antigeek

A. The Lexus SC430
B. Club Lexus forums
C. Knowing your Lexus Service Technician
D. ALL OF THE ABOVE

As of today, Although the answer is "D", "C" is the topic of discussion for this thread.

I learned a lot today, so this post is going to be long, but I hope it's informative and insightful.

I took my Oct. 2001 SC430 in today for the remaining issues from my 5,000-mile check-up:
o the left rear decklid hinge "clicked" into place
o the rear section of the wood door panels rattled at certain low frequencies from a "medium" stereo volume
o the doors don't always close completely without some force

Here's what they did.
They had to order another hinge from Lexus, which was expected to be on back-order for a couple of weeks, but arrived on Friday. After further inspection, the tech found that the striker on the left side was slightly out of adjustment. One quick change, and it's all fixed -- no replacement necessary! (It looked like an ugly job to replace it)

If you want to check for yourself, you can see the strikers (a D-shaped bracket, just like the ones on an older car's door seam) at the mid-point on the rear hinges. They're used to lock down the trunk when it's down.

Second, I spoke with my service manager at length about the door rattle issue, and had him document my details:
o it still happens, even though they adjusted it
o I provided a Stereophile Test CD (tracks 23-25) to reproduce it)
o I know of others on THIS FORUM that have had the issue
o Can it be repaired or am I just being picky? (those exact words are on my service order!)
o Please have the service tech call me while listening to it

The tech called me just before he started testing. I gave him all the details. Apparently he has a "squeak kit" with lots of stuff to address any vehicles' erroneous noises. He said that there are several screws behind the wood panel (I suspected less -- it would have explained the problem easier).

After some discussion as enthusiasts, and agreement to make some copies of my test CDs for him to diagnose other systems, he said he'd address it and wanted to meet when I picked it up.

The details from the invoice:
"Added felt tape and insulated wood trim panels - 0.80 units"
While this was done (to some degree) on my 1,000-mile test, I think the second attention FIXED IT! I hear NO MORE rattles from the doors. Another case closed.

Lastly, the doors. Seems that I am an idiot. The doors are not mis-aligned.
The doors seal very well, so when the top is up, the air pressure generated inside push back on the doors. Stupid me...

We did a little review on my pick-up. Here are the details:

1. By raising my issues to him (and not just the service manager), he becomes a better tech, which helps me, too. He also has discussions with Lexus, sharing issues and resolutions, which means that everyone benefits.

2. He has seen a lot of Lexus models in 9 years, and is quite surprised at the FEW issues there are with the SC430.

3. He's aware of the bushing issues, and says that Lexus knows that the first replacements (June 2001) did deteriorate in effectiveness after 500 miles. However, he thinks that the new ones (March 2002) are much better, and may address the issue for good. It's still early, but here's hoping.

4. There is a test mode for the A/C system -- hold down AUTO & the RECIRCULATE button at the same time, and turn the key to ON. You'll see two codes (21 & 24) which are normal. Pressing AUTO will cycle through all the A/C tests. Not sure how useful it is, but it's a neat trick. This is documented in the SC400/300 forum:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...threadid=30274

5. My service tech recommended the following for maintenance. I haven't checked them against the manual, but he was pretty solid in his opinions:
o oil & filter change every 3,750 miles
o rotate tires every 7,500
o alignment every 15,000
o air filter change every 15,000
o transmission fluid change every 15,000
o brake fluid & coolant change every 30,000
o A/C filter every 30,000 (depending on climate)

The air flow in the A/C system when the filter gets clogged.
Duh, but it's a good indicator.

6. As for the choice of oil, my dealer uses Castrol. I asked about synthetics, and he didn't recommend it. He said that the tolerances in the Lexus engines are very tight, and the "larger" size of a synthetic could affect the engine. (Not sure on the scientifics of this.)

He recently rebuilt an ES300 engine, and said that after 50,000+ miles, the original cylinder wall scoring from the original bore was clearly visible. Hardly any wear!

The following are my opinion:

7. Lexus and dealerships do some things to control costs. One is that they won't volunteer all information / issues unless the customer expresses them as concerns. At the front of this: the service manager; they filter out customer concerns. I don't fault them for this -- there's no incentive; only a small number of customers (the true enthusiasts) will pick on every little thing.

8. Lexus customers vary. Some customers have the dealer pick up the car, provide a minimum of information, and have it delivered back to them (fixed to the best of the information given). I got the impression that some owners don't give the attention to detail to their cars like Club Lexus members. This lends to two situations: owners who find imperfections with their car and don't provide the dealer with enough detail to fix them successfully, and picky owners who want issues with a brand new mode to never exist.

This is key -- issues come out on this forum because of our attention to detail, and the desire to have the perfect vehicle. While this is an impossibility (just remember the last time you drove an American car (in comparison ONLY -- no flames, please)), Lexus comes closer than anyone to making this dream come true. The sharing of information here has DEFINITELY helped me address some issues quickly (by myself or with my dealer).

I've realized that I'm not a Lexus owner who leaves it up to the dealer to find my issues and expects them to address all the concerns I didn't give them enough detail about. By noticing and doing as much diagnosis of issues as I can, the more I can do for MYSELF by giving this information to them to fix it ONCE. It's annoying to notice problems with my car, but I've always been confident that my dealer can and will fix them for me. And I've found that contact with a service technician is a definite plus. I don't believe that they work harder -- they just have better information.

antigeek

Oh yeah, one more thing.

I had my fuss that Lexus got rid of the hinges on the SC3/400's doors. The service tech said they had a lot of problems with the old hinges. I loved them (they opened wide, but didn't go as far out as the SC430's). Bummer.