Dealer denying complimentary service maintenance
05-20-14, 06:03 PM
#17
Driver
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05-20-14, 08:34 PM
#19
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The reason Lexus went to 10K oil changes was because they are now specifying synthetic oil. If your dealer is insisting on changing oil at 5K intervals, I bet they are using regular oil.
05-20-14, 09:18 PM
#20
Driver
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05-20-14, 09:22 PM
#21
Driver
Thread Starter
Scary thought. The invoice from my 5K service specifically states synthetic oil. But then again, there's no way for me to know with certainty.
05-21-14, 04:52 PM
#23
Driver
Thread Starter
Just got off the chat with Lexus rep. I was told that since my local dealer is a third-party dealer, the dealer is not bound to honor the complimentary service. And I asked "So all the things I read in the brochure are meaningless?" and the rep replied with a "Yes".
It doesn't sound right. It goes against all that I thought Lexus is all about, which is customer satisfaction. Hmm...now I'm sad.
It doesn't sound right. It goes against all that I thought Lexus is all about, which is customer satisfaction. Hmm...now I'm sad.
05-21-14, 05:03 PM
#24
Lexus Champion
Not sure how auto dealerships work, but I would assume they are authorized to sell the Lexus. This dealership sells Toyota, Scion, Chevrolet, and Lexus. In Guam, being small, only 1 dealership sells a particular make of vehicle, which makes competition (almost) non-existent.
05-22-14, 05:36 AM
#25
Just got off the chat with Lexus rep. I was told that since my local dealer is a third-party dealer, the dealer is not bound to honor the complimentary service. And I asked "So all the things I read in the brochure are meaningless?" and the rep replied with a "Yes".
It doesn't sound right. It goes against all that I thought Lexus is all about, which is customer satisfaction. Hmm...now I'm sad.
It doesn't sound right. It goes against all that I thought Lexus is all about, which is customer satisfaction. Hmm...now I'm sad.
Virtually everything that you buy from an unauthorized dealer pretty much voids any warranty stated and the buyer is left with third party resolutions if any warranty work is needed.
These first two "free" services are paid for by Lexus to the Lexus dealer.
Do you really expect Lexus to pay an unauthorized dealer any money?
I hope you car is worry free in Guam. Good luck!
05-22-14, 10:17 AM
#27
Lead Lap
Whew! It sounds to me like you actually have no factory warranty to rely on. You're at the mercy of the 3rd. party dealer. Not a good position to be in with a new car. At this point I'd cross my fingers and hope for the best as far as any serious issues occurring. I'd also follow Arty101 advice and locate a dependable independent repair facility.This shows how things can easily get screwed up when you're out of the USA. I am aware that Guam is a US possession...
05-22-14, 12:16 PM
#28
Lead Lap
This thread raises, in my mind, an array of questions to which I have no idea of the answers.
If the dealer is not an official authorized Lexus dealer, how are they getting the Lexus vehicles that they are selling? Are they buying them from another dealer and re-selling them? If that is the case, do the titles show them as being used cars? If they are being bought from a source other than Lexus, are they coming from the continental US or are they, perhaps, coming from an Asian country, which might explain why the vehicle owned by the OP has a full-sized spare and, perhaps, other specifications different from the vehicles owned by those of us in the continental US? I wonder, too, if the vehicle bought by the OP has the same warranty manual that those of us who bought vehicles in the continental US have. I find it interesting that, if you do a search for Lexus dealers on the official Lexus dealer locator site, you will come up with the dealer from whom the OP bought his car in Guam. So, if Lexus is recognizing that this dealership is selling Lexus vehicles, it would seem that they must have some provision for those who buy from that dealer to obtain warranty coverage.
If there was a warranty issue, who is responsible for honoring warranty coverage? Is it Lexus or is it a Lexus dealership? So, if a warranty issue came up for the OP, if his non-Lexus dealer did not honor his warranty, and if he could get the vehicle to an authorized Lexus dealer (which I know he doesn't have access to in Guam), would that other Lexus dealer honor the warranty?
I'm assuming that the vehicle bought by the OP is not the only Lexus vehicle that the dealership has sold. If that is the case, it would certainly seem likely that, with some other Lexus vehicle sold by the dealership, a warranty issue has come up. It seems to me that somebody must be honoring the warranty because, if not, word would have gotten around, and I can't imagine that anyone would be buying vehicles from that dealership if they knew that there was no warranty coverage.
If the dealer is not an official authorized Lexus dealer, how are they getting the Lexus vehicles that they are selling? Are they buying them from another dealer and re-selling them? If that is the case, do the titles show them as being used cars? If they are being bought from a source other than Lexus, are they coming from the continental US or are they, perhaps, coming from an Asian country, which might explain why the vehicle owned by the OP has a full-sized spare and, perhaps, other specifications different from the vehicles owned by those of us in the continental US? I wonder, too, if the vehicle bought by the OP has the same warranty manual that those of us who bought vehicles in the continental US have. I find it interesting that, if you do a search for Lexus dealers on the official Lexus dealer locator site, you will come up with the dealer from whom the OP bought his car in Guam. So, if Lexus is recognizing that this dealership is selling Lexus vehicles, it would seem that they must have some provision for those who buy from that dealer to obtain warranty coverage.
If there was a warranty issue, who is responsible for honoring warranty coverage? Is it Lexus or is it a Lexus dealership? So, if a warranty issue came up for the OP, if his non-Lexus dealer did not honor his warranty, and if he could get the vehicle to an authorized Lexus dealer (which I know he doesn't have access to in Guam), would that other Lexus dealer honor the warranty?
I'm assuming that the vehicle bought by the OP is not the only Lexus vehicle that the dealership has sold. If that is the case, it would certainly seem likely that, with some other Lexus vehicle sold by the dealership, a warranty issue has come up. It seems to me that somebody must be honoring the warranty because, if not, word would have gotten around, and I can't imagine that anyone would be buying vehicles from that dealership if they knew that there was no warranty coverage.
05-22-14, 05:03 PM
#29
Driver
Thread Starter
Lesz pretty much stated the questions that popped in my head after my encounter with a Lexus Customer Rep.
Yes, there are several Lexus vehicles here that are sold by that one and only dealer.
Yes, my vehicle is configured differently that those folks that are in the US (e.g. full-size spare, espresso maple wood trim on the ESh instead of bamboo, tire pressure in kPa instead of psi, etc.).
I am not sure where the vehicles are coming from, but I would assume that they are coming from Japan. (Aren't Lexus vehicles manufactured only in Japan and the US? It would make more sense that they would be shipping from Japan as Japan is closer to Guam).
I have not heard from anyone having valid warranty work denied. Guam is such a small community, and anything like that would become widespread talk. In fact, this dealer is considered "the best", and is the first auto dealership, in Guam. Some forum members here may recall that I had a problem with the dealership installing my body side moldings. They replaced it for free as it is still "under warranty". I was provided with a Lexus loaner vehicle while my car was with them.
My guess is, the rep does not know what he was talking about or was rushing to do something else. In fact, I found it rude that he disconnected from the chat after he responded to my queries. In other companies, the rep would ask if there is anything more they could help with. But this Lexus rep didn't even bother to ask if I had more questions and simply disconnected himself.
Yes, there are several Lexus vehicles here that are sold by that one and only dealer.
Yes, my vehicle is configured differently that those folks that are in the US (e.g. full-size spare, espresso maple wood trim on the ESh instead of bamboo, tire pressure in kPa instead of psi, etc.).
I am not sure where the vehicles are coming from, but I would assume that they are coming from Japan. (Aren't Lexus vehicles manufactured only in Japan and the US? It would make more sense that they would be shipping from Japan as Japan is closer to Guam).
I have not heard from anyone having valid warranty work denied. Guam is such a small community, and anything like that would become widespread talk. In fact, this dealer is considered "the best", and is the first auto dealership, in Guam. Some forum members here may recall that I had a problem with the dealership installing my body side moldings. They replaced it for free as it is still "under warranty". I was provided with a Lexus loaner vehicle while my car was with them.
My guess is, the rep does not know what he was talking about or was rushing to do something else. In fact, I found it rude that he disconnected from the chat after he responded to my queries. In other companies, the rep would ask if there is anything more they could help with. But this Lexus rep didn't even bother to ask if I had more questions and simply disconnected himself.
05-22-14, 05:07 PM
#30
Driver
Thread Starter
Would you kindly provide a link to the "official" site? I cannot find my Guam dealer on the dealer locator.