Hello Guys,I observed a leak on my 2008 es 350. I took my car to sears and they told me the water pump needed to be changed. I gave them the go ahead to get the repairs done,and I was charged about 700 dollars. A few weeks after the water pump was replaced,I noticed the coolant was still leaking,I went back to sears; since I was still within the warranty for the repairs. They checked the car and this time the mechanic said it was coming from a hose that needed to be tightened. After that was done,I went my way,only to return to Sears the 3rd time with the leak. Sears cannot figure out where the leak is coming from,and now they're advising me to take the car to Lexus. I paid Sears for a repair that they did not resolve,am still within the warranty,and they're pretty much saying;our business with U is over,take it to Lexus. What do u guys think?

 

Im having a hard time trying to comprehend why anyone would take a Lexus to Sears for repairs in the first place. Other than replacing your battery or putting on tires you should never be going to these places for mechanical work unless you drive a Ford Pinto.

Was the water pump they installed even oem? Did you ask for the old one back to make sure they actually did anything? Did you see the leak before they actually changed anything?

Im guessing at least 2/3 of these questions are a no. I think you need to speak to a supervisor about your "warranty" issue and what they're going to do about it. Whether or not they are actually going to help you or just say you had multiple leaks is anyones guess. In the end, I think you're going to end up eating the cost and take it as a lesson learned. Don't take your car to incompetent mechanics.

 

No to the 2 first questions and yes I did see the leak.

 

@ exanderEs: I totally agree with u,that I'll have to eat up the cost and take it as a lesson. I guess I paid Sears to guess where the leak is coming from,since I paid for parts they guess I needed and labor that yielded no results.I also went to fix a wobbling noise that was coming from my right front wheel and I was told both brakes,rotor,and my left bearings needed to be changed. I honestly don't think they all were bad. It cost me 668 to resolve the issue with the wheel.

 

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If you've not been taking your car to the dealer, I suggest you take it to a lexus dealer and make certain the vvt-i oil line recall has been performed or you may find yourself with a fried engine as was the experience here:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es3...50-recall.html

This applies to all ES350's manufactured prior to April 2008 and some during April 2008.

BTW: not to rub it in .. but if you don't want to pay high Lexus prices for drivetrain related service and repairs, take it to a Toyota dealer since the powertrain is identical to a Camry V6. Toyota dealers typically charge about 25% or so less than Lexus dealers for the same work and would have replaced your water pump (if it even needed it) for less than $700.

 

I honestly would of ran away after hearing that.
You wouldnt believe how many times ive been told I need a "brake job" when everything still has life left in them.

Heres the thing with dealerships: although they charge more in labor, if other places are telling you to replace still functioning parts you're still taking a bigger loss. Make sure you verify all claims and actually see it for your own eyes.

As far as the water pump goes, I hope you saw pink crust & fluid soaked around the whole thing, if it was just a tiny bit of pink crust it is normal.
Also, I find it hard to believe that you were actually shown the active leak, but it could still be leaking after replacement. That just doesn't make any sense if you're getting enough dropping to the ground to be able to see there's a problem.

 

I had the car for about 3 yrs,and I never had any issues prior to the recent ones. It's my first car,so dealing with a mechanic,or auto shop is a new experience. I went to Sears because I thought they were competent,not because I was trying to avoid going to the Lexus dealer,I just didn't know any better. I really don't mind paying the Lexus dealer more for better services.

 

Sears, I am not seeing. Not to rub it in, but using the dealer actually makes sense on these cars.

 

Thank you so much guys,I appreciate everyone's input.

 

Gah! Yes Sears is a bad place to take the car but I don't recommend a dealership either. Find yourself a good, reliable mechanic in your neighbor hood. Don't be intimidated by the fact the car is a Lexus. As others have already said, the ES is basically the same as the Camry. Just find a local shop that knows Toyotas.