sama

One of the credit unions in my area started offering Mechanical Breakdown Insurance which is supposed to be better than extended warranty

https://www.dcu.org/prodserv/MBI.html

Has anybody heard of this?

Scottydog

The car might be worth 20-21k in this market if it was cherry, so unfortunately it wasn't such a great deal.

OTOH by law any licensed dealer has to sell cars that are safe. The brakes have to be fully functional, including pads and hydraulics. You have an argument to have the dealer fix at least the master cylinder.

lxus4xms

That is the problem. The wholesaler is reputable but only to a dealer who in turn makes a profit in case of issues like this, Run the serial number through any Lexus dealer and find out who serviced it. That dealer may help you.

tfischer

There's your low, low price, right there: "wholesaler."
You didn't buy it from a dealer at all, so you did not get even the minimum (probably state law) 30 days warranty.
You bought it "as is, where is," and it was yours, problems and all, as soon as you crossed the curb, maybe sooner. Buying under those conditions with no inspection is risky, as you now well know. Still, the cost of the repairs, when added to the purchase price, will start taking you back up to fair market value, whatever that is for an '06 with 67,000 miles.
As noted above, that's a car that been ridden hard. (My '04 RX has 50,000 miles.)
A purchase like that has risks, which in your case came up snake eyes. But it could have gone the other way; maybe next time.

malice9999

Sorry, I should have been more specific about the service intervals, I only mentioned the 15k ones because those are the more important ones. The oil was changed regularly at the same Lexus dealership.

I understand buying a pre-owned vehicle has its risks. The point I'm trying to make is, I've had 3 4Runners, a Maxima, and an Accord, all with more miles and none of them had leaking headlights. BTW, what's the maintenance schedule for a headlight and a brake booster/master cylinder? I'm no stranger to Toyota products but I guess they just don't make them like they used to.

Scottydog: what market are you in because Lexus dealers are selling them here for $28-$30k (not even CPO)...

RXSF

the headlight condensation is a common thing but is usually replaced at the lexus dealer (even without warranty in my case). you have to build a relationship with your service advisor and then they will throw perks at you.

im going to take a guess that your 4runners, maxima, and accords didnt have the same technology and options packaged into the RX. the reality is that the more advanced cars get, the more that can go wrong.

malice9999

I agree completely, however the components that failed in my case are not very hi-tech at all.

UPDATE: My service advisor instructed me to contact Lexus corporate relations because Lexus will sometimes foot the bill for the parts. I called and explained my situation and said I am looking to establish a long-term relationship with my dealership, but I need a little help with the repairs this time. The customer representative on the phone was understanding and will be contacting my dealership to see if a goodwill repair is possible. Gonna keep my fingers crossed, will keep you guys posted.

RXSF

yes, lexus will do a lot of goodwill repairs. just get to know them and you will find the benefits of owning a lexus

AM1

iTrader: (6)

ouch. that sucks.

Scottydog

If you price it on kbb.com dealer sale/maxed out the numbers come out in the low 20's. And in this "market" nothing is moving fast. Here is an ad for an 06 w/ 57,000 miles $19,777+ttl http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/ctd/987754873.html

Why would someone buy an 06 for 28-30k when the new 09s are now 5k under invoice?

Anyway for you it's water under the bridge. I still think your dealer needs to fix the brake system. In California selling a car with defective brakes is a real no-no.

Kostyan

I am hearing a lot of crying.. The headlights or master brake cylinder are virtually maintenance-free parts, and have nothing to do with amount of technology put in the vehicle. You're having these problems not because your vehicle happen to be Lexus, or because it is driven hard, as some have earlier stated.

btw if the vehicle has documented oil changes, clear title (not salvage) then it does not mean it was ridden hard. Someone put 20k a year on a vehicle, which by today's terms is just above average, and is likely to be highway miles.

Also, maybe in la-la land the loaded '06 RX AWD with NAVI 60k mi goes for anything less than 26-27 grand. On cars.com there are a lot of listings with really cheap prices but do not specify if the car was previously wrecked, or has a salvage title. Mind you 60k mi is not a whole lot of miles and vehicle is still under factory powertrain wtty

malice9999

Thank you - somebody that finally gets it.


Scottydog: Thanks, but there's no NAV or performance package and I'm guessing the 60k service hasn't been done. Also, mine has a towing package but was never used - I used to tow a boat with my 4Runner and rust inside the hitch receiver is a telltale sign that the vehicle was used to tow.


I'm not losing any sleep over this and I don't mind making the repairs, what irks me is the timing and the hassle. If I wanted to spend time in the shop, I would have gotten a BMW or Audi.

Ice350

iTrader: (1)

I have heard that the RX are the least reliable of the Lexus vehicles.
My neighbor has an 06 RX and his has been to the shop for many problems. He bought his used too but it still has the warranty. Good thing too. The car has had the AC, master brake cylinder, and several other things replaced.

DOn't take this as an example of overall Lexus quality. The RX just seems to be a clone or something.

The G Man

You really should do your homework a little more before you buy a car. If you are buying a recent lexus because of reliablity, you have been sucker into the Lexus reputation from 15 years ago. BMW and Audi of today are just as reliable as most Japanese cars. Here is recent article I have read about long term reliablity between the Audi A6 and Acura RL.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...term_road_test

RXSF

i would have to disagree with the above statement. while you never know what you are gonna get when you buy a car, the RX stays pretty reliable on the charts. If anything, the ES is the least reliable lexus car.

RXSF, flawless 2004 RX330 at 90K miles