Earlier this year, I was photographing a Lexus IS350 F Sport on the golf course of Thunderbird Resort in La Union when a couple of gentlemen approached me. We had a nice chat about cars. It came to a point where one of them expressed that he wanted a Lexus, but because he was based far from Metro Manila, he found acquiring one to be impractical. In case you didn’t know, Lexus only has one showroom in the country, located in Bonifacio Global City.

This guy had no idea that a handful of Toyota dealerships are actually certified to service Lexus cars, including the one in Bauang, La Union. Out of the 70 Toyota showrooms nationwide, five are accredited and authorized to service vehicles from the brand’s luxury division. There are three in Luzon (Toyota La Union, Toyota San Fernando, Pampanga, and Toyota Santa Rosa, Laguna), one in Visayas (Toyota Mandaue South, Cebu), and one in Mindanao (Toyota Davao City).

To get a better idea of the Lexus service provided by these certified centers, I decided to schedule an appointment with Toyota La Union. After a quick phone call, I was all set to visit them the following day.

Upon my arrival, the security personnel directed me to a designated Lexus receiving area. I was soon approached by several Toyota La Union team members who also happened to be Lexus-certified service personnel. They were very courteous and professional as expected.

The vehicle I brought in went through a thorough checklist. The front seats, the gear lever and the steering wheel were then covered with Lexus’s protective fabric. You could definitely sense the car was in good hands.

The Lexus service advisors proceeded to bring the car to the service floor where a dedicated Lexus service bay was awaiting the vehicle. There, more protective garb was installed around the vehicle’s engine bay, and a Lexus-trained Toyota technician performed quick preventive maintenance checks. Since the car wasn’t due for service yet, it was driven back to the reception area for release to the customer (that would be yours truly). All in all, it was a very smooth and pleasant experience.

Thanks to Toyota Motor Philippines, you don’t have to go far to experience Lexus (or at least something close to it). Just remember to book your service appointment ahead of time since all dealerships are implementing mandatory social-distancing measures right now.

Below are the contact details of the Lexus-certified Toyota dealerships:

TOYOTA LA UNION

• Manila North Road, Bauang, La Union
• (072) 607-3501, (072) 607- 3502, (072) 705-8007, (072) 705-8008
• customer.relations@toyotalaunion.com.ph
• Service hours: 8am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday

TOYOTA SAN FERNANDO, PAMPANGA

• Olongapo-Gapan Road, San Fernando City, Pampanga
• (045) 961-1188
• customer.relations@toyotasanfernando.com.ph
• Service hours: 9am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday

TOYOTA SANTA ROSA, LAGUNA

• Lot 1968-D, Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road, Barangay Pulong Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa City, Laguna
• (02) 8883-7600, (049) 545-3581 local 1403, 1404 or 1406
• service.receptionist@toyotasantarosa.com.ph
• Service hours: 8am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday

TOYOTA MANDAUE SOUTH, CEBU

• Ouano Avenue, North Reclamation Area, Mandaue City, Cebu
• (032) 420-9555
• sales@toyotacebu.com.ph
• Service hours: 8am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday

TOYOTA DAVAO CITY

• Km. 6 Lanang, Davao City, Davao del Sur
• (082) 234-2994 local 205, 208 or 209
• service@toyotadavao.com.ph
• Service hours: 8am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday