New to forums, any advice/help is greatly appreciated.
Looking for a 2007 Lexus GS 450h and found one at a dealer, price was below blue book.
Clean CarFax and maintained with lexus dealership.
I took the car to my mechanic and he used OBD reader and came up with code P0A7F. Print out says Hybrid Battery Pack Deterioration.

I asked dealer if he knew anything about this code, he said NO.
This car was at AutoNation, NOT a Lexus dealership. I called Lexus and they believe hybrid battery will need to be replaced BUT should be under warranty. They will charge $99 for diagnostic test even though I already know the code. THEN lexus will let me know if under warranty.

Questions:
1. IF dealer knows hybrid battery pack needs to be replaced, is he obligated to let buyer know?
They may have priced Lexus lower due to this issue.
2. Should I "walk away" from this deal? EVEN if I can get replaced under warranty?
3. I already spent $120 for mechanic to check out vehicle, then would be another $99 from Lexus, WORTH IT to have this done right when buying a used car?
4. How hard should I negotiate PRICE if battery needs to be replaced under warranty?
5. IF not under warranty, NO way am I buying car

I really like this car but or course, not in love with it. Possibly too good of a price to be true? Asking $22k then they add on dealer fee and "appearance fee" since they cleaned it. Other GS 450h in 100 mile radius are going for $24-27k.

Thanks

 

All toyota hybrid vehicles have a 8 year 120-150,000km warranty (or there about not sure about km)
I would be pushing for the inverter to be replaced and the main 12v Panasonic battery as well.
Then everything else is serviceable by any normal mechanic.
I have a 2007 gs450h and the batteries/inverter/12v batt were replaced at 125,000 and im now at 165,000 and no issues at all. Anything else wrong with it? My shocks were leaking and worn i have to replace those i wish i knew that when i bought it. Rear takes more of a beating with more weight i guess. If the motor is sound and all original panels (no accidents) then yeah go for it. I think people are just scared of 2nd hand hybrid cause they dont understand it. But im so glad i got this, i had a 2007 Ford FPV GT before this, a performance V8 and i dont miss it. (AU only model)
Read the https://www.clublexus.com/forums/hyb...roll-call.html
Few other ppl have had theirs changed too

 

Good car, had thorough inspection with my mechanic. spark plugs and fluids fine. throttle body needs to be cleaned, new air filter. Other than that, never bought a car with 68k on it, but this is Lexus, hope to get much more miles. still debating.

 

FYI. Hope this guides you in your decision. As most people have said here, if it's still under warranty, then you should be ok.

 

Good Information MorganC, thanks

 

I walked away from this deal. The dealership actually lowered price to try and unload car. I asked if I could take to Lexus to have them evaluate the diagnostic code. The dealer said, "We cannot have you taking this car all over town". I told him I took it to my mechanic first to do a look over and with this code beyond his capability. He said we have a 3-day money back guarantee. That was enough for me.

ON the brighter side, just bought a 2007 GS 350 with the works....very happy.

 

Good choice! It's a really fun car to drive, but that dealership was giving you the run-around and the battery was probably toast. I mean, let's be honest, you could put an extra 2000miles on the car and it wouldn't mechanically or electrically depreciate it in any way.

 

Unreal! I was looking at the same white 450 at Autonation. I found your post and brought it up to the management at the dealership. They ended up replacing the hybrid battery and all components at Lexus of Palm Beach ( They own that dealership ) . I also received a new passenger side headlight/drl housing due to a small leak. I have to admit , the Autonation folks stepped up to the plate and took care of everything. I am LOVING my new car! Also, got it for under $21,000. Already replaced the ugly looking bulbs in the drl & driving lights with L.E.D.'s from iJDM toy. Looks much better. Thanks for all the members on this site for valuable information!:

 

That's what I'm talking about, make them work for you.

WINNING