ES350Bob

If at 88 miles you noticed and engine knocking and tapping you could hear in the car every day, several times a day, would you view that as major or minor?

Would you view it's needing a valve job requiring adding shims to your engine to fix the problem as major or minor at 88 miles on a new car?

Would you view a transmission acting up that you first noticed at 130 miles on the car as major or minor?

Would you view a transmission repair on a car at 130 miles on it as major or minor?

I am asking because Lexus, as of yesterday evening, does not view these issues as major repairs that warrant a replacement vehicle yet I have seen post after post from people on here claiming their car was replaced for just a transmission problem where they did not also have a car engine needing a valve job.

Sincere, considerate and thoughtful input would be greatly appreciated, would you want a brand new vehicle that you were forced to keep that will have shims added to the valves in the engine, that will also have had a transmission overhaul too desgined for gears 3/4 but your car slips in 2/3 and 3/4?

Ingram4868

I wonder what Lexus calls a major problem? I suspect that for those people that had their car bought back by Lexus it was a need for them to dismantle the tranny to find the problems. Now that they understand and have a fix for the tranny they stopped buying back the troubled cars.

While I feel confident that Lexus will make the repairs I would insist on a free extended warranty (the best and longest they sell). OR maybe they would give you full purchase price it you wanted to trade up within Lexus.

Let us know how it all turns out.

ES350Bob

Ingram,

I'll keep you posted.

I do not see how a transmission fix designed for gears 3/4 is going to fix my car which slips most often in 2/3 as well as 3/4 so I am concerned this is going to be a transmission snipe hunt for nothing and even more time than the over a month and half I have already been subjected to this vehicle's defects.

Also the idea of adding shims in the engine valves disturbs me when everything I've read indicates you might need that at 30,000 miles or 60,000 miles but not 88 or arriving brand new needing a valve job.

amf1932

I would consider ALL the aforementioned things as major problems, but they have to be reproducible when your car is brought into the dealership.
I have found in my 16 years of ownership of Lexus cars that they were pretty fair with me when it came to any problems that I might have had. All these things were notated on my service record, and generally they tried to please me in every way possible.
I would let the dealer make the neccessary repairs, and then if you're still not happy with the results then speak to somebody at Lexus headquarters and tell them exactly how you feel. Your satisfaction is very important to them. They'll try to resolve your concerns, but I doubt whether they'll give you a new car.
If all else fails, then legal action is required, but before you go that route, make sure you have all your service records, and details of your problems in order.
I'm sorry to hear of all the hassles you're having with your new car. I'd me mad as hell also.

ES350Bob

Amf,

All these things were reproducable at dealer, I had even recorded under the hood for the engine noise to be helpful and also caught the transmission slipping in the recordings which was not my original intent and shop foreman acknowledged hearing transmission slip in the recording.

The valve problem is so bad it was present and was diagnosed from the back seat of the car driving down the road with AC on and conversation in the car about the darn knocking and tapping noise.

The diesel engine knocking/tapping noise is so present no need to listen closely under the hood for it, just take a ride in my car and you cannot miss it, not even if you are riding in the back seat which is where service manager was with foreman in the front with me.

amf1932

Did you call the Lexus Corporation and tell them about your dissatisfaction?

If you did, and nothing is being done, then as I said before, legal action is required!!

ES350Bob

Yes I did amf,
It is Lexus corporate that stated they only replace vehicles for major repair work and do not view these things as major, when I objected stating I had read on here where numerous people posted they got replacements for just the transmission alone and mine also has engine valves needing shims then he said he would call me in the am needing to get right off the phone he claimed for other matters, but I have heard that before so many times from them and they do not follow through, you do not get called back when they claim they will, you have to chase them and chase them and it's been going on for more than a month like this.

terryes

es350bob. Look in the Owners Manual package you received. Inside the package is a booklet titled "Lemon Law Guide" --- being from Florida you should be aware with its lemon laws. This may help your situation.

Where in Florida did you buy the 350 and which dealer are you working with?

regards tes

amf1932

As I asked you before.....did you ever contact anybody in the law profession to see if you have a valid case?

ES350Bob

Hi Tes,

I bought it from Melbourne and would NEVER, EVER go back there, they have zero service after the sale and will deceive you on what is wrong with the car. They made me wait 9 days for service to even look at the car though my call to them was morning of the first full day I owned the car and my engine was knocking and tapping. They actually told me knocking/tapping is normal for the car and Lexus backs them up on it forcing me to drive a car with bad valves for hundreds of miles. They said and i quote "Don't you realize you have to have everything turned off in the car to hear this in order to complain about it" Which has never been true. They tried to tell me it was a piston with normal clearance. It was the valves. BTW, a motorsports shop owner that gave me a second opinion made me promise him I would never, ever go back to those people as nobody would claim the noise my engine was making was normal and nobody would claim you have to have everything turned off in order to hear it.

Currently I ended up at Orlando where they acknowledged the valves as the problem, could clearly hear it in the car with AC on and conversation about the noise, no need ever to turn stuff off to hear this noise. They also documented the transmission problem. They even listened to my under hood recordings, one of them that I did, and the shop foreman noted the transmission slipping in the recording.

Lexus corporate just told me yesterday evening they only replace cars for major repairs and needless to say I am angry because if this isn't major i don't know what is, save yanking out an entire engine or an entire transmission.

BTW Tes in order for the Lemon Law there has to first be an acknowledgement of a problem which only came last week, the dealer in Melbourne claimed everything was normal and i think it was done on purpose to avoid dealing with it and also perhaps to avoid the Lemon Law. Deny anything is wrong, how clever a means to avoid addressing it.

wanderer99

Good Dealers. Bad Dealers. We should have a list somewhere of known "problem" dealer locations. We all know they are out there, unfortunately there seems no reference available to find the good from the bad.

I'm happy to date with my dealer in both sales and service. I'm not happy with my ES right now, but its not my dealers fault as they didn't manufacture the car.

amf1932

Since you never answered my question, I assume you didn't. Why not????

ES350Bob

Wanderer,

I am glad you have a dealer backing you up as I have seen some issues you deal with they have tried to help on, not buffalo and BS as many do. Good idea maybe to start a bad dealer list as long as people post exactly why as a requirement? And another, good dealer list, again with posting exactly why required?

Maybe we could get ol Celibon to start something where it ends up with a spread sheet like the polls he does.

miltonlin

ES350,

I believe all are major problems. We're not talking about dash squeak or a rattle in the car. We're talking about the powertrain!

To Lexus corporate, I'd also tell them, over and over again, how you have been a loyal Lexus owner, why your purchased (and if you have serviced) the lexus in the first place, and how you believe that they will take care of their loyal customers. Tell them you haven't lost faith in the product and you expect them to "do the right thing." For a car to have these types of problems so early is not why you bought a Lexus. Spend as long as you want on the phone to make them feel what you feel. They should listen and be curteous. Try not to mention what happened to other people as the focus should stay on how to make YOU happy.

The way I see it... Lexus can't please everybody, but they can choose who they do please, and maybe because those peoople caused them the most grief and time. You have to be one of those people. Be consistent. Call again and again, and always TAKE NOTES. They should always converse with you professionally.

Again, I'm sorry you have these problems. It's not your fault at all, just remember that.

ES350Bob

Sorry amf,
Not yet i haven't but have thought about doing it, please understand it was only yesterday evening i was told this stuff isn't viewed as major and it is still sinking in to me that a company i have bought 3 cars from has me in this position.