TechNut

I wanted to vent about the service I received on my RX 350 yesterday and ask if you think I am just being too picky.

This started about three months ago. After reading on this board about how the folding mirrors slowly cut an arc through the paint of the lower mount point, I decided to go take a closer look at my mirror mount and sure enough, it was just beginning to wear a groove through the paint. A neighbor suggested I just take an emory board to the little nub on the bottom of the mirror to shave just a hair off of it. I decided I didn't want to do anything to risk the warranty so I thought I should ask the dealer. I dropped by on a Saturday and the SA said, "I've never seen anything like that. Can you bring the car back in when my service manager is here?" Knowing that most RXs have this problem, I was a bit puzzled by that response but agreed and came back when the service manager was in. He also made a big point of stating he had never seen this problem and took pictures to "send back to corporate." About a month later I got a call back from the service manager and he said "Corporate wants us to go ahead and replace the worst one the drivers side and buff the one on the passenger side and see how that goes. I told him that I thought that was overkill and I didn't want to cause that much trouble (nor did I really want my driver's door dismantled for this seemingly unnecessary repair), but agreed if that was what they really thought was necessary.

I took the car in and it took most of the day. Since I have owned it since January they also wanted to do the 6 month / 5000 mile service (even though it only crossed the 1400 mile mark while at the dealer yesterday) and it required the clear bra be replaced on the front of the mirror. I was offered a loaner (for the first time in 10 years of RX ownership) and thought that was pretty cool. (Note: I should have pointed out the rather deep grooves the mirrors were making on this loaner with 10K on the odometer...). When I got my car back it was filthy. They had obviously attempted to wash it but didn't bother to dry it. They probably did this to clean up after the "multi point inspection" which was in clear evidence by the greasy hand prints on the hood and the plastic chrome on the front of the car. The radio was changed and it took me a couple minutes to figure out how to get out of the menu they had it on and back to the menu I was accustomed to so I could select my favorite station. I also noticed the "average mileage" display showed it was down almost a full MPG from where it was when I dropped it off yesterday morning, a significant drop when I had used over half of the tank already.

So I am very **** and I admit it. While I didn't think the mirror replacement was necessary, I kept an open mind and wasn't annoyed at all - so I didn't arrive in a bad mood or anything. I just expect to get my car back in as good of condition as when I brought it in. Is that unreasonable? Living in Idaho, this is the only dealer for over 400 miles so it isn't like I can go somewhere else for warranty service. I understand the gas mileage, they were in a hurry when they ran it over to the accessory shop to install the film on the mirror, and I couldn't care less what radio station they listen to but I would like them to put it back when they return the car. I think it is the failed attempt at a car wash that has me the most annoyed, which didn't even wash off their greasy hand prints from the front of the car around the engine compartment. If you are keeping score, the new mirror is already making the usual arc in the paint just like the old one did.

So to summarize, I took the car in for an unnecessary repair at the dealer's recommendation, also received an unnecessary service and got the car back a mess for my troubles. This is the second new RX I have purchased. We enjoyed the 04 RX 330 so much we wanted to repeat that experience. This dealer has always been good to work with. We use the same dealer for our daily commuter, a Toyota Prius. In general, I have never had any complaints with this dealer and sincerely hope this was just an isolated incident.

So, do you think I am being petty? Are my expectations really too high? Should I have held fast and declined the mirror replacement and/or the service? I will end my rant now but I would be curious to see what others think about this situation.

Doug

tfischer

You can't draw a bell curve from a single data point.
I would have just sanded down the offending nub and moved on.
If you have been going to this dealer for 10 years for multiple cars, you should know the people there. Raise these questions with that manager as he, unlike us, can do something about it.

User 41924

I certainly don't think you are asking too much, but it isn't a Lexus issue. It's the dealership. I believe that if Lexus knew about this going on at your dealer, they would address it directly with them.

In short, let the dealership management know about your experience. We did that after our very first service experience with our dealer several years ago, and the service has been exceptional ever since. I would suggest that if you do complain to them though, make sure you are equally complimentary when they do well in the future. That will be even more effective in the long run.

If that doesn't help, let Lexus know.

CEOEngr

The level and quality of service at Lexus dealership's have be en on the decline since 2007. Do a search especially within the LS section and you will find numerous insights and individual experiences. Your observation is mild compared to others. The biggest scam they have been running is called "World Class -MPI" inspection i.e fancy looking 6 pages of colored pre printed form that a mechanics puts a check mark and your SA hands you and explains with such a stoic sense of authority & expertise. The Sting - as soon your car goes out of warranty they suddenly find small oil leaks i.e. power steering, rear shocks, power brake booster etc. Usually items that an average customer is not able to see. I have always said "no leave it alone". What I find more interesting is that they never find the same leak again on subsequent visits. BTW I have four Lexus products in my driveway and it has been nearly four plus years of this trickery and thousand of miles, to this day I am still to see a single drop of oil on my garage floor or any part fail.

LexRexBlue

My guess is it varies from dealer to dealer. I've used the same service advisor for 15 years on my RXs and have been very pleased. They are honest, personal, and will search for answers if they don't know the answer.

konradsa

Can someone point me to more information on this groove issue with the folding mirrors and what to do about it? Have been searching the forum here with no avail.

BertL

In have owned Lexus since the mid '90s and have not seen a general decline in service across 4 States and 6 different dealerships. I agree the issue can be with individual dealers, but my experience would not say there is some pervasive issue. Others that think there is perhaps should consider another brand for their future purchases -- I would and have (no more BMW for me because of poor reliability and service). OP, I agree you should escalate within your dealership on the poor quality service you received. Give them a chance to make it right by you, then escalate to Corporate if you feel that is necessary -- but without feedback, you'll only be frustrated and nothing will change. Woody's suggestion of providing positive feedback when that happens is also a good one -- it has worked for me. Sales and service at my present dealership I think probably have me pegged as a detailed guy that appreciates quality, but one that is reasonable if they are the same to me (a couple of the Sales people and I believe my SA have read some of my posts out here.)

FWIW, my last service experience a couple weeks ago for my 1-yr service as well as the intermittent bug I had with my iPod connection was handled in nothing but an exemplary manner. Setting the service appointment was flawless -- they didn't even ask my name, and at the end of the call, I asked them if they needed it and they already had it from callerID. A couple days later, I had an early appt at my request, my SA was stuck in a traffic jam, but another handled me to "get me going" as he said, then took me over where I had a nice cappuccino made while I used the free Wi-Fi and checked out the new cars. My SA tracked me down on the other side of the showroom and was apologetic when he got in a few minutes later. My truck was returned in perfect condition, and my head unit got a firmware upgrade that did correct the iPod problem. When my RX was ready, my SA went over what they'd done, handed me my FOB. I do less than 10K annual mileage on my RX, and on the way to the check-out desk, I asked my SA if I should come in 12 months from now to be sure the warranty would remain intact, and his reply was if I'm not having any issues, with the synthetic oil they put in, I can push it closer to 18 months without a problem. -- that's why I like him -- honest and helpful, and not out to just get my bucks.) My RX was parked right outside the door, not washed as I had requested, but not a single mark on it either -- same condition as I left it with them -- nothing messed with except the seat moved which I easily put back with my stored setup. The next day I got a robo-call thanking me for my business and wanting to ensure my service was exemplary, and if not to hold on the line for connection to the Service Manager. I also got a thank you email the next day again with a way to provide feedback or contact the Service Manager, and just yesterday a thank you card arrived in the mail with my SA's card enclosed. My dealership sets the tone doing the little things, and keeps delivering great service I have come to know and expect from Lexus. I pay for what I get, and that's fine by me. I'm always sorry to hear when others don't have similar experiences.

Good luck with your resolution.

TechNut

Understood. I will try to keep things in perspective and make sure they don't attempt to wash it again. I want to give them every opportunity to make it right. This one incident isn't reason enough for me to whine to corporate but I will let the dealer know of my disappointment.

As to the inquiry on the mirror issue, I can't find the original post, but here is what is happening. When the power mirrors fold, they rub a circular arc in the paint of the lower mount. You can feel the nub on the underside of the folded mirror. This is quite common and appears to be a flaw in the design. I am not aware of a proper fix because as I have seen, the new replacement mirrors scratch the same groove in the mounting bracket. I received a suggestion to sand the nub down just a hair. My concern with this "shade-tree" fix is that the nub may need the physical contact to keep it from vibrating at highway speeds, which would be even worse in my book. So I don't really know where to go from here other than to accept that this is just going to be normal "wear" for this vehicle. I can always disable the automatic folding option if it is going to trouble me too much - but I like the feature so I will probably just try to ignore it.

Doug

dctex99

Also realize that the 4 states east of you, Montana,Wyoming,North Dakota and South Dakota have NO Lexus dealers, and there is a lot of oil money in those states so the dealer better get up to speed....but I don't expect my dealer that sold over 400 Lexus last month to compare to one in Idaho....FYI:::20 years in Montana,just came back from Post Falls, Idaho on business; I know the difference

RXSF

keep in mind the car could have been sitting at idle to get that avg mpg number to go down, not necessarily they were driving it hard.

Ive have the folding mirrors on my '11 RX. Not sure if something has changed on the refreshed model but I dont notice any damage. I also set mine to fold every time upon lock.

But I will agree, Lexus service isnt what it used to be, especially in the sales department.

Paul B

Here's a fresh and opposite service outcome.

At 7 AM this morning, and praying for no rain, I head into Lexus of Bellevue in W. Wash. with my LS 460 and pull into the service drive. Last night at 7PM, I decide to replace the windshield wiper blades in preparation for our rainy season. I tried to follow the instructions and got the old blade assembly out okay, but I snapped off a piece of the assembly trying to put the new set-up back in. I silently curse both myself and Lexus for making such a flimsy part and prepare myself for the $100. bill for a new part and installation charges on top of that.

The service manager greets me, listens to my story, and calls a parts guy over to see if they have the part in stock. Fortunately, I had brought the snapped off part and the new refills with me. They take a look at it and snap the old broken off part back into place, seemingly with no problems to the mechanism, replace both the old refills with new ones, and I'm good to go.

How much I ask, thankful that I dodged a bullet and didn't have to buy a new wiper arm.

No charge he says, come back and see us again. He's right about that, I definitely will.

BertL

As I seem to remember, there are multiple threads that discuss this scraping issue on folding mirrors, but all mixed in as part of other threads. HERE is one of those, with a picture of that OP's mirror scraping problem at post #10 -- you-all will have to jump around in the thread to follow only the mirror part of the discussion.

...and yup, I agree, IMO, sales has the most variation across dealers and even within a single dealership. My former dealer I bought my RX400h from is only a couple miles from my home; their service was always great to me and I was very loyal -- but 2 crappy sales interactions is why I have never returned and now drive 30 minutes to another dealership that has provided me great sales and service experiences with my RX450h.

markrivers

Dealership here in South California is a dime a dozen, so i never had any bad experience to tell.
I actually love the Service dept more than the Sales/Finance people. I get a free loaner even if it's a 4 hours job like a 10,000 miles service. ( as long as i book it online).

My observation, Toyota on the other hand is getting closer and closer to Lexus service ( minus the cookies).
For simple oil change, i bring the car to my favorite Toyota service dept.

CEOEngr

I concur. That is what I also notice in the Houston metropolitan area.

Evitzee

I'll get flamed but I'll go ahead. I tend to notice a lot of owners just expect their vehicle to be perfect, everything perfectly aligned, working smoothly, and anything that breaks that idea upsets them greatly. Spending $50,000 on a vehicle doesn't mean it will be without flaws, that's just marketing hooey, if you believe differently you are deluding yourself. I've got folding mirrors but haven't checked to see if they are scraping, if I did see that I'd probably file whatever nub or high point is there and move on. Anytime you get work done on the vehicle by others opens the possibility of further cosmetic, or other, damage. I go by the motto, 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'.

I never let them clean my vehicle, that's where a lot of paint damage occurs. Do it yourself for a few bucks and 1/2 hour of work and it will look 100% better.

That said, the times I've taken both of my Lexus' in for service the experience has always been positive. But I take it in early which I believe gets you a better experience rather than rolling in at noontime or afternoon. I let them do the work necessary, but I'm responsible for the how the vehicle looks.