DanialKhan

Hi all,


I was hoping someone could help me out in regards to issues with a vehicle that I purchased. My wife and I excitedly purchased a 2014 Lexus IS 250 F sport AWD from McGrath Lexus of Chicago in August of 2017. Ever since, I feel that we got cheated out of our hard earned money, and have been upset for quite some time now due to all of the issues we’ve been experiencing with the vehicle. We’re 1st time Lexus owners and we are looking for some guidance on how to approach this matter. Here are a list of issues that we’ve experienced.



We bought this vehicle from McGrath Lexus Chicago. I only received 1 key from the dealership. I believed that this was supposedly a credible Lexus dealership, so I should’ve received 2. They said they’re not required to give a 2nd key after we had purchased the vehicle since it was used. The salesperson said since the car is being sold as used (no CPO either), they’re not obligated to give me both keys as this should’ve been mentioned beforehand. After driving, the car started shaking rigorously at 70-75 mph only to find out the car had mismatching tires. They told me 3 of the tires are new and 1 of them isn’t. But that 1 tire was severely dangerous to be driving on. However, since it’s an AWD car, all 4 tires should’ve been the same brand regardless. I believe it is illegal to drive a car in Illinois with different branded tires and the car was sold to us like this with mismatching tires. Ended up spending a little over $800 getting the tires replaced. The brakes were making a metal grinding sound so I ended up having to get the brake and rotors replaced for $390, but we’re still experiencing the same issue. It seem as if the car was in a very minor accident on the passenger side because the hood creases aren’t lining up as they should. This wasn’t reported in the carfax but it’s obvious something has happened to the vehicle. Car reeked of cigarette smoke, which I asked them to get rid of the smell. They didn’t. Ended up having to change the cabin air filter myself. They buffed the bumper for me, and then repainted it as I asked them to. But the bumper wasn’t reassembled properly. The paint looks different on the bumper than it does on the rest of the car. Rear bumper was supposed to be aligned properly as well and t wasn’t. I feel like this wasn’t even a Lexus dealership and just some shop that tried to fix things by jury rigging it from our experience. Any help would be much appreciated. I’m hoping I can get reimbursed for some of this in some way shape or form or if the car can be fixed for me at no cost. Will definitely be more careful next time. Would like to discuss this with management. Spent a little over $29,000 for this vehicle. Feel that I should not be having these types of issues for the amount of money that was spent on the car.

Sasnuke

Welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear about the issues you are having.

In regards to you issues:

The salesperson said since the car is being sold as used (no CPO either), they’re not obligated to give me both keys as this should’ve been mentioned beforehand. - unfortunately they are correct...the reality is they probably don't have the other key
They told me 3 of the tires are new and 1 of them isn’t. But that 1 tire was severely dangerous to be driving on. However, since it’s an AWD car, all 4 tires should’ve been the same brand regardless. - in Ontario, Canada this is illegal and a chargeable offense under the law. I would absolutely follow up with the governing body responsible for regulating the sale and/or certification of vehicles (in Ontario one agency deals with sales and another with certification).
The brakes were making a metal grinding sound so I ended up having to get the brake and rotors replaced for $390, but we’re still experiencing the same issue. - where do you hear the noise? which did you replace, front or rear?
This wasn’t reported in the carfax but it’s obvious something has happened to the vehicle. - unfortunately unreported accidents are exactly that
They buffed the bumper for me, and then repainted it as I asked them to. But the bumper wasn’t reassembled properly. The paint looks different on the bumper than it does on the rest of the car. Rear bumper was supposed to be aligned properly as well and t wasn’t. I feel like this wasn’t even a Lexus dealership and just some shop that tried to fix things by jury rigging it from our experience. - I would contact Lexus head office customer relations and notify them of this conduct, even though it was a used vehicle (not even CPO), it doesn't mean the dealer can conduct themselves this way...there is still a standard to uphold being a Lexus dealer.

DanialKhan

thank you for the timely response and information. I have opened a case with the Lexus Corporate headquarters and I am getting a vehicle inspection tomorrow. And yes agreed, I feel like there should also be a certain level of conduct especially from a Lexus dealership. Thanks again!

wforty94

sorry to hear about your issues with your new car. unfortunately, buying a non CPO vehicle does take away some of the guarantees of what you're getting. regarding the 2 key thing, i think they just didn't have a second one for you as a lot of people lose/break them. i for example dropped one of my keys and shattered it so i only have 1 key to go with my car as well if i were to trade it in or sell it.

what was wrong with the 1 tire that wasn't replaced? if they had just replace the other 3, couldn't you have just replaced the 1 left? not sure about the legalities or AWD requiring that all tires needing to be the same.

my f-sport need brake pad replacement and was making grinding noises so i replaced all 4 rotors and put in non-f-sport brake pads instead. much less dust now. what did you replace your pads/rotors with?

regarding the hood lines, perhaps you can have the dealer or yourself realign the fender/hood? not sure if your car is still under warranty but i would ask if it is. otherwise it's easy to loosen the mount hardware on either the hood/fender to get them lined up properly. regarding the accident that was not reported in the carfax, unfortunately a small fender bender settled privately or anything settled in private is just that and won't be on the carfax.

any pictures of the bumper? it's a relatively simple assembly procedure so perhaps something wasn't clipped/snapped in. unfortunately, anytime a car gets painted after the factory, it can not match especially for metallic paints and the fact that your factory paint is now 3 years old compared to the brand new painted bumper.

i understand how buying a used car with some of the issues you've experienced from a Lexus dealer can be a bit frustrating and wish you the best of luck.

dchar

It doesn't seem like you were "cheated from your money." There's always risk buying used car, even cars from dealers. Sounds like you didn't do your research before signing on the dotted line. It is important to do a full inspection on a used car from trusted independent mechanic, especially if it's not CPO. If red flags like you experienced such as missing second key, cigarette smell, repainted panels, misaligned hood, mismatched tires, bad brakes, etc. come up, you should've either had the dealer address it before signing or walk away. It also sounds like you didn't even test drive the car (on side streets and freeway), which is the ultimate mistake.

Since you're stuck with this car, you could easily buy a second key and have it programmed, but it'll probably cost around $300. Seems like the dealer just repainted the bumper rather than blending it with surround panels, so not surprising that it doesn't match. You could see if they could do a better paint job, but they might not since the deal is already done. Unfortunately it sounds like you may need new rotors, which will not be covered by the dealer. Changing brakes and rotors at all four corners for $390 seems a bit off; that’s the price you would expect to pay the dealer to change just the front pads. If it's illegal to have mismatched tires in your state, definitely go after the dealer for it.

Honestly, the dealer or Lexus doesn't have to address any issues after the deal has been completed, unless there was a due bill agreed upon. When you signed for the car, you're buying the car with the knowledge that you're taking the car in the condition as is. That's why I can't emphasize enough how important it is to meticulously check the car before signing.

Lex_Giorgio

We bought this vehicle from McGrath Lexus Chicago. I only received 1 key from the dealership. I believed that this was supposedly a credible Lexus dealership, so I should’ve received 2. They said they’re not required to give a 2nd key after we had purchased the vehicle since it was used. The salesperson said since the car is being sold as used (no CPO either), they’re not obligated to give me both keys as this should’ve been mentioned beforehand.

They don't have to give you both keys. It should be mentioned prior to signing any papers of course and then you negotiate the cost of an extra key into the price of the car. That's up to you to do.



After driving, the car started shaking rigorously at 70-75 mph only to find out the car had mismatching tires. They told me 3 of the tires are new and 1 of them isn’t. But that 1 tire was severely dangerous to be driving on. However, since it’s an AWD car, all 4 tires should’ve been the same brand regardless. I believe it is illegal to drive a car in Illinois with different branded tires and the car was sold to us like this with mismatching tires. Ended up spending a little over $800 getting the tires replaced.

This is totally up to you to check prior to buying. And if they don't match for whatever the reason may be, negotiate some more.



The brakes were making a metal grinding sound so I ended up having to get the brake and rotors replaced for $390, but we’re still experiencing the same issue.

This could have been negotiated as well.



It seem as if the car was in a very minor accident on the passenger side because the hood creases aren’t lining up as they should. This wasn’t reported in the carfax but it’s obvious something has happened to the vehicle.

It goes without saying, if you see something you don't like, don't buy it. Also, why didn't you bring this to their attention before buying the car?



Car reeked of cigarette smoke, which I asked them to get rid of the smell. They didn’t. Ended up having to change the cabin air filter myself.

It takes more than just that to get rid of cigarette smell...



They buffed the bumper for me, and then repainted it as I asked them to. But the bumper wasn’t reassembled properly. The paint looks different on the bumper than it does on the rest of the car. Rear bumper was supposed to be aligned properly as well and t wasn’t. I feel like this wasn’t even a Lexus dealership and just some shop that tried to fix things by jury rigging it from our experience.

Dealers have their own body shops or contracts with other body shops. It's not Lexus per say that is fixing your car, but they are in charge of it. Obviously it won't match, it's not done from the factory. What were you expecting??



Any help would be much appreciated. I’m hoping I can get reimbursed for some of this in some way shape or form or if the car can be fixed for me at no cost. Will definitely be more careful next time. Would like to discuss this with management. Spent a little over $29,000 for this vehicle. Feel that I should not be having these types of issues for the amount of money that was spent on the car.

I doubt you'll get anything back. Based on everything you wrote, this car isn't in the best shape and was probably mistreated. (Smells like smoke, tires that don't match, brakes that are finished, bumper that needs to be repainted, possible accident, etc.)

Sounds to me like you bought a lease return and the person before you did not give a crap about the car. None of this is sugar coated, but mark it on the chalkboard as a lesson to do your homework before buying a car. And it goes without saying, nobody forced you go get that car. Heck, just by reading what you wrote about it, I wouldn't consider getting it.

GaryJG

$29,000???

I bought a 2017 brand new for $32,800. Not an F sport but still...

Solara350

Moderator edit - Solara350 exit this thread. No need for the rude personal comments and cursing

Wams200T

Sorry man but this is why i never buy a used car from a dealer.If you can afford it trade it in and buy a new 2017 IS.There should be some good deals on the lot this time of year.

3isIexus

Can you give us a breakdown and the dealership from where you bought this? I'm sure more viewers might be interested in buying one if its around 32,800.

GaryJG

Lexus of Cerritos on June 18th, 2017.

Lex_Giorgio

And your reply is so much better... Literally nothing in your reply is worth taking note of nor will help him with any future purchases. I'm not one of those people that will sugar coat the truth. Good for you if you think "My thoughts and prayers" will ease his pain. A wake up call will prevent any more mistakes like this one he just made.

To the buyer of the car, if they do nothing about it, just take care of the issues yourself.
Action plan:
Get 4 new tires (good ones)
Get new brakes (OEM)
Get a professional to steam clean/shampoo the inside of the car, most pros will remove the front seats, steam the main carpet (and your mats) and clean the headliner. The smell will be gone once that's done.
As for the body, take it to a trustworthy shop in your area and see what they say needs to be done to it.

Nothing that anyone says here will make your car better. Actions (what I wrote above) will do more than words in this case.

Going forward if any dealer, whether it is Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, etc. doesn't certify a car when it's on their lot, that should raise a red flag right away.

premier3IS

Did you test drive this vehicle? From what you mentioned, you should've had them address all this prior to purchasing it. Didn't you notice the cigarette smell initially when you got in the car and the vibrations that you mentioned on a test drive? How about the hood misalignment and bumper when you did a walk around the car?

Its a bit hard to justify that you've been cheated out of your money when it kind of seems like you didn't do your research prior to purchasing it (like a few others mentioned above). If buying a used car, you should take your time and examine every detail you can.

As for the cigarette smell, changing the cabin filter probably wont do much. Its the interior that you'll have to have professionally cleaned (headliner included).

Hopefully you get everything sorted out soon. GL