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FINALLY....Recall on GS300 engine misfire
#436
Pole Position
I had the ZLA service done at the beginning as well as had my waterpump, sparkplugs replaced of August on my 08 is250 RWD.
Mid september, my check engine light came on. I thought it was a loose gas cap because i noticed it wasn't tightened all the way. However, after tightening it and driving hundreds of miles, it did not go away. Additionally, two weeks ago the battery light came on intermittently. It would go off when driving at highway speeds. I called lexus and they told me it was my alternator and a o2 sensor. Then I took it to my own mechanic and he confirmed it.
I had my own mechanic do it to save a few hundred dollars. I felt comfortable letting him do this job since he used to be a master mechanic at Toyota for 8 years before he opened his own shop, plus i've been using him for 4-5 years. Yesterday evening he called me to come in to the shop. He had pulled out the old alternator and showed me the positive terminal on the alternator. The nut that was on the positive terminal was chipped off and broken, and had not been tightened all the say he said. He asked me who the last person was to work on this car and I told him Lexus had done the ZLA service. He told me to call them and demand that they pay for the repair due to their negligence. Apart from the positive terminal nut being broken off, one bolt on the valve cover was also completely loose. They clearly did not carefully reassemble the engine.
I took pictures of the broken bolt on the old alternator. Since Lexus did the ZLA, no one else has touched the car.
So i'm thinking the following:
1. Does the alternator get removed when the ZLA service is being performed?
2. clearly, they must have seen the broken bolt, or broke it themselves and did not bother to replace it and just left it broken.
3. if they indeed did not break the bolt, but did see it, which i'm sure they would have, they could have easily replaced the bolt since it's a standard 10mm.
4. Even if it was broken before, and they were not necessarily REQUIRED to replace the bolt as it wasn't their fault, they still did not tighten it all the way, which caused the intermittent connection, and eventually caused the alternator to short out.
What are your thoughts on this? Should I call the dealership or call headquarters first?
sorry I know this slightly off topic.
Mid september, my check engine light came on. I thought it was a loose gas cap because i noticed it wasn't tightened all the way. However, after tightening it and driving hundreds of miles, it did not go away. Additionally, two weeks ago the battery light came on intermittently. It would go off when driving at highway speeds. I called lexus and they told me it was my alternator and a o2 sensor. Then I took it to my own mechanic and he confirmed it.
I had my own mechanic do it to save a few hundred dollars. I felt comfortable letting him do this job since he used to be a master mechanic at Toyota for 8 years before he opened his own shop, plus i've been using him for 4-5 years. Yesterday evening he called me to come in to the shop. He had pulled out the old alternator and showed me the positive terminal on the alternator. The nut that was on the positive terminal was chipped off and broken, and had not been tightened all the say he said. He asked me who the last person was to work on this car and I told him Lexus had done the ZLA service. He told me to call them and demand that they pay for the repair due to their negligence. Apart from the positive terminal nut being broken off, one bolt on the valve cover was also completely loose. They clearly did not carefully reassemble the engine.
I took pictures of the broken bolt on the old alternator. Since Lexus did the ZLA, no one else has touched the car.
So i'm thinking the following:
1. Does the alternator get removed when the ZLA service is being performed?
2. clearly, they must have seen the broken bolt, or broke it themselves and did not bother to replace it and just left it broken.
3. if they indeed did not break the bolt, but did see it, which i'm sure they would have, they could have easily replaced the bolt since it's a standard 10mm.
4. Even if it was broken before, and they were not necessarily REQUIRED to replace the bolt as it wasn't their fault, they still did not tighten it all the way, which caused the intermittent connection, and eventually caused the alternator to short out.
What are your thoughts on this? Should I call the dealership or call headquarters first?
sorry I know this slightly off topic.
#437
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Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: NY
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I think the failure of an alternator due to a loose positive connection is tenuous at best... I personally don't think an alternator cares if it is spinning with no electrical connection at all. A loose positive will certainly not cause anything to short internally ... it will intermittently cause it to not charge the battery.
Clear the alternator was arcing and not picked up on by the tech.And yes you can burn out an alternator due to poor connection.
#438
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: VA
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High Oil Consumption and Misfires
Hi all,
My 2006 GS300 clearly has this problem. Oil consumption is 3.5 quarts every 4k miles and very occasionally the idle will drop out at stoplights, dirty black exhaust pipes. Anyway, I had Lexus of Richmond VA run the tests and they did not get any misfires. We are doing an oil consumption test now but if you need to lose more than 1 quart every 1,000 miles it is considered within spec (completely crazy). When I asked if they would do the job without the misfires and just high oil consumption they said no but wanted to do the oil test anyway - which I dont see the point if they are not going to do the CSP.
My question is this: Has anyone here been able to get them to do the CSP with just high oil consumption and not misfires?
I am not very happy with the service rep at the Richmond, VA dealer and may consider driving up to one of the DC area dealerships if anyone here can make a positive dealer recommendation for a dealership competent enough to deal with this.
The real gotcha is I do not have much more time on the 9 year period.
Thanks for the help.
Ryan
My 2006 GS300 clearly has this problem. Oil consumption is 3.5 quarts every 4k miles and very occasionally the idle will drop out at stoplights, dirty black exhaust pipes. Anyway, I had Lexus of Richmond VA run the tests and they did not get any misfires. We are doing an oil consumption test now but if you need to lose more than 1 quart every 1,000 miles it is considered within spec (completely crazy). When I asked if they would do the job without the misfires and just high oil consumption they said no but wanted to do the oil test anyway - which I dont see the point if they are not going to do the CSP.
My question is this: Has anyone here been able to get them to do the CSP with just high oil consumption and not misfires?
I am not very happy with the service rep at the Richmond, VA dealer and may consider driving up to one of the DC area dealerships if anyone here can make a positive dealer recommendation for a dealership competent enough to deal with this.
The real gotcha is I do not have much more time on the 9 year period.
Thanks for the help.
Ryan
#440
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Virignia
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Hi all,
My 2006 GS300 clearly has this problem. Oil consumption is 3.5 quarts every 4k miles and very occasionally the idle will drop out at stoplights, dirty black exhaust pipes. Anyway, I had Lexus of Richmond VA run the tests and they did not get any misfires. We are doing an oil consumption test now but if you need to lose more than 1 quart every 1,000 miles it is considered within spec (completely crazy). When I asked if they would do the job without the misfires and just high oil consumption they said no but wanted to do the oil test anyway - which I dont see the point if they are not going to do the CSP.
My question is this: Has anyone here been able to get them to do the CSP with just high oil consumption and not misfires?
I am not very happy with the service rep at the Richmond, VA dealer and may consider driving up to one of the DC area dealerships if anyone here can make a positive dealer recommendation for a dealership competent enough to deal with this.
The real gotcha is I do not have much more time on the 9 year period.
Thanks for the help.
Ryan
My 2006 GS300 clearly has this problem. Oil consumption is 3.5 quarts every 4k miles and very occasionally the idle will drop out at stoplights, dirty black exhaust pipes. Anyway, I had Lexus of Richmond VA run the tests and they did not get any misfires. We are doing an oil consumption test now but if you need to lose more than 1 quart every 1,000 miles it is considered within spec (completely crazy). When I asked if they would do the job without the misfires and just high oil consumption they said no but wanted to do the oil test anyway - which I dont see the point if they are not going to do the CSP.
My question is this: Has anyone here been able to get them to do the CSP with just high oil consumption and not misfires?
I am not very happy with the service rep at the Richmond, VA dealer and may consider driving up to one of the DC area dealerships if anyone here can make a positive dealer recommendation for a dealership competent enough to deal with this.
The real gotcha is I do not have much more time on the 9 year period.
Thanks for the help.
Ryan
I went in ask them to check on my idle was kinda rough when the car in Drive and at the complete stop. I can feel the vibrate but when i put in Nurture it fine, they said because my car is lower that's why i feel the vibrate...
I hate dealer! or maybe just these 2 here around my area that have all the newbie tech..
#441
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Montreal
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Ryan, I only had an oil cunsumption test done and the dealer did the repairs. I had to do the test a few times. Please check my posts for further details.
Alex
Alex
#442
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Montreal
Posts: 11
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Hi all,
My 2006 GS300 clearly has this problem. Oil consumption is 3.5 quarts every 4k miles and very occasionally the idle will drop out at stoplights, dirty black exhaust pipes. Anyway, I had Lexus of Richmond VA run the tests and they did not get any misfires. We are doing an oil consumption test now but if you need to lose more than 1 quart every 1,000 miles it is considered within spec (completely crazy). When I asked if they would do the job without the misfires and just high oil consumption they said no but wanted to do the oil test anyway - which I dont see the point if they are not going to do the CSP.
My question is this: Has anyone here been able to get them to do the CSP with just high oil consumption and not misfires?
I am not very happy with the service rep at the Richmond, VA dealer and may consider driving up to one of the DC area dealerships if anyone here can make a positive dealer recommendation for a dealership competent enough to deal with this.
The real gotcha is I do not have much more time on the 9 year period.
Thanks for the help.
Ryan
My 2006 GS300 clearly has this problem. Oil consumption is 3.5 quarts every 4k miles and very occasionally the idle will drop out at stoplights, dirty black exhaust pipes. Anyway, I had Lexus of Richmond VA run the tests and they did not get any misfires. We are doing an oil consumption test now but if you need to lose more than 1 quart every 1,000 miles it is considered within spec (completely crazy). When I asked if they would do the job without the misfires and just high oil consumption they said no but wanted to do the oil test anyway - which I dont see the point if they are not going to do the CSP.
My question is this: Has anyone here been able to get them to do the CSP with just high oil consumption and not misfires?
I am not very happy with the service rep at the Richmond, VA dealer and may consider driving up to one of the DC area dealerships if anyone here can make a positive dealer recommendation for a dealership competent enough to deal with this.
The real gotcha is I do not have much more time on the 9 year period.
Thanks for the help.
Ryan
Alex
#443
So I got my letter a few months ago, but had not experienced the rough idle UNTIL about a week ago. Also, the Check Engine/VSC lights are on, that may be unrelated. Took it to the dealer today. They were able to replicate the issue, and said the problem was Piston Rings + Decarbon. Cost - $6,300. This car has 82K on the odometer.
They also said because my car was manufactured 8/2005 that I'm out of the range on this Customer Support Program. The fact that it is a 2006 model is irrelevant, apparently, I was assuming that I'd have until 2015 to get this completed. I asked, if my car had been built in 12/2005, would I still be covered? The Service Advisor said yes. This is the EXACT model and 3.0 V6 engine that Lexus admits has a design defect. Lexus sent me the letter themselves, alerting me to the problem. The tech said "they send it to everyone."
Now my options are:
A) Call Lexus Corporate and see if they will make an exception.
B) Drive it as is, outside of the rough idle, it performs well.
C) Pay the $6,300 out of pocket (NOT happening)
Has anyone dealt with Lexus on this issue? I find it patently absurd that a $50,000 luxury car can't go 85,000 miles without needing major engine repair. Any advice or encouragement would be appreciated here...
They also said because my car was manufactured 8/2005 that I'm out of the range on this Customer Support Program. The fact that it is a 2006 model is irrelevant, apparently, I was assuming that I'd have until 2015 to get this completed. I asked, if my car had been built in 12/2005, would I still be covered? The Service Advisor said yes. This is the EXACT model and 3.0 V6 engine that Lexus admits has a design defect. Lexus sent me the letter themselves, alerting me to the problem. The tech said "they send it to everyone."
Now my options are:
A) Call Lexus Corporate and see if they will make an exception.
B) Drive it as is, outside of the rough idle, it performs well.
C) Pay the $6,300 out of pocket (NOT happening)
Has anyone dealt with Lexus on this issue? I find it patently absurd that a $50,000 luxury car can't go 85,000 miles without needing major engine repair. Any advice or encouragement would be appreciated here...
Last edited by LexusLive; 11-13-14 at 08:32 AM.
#444
I would at least call and *****. They might goodwill it if they want too. Or maybe you pay a percentage of it they cover the rest. Good luck on that battle.
#445
But, the Lexus rep did say he was surprised the dealer claimed it was beyond the 9 year period based on date of manufacture and he's set up a case file. So we'll see, should hear back in 2 days. Thanks for the good thoughts!
Last edited by LexusLive; 11-13-14 at 11:57 AM.
#446
We'll see, I love how they can twist things to make a 2006 model year car 10 years old in the year 2014. I called the customer help line, and it turns out the car was actually assembled 4/2005. So by the time I got the letter, which I think was around May/June, it would have been automatically out of the 9 year 'grace period'. And more to the point, it did not exhibit the rough cold start idle until just a week ago, so it was a catch 22 from the start.
But, the Lexus rep did say he was surprised the dealer claimed it was beyond the 9 year period based on date of manufacture and he's set up a case file. So we'll see, should hear back in 2 days. Thanks for the good thoughts!
But, the Lexus rep did say he was surprised the dealer claimed it was beyond the 9 year period based on date of manufacture and he's set up a case file. So we'll see, should hear back in 2 days. Thanks for the good thoughts!
#447
What I really don't get is... doesn't the dealer just get reimbursed by Lexus for the $6,300? What's it to them to make me jump through hoops? I'll know in 2 business days. This car is pretty mint for something with 80K on the clock and 8 (or 9 ) years. I want to keep it for at least 5 or 6 more years. That's why I bought a Lexus, they are reputed to run forever! Well, thanks for the support.
#448
Pole Position
yeah, that's what the Lexus Corp Customer guy said too, he didn't think that sounded right. As a consumer, my car is a 2006. It's only 8 years old! What diff does is make when they built it? By that logic, you could buy a 2006 and your 3 yr bumper to bumper factory warranty would only be good until 2008.
What I really don't get is... doesn't the dealer just get reimbursed by Lexus for the $6,300? What's it to them to make me jump through hoops? I'll know in 2 business days. This car is pretty mint for something with 80K on the clock and 8 (or 9 ) years. I want to keep it for at least 5 or 6 more years. That's why I bought a Lexus, they are reputed to run forever! Well, thanks for the support.
What I really don't get is... doesn't the dealer just get reimbursed by Lexus for the $6,300? What's it to them to make me jump through hoops? I'll know in 2 business days. This car is pretty mint for something with 80K on the clock and 8 (or 9 ) years. I want to keep it for at least 5 or 6 more years. That's why I bought a Lexus, they are reputed to run forever! Well, thanks for the support.
#449
Hmm, but seing as how I didn't get the letter until May or June of this year, and it was targeted for only 2006 models, that's an awfully narrow window to get the service performed if they start counting it from the production date.
#450
It's shouldn't be based on production date....you have a production date which is on the VIN sticker on the door jamb....then you have a year model....which is 2006....and finally you have an in-service date....which is the date that someone purchased the car. So the car can sit on the lot a few week up to a few months...the warranty period always corresponds with the in service date...not the year model or the manufacture date. Typically the manufacture date, along with the VIN is used to determine the recall group....but never for warranty work. So if they are trying to base it off of manufacturing date they are trying to pull one over on you.