gobase2008

Yesterday I bought a brand new IS 350 F-Sport , wtih NAV Mark Levinson, etc from a Lexus Dealer on Saturday, drove it home, and registered on mylexus.com.

When I input the VIN and checked the Repair History I found out that few days before some other dealer replace the : FRT SHOCK ABSORBER ASSY 1-SD when the car was 8 miles.

Does anybody know whats is that,, why it would have to be replaced and advise me what to do?

I bought a brand new car, I was not happy discovering it had been fixed.
I though the shocks and the assembly should be perfect from the factory,, why a dealer would had to replace that? maybe they hit the car with something during transport.
I dont want a car that was hit with something,, maybe is compromised and then later I will have problems that I would never be able to get fixed.

I went to the dealer today, and the delivery specialist that gave me my car yesterday told me "im sure is perfect,, nothing wrong with your car",,, this sounds fishy to me.

So far, I didnt move the car anymore,, they gave it to me with 18 miles and now it has 60 (from the dealer to me home).

Any advise?

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

If they hit anything there would be body damage and it would be noted. It'd have to be a big hit to get to the shock assembly. The shock assembly may have been leaking so they fixed it by replacing it. Good for the dealership. If you have to know, go back to the dealer and ask what was wrong with the strut. Otherwise you're just being paranoid. Just because you buy a Honda doesn't mean it won't have problems and just because you buy a BMW doesn't mean it'll be a lemon. No one is perfect and neither is Lexus. Nothing but paranoia. Enjoy your new car

KumaF

Agreed. Plus a lot of times cars with problems from the factory are discovered and fixed at the port, even before they arrive at dealers. Those cars don't leave anything in the records. This doesn't mean there has been accidents with the cars, or something is really wrong with them.

gobase2008

I see,, well, this is my second IS 350, I bought the first one at the same dealer in 2006 when that 2nd Gen came out, and didnt have that issue on that one.
Tomorrow I will check the car underneath,, I think you guys are right, but I will ask the dealer to give me an explanation on why they changed the Shock.

Now,, last,, just a silly-paranoid question: Do I have the right to claim that this car is not "new" because it has been fixed before given to me? I mean,, I know it sounds very bad, but since I paid almost 50 grand for the car I dont want to just "leave it like this" if I have additional rights.

Thanks

IS350S2K

When I bought my new s4, I decided to install an oem cd changer in the trunk. When I took apart the trunk liner, I found shards of tempered glass all over the place. I had a feeling the rear window shattered during transport. I didn't worry about it nor was it mentioned at time of sale. Everything looked fine. And car was problem free until I sold it. I am hoping my new is350 arrives without any damage during transport but if it does I am sure Lexus will make good as new before delivery.

SonyHome

Wow! I would have at least expected the dealer to disclose the repair instead of letting the customer think they were getting a "brand new" factory condition vehicle.

DexRox512

iTrader: (5)

Be thankful your dealer actually repaired it by replacing it...I think that is pretty honorable on their part. My car was delivered to me with 100 miles on it, a huge gouge in the front lower lip and stitching coming out on the steering wheel. I took it because they discounted it $3500 and replaced the steering wheel.

Enjoy the car...there are guys on these forums who don't have theirs yet or in my situation haven't had my car for 5 weeks due to being cut off and forced in to a brick wall at 40mph. And I have an f-sport bbk collecting dust waiting to go on the car!!!

It's a good thing it's notated and if there are problems down the road, they'll honor it for sure.

DexRox512

iTrader: (5)

His car is "brand new" factory condition as long as they replaced it with an OEM shock. In fact even more so because that particular shock would have less miles on it then the other 3 !!

gobase2008

I dont think the dealer that sold me the car even knew about it. They didnt have the color and interior I wanted so they purchased from another dealer (so they told me). that car arrived Saturday morning at the dealer and by 4 PM I was driving home with it.

I really wonder what should I do with this.
For now, Im not moving the car until I decide what is the right thing to do,, so far the car has 60 miles, I put only 42 myself, from the dealer to the supermarket and then my home.

RTIS250

iTrader: (9)

What is the purpose of not driving the car? You own it.. drive it. Enjoy it. Love it. Seriously.. its just a shock! As others have said, if the car was in any kind of accident, there would be A LOT more than just a shock replaced. Defects happen. If during the pre-delivery service, the tech found a leaking shock, it would have to be replaced. Case closed. Nothing more to worry about. If you REALLY have to know, ask the dealer you bought it from where they got the car from, call that dealer, reference the VIN, and ask why the repair took place. They will gladly look into their history and tell you. There isnt anything to hide, especially if the repair is now in national history. If they wanted to hide something, you would have never seen the repair in your history.

Stop being paranoid, and enjoy your new car!

dbs600

Sorry, but what is with the ‘enjoy your car’ line!? Appalled and have no words.

This is an issue that needs clarification; extent of the damage / repair must be confirmed. Should the knowledge and amount elements be met, serious repercussions to be had under Paragraph 19 of:

http://law.justia.com/codes/florida/...1/501_976.html

Damage corrected at port (extension of factory) is one thing (no record), anywhere else is another.

Good luck to OP.

gobase2008

Thanks "dbs600",, thats basically what I was thinking, but I dont have the vocabulary to express it.
To which extend is the dealer responsible for disclosing any repair made to the car while considered new and sold as new,, and to which extend I have the right to request my car replaced for a brand new one without any defect?

Thats basically my problem, I paid for a NEW car, not fixed, not tampered with, not with replaced parts.
I was not told of any repair and I was not in position to accept a car that has replaced parts (If I wanted an used or a pre-owned card I would have gotten such)

I dont feel like taking the chance to get a car that has problems down the road (for example, not getting alignment, or in the worst case causing an accident for which I could be liable) simple because I didnt want to exercise my rights as purchaser.

Thats the problem, I paid for NEW, so I should get NEW,, "new" to me means "straight from the assembly line" any problem Lexus finds after the car gets to the US and before is sold falls into QA procedures and is up to the customer to accept it if they want to.

Now, if I talk to the dealer because I feel uncomfortable with this and want to take some action, what would be the right way to do it? Im not a lawyer, Im not famous for being pushy and I dont want to play any games on this.

dbs600

Quick search brought me here:

http://mannerlaw.com/

If local, schedule a consult, if not, ask to be referred to someone near you.

Keep us posted.

561Lexus

Ask for an explanation but honestly, you will most likely get nowhere. You need to remember that although you say you paid for a car with no "replacement parts" remember that there is nothing different about that part from the original part. We need to remember these cars are all built with "parts" by human beings. Sometimes stuff goes wrong in the assembly or transport process and parts need replacing. Its just a shock, its not like paint work or body work is listed there. The value of the car is the same before and after the shock was replaced.

Again, you have every right to ask for clarification, but your time and energy is much better spent enjoying the car. The dealer's really are less in the know nowadays than the consumer.

LSIII

As others have said, if it was severe damage, than there would be more than a shock replaced.
It is more than likely a defective shock replaced. Would you have rather they left the defective shock on the vehicle, and then you discovered it was defective and had to spend time bringing it back for a warranty repair? Also according to that article 19 it says 'damage to a new motor vehicle', a shock that was damaged is different than a defective shock. And if the shock was damaged and not defective, then you would need to find out what that cost threshold amount is.