98 CAD. $20 oil changes don’t exist anymore. List price on 6L of synthetic oil was $87.69. $12.65 for an oil filter. Things are expensive as hell now.
Many shops do not spend time sourcing used parts unless the new parts are not available. Calling around to junkyards takes forever, and many times the parts are incorrect or damaged upon arrival. Big hassle for the shop, and it’s really not their responsibility to get you the cheapest option.
You’ll have to do more digging to truly find out if you’re being gouged, but I bet the guy running the shop saw the quote and swore under his breath before he gave you the call.
Just trying to provide some extra context.