My few months old IS got hit in a parking lot the other week and the offending party didn't leave a note. An old lady did witness the accident but she did not capture the license plate properly, so I ended up having to pay the insurance deductible to get this fixed





Had some "workmanship expectation" issues with as well at the local Lexus Certified bodyshop, but they've mostly corrected the issues and while things are still not perfect, they are now much better than when first delivered.

Anyway, once I get enough posts in, I will post the barely chipped headlight unit for sale here in the classifieds forum and try to recoup for the deductible

If anyone has any suggestions on a dashcam I can leave in the car to help avoid this happening in the future, it'd be greatly appreciated!!

 

Ouch ouch ouch! I'm sorry that happened to you.
Hopefully you'll be able to get past the feeling of the damages soon

I've heard pretty good things about the BlackVue.
There's other cheaper alternatives too on places like Amazon.

But yeah I would like recommendations for a good camera as well.
My wife recently got side swiped on her driver side door, and the dude took off.
Dash cam would have been nice to have in that situation for sure.

 

That sucks..

Why not keep the slightly damaged headlight in case something like this happens again? You'll have a spare..

What dealership did you deal with??

As for a place to buy a cheap dash cam, there is a chinese website very much like amazon, not sure about the forum rules regarding posting links here though...

 

Check out dashcamtalk.com for info on the different dashcam models!

 

Jesus that is a lot of damage! No video cameras around nearby shops?

 

Damn... this is why I always park far away and around minimal cars especially with the type of drivers around in my area. The walk is worth the headache

 

Thanks guys. There were cameras around, but they weren't pointed at the parking lot, only the shop entrances.

As for the shop I went to, I went to one that had their own shop right next to the dealership (I'm trying to refrain from outing them publicly lol), hoping to get better quality. Before I went to pick up the car, I even asked the person handling my file to do me a favor and check things over themselves so that there would be no surprises, since I've let them know that I will be picky and am expecting a quality job. When I went to pick up the car, I found this:






poor attention to detail

Needless to say, I didn't leave with the car, and proceeded to take pics of the problem areas such as the ones noted above and sent them a nice comprehensive "email of expectations". I suggest if you ever have to get bodywork done, really make it clear to them the level of quality you are expecting, so that there is less hassle and to reduce rework. A day later, they addressed those issues, and I picked up the car. Surprisingly they weren't apologetic at all. When I got home, I discovered that the side windows were covered by overspray, which I had initially thought was dust when I picked it up. For sure they knew there was overspray because someone had to clean the paint markings (vehicle ID #) off the windows before delivery, and they would've seen that the overspray was there and wasn't coming off with a wipe, but that person just thought "bah, who cares" and left me with the mess.

I hope Lexus/Toyota Canada is reading this and take some steps to correct this in the future to enhance ownership experience, such as sending around a "factory inspector" to inspect bodywork done by their "Lexus Certified Bodyshops", or at least spot check the quality, or implement a checklist at the least. I'm available part-time. PM me lol

 

I contacted several Lexus dealerships across Canada and none of them have a body shop in house. When I called Lexus Canada to find out which third party shops were "Lexus Certified", I was informed there is no corporate certification program at all. Rather, it is up to the discretion of the dealership in recommending local independent shops. This basically means one would have to work through your dealership (while paying a nasty markup most likely) for bodywork in order to have "Lexus Certified" repairs done. SMH

 

Hmm... re: dealerships having in-house bodyshops, we have a few in the GTA area. DVN Lexus has a bodyshop not just affiliated, but actually under the same WEINS corporate umbrella:

http://www.weinscanada.com/collision

Ken Shaw Lexus has a Ken Shaw Collision Centre that the group owns that is right behind their dealership and it services KS Lexus/Toyota/Scion

Lexus on the Park also has a corporate Collision Centre at Scarborough Toyota.

So I would say these bodyshops are as close as you get to an in-house bodyshop that is closely tied to the Lexus dealership by being under the same corporate umbrella (same company).

The Lexus website actually lists the "Lexus Certified Collision Centres" , which really is a list of the dealerships lol. But they do make the following claims on the site:

"only Lexus Certified Collision Centres follow our exacting standards to ensure that your Lexus is restored to pre-collision condition. "

to this I say "what standards? apparently my standards are higher than Lexus's"

"When you insist on a Lexus Certified Collision Centre for your repairs, you can rest assured that you will receive exceptional service from our uniquely qualified associates, whose focus is to ensure your comfort and satisfaction."

to this I ask "how are they qualified? is the qualification merely being affiliated with a dealership?"

"Our Lexus Certified Collision Centre Refinish Technicians follow approved repair methods and have the support and training of the factory and head office, including access to factory repair manuals and bulletins, and factory specifications and measurements. We guarantee your satisfaction when you entrust Lexus technicians, using Lexus Genuine Parts, with your repair and restoration. "

to this I ask "are there actually Lexus Certified Collision Centre Refinish Technicians?"

"Every Lexus Collision Centre maintains state-of-the-art tools and equipment, ensuring that Lexus Refinish Technicians have everything they need to complete the repairs to the highest quality – restoring your vehicle to “as good as new” condition. "

to this I say "nice use of " " " lol!

They even have this fancy logo for these certified centres lol





So I would say they do try to make it sound like they are serious about quality by talking things up, but like you pointed out, if there's no certification or QC auditing, then how can they substantiate the higher quality of the work by these LCCCs?

 

I have to agree with you that the standards of those body shops may be lower than what car lovers pursue about.

The pictures that you show are amazing --- especially the fender lining is not pushed back to the right place and hanging there visually. How can anyone ever miss that? Whatever bodyshop that you went to really think customers are idiots, especially you have set your expectations upfront clearly (which I would have done the same thing as well).

Another issue I experienced with a body shop 10 years ago in addition to paint overspray is that they don't know how to do a proper car wash or dry the car with improper cloths and/or techniques. Swirls and hairline scratches were on the unaffected paint areas. Literally I had to do a car detailing again.

For dashcams, see my PM.

 

I think I should install a dashcam on mine. I did some research and I am currently looking at the Cowon AW1.

 

Thanks Andy!

They ended up replacing that liner after my complaints, so it is like brandnew again now.


I hear you on the washing part. When I first picked up my car from the dealership, I noticed they had already scratched the paint when they washed it the very first time that's why nowadays I tell them "DON'T WASH THE CAR" when I bring it into service lol

Speaking of shoddy dealer service, I also find that I am unable to "entrust" them because they are clueless about the smallest things and they lie. I bring you all 2 examples:

1. When I went to pick up my car from the 1st oil change, they told me that they adjusted my tire pressures down because the high setpoint warning was flashing. This is BS because there's no such thing.

2. Also on another 1st oil change (this current one), when I went to pick up the car, the tire pressures were lower than the prescribed 36psi when I picked it up (around 33psi). I knew right away what had happened (they adjusted the pressures down to 36psi while the tire was still hot, which is a n00b mistake). When I asked them about it, they had the ballz to argue with me about how the manufacturer spec of 36 psi is the hot pressure

So yes, I cannot even trust them to do something as simple as 1) wash my car 2) adjust the tire pressure 3) not make up BS. And Lexus wants me to "entrust" their "certified" shops?

Again, Toyota Canada, I'm available for consultation in improving the customer experience. PM me.

 

Damn your scaring me.. I live in the west end of the GTA so you can figure out where I got my car easily enough.. I haven't had to bring it in for the first service yet but I hope it isn't the same dealer you've been dealing with..

 

Haha sorry to scare you Brendanf

I'm thinking you're safe since you aren't likely to bring your car to my dealer for services since they are not in the west end

A friend of mine bought a used 3IS recently and was complaining about bad service at the dealer at the north end of the city too, so...

Over the years, I find the ownership experience is greatly improved when you have a good relationship with a trustworthy service dept/manager. I had that with my Acuras/Hondas. Now I'm struggling to find it with Lexus, a brand that prides itself on quality and customer satisfaction.

Don't get me wrong, the product itself is awesome, top rate, but the product support isn't up the same standard

 

Shoulda grabbed the bumper. Pretty sure you could have sold it to someone who wants to do a conversion