graneri

2014 RX 350 - 10,300 miles - Rear Main Seal Leak #2

Brought car into the dealership to repair my rear main for a second time. Looks like every 5,000 miles the leak shows up.

The dealership has repaired the rear main seal a second time, and guess what?

Two days later at the dealership the car started leaking oil again.

So now it's been identified that the entire short block needs to be replaced. Should take another week to repair.

This has been the worst experience I've ever had with a new car. Now I have a relatively new car (10,300 miles) that has had 2 rear main seals repaired, a short block replaced, replaced front parking sensors, and a radio that displays the wrong time when first starting the car.

I am royally pissed about the experience. I've contact Lexus corporate to file a lemon law claim. They're inspecting the vehicle next week.

Update 1/24/2016: Lexus Corporate approved the lemon law claim and has offered to refund or replace the vehicle with the current year model. I'm very happy with the decision, and looking forward to finalize any new options and selecting the color on my Brand New 2015 RX 350. They assured me that there will be no costs to me except for any new features I may request.

Extremely pleased with Lexus and how they handled the situation.

hovbuild

Do some research before going the lemon law route..The dealer is allowed way more than two chances to fix the car in any state where this might apply. i have had a few short blocks replaced in trucks. Two were fords back in the seventy's and one was a Chevy in the 90's. It was proved to be a casting defect in all of them...Maybe Lexus will comply to your request but the laws state otherwise. Good luck.

kitlz

^Being in the shop for repair for a certain number of days may also qualify the vehicle for lemon law. Been there, done that. Definitely check the state laws.

graneri, I'm sorry to hear about the problems you're having with your RX. I hope Lexus and the dealer are able to come to an amicable resolution, whether it's repair or possibly allowing you to switch your RX for another vehicle. While that might not be your first choice, it's not limiting. I did an MSRP swap myself, MSRP on the bad vehicle towards MSRP on a new vehicle. Initially all I wanted was a refund. But the more I thought about it, the better the MSRP swap sounded. Fact is, I didn't have to keep the new one. It was traded in the same day i took delivery towards another vehicle.

Going the lemon law route is not fun. I have a 360 page binder to prove it. That's not even taking into account lawyer and expert witness fees, plus the time spent going to court. Please try to work with Lexus and the dealer. Tell them what you want and listen to what they offer. I wish you the best of luck and please keep us posted.

Cruiter

Eric, so sorry you're having this issue. Having a couple of smaller issues but still annoying such as your parking sensors and clock issue can seem problematic but as you know being a technology expert there will be the occasional hiccup in a car with as many computers and the high technology these cars have. Those are usually supplier parts defects that 'can' happen but be fixed with a parts change out. The engine 'short block' issue piled on top of those though can certainly make you want to throw your hands up. The odds of all of those happening on the same vehicle are extremely slim but there's that bumper sticker that say's 'stuff' happens.

Please keep us informed of the progress toward repair and/or Lexus possibly offering another solution. Hopefully your dealer is working with you and assisting in every way they can. Staying calm with them will go a long way to keeping you a happy Lexus driver/owner. Keep the faith.

vlad_a

If you are within 12 months and 12,000 miles, IL lemon law may apply to you. Looks like there is a very short window of opportunity. Once those pass, you're SOL.
To qualify, either of these instances should occur:
(1) the same nonconformity has been subject to repair by the seller, its agents or authorized dealers during the statutory warranty period, 4 or more times, and such nonconformity continues to exist; or
(2) the vehicle has been out of service by reason of repair of nonconformities for a total of 30 or more business days during the statutory warranty period.


Many manufacturers will work with their customers rather than going through the Lemon Law. I suggest you call Lexus corporate and see what can be done. As it stands right now, it does not look like you will have a solid case.

kitlz

I want to add a few other things that makes pursuing lemon law very undesirable. Disclaimer, state laws may vary. It's not automatic nor quick. And you can lose. For me the first step was filing a final repair attempt letter with the manufacturer. In my case, Ford. They failed to make a final repair attempt so I moved on to the review process to qualify for a lemon law hearing. About two months later I received a letter saying my case was approved and given a hearing date. The judge forced settlement on Ford at the hearing but it took them another month to get the terms correct. A month plus was spent waiting for the state attorney general to sign off on the settlement. Ford was supposed to comply within 15 days IIRC. They didn't nor were they fined. I wasn't able to get out the car for an additional five weeks. Eight months, that's how long it took from start to finish. Again, I can't emphasize enough trying to work with the dealer and Lexus.

vlad_a

Anita,

My experience has been very different. Ohio has a simpler process, although, I never had to invoke it. A manufacturer that should remain unnamed, had matched all of terms and in a very timely manner. I am one happy camper and had purchased another vehicle from a company that treated me fairly.

kitlz

vlad, I'm just saying lemon law should be the absolute last resort. Now if Lexus and the dealer were not acknowledging the problem or attempting to fix it, then by all means, pursue it. That's not the case here.