debian

Hi, I haven't been on here for about a year or more. I own a 2004 LS 430 that I bought with 33,000 and it was in pristine condition. Bought it at Lexus of Silver Spring in Maryland.
Four weeks ago I took it in for the 60,000 mile service at the dealership. After hearing their cost I went to a lexus/toyota specialist in downtown Silver Spring named Far East Motors.

Dealership
*FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS (TORN) $795.00
*REPLACE VEHICLE BATTERY (FAILED LOAD TEST) $210.00
*TIMING BELT, DRIVE BELT, WATER PUMP, AND SPARK PLUGS (DUE FOR REPLACEMENT BASED ON AGE OF VEHICLE) $1965.00
*REPLACE FRONT ROTORS, SCUFF PADS, AND BG ANTI-SQUEAL (FOUND BRAKE PULSATION AND SQUEAK WHEN BRAKING) $675.00 *REAR BRAKE PAD APPLICATION OF BG ANTI-SQUEAL $215.00
*POWER STEERING SERVICE (DISCOLORED FLUID) $125.00
*FUEL INDUCTION SERVICE $215.00
*TRANSMISSION FLUSH $285.00
*#2 ULTRA SONIC SENSORS(Front) $875.00


Far East Motors
Front Brake (both) replace pads /rotors..... $512
rear brake resurface rotors new pads.....$297
Control arm lower bushings replace R/L ...$527
Spark plugs replaced...$319
Timing belt, Water pump, cam seals, crankshaft seal and drive belt...$1027


So after taking the car to Far East Motors two weeks ago I just got it back. They had a problem where the timing position slipped and while cranking bent the valves in the drivers side cylinder head. They removed the left cylinder head and found they had meesed up 6 valves. They sent it to a machine shop to rebuild the cylinder head with 6 new valves, 2 new guides and 2 new valve seats.
The bad thing is that they did not tell me about it at first. They just kept stalling me. I had to tell them that I wanted my car back with the bad parts in it...then they stated the problem they created with the timing slip.
Now After driving it for two days i see that it still has power but there is an annoying bounce when the car comes to a stop. It slowing bounces up an down. When I look over at my wife I see her going up and down. It is a gentle bounce but a bounce none the less. Also the engine is a bit louder. Not much but it is noticeably louder.
Has anyone experienced this after having the engine re-machined? Has anyone ever had there timing belt messed up?
I am thinking of taking it to Lexus to have them tell me that the car is running optimally or not so optimally. Sadly this was all supposed to be preventative maintenance and now I am going through hassles.

If Lexus says my car needs work I intend to make Far East pay for the extra service. Far East says they have a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty on their work.
Any suggestions?
I suggest you think twice before you take your car to Far East Motors 963 Selim Rd Silver Spring MD 20910.

Cheers,
Ian

sojah

iTrader: (1)

Ian, first off welcome back. second i would have taken my car, or well i will shortly back to our mutual friend that you introduced me to who works at that lex dealership. i had another buddy on here leroy take his 430 to him for his 90k and O*** hooked him up for like 1/3 the cost of dealership prices (like 600 instead of 1800).

That really sucks about your car though. are you sure the bounce is engine related and not from the brake job?? my first guess would be that it is coming from the brakes since its when stopping and not accelerating. does the car still do it when in neutral when coming to a stop?

i had timing issues on a honda integra i owned a while back in japan and it never ran the same after it was supposedly fixed. they should have definitely told you about their issues up front,, this type of thing prolly occurs all the time and half are none the wiser.

i'm sure lex will find some stuff wrong with it no mater what and then at least you have a blank check from far east i suppose. good luck, and keep us posted.

debian

I tried calling our friend but he hasn't answered. That is why I went to Far East Motors. They were recommended to me but I would not recommend them after all of this.
The bounce problem....Start car no bounce. Drive and come to a complete stop with foot on the brake and it bouncing until you let go off the brake.
I have not been given a blank check by Far East Motors...I want to take it to Lexus and see what they say. If they run tests and say the car is not as powerful or find flaws in the engine then I will have work done and tell Far East Motors to pay or litigate. The engine seems strong enough I opened it up on the beltway and it seems fine but what do I know...I want to be sure.
When I spoke to Lexus about it they said that there are three things they do in this situation (where timing belt slips) rebore the cylinder head and do the other stuff that was stated above, or get a used cylinder head, or get a new one.
The service guy at Lexus silver spring told me that this happens once every so often, though rarely. HE used to work at Land Rover and he said it happened much more often with those engines. The lexus guy also said that this procedure should make my engine perform better. We're talking .02 mm or some tiny increment like that.
The bounce is not terrible but it just wasn't there before...the louder engine is slight. I f I hear that the car is running optimally then I will not have a beef. Just want to be certain, since Far East Motorstried to be sneaky.
Peace
Ian

caddyowner

Sorry to hear of you plight. I was reminded of this from the timing belt thread:

"Just remember... Line up your timing marks!!! By the way, a good trick if you are having trouble keeping the belt in place while putting it on is use a couple of those big (usually black) paper clips that are spring loaded to hold the belt to the cam gears... just remember to remove them after."

sojah

iTrader: (1)

ian, yeah i forgot to mention that he got a new cell number. i tried him a few times to no avail and finally called the dealership directly. after i got him on the phone he told me about his new number. i have it in my car and can get it to you later if you still ever want to have him do some service.

GLIDESUL

Lxt in rockville md is only place I deal with other then dealer. Sorry to hear about your troubles withyour car.

rael

When I hear these stories, I get sick to my stomach. I am so happy to have my local INDY (Ex Lexus dealer) mechanic. I had the lower control arm bushing done, also, at $150 parts and labor.

The problem is that I rarely get to see him as my car, even with 138K miles on it, just doesn't seem to need repair often. I change my own oil, so I see him for anything and everything else. Good luck to you.

jayclapp

It's stories like this that cause me to stick strictly with my local Lexus dealer. Nobody else touches my car (except Costco for Michelin tires). But I am fortunate to have a very good dealer.

warminwisc

Don't think twice about far east motors! Don't think at all!! man really sorry to hear about your fate! I have learned my lesson and do not even have my tires rotated by anyone but the Yota dealer just so I have recourse. Good luck!

Sentinel

Why where you replacing the timing belt at 60k miles?

warminwisc

6 years or 90k. I question the plugs, usually go 120 k but again maybe the mileage?

weizs13

iTrader: (1)

bg products are very good , mighty has a newer efi treatment called fusion im about to try it in my lexus. I work for a dealer unfortunately not a lexus dealer

debian

So I have found out a few more things.
1) Lexus of Rockville treats customers better than Silver Spring Lexus. Rockville is fixing my car and the work will be free of charge because I bought a certified pre-owned lexus which is still under warranty. They are also going to fix my front parking sensors (two of them have been acting up and the silver spring store said warranty doesn't cover that)
2) Far East motors not only messed up the cylinder head but Lexus of Rockville found out that the Cam shaft was not working correctly as well. Far East motors also lied because the cylinder head was not re-bored. All they did was get a few new parts and put them in the cylinder.
I gave Rockville Lexus my car on Friday morning and I will get it back this Monday evening. I am hoping the car will be in great shape.

FYI...when work is done under warranty Lexus bills it out at 20hours max.

I have learned a valuable lesson. Either take your car to a Lexus($115/hour) or Toyota($85/hour) dealership or to a guy that works for either place, and thank goodness I had the 100,000 mile / 4 year warranty.
cheers,
Ian

PS "I actually saw the old timing belt when I went to Far East Motors. It had a slight crack in one spot, I probably had about a little over a year left on it.

warminwisc

Huh, they will repair non warrantee work normal maintanence work, most of it, which was screwed up by and independent?

Jabberwock

You are very lucky that Lexus is picking up the tab for the 3rd party's mistake.