CRowe14

To all my enthusiasts: A good day to you all!
Please allow me to begin with the following disclaimer:
If this issue has already been addressed, please forgive me. But this is only an attempt to help anyone who my experience this issue.

Upon recently purchasing my vehicle, while driving it on the highway (don't scream at me-I didn't do a highway test drive, as it was late in the evening when I test drove and the highway was 7 miles away), I noticed vibration in the seat, gas pedal and steering wheel. Nothing tremendous, but it was indeed noticeable. I spoke with fellow board member Tee about it and he instantly told me to get a Lexus RFB. Something he also told me to look at while driving, which I'd never heard of before, was to observe the passenger seat area that your back rests against, and if there is vibration, its pretty indicative of the car needing a RFB.

So, in my infinite wisdom, I called my local Lexus shop and asked for a price quote for a RFB. She wasn't aware of the procedure and said: "You mean a balance..., I've never heard of a RFB I'll have to ask the Service Manager (SM)".

SIDENOTE: I typically prefer to speak with the manager myself when inquiring about any service needs in the attempt to void any "grey" areas regarding an understanding about my needs, but I figured how obstructed could things get when asking about a simple service.

She comes back to the phone and states that he is familiar with the service and quotes me $137.99. I went ahead and obtained a few additional price quotes, including another local Lexus shop ($139) and decided to just allow Lexus to do it.
So I call the next day, I called the shop who quoted me $137, set up the appointment, and upon confirming the price, it went up to $149. The lady claims she's not sure what happened and then says..."well...between 137 and 149".

Anyways...

I take the car in (OH YEA!! ON THE PHONE PRIOR TO SETTING UP THE APPOINTMENT I REPEATED 3 TIMES: DO NOT WASH MY CAR!!! HE REPATED IT AND SAID HE WILL MAKE SURE IT WONT BE WASHED) and 45 minutes later the SM approaches me and says:
"Sir, we're going to need to perform a RFB on the vehicle, as the wheels are pretty out of spec, and that will be $249. Now, you can imagine my dismay and just how puzzled I was...
I went on to be polite and respectable and explain my exchanges the previous day as well as earlier that day, the random price changes and what I thought was an understanding that I was getting a RFB @ "137-149"...NOW he is telling me a totally different price...What's going on??

He proceeds to tell me that is a bad system they have. When you call to set up an appointment, you are routed to another Lexus dealer and they prefer you NOT to speak with any of the techs nor the SM, they relay info and in the midst of that madness, this get misconstrued. He was quite the gentleman about it, apologized sincerely, told me he wants me to keep coming back for service needs and only charged me $137, which was picked up by the dealer I purchased the vehicle from.
2 hours later, I go to pick up the car and sit it sitting inside the holding bay very, very clean! I was instantly upset! I paid and asked to speak with the service manager but he had left for the evening.
I reluctantly approached my car...and yes...there were swirls as well as a few scratches on the surface of the trunk. I could have screamed! Also, it appears I have a few small chips on the roof of the car. Now, I just purchased it, but im pretty darn sure those chips weren't there.
I have yet to speak with the manager about it as I've been pretty busy, but will be speaking with him today.
Lastly, something I can be happy and smile about: My family and I took her on a little weekend get away and boy did that RFB do wonders! Very, very smooth.
Have a great one guys!

CJITTY

I have no words, but imagine me banging my head against my screen right now. There are many places that do road force balance and it is a very common industry balance method using force against the tire via rolling pin type of device on the balancer to detect tire/wheel issues and instructs an EXPERIENCED technician where to place the weights or if the tire needs to have the bead broken and strategically shifted on the wheel for best possible balance. I get my four staggered 22" wheels road forced once for $80 at my local Kaufmann Tire and it includes lifetime rebalance...enough said. Dealers are great, but they aren't the only game in town. Any EXPERIENCED technician can properly road force balance a wheel/tire..sorry you had to deal with that, not good at all and I would be livid. As far as the car wash, there are members who have made laminated signs they hang from their gear shift or mirror that say "DO NOT WASH CAR". My service advisor rights it with a sharpie all over my paperwork in big letters and I haven't had that problem yet. I would ask for a $500 service credit because if they do a detail to help with the swirls, chances are you will end up with more micro scratches and holograms galore. Or at least 5 free oil changes..something

CRowe14

CJ, I greatly appreciate your response. I just left a message with the SM I dealt with on Fri. This is an absolute lesson learned. Upset because of the extent that damage was done to my "new to me" car and the chips really cant be fixed. I really don't want to put touch up paint everywhere. Its going to look tacky. I will definitely take heed in finding another trusted facility in my area to have things like that done. He seemed like a nice guy so hopefully we can come to an understanding to resolve this situation. Wasn't even a week old....smh
Thanks again and I will post back what happens.

tbilisi79

Oh I feel your pain.

I left my new to me Ls at dealer for a week. After picking it up I walked around twice to make sure nothing changed . This is a first.

One of the notable times was, when I left with my gs430 after having rear pads changed only to come back 20 minutes later with rear caliper smoking. Turns out the caliper pin was not lubed.

Devh

I would rather have road force balance done at a place that does nothing but install tires because they have people experienced on the machine and will spend the time to get it right. Often dealerships will outsource this service because they don't have a road force balancer.
Dealerships put on a good show but what happens in the garage is anyone's guess. Find a good independent that is willing to work with you and above all do your own research on the correct way to install parts according to the service manual. Mechanics take shortcuts, because they are pressured to do the work as fast as they can.
This is primarily the reason why you should do as much as work on your car as possible because you will take that little bit of extra care to do the job right without harming other parts in the process. Some mechanics I have seen are brutal.

R Z

Another satisfied Lexus Service customer!

So first off, for satisfaction. I'd call and get that service manager on the phone. I'd tell him not to leave until you get there. I'd let him know politely how you were treated. I'd demand they repair anything they messed up and just politely ask to speak to a higher manager until you get your way. I was taken to the cleaners on my former Lexus at the dealership. However, when they hit me with the bigger price, I refused to pay it and kept asking for a higher up until they did what they promised in the first place. It can be done!

My first visit with Lexus for my 460 they did it to me again. But this time, when I asked the service guy to kindly look at the loose areas outside on my car, they said sure, but didn't. Believe you me they were all tight before I left and no charge. I waited, but it was worth it.

Hang in there and next time look around for reliable service techs in your area that are Lexus proficient. there's plenty out there.

peteybabes

Firestone is where i got my 19's done for like $80...

CRowe14

You know what, I called FS and they quoted me $59.96 for a reg balance; $57.96 for lifetime with no add'l. fee for road force. Should have went there. Lesson learned.
Now...awaiting the Service guy to address these swirls, scratches and chips...

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

Lexus dealerships have the best balancing machines available. Whether or not the techs are the best available is anybody's guess. "Road Force balancing" proper involves finding the high spots on the wheel and tire (radial runout) and putting them on opposing sides to cancel each other out. Few places do this but a high end auto (ie Lexus) dealership will (and it'll cost you)!

The swirls were probably caused by the dealers car wash but I doubt the chips were, so I'd go easy there.

CJITTY

I've seen the same Hunter 9700 type road force balance machines at dealers and at the local tire chains. It all comes down to trained techs who know what they are doing and consistently calibrated machines...it makes all the difference. Been dealing with wheels and tires for decades and I've had smooth as glass balances by one tech and balances that felt like I had lumps in my tires on the same machine when a newb did the balance. My problem has been the good techs end up to become managers and then wear the white shirts and stay clean all day at the customer counter while the balances are done by folks still learning the craft. Sent from my iPhone using IB AutoGroup

305Busa

Wow, sorry to hear about how much it cost. My wheel place doesnt even have an option. The only machines they have are RFB ones and everytime I go by, they automatically do it as part of their mount and balance. I believe I pay aroud 80 for the set but its for mount and balance.

R Z

One other thought I didn't mention. My car came from a Toyota dealership out of town. They did a complete inspection of the car including rotors, tires, brakes rotate and balance. The car rides smooth. So, don't rule out a local Toyota dealer for that type of service.