Ok, maybe hate is a strong word, but this is getting a little frustrating!! My cruise range is again broken and the dealer is saying this is normal? WTF!!

I had a previous thread here about my cruise range not resetting after filling up. The first time, the dealer reset the computer. The second time this happened, the dealer replaced parts (not sure which) now the problem is back again.

Here is the current problem, If i fill up a full tank, the cruise range resets, if I fill up for $20, the cruise range resets, but if I fill up for $10 (enough to get to work where gas is cheaper) the cruise range does not reset.

The dealer is saying that's normal, they state that if you fill the tank with only $10 (2.5 gallons) that the cruise range doesn't reset on purpose. I know i'm not crazy because it used to work and would usually read about ~125 miles.

So i'm asking here, is this normal? Should I go to another dealership? Contact Lexus?

Thanks for letting me rant.

 

sorry you are having trouble. i would try another dealership and see if they come up with the same response as the first dealer. if so, it could be that there is a system limitation on the cruise range readings.

personally i never look at the cruise range, i just use the trip odo and my gas gauge to estimate what i have left. i always fill up full though, so there isn't much guessing involved.

good luck!

 

FWIW - i did have issues with one dealer repeatedly not fixing a TPMS warning light coming on every 4 weeks. they kept saying it was normal for one tire to lose air and that i should just fill it. after three failed attempts at them looking at it, they gave up and said the tire had a slash on it which i KNEW was wrong (i had already taken it to discount tire to see if they could repair it and they said the tire was fine).

in any case, i went to dealer #2 and explained the situation and the SA said he wouldn't tell the tech what the history was. it turned out the sealant between the tire bead and rim was not fully sealed so i was losing a little bit of air each day. they re-sealed it and all is well. it's been about 2 1/2 months with no TPMS warning.

so yes, your results may vary from dealer to dealer. but in your case, it could very well be a system design that the range doesn't reset with small fuel trips.

 

While I have not done this with my own CT, I have did it a few times with the loaner CT from the dealer. The computer doesn't work very well when you only fill up a few gallons. Sometime I would drive for a long time before it even registers the fuel in the fuel gauge.

Just curious, how much do you actually saved by filling it up at the gas station by work? $1? $2? It maybe worth it to just take the more expansive gas and only have to do it once. I don't look at the range anymore. I just reset my Trip A and pump it to full. If I get to 400 miles, I start to look for gas stations. I know I could to 500+, but I like to play it safe.

 

I agree with lexuslover in that you can try another Lexus dealership. Since you (gveng) live in California there are 38 Lexus dealerships.

As for myself I never look at the cruise range as well and just completely fill up the tank. The CT has a really small tank so it doesn't make sense to put in $5 or $10 at time. I also use Chevron gas and it usually takes about $30 -$35 to fill up my tank...

 

I find this to be a really strange complaint. It seems you have found a glitch in the information system. A glitch that serves no purpose that I can see. Why not fill up at work when the tank is down near a 1/4 or less, you still have more than 100 miles range and your computer would reset as normal? You don't appear to require accurate range info because if you did you fill the tank to the top instead of little increments of $10.
I am surprised that the first dealership tried to fix this for you. I think you should just let it go or you risk being black listed by the Lexus dealerships.
Good luck.

 

If I was a lexus advisor I would've laughed you out of my dealership for wasting my time with sucks a stupid complaint.

Fill up like a normal person and live your life?

 

First of all, this is a friendly forum, no need to be rude.

The cruise range is a pretty weak reason to hate any car. I understand we pay a lot of money for these cars and you would expect some exacting standards, but the sensor probably just doesn't have the resolution to notice a 10% change in fuel level, and it probably is saving us some money. Every little cost savings in the design matters and it may have saved Lexus $1 per unit but after markup it makes a difference to the consumer.

 

01LEXPL please no rude comments. The OP is frustrated with his cruise range and wanted some advice and suggestions and not to be ridiculed.

 

The gas station by my work is usually $0.10 - $0.15 cents cheaper then by my house.

And to be completely honest, I probably save absolutely nothing filling up the CT, but before I bought my CT for a daily driver, I drove my Escalade to and from work (60 miles round trip). So I think over time I've grown accustomed to finding the cheapest gas station to fill up. Creature of habit I guess.

I'll try another dealership. Thanks!

Black listed? Never heard of that. But thanks!

With that attitude, I'm kind of glad you are not my service adviser.

Weak reason? probably... but I doubt you've owned a GM vehicle recently. My Escalade had notorious fuel gauge not working problem that plagued many other models. Basically, my fuel gauge didn't work, but my cruise range and gallons used did. So over time when I didn't have time bring in my Escalade for warranty work, I relied heavily on the cruise range and gallons used read outs.

 

this is a valid complaint since there is a feature on a vehicle that isn't working correctly. we all want things to work correctly on every vehicle we own so I understand gveng's frustration. Hating the car for that reason alone is a little over the top but each of us have certain things that set us off more than others.

If a person comes to a service adviser with an issue (no matter how weird) and they were laughed at, then it would be time to write a nasty letter and go to another dealership.

 

You're right about my never owning a GM. I would follow Trexuz and Lexuslover's advice and take it to another dealership. If they tell you the same thing it may just be a matter of sensor resolution. If you want you could experiment more and try to narrow down where the tipping point is. I am an engineer that loves empirical data let us now what you find out,