I took my car to the dealership b/c the "Check VSC" light came on yet again...the check engine light was also on so I was a bit concerned...

I leave the car and the next day I get a call from my service advisor saying that I my engine valves do not have enough "tension" at the time of engine start-up. Has anyone ever heard of this happen ?? Parts were ordered and my car is currently being repaired. I for one, bought a Lexus b/c they're realiable and affordable...Im really tempted to see if anything else happens, which then I will therefore look to sell my car...

Any thoughts / comments / suggestions ???? Has anyone heard of this problem ? Help is very much appreciated at this point

 

sorry to hear that. no issues here a 16K miles *in less than a year. ugg*. keep us posted though.

 

how many miles is on the car?

 

Many this is an isolated problem. Has to be since many people havent had any problems.

 

Wait, your the guy that bought the IS used with some minor issues correct??

Here is the thread.

http://sr1.clublexus.com/forums/show...58#post2394558

In any case get everything documented because you might have a lemon. But I think in your case you bought it used and I dont think it qualifies as a lemon.

If more problems occur I would just sell it and get an 07.

 

They're reliable, not bulletproof.

 

^^^agreed

 

H'mm.....reading your original post of 2/1, you already were reporting smoking upon startup. Now you have valve problems (clearance?). That all ties together. Since you bought it used from a BMW dealer with 6,000+ on it there is a history that you don't know about. Perhaps the original owner just didn't like it and traded it in, or perhaps it was abused in it's short life. Let the dealer do their thing and get it corrected. I'm assuming it is under warranty? There is an old adage......"Don't buy someone elses problem". We tend to believe cars lilke Lexus are llike appliances and buying used, pre-owned, pre-loved, CPO, or whatever tag line is popular at the time is as good as buying new. Not so, there are always problem vehicles, and there are always vehicles that are just plain abused by their owners. That is why I always buy new, but keep the car for a long time to make it pay off. Stick with it, it should be made right if properly serviced.

 

Maybe it's affected by the TSIB? Maybe that's why it got sold to the BMW dealer in the first place.

 

Whoa..lots of information here..thanks again everyone for putting your 2 cents with my situation. Here's my latest :

Initially, I dropped the car off last Thursday and spoke with my service advisor. As i said, it's a problem w/ the engine valves not having enough "tension" at the time of engine start-up; however the car is said to be "drivable". They gave me white '07 ES350 as a loaner

This Monday I get a call from the dealership saying that the parts finally came in and the car should be repaired/serviced by Wednesday 2/14/07 @ the latest..Ironically enough, a check engine light came on inside the loaner the same day (2/14/07), so therefore I took it in to see what was wrong and possibly switch my loaner for another one. To make a long story short, my loaner was fine, but I ran into my service advisor......He basically said, "Hey man how ya doin? Listen I was about to call you. Your car's gonna take longer, a lot longer. We had to reorder more parts, and have to wait til' they come in b/c their on backorder...This is a BIG repair, and it's going to take about 3 weeks to fix...Your engine is half-taken apart at the moment, and we're just basically waiting,..but your car's in good hands." At this point ladies and gentlemen I'm furious!

I've heard many ends to my solution: To either stick it out b/c it's under warranty,..or just trade the sucker in for something else..Frankly I really like the car and the services that come along with it. I dont know how the service is for Infiniti ('07-'08' G35 ??) or anywhere else,..but this is really disappointing. My car's engine is taken apart, and it's undergoing surgery !! I have the car at exactly 12,600 miles, and I give it more or less a 60 mile daily push..mainly in the freeway. I must admit, I do gun it a lot,..and my minimum speed at times is 60 mph..but it's just so easy to go that fast w/ out feeling it in that car...am I right ?? Well, at this point I really want to keep the IS, but perhaps I should trade it in for an 07' or just keep it and see what happens...Any additional comments or advice is appreciated. Thanks everyone.

PS: By the way, most of you were right about the previous owner. The car's an 06..titled in November of 2005 and driven for exactly 6,139 miles until this GIRL traded it in. Seems like she didnt treat the car properly, nor serviced it on time..I believe her 5,000 mile service was hitting close to 5,600 when she brought it in...I'm so bummed out

 

On the bright side they are fixing it.

I personally would wait and see how the car feels and drives after you get it back. Besides, they did give you a loaner.

 

yeah dont be upset. your driving a car for 3 wks free (-gas) and saving mileage on your IS. and the top end of the engine will be fresh. hell, ill trade spots with ya.

 

Just tough it out for 3 weeks. They gave you a new loaner. Just enjoy it and let us know how your car is running after the repairs are completed!

 

What dealer did you take it to for repairs?

 

If they're fixing the problem, why would you be furious? I don't get that. Put all your commuting miles on their loaner, and just be patient. I can think of more important things to be worried about.