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I just bought a new RX350, and I had a question. My wife found that some back parts are not held together to line up perfectly.
1) Photos 1 through 3 are inside the trunk on the right side. You can see that the black lower part and the lighter upper part are not lined up. You can see that the black part sticks out a bit toward the 6 oclock and 9 oclock.
2) Pictures 4 and 5 are the same part on the opposite (left) side. Unlike the right side, the y-axis seems lined up correctly. But it still sticks out on the 6 oclock.
Is this normal? It's been bugging my wife a lot. Is this indicative of some misalignment of some sort while the car was being put together? I spent a lot of money on this car and want to know if this level of quality is usual for Lexus. Is this something that I should make a big deal out of?
They line up on my 2010. But, small defects like this are completely normal if you search the entire car. I would be surprised if there was anything wrong. But, the panels are just held in place by clips and small attachment pieces (usually plastic). The panels can be removed and replaced ... this might yield a better alignment. Also, it can be fixed with a little effort on your part or possibly the dealer might be willing to have the service department take the panels off and put them on again. You or they may need to tweak the item to insure perfect alignment. I personally would not have them take the panels off to correct the alignment, but I could see someone else making a different decision. Regardless of your decision, just enjoy the car. There is a very interesting area of consumer research that tries to explain why consumers are perpetually disappointed in by extremely high quality products ... basically, their expectations rise to unattainable levels and they are always second guessing their purchasing decisions.
OP, welcome to the Forum and congrats on your new RX.
FWIW, I very much agree with UCSB's assessment. Some amount of this is normal, and I've varying degrees of this slight out-of-alignment thing on interior panels in multiple Lexi, but even more so in my former BMW and in a few spots on the MBZ I now own. I think it does come down to expectations. I personally expect high quality on my Lexus in terms of fit and finish -- much higher than more commodity-type vehicles out there, but I honestly acknowledge a Lexus is still a mass produced vehicle. If I could ever afford a truly handmade Bently or Rolls for example, I'd have an even higher level of expectation.
Gotta love browsing Lexus forums. If that's your biggest complaint - plastic panels not absolutely perfectly aligned in the trunk, then you have it easy! Enjoy your new car and don't worry about it.
It's perfectly normal to have a buyer remorse and people look for any reason to be upset.
Lexus just makes it more difficult than the others. The solution, IMHO, is look for what they have done right and how many things were executed perfectly. Appreciate the fine engineering that went into the building of this vehicle.
My RX450H has very big gap between bumper and back door, I can clearly see inside through the gap. When I show it to Lexus dealer and they said it is normal.
I have bought five Lexus cars/suvs before, and this would be my last one, I think Lexus quality is a hype.
I agree the engine didn't break, and all features work as expected, but the material quality is so poor, and there are endless rattle on rough road.
I rather prefer something broken and dealer will take care of it.
I just bought a new RX350, and I had a question. My wife found that some back parts are not held together to line up perfectly.
Is this normal? It's been bugging my wife a lot. Is this indicative of some misalignment of some sort while the car was being put together? I spent a lot of money on this car and want to know if this level of quality is usual for Lexus. Is this something that I should make a big deal out of?
Thanks!
Hi, welcome to the forum. As with any mass produced vehicle even one renowned for its perfectly aligned panels, there is some amount of acceptable defects.
What makes Lexus superior is the number of these fit/finish issues is among the lowest in the car industry, but not 100% perfectly immune to it. To provide your wife with some level of comfort, just check out the competition and see how many more visible misalignments are present. I show you a couple pics below with many more in these threads below including a video I shot of a brand new Volvo XC60 at the dealership making squeaking noises in the door panels!
One thing that I could have added in my post above is more guidance on how you can fix the problem. When I was chasing down a noise problem on my Lexus, I eventually decided that I needed to remove a few panels. I picked up a large pry tool kit off of Amazon. The kit came with virtually every pry tool you would ever need on an auto. If you do a search on Amazon with terms like "auto pry tool", you will see the kinds of tools that you need. Also, there are threads on this forum that show how to remove most panels on the car. For example, there is a thread here where a member installed sound deadening material under those rear panels and it includes photos and instructions that will give you an idea what is under the panels in terms of how they are attached.
I have taken maybe three or four panels off of two different Lexus autos. With a little research and preparation, they all popped off without any damage. I made my repairs and replaced the panels easily. When you go to remove a panel, it is always best to have clear step-by-step instructions.
One thing that I could have added in my post above is more guidance on how you can fix the problem. When I was chasing down a noise problem on my Lexus, I eventually decided that I needed to remove a few panels. I picked up a large pry tool kit off of Amazon. The kit came with virtually every pry tool you would ever need on an auto. If you do a search on Amazon with terms like "auto pry tool", you will see the kinds of tools that you need. Also, there are threads on this forum that show how to remove most panels on the car. For example, there is a thread here where a member installed sound deadening material under those rear panels and it includes photos and instructions that will give you an idea what is under the panels in terms of how they are attached.
I have taken maybe three or four panels off of two different Lexus autos. With a little research and preparation, they all popped off without any damage. I made my repairs and replaced the panels easily. When you go to remove a panel, it is always best to have clear step-by-step instructions.
I am not argue with you, and I actually did this on both my ES, CT and RX right now. (GX and GS are exceptional good )
As a Lexus customer, I think I'll drive a prestige and luxury car, should be handed off all this kind of "dirty work", and enjoy the quietness ride.
But I have to put tape and foam in every gap. My wife always mock me when I try to identify the rattle during driving.
I always believe Lexus is having the best quality, but I have another thought right now:
If the engine or transmission was not working properly on MB, the dealer has no excuse and will fix the problem. I only need to drive a loaner car and don't need to fix it myself.
If there is a gap, alignment or rattle on Lexus, this doesn't belong to quality or defect at all based on Lexus's inspection, and you have to face it every day, and try to deal it yourself all the time.
Which way do you preferred?
Thanks everyone! Thanks for the welcoming and taking time to write responses. I do appreciate other examples of imperfection, some of which made me smile. I did think that it was probably not a big deal, but had to make sure.
It may be relevant to mention that this is the first Lexus that I've bought, and also the first new (not pre-owned) car that I bought. Same for my wife. Now that I think about it, wow. This is actually a good milestone for us.
Man I should also share pictures of my C class. The interior panel alignment is a joke, but the interior is rock solid, not a single rattle or movable part, so I cut it some slack. For instance, the passenger door is a full centimeter lower than where it meets the dash at the A pillar.
Hi, this is OP again. Rather than posting another thread, I decided to add here.
My wife did make another observation... The rear bumper's color is slightly different than the rest of the car. It's barely noticeable, but once it's been noticed the difference is easily seen. Is that also commom?
When I got the car, it had 96 miles on the mileage. The dealer said that it was actually traded from another dealer and the 96 miles was from that trip. A part of my brain did wonder if the rear bumper is "not entirely new." I know. Not likely.
do you think its the angle of how your looking at it?
I'm going to look real hard tomorrow morning at my RX. See if I can find imperfections in the plastic and coloring.
So far, I have not noticed anything of that nature. However, I have not been looking that hard either.
There can be some slight variation in color, but from my experience is generally highly dependent upon the color, angle you look at it, and time of day or under what type of light you see it. I'm a VERY picky guy when it comes to my fit and finish, but have not had the issue you describe with any of my Lexi. My present special-ordered Mercedes has a difference in the color of the nose (front bumper) compared to the metal hood and fenders that align to it. I believe that is caused because of the way MBZ manufactures the vehicle -- painting the metal components together and then placing separately painted "plastic" front & rear bumpers on the vehicle based on what body style you buy. The color variation is noticable to me because of the special metallic flake paint I have, but only in certain light and times of day. Not one of my neighbors or friends has ever seen the difference until I specifically point it out to them, and even then, I've only had a couple that agreed with me they could see a difference. Therefore I elected not to make a big deal of it with MBZ. I can't say with certainty if Lexus manufactures the RX in a similar manner, but I would guess they do from past videos I've seen. Perhaps someone here that has been on a tour of the Canadian plant can confirm one way or the other. As with the former issue you and your wife were concerned with, this issue comes down to if YOU think it's a big deal, and then you need to bring it to the attention of your dealer. I'd suggest once again, it's all about expectations. You both need to consider that your Lexus is still a mass produced vehicle, albeit a luxury one where we all have high expectations, and some slight variation will be considered normal from a Lexus manufacturing perspective. Talk to your dealer if you find it unacceptable. That is what they are there for.
As far as mileage on a new vehicle. That is completely normal. Don't read something into it. It is common practice for Lexus dealers to trade new inventory vehicles to provide customers the color/option combinations they are looking for in another location. I would never read into that there was something "not entirely new" about your RX because of an initial ODO reading.
The bumpers often appear slightly different from the rest of the car because they are painted urethane plastic that flexes and the rest of the car is metal. I think they may use different paint for the different material. Some colors are more noticeable than others. The light and viewing angle also make a difference in how similar or different the colors appear.
01-08-15, 10:51 PM
Is this normal? (back parts alignment)
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My wife always mock me when I try to identify the rattle during driving. 
