I have a 2016 IS 350 f sport. 55,000 miles. Car was making an awful noise and broke down on my way to the mechanic. Towed it to the mechanic and he said the drive shaft was bad and he replaced it, he took it on a test drive and said there were more problems and that i should bring it to the dealership. Tow it to the dealership and find out the drive shaft was under power train warranty- didn’t even think about checking, was just thinking a simple fix. They take 1-2 days diagnose. They call me and say that the front differential had zero oil in it and that all the seals and gaskets are good. The only way the oil could’ve gotten out is by the plug being opened and that it wouldn’t be covered under warranty for this reason.

so i have questions

can the drive shaft being removed drain the oil from the front differential?

do you think Lexus should cover this under power train warranty? I’m within the years and miles.

please send me any knowledge you have!!

 

I would ask some questions to the mechanic that performed the work such as: Was any fluid leaking before they started working on the car, how about any fluid leaking during/after the repair. Was there any smell that they noticed (also did you notice any strange smells).

With those questions answered try to call the service manager, owner of the dealership, head office of the dealership if they have one since most dealerships are part of a franchise or chain of dealerships and finally try to call Lexus corporate for assistance. Someone in those chains will have a definite answer that you are looking for.

Lastly even if gaskets and seals all visually look good, how do they back their answer on that? Did they fill the front differential with oil and perform a leak test?

 

It depends. But the issue is, you shouldn't have said a mechanic worked on it period. You should have just gave them the car as-is and told them there is an issue with it. If you take it to another dealer, they will be able to look up all the notes. The driveshaft most likely won't be but the missing oil should be since that's an issue on it's own. I don't think replacing the drive shaft involves touching the oil unless your mechanic is incompetent. I would just say the mechanic fixed the drive shaft which doesn't involve the front differential and have them fix it. it's not an expensive fix, it's less involved than an oil change.