Toobey

Hello. I put down a deposit for a 2010 Lexus IS 350c. The car has had its brakes and rotors replaced, wiper motor serviced, and now needs to have the head gasket and intake replaced (found this out when I had car inspected before purchase dealer is paying for it).

This is seems like an awful lot of things going wrong with a car that has only 60,000 miles. My old Subaru and Hyundai suvs never gave me any issues and only needed regular maintenance

could it it be a lemon or just a fluke? The inspection mechanic says everything else looks fine

thanks

DennisMik

The 350 engine is a pretty solid engine. The problems that the car you are buying has had are not typical at all.

By 60K miles, the car should have had the brakes relined. Maybe the previous owner waited too long to have it done and the brake pads ground into the rotors and destroyed them.

The windshield wipers had a recall on them. Maybe that is the service you saw in the history.

Toobey

I hope you are right. I called Lexus and there is no recalls active on the car. I had inspected by an independent mechanic. The car looks in great condition inside and out. (Might have been detailed). It has a somewhat new tires and brakes and a new battery. I don't know what else I can do. All I need to do is sign the check and grab the keys from the dealer

DennisMik

With the 5 recalls on the car having been done, you should be in good shape.. The engine is the only thing I don't have any really good idea about. One of the recalls was on the 350 engine for the variable valve timing mechanism. If I understand the process, that did not require the head(s) or intake manifold to be removed. The recall was issued September 4, 2013.

Link to recalls - http://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2010/LE.../C/RWD#recalls

This link - https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/ - will tell you if the recall has been done in a reverse manner. You enter the vehicle's VIN and it will tell you what recalls are still open, meaning have not been done. If all recalls have been done, then there will be nothing, but in actuality, the air bag recall will probably be listed.

Toobey

I put in the vin and no recalls were listed.

i am getting the car this weekend. Once I sign the check I will own it, issues and all🙃

Thanks again for the input

Toobey

I did not buy the 350c. I don't think I will further pursue this vehicle.

upon further inspection, the car's clearcoat was peeling in several places. Some areas were the size of a tennis ball. The hood was pitted and was not in good shape. The car will need a repaint. The interior wasn't the best. Some of the plastic was scuffed and color faded, I guess due to sunlight? The car made a knocking noise for a few minutes and I could hear a whine until it was placed in drive. Both sounds didn't return during test drive but it not something you want to hear before spending almost $20,000.

this car was clearly abused. What I don't understand is how quickly the is350 degraded. I owned a Hyundai Santa Fe 2007. I put more miles in a harsh Colorado climate compared to the Lexus from the West Coast. Even After 7 years, the Hyundai's interior and exterior was in much better shape than this 350c. How could a Hyundai hold up better than a Lexus? Very disappointed

DennisMik

With peeling clearcoat, faded interior and all those other things, you made the right choice. That car did not have a normal life. Who/whatever owned that car put it through hell. That car could have been run off the road and sat in a salvage/impound lot before getting patched up for resale.

I hope that you would still consider a Lexus if you come across one as they really are good cars.