. I'm totally new here, so please bear with me!

I came across a Certified 2016 Lexus GS350 with less than 12,000 miles on it. The Carfax indicates no accidents, regular maintenance (about once a year, since the miles are so low.) But on the 161 car inspection it states "Front brake rotor(s) resurfaced." 1) Why would this need to occur on a car with less than 12,000 miles? 2) Shouldn't they have replaced the brakes vs resurfacing them? 3) Would this send up any red flags?

Also, why are there so may ESs vs GSs out there? I was going to wait for a used 2019 ES but came across this loaded GS in my price range.

Thanks!

 

Brake rotors tend to rust when not driven, the pads cover a small portion but the majority is exposed and rusts.
When you drive the rusty section scrapes past the pads and eventually is clean again...until you park again for
a week or so. Short of carbon fiber rotors ($$$) there is really no cure. A three (3) year old car with 12K miles
has obviously been parked a lot between driving cycles and the brakes have probably been scraped off many
times. Quick and easy to spin them on a lathe and good to go (or stop, you know what I meant).

ES's outsell GS probably 20 to 1 when new and the Preowned market reflects that.

 

Rotor resurfacing is normal depending on the overall wear and tear experienced by the car - lots of different factors like climate, brake pad use, how often the brakes/car are used affect the rotors. Rotors often need to be replaced even if the car isn't used bc they can become rusted/pitted from lack of use.

Resurfacing is a cheaper alternative than replacing esp if the rotors have lots of life left. The resurfacing removes the top layer of metal which may have the rust/pits/imperfections, thus allowing better interaction/performance between your brakes and the rotor itself.

The ES is one of the brands better selling cars. The ES is cheaper, offers similar features/size/dimensions. Most people in the mid sized luxury segment seem to prefer the "cushy" feel of the ES which is where Lexus built its reputation: cushy, reliable cars. The GS is a performance oriented mid sized sedan, costs more but has better power, better handling and offers nicer materials/more features on the top-end.

Drive both the ES and GS and you'll feel the difference immediately...

 

Don't worry about the brakes, normal cosmetic cleanup by the dealer.

As far as ES vs GS, here's some North America Sales numbers for Lexus in November 2018, and keep in mind, this was not the new 2019 ES. The sales gap between the ES and GS has probably tripled by now.

 

Thank you everyone! I'm going to call the dealer tomorrow for a test drive.

 

IMHO resurfacing is almost a scam, a given dealer somewhere probably conned the customer into it, because its a "side sell" instead of replacing rotors which cost marginally more, but resurfacing makes more money for the shop, while it allows the shop ability to show the customer a lower price vs a rotor replacement.

In this case maybe this car had brake squeal, a lot of dealers hawk resurfacing as a solution.... probably because it temporarily stops the noise and makes them a lot of
cake.

Someone is going to say "but it costs a lot less". Not what I've seen it doesn't. A set of front rotors for a 4GS AWD is a little over 200 bucks... you know what I say to that? Big Flying Dragon.... !!! lmao. a dealer is going to get you at least 60% of that for a resurfacing job, and potentially not fix some issues in the process.

To answer the question though, by itself... someone getting a resurfacing done at 12K wouldn't send up any red flags about the car itself. It's probably pretty common for people to get swindled into that, especially if they have squealing brake disease that some of these cars have in certain years / pad combinations etc.

-Mike