hello- im a first time user that is posting to get some advice.

so, i have a 2006 lexus gs 300 with 34000 miles on it (basically 5500 miles / year), its garage kept and in excellent condition.

last week, i was driving to work and long story short, the car died and i found that the drive belt broke. so i had my car towed to my lexus dealer. 4 dayslater, they are telling me that the drive belt melted because AC compressor wasnt working properly, causing the engine to overhead and melt the belt.

the worst part is, the diagnostics arent getting any feedback from the engine and they are afraid it could be fried...but theywont know till the fix the ac compressor unit, which they are quoting as several thousand dollars.


the diagnostics right now come up with P0117.

so i have a few questions:

even though my car is out of warranty, is there any way i can get lexus to pay for the ac compressor unit?

should i get a 2nd opinion?

the dealership did indicate that if the engine is fried, it is covered under the existing warranty...

 

The AC Compressor locked up and shredded the belt. The car overheated because the belt was broke and couldn't turn the water pump. Just pay for the AC work, and if the engine is damaged from overheating, they will cover under power-train warranty.

 

I was going to say the power train warranty should still take care of it.....I hope

 

thanks for your input -

ill let you know how it turns out.

anyone else with input?

 

How long did you drive with a broken belt? I assume you pulled over right away. At which point I dont see how the motor got cooked. I think it will be Ok.

 

There is only one drive belt so how would the car over heat?

 

well i didnt know the drive belt was broken; i was on the highway on my way to work when a bunch of lights came on. 5-10 miles later, i got to work, popped the hood, and saw that it was torn.

service said that because the engines are aluminum, they are more sensitive to heat than standard engines.

 

Why wouldn't the car shut off if this happens?? With all the electronics and sensors the car had to know something wasn't right. How would anyone know that the belt broke when your driving unless it snapped and hit something that made an obvious sound?

 

that is exactly the way i feel. so i called 800-25-lexus to discuss them covering all repairs on a GS300 with only 34k miles.

lets see what they say -

 

I'm assuming that it snapped and you didn't know because the engine was likely still running. It shut down on you finally when it overheated because the water pump wasn't pumping.

 

Didnt you notice that the power steering was out? I would at least pull over and see why all the lights are on and check under the hood. 5-10 miles is enough to ruin the motor with no water pump running.
Good luck!

 

Um..... The Power steering is electric, no pump......

 

This generation of the GS does not have a power steering pump. It's electronic. Otherwise, that would've been first indication.

 

the power steering was intact during this whole thing.

i spoke with lexus customer service and itll be a few days before i hear back from them...im keeping my fingers crossed.

thanks for everyones input. ill let you know how it goes

 

Hmm...Sorry didnt know that, How is it electronic? how does it work?

Also, wouldn't the temp gauge show that the car is overheating? Or does coolant have to run for proper sensor reading?