milellie11

iTrader: (5)

Hi all, actually i'm not the one going through this, it's my mother. She purchased a certified 2008 ES350 about 2 1/2 years ago from a Lexus dealership. It is still under certified factory warranty. She has all official certification documents etc. About a couple of months ago, she noticed water leaking on the passenger side front window into the car. Also, her power door locks would randomly click and lock and unlock by themselves for no reason.

She took the car back to the original dealership where she bought it. They stated that the water leak was being caused by the windsheld and it would need to be resealed. The door lock issue that was happening was also caused by the water leaking onto a component in the door (junction block i believe). The original dealer said that they would reseal the glass and also they would replace the component in the front door that caused the door locks to malfunction all under warranty. They had her car for over a week, she picked it up and a couple of days later she noticed the same thing!! I recommended her to take it to another dealer to have it diagnosed.

She took it to another Lexus dealer and they saw the previous notes of repairs the other dealer supposedly did. They investigated, did tests and diagnosed her car and found that the previous dealer never resealed the windshield correctly and water was still leaking. Also, they never replaced the junction block, they just "cleaned the contacts" And to top it off they informed her, the root cause why all of this is happening is because the windshield is not a Genuine Lexus OEM glass. It was obviously replaced before my mother bought the car. We were under the impression that if it's a Certified Lexus vehicle, it should have OEM Lexus parts and why would a dealership certify a vehicle like that? The current dealer stated that the other dealership has a bad rep for certifying vehicles that they probably wouldn't even certify themselves, that's why their vehicle prices are cheaper.

The new dealer said that they can correct the problem the correct way by replacing the windshield with a genuine Lexus OEM glass, and replace the water damaged parts for the door locks. But, they would have to get approval from Lexus first. My mom also calls corporate Lexus to inform them know of the issue. She takes the car back to the new Lexus dealership and they provide her a loaner and they said they have to wait to get approval from corporate. Well, corporate calls my mom and here's the proposal: it looks like there will be another issue that has to be fixed due to the leak where the whole front dash has to come out and the total repairs will come to $5,000. They will cover half and my mom will have to pick up $2,500!! Of course my mom declines and say's she will contact her lawyer. It's been over 30 days and Lexus has not fixed her car and has no resolution for her. Next step is a letter coming from her lawyer.

Question, is there anyone higher up in corporate Lexus who can take care of this? Any other way she should handle this to speed up the process? This is pretty sad and ridiculous, especially considering that this is a certified vehicle still under warranty!


Cliffs:

-Mom has certified 08 ES350 under warranty with water leaks on fr passenger side and malfunctioning door locks due to leaks.

-Original dealer attempts to repair under warranty but fails because of shoddy shortcuts

-A 2nd diagnosing dealer finds out the certified vehicle was sold with a non Genuine OEM Lexus glass and not installed right which causes all problems.

-2nd dealer wants to fix issue correctly but has to get approval from Corporate Lexus

-Corporate Lexus only wants to pay half of 5 grand once they find out more is involved and wants my mom to pick up $2500.


Thanks for any help you can provide

garsarno

Is the "certified vehicle" warranty different than the Lexus Platinum Extended Warranty? I would have the attorney draw up a letter to the dealer and Lexus Zone Office outlining the problem. Being that the windshield is not a Lexus OEM type should not matter with regard to the certified warranty as they are warranting the vehicle as it is.

milellie11

iTrader: (5)

According to Lexus, both plans cover the same components:

http://putnam-extended-warranty.com/...nded-warranty/


Lexus Platinum or Certified extended warranty

August 3, 2012


Aug 2, 2012 – Lexus Factory Discount Warranty

"Today we received a question from a nice man regarding a Lexus extended warranty.

This man was planning on purchasing a pre-owned 2009-2010 Lexus GS 450h in the near future, and wanted to know what the differences were between the Lexus Extra Care Platinum and Certified VSAs.

These plans are exactly the same in terms of the components that they cover, as is evidenced when you view the brochures for the Platinum and Certified plans.

They will cover all mechanical repairs for all of the major components in your Lexus, including those for the engine, transmission, drive system and factory-equipped navigation system.

Where the plans differ is in their requirements and time periods for the coverage."

John U

My first Lexus CPO had an issue.. they offered 50% off. I declined and called the regional office....100% covered.

Interesting case. I wonder if the original dealer did the windshield or a glass shop they brought in to do it? My dealer did not do glass. They called in a local when my wife had one replaced. I could see Lexus deny the windshield claim and have you go back to the installer who did it. Most glass installers claim lifetime warranty to fix installation screwups.

SW17LS

I bet I could tell you the dealer in our area that certifies questionable cars.

The fact that the windshield is not Lexus OEM isn't the issue. LOTS of people have windshields replaced, and 99% of those windshields are not OEM. The windshield being aftermarket wouldn't disqualify it from being CPO, the windshield was simply installed poorly.

I too would be interested to know if Lexus had the windshield replaced when they took it CPO or if the previous owner did. Has your mother registered on lexusowners.com and looked at the service history?

I think you and your mom are 100% in the right by the way...

CQRT

It's either covered by the arranty - - or it's not. There's not a lot of wiggle room there unless there's some proof that the car is in a materally different condition- absent the needed repairs- than it was when it was 'certified' and the warranty issued.

Time to call the family attorney . . .