Just curious if you used any product to clean interior or shine emblem.

 

I'm fine with higher maintenance costs, as long as I enjoy driving the vehicle. There isn't much maintenance to do on a new vehicle besides oil changes and tire rotations. I'm perfectly capable of changing cabin filters and wiper blades myself.

I do not use any products to clean the emblem. I dust the cracks around the emblem with an interior detailing brush, and I use Meguiars #40 Professional vinyl and rubber cleaner/conditioner on the trim around the emblem and the rest of the airbag cover. The emblem itself rarely needs a quick wipe with a little water on a microfiber, but thats all. Same way I clean my moms 2012 RX, and hers appears to be fine.

To those who are saying this isn't a big deal and they wouldn't even worry about it. Wanna volunteer to swap airbag covers since you don't think it would bother you that much?

 

I'd be pissed too. Hope it all works out

 

Sure but since it bother you a lot I need a lot of cash to go with it haha...

 

Why would you need cash? You don't seem to think its a big deal and it wouldn't bother you, so why not just do an even swap?

It wasn't a serious question anyway. With all the 2015 models being released soon, it's the perfect time to see what new models the competitors are releasing. The 2015 M3 is looking better and better

 

Cause it not and i was joking with cash. If it really bother you just trade it in and call it a night I'm serious.

 

Thats my plan at this point. And just out of curiosity lao, didn't you post on a thread about someone having an issue with an airbag sensor in a passenger seat and tell them something to the effect of the car being under warranty so make the dealer fix it? Granted, a faulty airbag sensor is more of a safety concern than a cosmetic issue, but I fail to see the difference in the overall goal. There's a problem with something, tell them to fix it under warranty?

The goal will be to trade it soon. I can feel the urge to revert back to a 6 speed, no better feeling than having that third pedal. Speaking of which; not to get too off topic, but whats up with Lexus not using an aluminum dead pedal in the 3G F Sport? I was shocked to see two aluminum pedals and one rubber dead pedal.

 

Difference is a faulty air bag can cause death. Does a nick on the emblem do? It a huge difference there.

 

+1! That is what I'm talking about. it is bloody hell to go through arbitration just to fix the bloody bloody imperfect emblem that have scratches that can only be seen with picture magnified 10x lol.

 

Seriously, though, what's $900 to Lexus? Doing a "courtesy" replacement goes a long way to building and maintaining the customer satisfaction that Lexus prides itself on. It pays for itself.

Again, if they claimed normal wear and tear, I'd understand. I do not understand the "it costs too much to replace" argument.

 

I acknowledge that the safety concern with a faulty airbag is far more serious than my emblem, but you imply since the car is under warranty, use the warranty. I seem to notice it just fine while driving and passengers seem to notice from their seat in the vehicle, so no magnification needed. I simply enlarged the photo as they are what I sent to Lexus so they could more closely examine the part in question.

Arbitration is no trouble to me. You submit your complaint, Lexus will issue their response to the complaint, all go before one arbitrator, or a panel of arbitrators who consider both sides of the issue. They will take into consideration the Magnum Moss Act and whether the written warranty is being honored. You keep going back to "its only an emblem" but why should I have faith they wouldn't give the same response for another part on the vehicle. This wasn't a, oh we are sorry sir but this is a wear and tear issue, so we won't cover it under warranty. All I get is a cost benefit analysis response from manufacturer. There is no reassurance that a larger warranty issue will not get the same response going forward. I take this as a, sorry but you as a customer and your overall satisfaction with this vehicle are not important to us.

The service manager was the one who initially put a price on the airbag assembly, I have tried to check Sewell parts to find out a more accurate cost figure, however, I was unable to locate that part. I may contact the dealers body shop and have them quote a cost figure of the airbag assembly. I would bet the part is less expensive than the figure I was given.

 

I am with you 100%. The "it's only an emblem" argument is a red herring--is it covered by the warranty? It's a yes or no question. If Lexus did not intend that minor trim pieces such as emblems or nameplates would be covered, it would state so in the warranty contract. From what I read of your account, taking it at face value, Lexus does not deny that it's a legitimate warranty claim--they just don't want to spend $900 to fix it. That is just wrong--plain and simple.

How many postings are there on CL where someone wants to fix a minor trim piece that scratched, tore, broke, etc, only to find out that you can't order that specific component--that an entire assembly, etc has to be replaced? Car makers decide that it's more cost effective to build cars so that you can't necessarily break down every single component for replacement. While it's true that the general public benefits by having a lower cost of the car, it's not the customer's fault that a $10 trim piece can't physically be replaced, without replacing a $900 part.

 

Arbitration is the biggest scam there is.

You sign away your rights as a citizen and agree to use arbitration to resolve matters instead of the court system.

The problem is that these third party arbitrators are not as "independent" as they sound. They get paid just like any other company. If they find in favor of the consumer too many times, guess what the company does? They find another arbitration firm.

Arbitration is a joke, expect to lose most of the time.

 

To the OP- do you have a written statement/email from Lexus stating the they wont replace part due to cost? Or just phone conversation? The reason I am saying this because they could turn around and claim "wear and tear". Then you are going to say the tech at the dealership try to clean/polish it and made it worse (the dealership then will also claim "wear and tear and you are **** out of luck).
Make sure you have all the proper documents before going.
Good luck.

 

Also keep in mind that in arbitration, the consumer is frequently required to pay for the company's legal fees "if they lose."

So get ready to shell out money when you lose in arbitration.

An interesting read:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/...your-right-sue