Greezy

2008 LS460 standard wheel base. 60k miles. CPO. Have had it for five months. I drive it an average of 60 miles per day. I'd say that 8 times out of 10 when I apply the brakes in my car, regardless of how fast I'm going, I feel shaking and pulsating. The faster I'm going, the more noticeable it is when I slow down to stop.

After about three months of trying to ignore this I brought it to the dealership (Rallye Lexus Glen Cove) because it was time for an oil change anyway, and that comes with a 21 point inspection. I was waiting for the dealership call to tell me that either I needed new brakes, or that my rotors were warped and needed to be replaced or resurfaced, or that I needed new control arms (I've read on here that can be an issue at around 60K).

To my surprise the service manager told me that they went over the whole car, found nothing wrong with it. I told them that they must have overlooked something, the car is not supposed to shake when I apply the brakes...ever. Its supposed to stop smoothly without any noticeable pulsating the same way it does in my Audi and Mercedes. He replied and told me that they will check again, and take it on a road test to see for themselves. With that, he called me back, telling me again that they cant find any problem, and that when they test drove the car, even on the highway, they found no significant pulsating or shaking. He also said that my brakes have plenty of life left on them and there's no need to replace them.

As soon as I picked my car up, the same pulsating occurred as it did before I dropped it off. Now I'm starting to think that the dealership is lying to me, or that I'm crazy. Why would the dealership not want to do work on a car? Are brakes and rotors covered by CPO warranty, and they just don't want to do the work? If its not covered, why would they turn down money? Has anyone else out there had this issue?

This bothers me so much I'm actually thinking about getting rid of the car. Please any help at this point would really be appreciated.

RodT

1st, I hate to hear that about your car but im not 100% sure but i think that the dealer is not turning down your money per se. since the car is under CPO warranty they dont make money off of you they lose money because they have to supply parts and labor at no cost to you ( any member with more knowledge please correct me if im wrong). 2nd) if you have another dealership within your area have them inspect the car just for a second opinion ( they may charge my dealer here in MS charges $120 for a vehicle inspection). 3rd) Ride along with them when they do a road test on your car then that way you and the tech as well as your service rep with be able to observe the issue that the car is having and they won't think that you're crazy (lol). After trying this please keep us posted on the outcome i hope everything pans out for you.

Greezy

RodT thank you for the fast response. I figured that the only motive for the dealer to tell me that the car has no problems is that they don't want to go into their pockets to replace or fix anything. If that is true then obviously the service manager is a crook and I need to go to a different dealership altogether. The dealership where I bought the car is an hour away so that's the only reason I've been delaying going there. A second opinion would be nice though. With my schedule, being there when they actually road test the car just isn't an option. It would be great if I could do that. Looks like I need to find someone in my family to drive the car so that they can also feel the same pulsations I'm feeling, and have them go to the dealership on my behalf to get to the bottom of this. Still, this can't just be my LS, someone out there must have had an issue like this and found a solution (I hope). Thanks again.

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

I suspect it's more a case of incompetence on the part of the dealer - they apparently don't know how to reproduce warped rotor vibration. Take the mechanic on a test drive with you and demonstrate the vibration to him. No need to have a family member waste their time just to be told the same thing.

Greezy

So your guess is warped rotors. I just can't imagine how the dealership can overlook this when I specifically told the service manager "I think my rotors must be warped". After they checked twice and performed a road test, how is it physically possible to overlook that.. anyway if you could clear up what you mean exactly when you say that they "don't know how to reproduce warped rotor vibration." just so I can get a better idea on what you think they did or didn't do correctly.

Tee

Agree that the issue sounds like warped rotors, they can cut them to make them smooth again and if they can't be cut anymore then replace the rotors problem solved.

Greezy

Easy enough. I'm going to make an appointment for service at a different dealership. Then when they tell me it was the rotors that were warped the whole time, I'll make it a point to call up the first dealer that made me look like an idiot, and ask them to explain to me how they couldn't detect something this simple. Thanks for your help.

BigWalt

My rotors were slightly warped when I bought my 08 with little over 45k miles, Just had the rotors shaved and no issues at all since. Mine was doing the same.

BT3100

That's unusual as brakes and rotors are NOT covered under the CPO warranty. You would think that they would want to replace as brakes are a big profit driver for shops. The only explanation could be that the vibration occurs when the rotors are cold and lessens when they get hot. You drop off they test right away and can't replicate. The car cools while waiting for you to pick up, it happens again.

slimjimtel

Let me correct you on one thing...the dealership does not lose money when repairing a CPO car. They are provided the parts from Lexus and are paid for the service they perform?

Lexus would NOT overlook anything on your car. If it needs repair, they will let you know, even if it is a CPO car.

Greezy

That explanation would make sense, but unfortunately the brakes act the same way regardless of temperature. I drive an hour in the morning and an hour at night minimum, and the brakes act the same way throughout the trips. I was pretty sure (now im 100% sure) that brakes/rotors weren't covered, so I'm still left scratching my head at why they didn't see a problem even after I insisted that there was one..

Greezy

Thanks for clearing that up. I wasn't positive how that worked with the dealerships and the CPO warranties but it makes perfect sense, because you can bring a CPO to any dealership and they can't turn you down so obviously they are compensated for anything that needs to be done.

Not trying to undermind you on this and I would like to think that Lexus wouldn't overlook anything... but its clear to me that they did

lieup

If you could please upload all your rotors & pads images to this thread then we will have a better understanding what cause the issue.
Since your vehicle has about 60K miles plus, it might be a good idea just replace all the pads and rotors. However, before replacing all the rotors and brake pads. Try to find another set of wheels and do a test. You should know what to after that. I hope this helps!

Nospinzone

Whenever a dealer tells you that something your car is doing is normal, just tell them fine, let's take out one of your demos and see if it does it also.

That will be the end of that argument.

Greezy

Seems like a pain to swap out wheels just to see a problem that should have been taken care of by the dealer already. But the pictures should be up by tonight. Thank you.