Tmoriarty

so i work for lexus as a tech and have done multiple IS350 and GS350 spring recalls. i dont own one but from doing multiple recalls and hundreds more to come i would gladly hand my keys to the dealership as ive noticed lots of negative talk about it. it is a big job, we replace the springs with heavy duty springs, replace the hydraulic lifters with new ones and all the gaskets and seals. the valve spring kit alone costs 1500$ every one that i have done has had noticably better acceleration, increased throttle response and all around more power. besides the fact that as techs we get screwed by only getting paid 7 hrs for the whole job that takes 11-14 depending on the tech i think as a customer you should be thrilled. as long as the tech doesnt make a mistake and damage something, which even if that did happen lexus or the dealership would have to cover the mistake. the worst part of the recall is trying to set up the cam chains. the timing is very tricky. swaping the springs with the special tools is a breeze

gc86

iTrader: (26)

does there need to be any symptoms of the failure before having the recall done or is it as simple as going there and asking for it to be done? thanks

Tmoriarty

nope. recalls are done to every car that it applies to. however it is a big job and we can only handle a few at a time to keep the regular maintenance work flowing so just call your dealer and ask to schedule for the next available day. or if you wait lexus will send letters to all owners in small waves. but if you request it first they should set you up with a loaner lexus

llamaboiz

as a tech do you trust your lot boys with your keys? do you trust what the service guy says to you about tsb/warranty work and other stuffs? would you let a dealership wash your car?

and heres a biggie~ would you trust some type of service work on your car to another tech? Even the techs we have here at CL wont trust others with their own cars...we also have horror stories of guys with staggered wheels having their rears put on their fronts and fronts put on the rear~... i can go on

so if we're a little skeptical im sure you can understand why.

Tmoriarty

i think you have a very valid point. there are tons of things you can do wrong during this recall. the valve keepers can fall into the oil pan, the timing chain can jump on the crank, the valve stem caps can be forgotten, the vvti o-rings can be forgotten or double gasketed, spring retainers can look like their seated properly and pop of at the first test fire.

with all that said, Lexus takes care of their customers (not so much their techs) but thats a different story. if a valve drops into your motor and wrecks the block and piston you can rest assured that lexus just bought you a brand new engine.

if one of our stoner idiot lot guys drives your car into a wall goin 30 you can be sure the dealer will be fixin or buying you a new car. as a customer you are well protected and the last thing they ever want you to feel is a uncertainty that its going to haunt you down the road.

and no i would not let any tech work on my car because i feel i can do a better job. and they feel the exact same way about their work, that its superior to mine. and really thats a good thing, because if your not confident in your own work how is anyone else going to be.

i can understand your concerns but i personally believe that whatever happens good or bad lexus will be right behind you.

for example we just had a lady with a 2007 rx350 with 230,000 miles on it(yea thats CRAZY) she came in and we found her head gasket blew and it wrecked the cylinder head. any other make of car and she would have been out 5grand. instead Lexus goodwilled the job and took the hit. and for that she gave the rx to her daughter and walked upstairs and bought a 2010 rx350! thats loyalty

Tmoriarty

also little hint*** not sure if every dealer is doing it but with our recalls Lexus pays to fill your tank of gas as a way of showing their appreciation. so bring it in empty!!!!!!! haha

Tmoriarty

and so you dont get the wrong impression i am in no way perfect, i dropped 3 valve keepers down the first IS i did and almost had a heart attack when my team leader told me not to worry and just pull the oil pan and there they were, all 3 sitting right there, YES mistakes ALWAYS happen but there is always a solution and we always learn from them. thats Lexus' thing right??? "the Pursuit of Perfection" am i right? its not simply "perfection" because we are always improving!!! i know i do every day i go into work. if i could afford it i would buy as much stock in toyota as possible

llamaboiz

we do understand that Lexus will take care of us if something messes up but thats not the point~ to some of us our cars are not 'just a car'~ we love our cars... the way she looks at me in the morning, when i caress her smooth lines, when i... *pant pant*

*COUGH* excuse me i got carried away there for a moment...

Tmoriarty

yea i know what you mean. im the same way about my truck, if i had the money id have and is 350 or an isf but my ford f250 superduty is my baby and i get how you care about it, but if someone told me my valve springs on my diesel engine were commonly breaking and they would replace them for free id be first in line, especially if performance gains were possible.

509IS350

iTrader: (5)

Glad to know techs have our back and care about what they do. Have guys should have perks like us owners. Thx for the 2cents

Micaiah

Tmoriarty,

First of all I want to thank you for being so candid and coming on here and answering questions, that is very nice of you.

Second...My car does not fall under the spring recall. Does that mean my car already has the heavy duty springs or the regular ones?

Tmoriarty

if it was made after the revision it should have the new stronger springs in it. and its no problem. i enjoy my job as a lexus tech and id be happy to share any info i have

Micaiah

Awesome. Thanks again!

rockinalex

iTrader: (4)

T.m ; Im going to contact the dealer fast about this... im just curious to find out on how could i know if the valve springs service wasnt done correctly.. What R some signs to look for ?

Raralith

Any reasons for your thoughts on this? I know what a valve spring does (at least I'm pretty sure I do...), but I can't see how it would improve the overall power. I will attest though that after getting the valve spring recall done on my IS 350, my drag times were better albiet the weather was cooler, and I had a full catback exhaust installed; I'm just not sure if any of it was due to the recall work which would be rather curious.