birjubhai

I finally bit the bullet on a 2009 Lexus 600h L, 61000 miles for 31K. This was from a third party/owner in CA. All the maintenance record has been ordered from Lexus and looks pristine. The 60K service was also done from a dealership in CA. After reading the forums, I tried getting extended warranty from the Lexus gods(Troy, Jerry and third guy) and they all declined saying that it was already out of warranty and could not be extended. Then called the local dealership and they offered a Platinum warranty for 5 years/ 120,000 miles for $4600. Did not want to take a gamble on a 31K car so bought the warranty for the sake of piece of mind. I know $4600 seems a lot but after reading some of the threads, I figured that some of the repairs on the LS600 can amount up to a cost of a new Camry. What do you think guys.....Good deal or not ?

Gbp

Let's put it this way... Given your description of the car, you got an excellent deal on the purchase price, so even if you overpaid somewhat for your extended warranty (Lexus Platinum VSA, correct?), you're still looking at a very good deal in total. A Lexus dealer quoted me a similar extended warranty price, but I believe it wasn't Lexus-branded.

If you belong to a credit union, you might get a better price, but you'd have to compare the features between the two warranties and do your due diligence on the reputation of the third-party vendor the CU uses.

dlbuckls10

Good deal and a peace of mind. It's hard to imagine anyone buying a sophisticated automobile like the 600hL without a warranty. The Platinum warranty is a choice you want regret. Congrats on your 600hL and enjoy.

birjubhai

Thanks Gbp......I was thinking on the similar lines, $4600 for the Lexus Plat VSA was a bit more than I had hoped for but end of the day that is the best warranty in town for any mileage Lexus. I think I will stick with it. I may save few hundred by shopping around for third party warranty but will have to go through the hassle of getting the work approved and what not ? I also hope, I don't have to visit the shop frequently but looking at the threads, the odds are that I will. (fingers crossed)

birjubhai

Thanks dlbuckls. I will be posting pics soon. I am expecting to get he vehicle by end of this week.

CRowe14

First, a congrats to you on a great purchase! These are great cars and I know you'll enjoy the vehicle.
Secondly, I'm not sure you wrote that last statement as a misprint or if that is what you intended to write, regarding you thinking that the car will need multiple stops to the shop, but based on the grand consensus of the quality of this car, with all things considered, the LS will not be shop-ridden.
You've purchased a flagship of the flagship with considerably low miles with a backed Lexus warranty. You say you've checked all of the maint records and all checked out well.
The vehicle age is relatively fresh, especially for a Lexus, however there will be things that will come up that will require attention, but for the most part, and I believe I share the same sentiment as many of us members do her at CL 9and the reason may of us purchased this car), is that the car, based on statistics, should serve as a very well made car and give you minimal issues.
Also, if you take a look at the LS 4th gen area, you don't see many issues regarding the 600, and even with the 460, the issues, if you wish to call them that, as with wearable items, namely bushings.
So i'll tell you like a good few of these good guys told me, drive and enjoy the car, because that's exactly what it was built for!
Look forward to your pics and once again, congratulations!

Nospinzone

Hey birjubhai, congrats on the new car! I wish you good luck with it and welcome to Club Lexus.

I agree with Gpb and dlbuckls10. In the best case scenario I hope the $4600 was a waste of money.

However, the peace of mind may well be worth every cent.

Now that you are here, don't be a stranger.

birjubhai

Thanks Nospinzone, I like the way you put it. : )

hfahmy

great deal on the car and reasonable price for the warranty. Enjoy!

birjubhai

Thanks CRowe14. I hope you are right and looking back at the records of my vehicle, it was religiously taken to the Lexus dealership every 5000 miles and after going thru all the invoices of the service records, I did not see anything done for the control arms or the air suspensions yet. The only unusual thing I see in the invoices apart from regular service items is wind noise in the cabin, which many people have reported in the forums. Hopefully they took care of it. In the past I have owned a couple of BMW X5's which drained my bank account like crazy. My wife totaled one and I got rid of the other X5. Eventually I bought an Infiniti QX80 which I bought extended warranty up until 120,000 miles, so far I have not used it even once but I am never worried for any untold surprises when I take it for service. I hope the LS 600hL treats me the same way.

birjubhai

Thanks hfahmy. Can't wait for Friday when the car will be delivered to me. It is somewhere in Colorado right now.

Ascari_2

Excellent deal (car) + slightly higher price for peace of mind (warranty) = you did really good.

birjubhai

Thanks Ascari, I was told by the Lexus Warranty experts listed on this site that I would not be able to get any Lexus warranty since my car was out of warranty already. This guy offered me Platinum VSA, so I jumped on the first opportunity before he changed his mind.

CRowe14

Glad you were able to find that out.
Though it would have taken some digging, it is a documented fact that certain Lexus dealers do offer warranties once a vehicle is past the factory warranty. You just have to find one who's willing to offer such, but as you've seen, they are out there.
I don't own a 600, but I was told the same thing when I was inquiring about warranties for my 460, but happen to call the closest dealership near me-about 5 minutes away, and they offered a warranty service for my 07.
Regarding a/s and control arms, you've covered now so no worries.
The wind noise, if you even encounter the issue, is actually a pretty simple fix per community member jmcraney.

hfahmy

For a type 4 vehicle like the 600, 460 is type 3, $4600 is reasonable.

I paid $4600 to a dealer to buy a privately owned car and sell it back to me 6 years/100K miles certified in 2014. Dealer did nothing to the car beside changing the oil... back then VSA was not an option if the car is out of the factory warranty.

One bad news about the Lexus warranty/certification for the 600 is that it does not cover the hybrid battery, only the hybrid system component. I was really disappointed when I learned this...