Hi my name is Michael and I'm very disappointed with Lexus. My wife and I have an SUV. It's the RX350 and on Christmas Eve 2013 on the way to dinner to meet family the car lost all of its oil within seconds on the highway. We pulled over immediately and checked to see what had happened. I checked the oil and it was completely gone so we had to have it towed 25 miles to our mechanic and so our Christmas Eve plans were ruined. The mechanic wasn't open on Christmas day and so we had to wait an extra day to find out what had happened.

Our mechanic explained that the oil cooler manifold pipe assembly had to be replaced because Lexus installed that part using plastic material and that the plastic had hardened over time and then exploded when we were driving on the freeway. He said that this part was very important to the engine and that it should never have been plastic.

We purchased this Lexus, a luxury vehicle, because we thought we'd be getting a quality car, in all areas. I'd expect plastic on a cheap car, but not a luxury vehicle; especially when the plastic was used for such an important part of the engine. Had my wife been the only one in the car when this happened, she may have continued to drive and destroyed the entire engine. Thankfully I was there and so we pulled over immediately to see what had happened.

I've owned many cars over the years and I've never had a car have this problem, even the cars I've owned for 12 years but that's because those other cars did use plastic for important part of the vehicle. This should not have happened, our car was only 5 years old, but in this case the only reason it did happen is because Lexus put in an inferior plastic product.

I contacted Lexus and they were unwilling to correct their mistake. I don't believe that I should have to pay to replace a part that should never have been in my vehicle in the first place. Lexus disagreed and refused to reimburse me for the cost of their mistake and so that's why I'm here telling you my story.

Lexus's action of putting an inferior part in their vehicles is shameful so I will never purchase a Lexus product because, based on my experience, they do not produce vehicles with the quality parts I expect when purchasing a luxury vehicle. Thank you.

 

Did you buy the Lexus used or new?

 

Statistically, this is a rare issue.

Unfortunately, it's your issue.

Sorry about your luck.

Good luck with other brands.

 

As PhilipMSPT pointed out OP, this is very rare and the major majority of Lexus owners don't ever experience this. Despite stellar reliability it's still a car, just because you buy a Honda doesn't mean it won't be a lemon and just because you buy a BMW doesn't mean you'll have issues.

Good luck..

 

Normally, since he is a first-time poster, I would welcome Michael to CL, but it looks like he may (?) not be back.

If, by any chance, Michael (mcgier), you are still watching, know that, in spite of what happened to your RX, you are welcome here if you choose to stay with us and join in car-talk. Here on this CAR CHAT forum, we discuss anything on wheels, not just Lexus/Toyota vehicles, 24/7, around the clock. So, whatever you buy or lease to replace your RX, you can discuss it here with us if you want, or discuss a possible replacement with us first, before you go shopping. Many CL members do just that.

And if you choose not to return to this forum, good luck with your car-shopping.

 

This seems to be a known issue. There is a newer part available to address the issue. See this thread for good solutions to move forward.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...-pictures.html

Good luck on your resolution and whatever vehicle you purchase next.

 

Is this a used car? If it was new, why wouldn't you take it to the dealer under warranty?

Found this amazing video from the Orginal Poster: Although I really don't want to give it hits/views.
I believe the hose you're referring to is RUBBER, not plastic.

 

For a line carrying hot engine-oil, a rubber part would probably have been worse than plastic. Oil, especially at high temperatures, is known to deteriorate rubber......much more so than simple anti-freeze does over time for rubber coolant-hoses. I don't think any credible auto engineer would design a rubber part for that type of oil-use......and, as the OP and mechanic pointed out, plastic was probably not a very good idea either. Rubber, of course, is used for the O-rings on screw-on oil filters and sometimes for the drain-plug seal, but those parts are changed at every oil-change, and are usually not left on the car long enough for oil to really deteriorate them.

 

I wish I had as much free time as this guy...good lord...the time to record, edit, and post a video?

To the OP, and everybody else (we'll never see the OP again is my guess). Had you had the Lexus towed to a Lexus dealer instead of your mechanic, my guess is Lexus would have covered this repair depending on age and mileage. The issue is that you are seeking to have them reimburse you for a repair that was diagnosed and done by your mechanic...and thats just not going to happen.

To everybody else out there, if this sort of thing happens...you need to contact Lexus BEFORE the repair is done...you can't have it done elsewhere and expect Lexus to reimburse you. The warranty provides for that, but only in a situation where its not feasible to get the vehicle to a Lexus dealer. If you simply chose to take it to a mechanic and not the dealer...you're going to be out of luck.

Had I been in this situation my mechanic would have insisted that I contact Lexus, or he would have contacted Lexus for me BEFORE doing the repair to see if they would cover him to do it, or if they would cover it. He's done that for me before and sent me over to the dealer because its something they'll cover.

Sucks, but things like this happen...many components on all vehicles are plastic nowadays and the reason is more weight than cost.

 

Well, a number of us spend a fair amount of our own free time on this forum, including you and me.

Perhaps not...that's up to him. But, in the meantime, I think we at least owe him the courtesy of saying he's welcome here if he DOES want to stay or come back and discuss cars. This forum, thanks to good moderators, has a reputation for being civil.

 

Yes, but to go to the effort of filming a video, editing it, and posting it...little nutty IMHO.

Posting on the forum in between work emails and phone calls is one thing

Never said that wasn't the case, in fact I think my response that you chose not to quote was fairly factual, reasonable, and civil.

 

< he's an actor/film producer. That's why.

 

Yes, agreed. I wasn't referring to you specifically. Sorry if you mistook it that way.

 

Hmmm something tells me this is a hoax or troll.

 

basically his mechanic should have told him to go to lexus garage.