hyunjang

Hi,

I have 2010 IS250 with 63xxx miles. Few months ago, I started noticing rough idle, which became more frequent as time went on. In an effort to find out more about the issue, I looked around CL forums and found a good thread on this issue:
https://www.clublexus.com/how-tos/a/...mize-it-367282

I purchased a car from a friend of mine at around 30K, and never received customer service program letter. So I took the copy from above link and visited a local Lexus dealer. The dealer performed diagnostics, and confirmed that my car has rough idle due to engine misfire. Just when I had thought that the dealer will be able to work on the issue free of charge per letter, my SA told me that my car's VIN is not included in the range of cars referenced in the letter, that I missed it by about 11,000 cars. SA suggested that I contact Lexus Customer Satisfaction, and his guess is they will waive the repair cost. He quoted me $760, for top-engine clean and spark plugs replacement.

I called Lexus Customer Service to plea my case (basically stating that while my car isn't included in the range, a dealer confirmed I have the exact issue and that I feel I should be able to fix the issue at no-cost), and it took about a week to hear back from them. Their verdict was that I am responsible for the repair cost, and they will generously knock off $200. The rep also said that the cost to of repair would be upwards of $1,000, and with the discount and the additional $200, my out of pocket cost would be $500. I don't remember what she said word for word, but the cost of repair jumped from what my SA quoted me.

I have not reached back out to the dealer to schedule my appointment for service yet, as I am not sure if it is worth $500 to fix the issue. Sure, it bothers me that the car vibrates randomly when idling, but it's not the end of the world and also it is my understanding that the problem will eventually come back. I also have unfounded mistrust of dealers, and not sure if they are going to take care of my car the way it is supposed to to be taken care of. From what I read, people who turned in their car and did benefit from the support letter waited 4 days to a week to get their car back, but my SA says it can be done in the same day.

I would like to hear back from anyone with their thoughts on this before I should commit to having the dealer fix the issue. Is it worth it? I also wanted to let others know about the misfire issue which I think is very unfortunate, and to see if others were luckier in having dealers take care of the issue at no cost, and to see how their cars are doing after the cleaning.

I appreciate your time for reading thru this, and for any feedback.

MikeyK02

iTrader: (7)

I swear, I'm like the biggest voice for walnut blasting, Find a BMW/Subaru shop that is well known. Have your IS walnut blasted. Runs like 500 bucks, it will get rid of all your buildup. The problem with the Lexus top clean, they don't even vacuum the carbon out of your engine, meaning...that carbon's going to compile somewhere else.

trippy

iTrader: (1)

i called every where in Orange county and nobody does it or only do it to bmws....wack crap ever

MikeyK02

iTrader: (7)

Thats odd they wouldn't be willing to explore it. Theres an entire market of us with the issue.

Its basically no different than their 335i service theyd offer. Thats at least what the shop i go to told me

hyunjang

Does that mean the shop that you go to will perform it on IS250? If so, is it possible for me to find out the info about the shop?

MikeyK02

iTrader: (7)

Yes, I found a shop that specialized in BMW/Subaru. They've done hundreds if not thousands of walnut blast jobs, and are well known in the BMW/Subaru world. I contacted them as a last resort. I told them that even though they don't specialize in Lexus, the concept is the same. They researched the IS250 and agreed. It also helped that they have two Toyota/Lexus mastertechs, who knew about the issue. The also mentioned that the Lexus "Top Clean" service is a glorified seafoam. They charged me 500 bucks for the blast on the 06...and on my 09, I had my waterpump/belts/sparks/tension idler/pulleys changed to the tune of 1100. It was the best money ever spent on my cars

http://turninconcepts.com/

hyunjang

Thank you so much for the info!