wayman28

Thanks. Yes, the original quote I got was for the four lower arms. I already had them done and did exactly what you said. I sourced the parts myself and saved a few hundred there. Then I brought it to my independent mechanic and saved a lot on labor. I ended up getting all 8 control arms done because the upper arm bushings were cracked and would've needed replacement soon anyways.

wayman28

Yes you can. They will look at the year, make and mileage of your car and adjust the warranty policy type and price accordingly. I bought my LS 460 about 4 weeks ago and I can still get a third party warranty from a variety of places.

Ascari_2

You likely can get a "Used Vehicle Platinum VSA." Call Toby Rivers at Shreveport Lexus and ask about it. There is no need to say what if anything needs to be done to your car. Simply say that you are trying to get a "Used Vehicle Platinum warranty." These plans can be had as long as your vehicle is 9 years or younger and is between 48,000 and 100,000 miles. Maximum terms are 5 years or 60k miles on top of what you have on the odo at the time of purchasing the plan.

It will likely be more expensive than Carchex, but it is a zero-deductible Lexus-backed warranty which will provide you with considerably more piece of mind.

cgawelko

Well good. Glad you saved some bucks, AND got the LS up to spec! What else do you need! Kinda poop that you already needed 8 control arms and the car isnt that old...

wayman28

I already looked into this. I called Lexus dealerships in multiple states. Most of them would not give me a Lexus backed warranty because I was not currently under a Lexus warranty (e.g., original manufacturers or extended). There was a dealership in Illinois who agreed to provide me with a Lexus warranty even though I wasn't currently under a Lexus warranty. He said some dealerships will do it only if I brought my car in for an inspection. Since I didn't live in Illinois he said I could bring it to my local Lexus dealership for a diagnostic and send him the report. I did so but he couldn't help me because they found some items on my car that needed repair. So that's where my hunt for a Lexus-backed warranty ended.

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

Interesting. My local dealership didn't inspect my car when I bought my Lexus warranty there. I have a longstanding relationship with them and own 2 other Lexus vehicles, but I don't know if the finance manager knew that.

Ascari_2

Like I said, try calling Toby Rivers. Some dealers are willing to do more than others. When I was looking into buying a 2008 600hL, I was pretty much all set on getting a used vehicle VSA from him. I can't speak for him and guarantee that he will be able to get you one, but if there is a way to get a Lexus warranty, chances are that he will be able to get it. Worse thing that happens is you get a negative answer and keep looking into Carchex.

wayman28

Well, I've ultimately decided to not get a warranty and just roll the dice on my own dime. I put in all of the time and effort into trying to get a Lexus warranty that I'm willing to put in. And after a lot of research I decided third party warranties like Carchex are not worth the risk. There are too many horror stories of them giving customers the run-around on repair claims.

Devh

As this car gets older you will find third party parts that address those issues that are common with this car. The EBay sourced control arms are a good example as they are ridiculously cheap and you can have an independent replace the parts.

If you run into parts that are expensive from the dealer you will be able to find them from salvage networking for good used low millage parts that come with a workable warranty.
The dealership will always be at the higher end that it makes it seem like you need a warranty but if you are smart you can beat the system. These cars are not terribly hard to work on and most independents should be able to fix the car to specification.
I have beat the system many times over sourcing and fixing my own repairs, but best of all the job is done right.

roadfrog

Good choice. As Devh pointed out, aftermarket warranties are almost never worth their price. For any of the normal wear and tear/maintenance items that the LS has to be addressed, it's no different than most any other car out there and most of the parts sourced online are easily obtained. I will give a couple of examples:

I replaced my radiator, water pump and hoses myself in about 3 hours. No special tools required:
Radiator from Ebay (with lifetime warranty): $63.00 (dealership price is over 400)
Water Pump from local parts store: $55.00 (dealership price is around 200+)
hoses were 25 for all (I dont even wanna know what dealer cost would be.

Brake rotors: Replaced myself in an hour for 60 dollars....for BOTH including free shipping. Again, no special tools required.

I've also replaced my spark plugs, filters, oil changes etc.

And keep in mind that my work is in Law Enforcement - I am not a mechanic.....just an eager DIY'er who's too cheap to let anyone touch my car unless absolutely necessary.

If you're not a DIY'er.....take it to an independent for half the labour cost. Either way, your likely going to come out far ahead of what any warranty offered. When you buy a warranty it's a gamble...and the house almost always wins. The warranty companies are betting on it.
.

Devh

I agree whole heartedly. I think the most important thing about the car you intend to own is that it has a good track record for not encountering a major component malfunction. The LS engine and transmission is sound. The UR series of engine is used in fleet equipment around the world with a great service record especially one that gets abused.

efxonly1

Sorry for the delay, and it looks like you may have already decided against the 3rd party warranty, but no, Carchex just approved the Lexus OEM parts recommended by the Lexus dealer. I heard stories about warranty companies also, but I figured if they gave me a hard time about a repair I would just cancel the policy (which is why it took the car in to control arms checked about 10 days after the waiting period ended), since I pay for it monthly. They already paid out more than what I would ever pay them, and I have about 25k miles left on the warranty.

roadfrog

Only because you dealt with Lexus. That same repair is only a few hundred dollars elsewhere (bushing replacement as opposed to entire arm replacement).

Also, Are you sure you can cancel the warranty "anytime"? I thought you could only cancel up to 30 days after initializing.

efxonly1

I agree, I most certainly could have gotten the repair done somewhere else for less than $4k+, but I bought the warranty so I could get all of my repairs (at least while under warranty) completed by the Lexus dealer. I bought my used LS460L in Jan 2014 and I put the warranty on it in March 2014. The repair was done in April. Yes, I pay for the warranty on a monthly basis and I can cancel at anytime and for any reason.

Oh, and I've been looking for other issues with the car that can be fixed or that are most likely to break within the next 25k miles, but the dealer can't find anything and they know I have the warranty.

rustednail

iTrader: (1)

Bringing this back. I plan to buy a 07/08 ls 460 soon and after reading all the common issues with the car, it seems like a $2400 (100/ month) from Carchex is the way to go. Especially since the control arms are prone to cracking. Anyone else have any personal experience with Carchex claims?