stoked

iTrader: (1)

I just had the 90k service two months ago at the Lexus dealer and paid an extra $100 for engine diagnosis and they said it was great, with the exception of the water pump. I had that replaced. The total bill was over $1,500. Well two weeks ago the car started to smell like oil and the oil light came on. I had the car towed to Lexus (a different dealer). I have never had a drip of oil leak from the car. The car had spewed all the oil from the engine in no time at all. This dealer said that the water pump was seeping (initially they said that the pump didn't look new, until I showed them my records) and the cam seal was shot. Now I need a new timing belt and water pump, they will only warranty the pump. About a month ago, the car lost power a few times, but I didn't think anything of it. Now I have this problem, and I am extremely unhappy. Is this normal? How should I proceed to deal with this problem?!

oohpapi44

iTrader: (1)

Contact the dealership where you had the service done and speak with the manager. There shouldn't be any issue at all with them replacing everything at no cost to you. If you have a 'write up' from the second dealership listing everything they said it appeared to be, it would only bolster your case. If you don't get any positive results from the first dealership, record everything he tells you and take it to Corporate.

UncleRay

iTrader: (2)

I just love what Dealerships do to people. Sorry for the big head ache =[ Like papi said, if the manager does not resolve this, take it to the corporates. If all else fails, take it to court.

wowitztai

iTrader: (1)

i would of took it to the same dealer that did the job the first time let them fix the problem.

Frankdorn

iTrader: (7)

+1

19psi

so a cam seal started leaking due to age and mileage, 2 months after you had it inspected? how does that make it someone else's fault that you don't have to pay for it? just asking, i don't know any other way to say it without it sounding like it probably does...
why would they tell you you need another water pump? oil wont' damage the pump. clean it off and proceed with the repair.

19psi

there was no first time on the leaking cam seal. it was fine 2 months ago; it just started leaking.

jesod

If the water pump is leaking, more than likely the engine is going to heat up and cause other problems. Like the cam seal leaking. That is a direct result of the water pump not being installed correctly.

19psi

i missed the part about the water pump seeping. i saw the cam seal leaking and went from there.
in that case if it truly is seeping ( which should be verified before making any claims) then the original shop should fix that.
however, seeping water pumps won't make a cam seal leak. esp. if he never noticed any overheating. even if he did, a cam seal won't leak from being overheated; unless maybe the engine overheated to the point of catastrophic meltdown, which obviously it did not or he'd be talking about something else right now!
they leak because they're old and have miles on them.

stoked

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the replies...I would have taken the car to the original dealership, but I was about 500 miles away...that would not work. It turns out it is the crank seal, not the cam seal (and the water pump was seeping due to reasons unrelated to the oil leak.) There was oil all the way down the bottom of the car. The car completely leaked almost all of the oil out in a matter of minutes. This is not a leak due to age. The dealers are working out the repairs between them right now...the dealer who has the car says that this problem is extremely strange...I am waiting to hear back. I only have driven the car 3000 miles since the repair.

stoked

iTrader: (1)

I just read your reply, and I wondered if you were addressing my actual issue in any way at all. I did not do any cheap repair. My service bill was just under $1500 when I had all the work done, and yes I did have them replace the water pump when they were doing the work. What happened is that the car broke down a few months later (it NEVER had before) and the crank seal had literally exploded sending oil all over the engine...the tech even found some on the rear bumper. I was furious about this, and the next dealer said the water pump was seeping (IT was brand new). The crank seal was replaced and not a single issue has shown up since. If you could see the dealer service this car has had you would see why I was upset about the seal...We spent thousands of dollars on maintenance, details, etc. Cheap is as cheap does...right on, but I could afford the Lexus and I treated it that way.

slowpokeGS

sorry to be off-topic, but i hate it when "know-it-alls" come into a thread and spread the knowledge on us so called incompetent/inept people. BUT the one thing they forget to do, and this seems to be 99% of the time, is actually take the 2-5 minutes it takes to actually read the intial post. Seriously, GTFO and DIAF

but thats just my .02

to the OP: look on your service record from the original dealer. does it state any warranty on their maintenance work? i know at the local Lexus dealer that i go to for jobs i cant do and jobs im too lazy to do, they have a overall maintenance warranty on their work.

even the nissan dealership near me has this type of warranty.

raytseng

Just goes to show you that if anything, dealer grease monkeys can be as bad and potentially be worse then independent mechanics.
On one hand, they "should" have more experience since they're only working on 1 brand of car.
On the other hand, the person doing the actual work on your car could be some new guy hired off the street using your car as "on the job training" while they take the Toyota/Lexus courses. In my head, I imagine the master tech just tells them what to do and supervises.
The dealer doesn't have to prove their expertise to consumers like independent mechanics. They pretty much will get a constant stream of work regardless of actual quality of work-and for a higher price. Because of this, I think the monkeys in independent shops typically are better supervised by the chief techs and less likely to make mistakes then the monkeys at the dealer.

But following some logic, the reason they can do this is because of the impression that their work is backed up by the whole Lexus/Toyota brand. It looks like this time you have to take them up on that. So in summary, I agree with the previous posters to get back to the original dealer and get them to fix the problems to your satisfaction and followup with "corporate" if you are not satisfied.

====
Just read your update you mentioned the dealers are working it out and that they said your case was a strange one. Sounds like news toward a positive resolution. I guess even if all proper procedures were followed, there is always the chance something catastrophic could still happen that is not the fault of the mechanic. Perhaps, it was good luck that you ended up using the dealer and agreed to the extra "diagnosis" upsell. Should be ammunition for you to use to claim that the followup problems should be solved without extra charges.

Let us know how it turns out.

DoWnAqT

Alright, ill say this and maybe ill take the heat or whatever...Im a master tech over at a toyota dealer...As for the waterpump seaping after it was replaced...I would need to see the pump to see if the seap hole was seaping (normal) or if a gasket was leaking. either way sometimes **** happens...As for the cam seal going 2 months after....no one is held reliable for that...you can not predict anything when it comes to that kind of stuff, wasnt touched because it looked fine, now its leaking...They could just pop the seals in when they replace the water pump again, since they are in there now...but you would be paying for the extra time to replace them. but not full pop since they are already in there fixing the pump.....

As for the idiot techs at the dealers...yeah they are idiot techs at dealers that use air hammers on **** you wouldnt even think of...and then you have the techs that actually give a **** about what they do..I myself take pride in my work, and ashamed if something goes wrong...But people also really need to understand that no one and I mean no one is perfect...We all make mistakes and the technicians are always the bad people becuause the dealer is charging 100 bucks an hour. also the technician is only getting a 1/4 of that, if that... So what im trying to say it have some respect for these guys, this isnt exactly simple stuff...alot of education is needed to fix cars now days. engines are alot more demanding in clearences, so alot more special care is needed and never mind having to diagnose cars....Sometimes it easy, sometimes you need to rip apart the car to find one stupid little thing.

raytseng

Not taking sides, but just want to explain.

In your original post, it could have been interpreted that you were criticizing the original poster for being cheap and not replacing the water pump. And therefore he "got what he deserved" by being a "bean counter" instead of an "engineer" (E.g the line "cheap as cheap does"). Additionally, your post's main focus seemed to deliver your perspective on repairs which criticize the OP's choices rather then constructive advice for the OP.

The 2 posters took offense because this is an misinterpretation of the situation. Perhaps it was just the way tone in which your post was written and the content was on your perspective of repair work which went off on somewhat of a tangent to OP's situation.

To clarify, the original post stated that the customer DID in fact elect for a new water pump and going to the dealer, is arguably the most expensive option which should be a source of premium parts. So giving the benefit of the doubt for misinterpretations, if anything, he is following the same perspective as you "to not be cheap".