kzlflash

iTrader: (1)

Final Update:
After an agonizing week and a half of waiting and driving a CT200h, my car is finally done!
It was determined that the oil leak was caused by the rear main seal. No other issues were found during the diagnostic.

The best news of all is that despite being 7k miles over the powertrain warranty, corporate and the dealer (Longo Lexus) decided to cover 100% of the cost to diagnose and fixed the problem, in addition to covering the cost of parts.
I wasn't expecting 100% coverage and would've been happy with at least 50% help. To me this speaks magnitudes to Lexus' (and the dealer's) customer service and it definitely created a lot of goodwill. According to my SA the out of pocket cost for me at 0% help would've been in the $2k-3k range given the significant time it took to find the problem.

nks979

Good to hear, Lexus is usually pretty good about helping out.

mr2dave

Now that is awsome service recovery by Lexus and glad it worked out for you.

avgj0F

iTrader: (2)

0% out of pocket. Oh, wow! Glad to hear a happy ending!!!

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Happy ending? If you are a seal, I guess a blown seal would be a happy ending...

kauaian

iTrader: (18)

I had the Local Lexus dealership cover all costs for my coolant leak and replaced all injectors. I was taken back as well as I was not expecting that and I was out of the warranty period! They also didn't attempt to tape my harness protector like damn near everyone other dealership did. theyIt did break but they replaced it without having to ask.

kzlflash

iTrader: (1)

Welp, spoke too soon. After less than 2 months the leak is back. It's leaking from the same spot.
Gonna drop the car off at the dealer again. Luckily their work is warrantied for a full year. Pretty annoying though. Makes me reconsider if I want to keep this car because of the problems it's had.

ISF08

Have you owned other brands of cars before? I would be happy to have a simple oil leak at the rear main seal instead of an engine that is seeping oil from every gasket and crevice, as has been the case with my escalade and jetta. The fact that the leak is back however leads me to believe it is not the rear main seal but rather it is a very slow leak from a different location. Also, Cadillac or VW would give you a hard time getting it covered even IF you were in warranty. Lexus wins again...

As per diagnosing the leak, ask the dealer to put a UV dye in the oil and run it until it appears externally. Oil leaks can be tricky to diagnose.

mindcrime

iTrader: (2)

It really depends on the car though. I've had many mustangs 87-93 which are known for rear main seal leak(issue fix), but mine never really did. my 01 ford lightning that's been sitting( i start it often) doesn't have a rear main leak or any other leaks considering it's been sitting for a few years: now hopefully that doesn't change when i put it back on the road.

CometVR4

I agree. Honda is known for their reliability, I've owned an 04 Acura TL. That car was the worst car ever. Everything went wrong. 3 transmissions, 3 power steering racks. Various electrical problems. One of the most reliable cars that shocked me was the C63. However as good as it was I sold it when it hit 100k. Didn't want to push my luck.

kzlflash

iTrader: (1)

Found out I have a leak at the upper oil pan... which means this problem is unrelated to the work previously performed on the rear main seal...
It also means that this leak isn't being covered by the warranty over work performed on the main seal.

My total out of pocket cost is ~1.2k, and this is supposedly after significant help from corp.
I'm still trying to see if corp. can help some more, but we'll see.

I guess its bad luck on my part that this happened 9k after the powertrain warranty ended, but considering the amount of help corporate has already given for the main seal leak, I guess I can't really complain too much.

Everyone keep an eye out for leaks!

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

That's not a fun job. I did my Supra upper oil pan for the same reason, but it had 145k on it when it failed. The one good thing about it, if there is something else wrong, it will get fixed for sure.

I put an engine support bar on my 2JZ and dropped the front suspension crossmember when I did mine. I would imagine you could do the same for the ISF. If you're thinking about getting headers, now would be the time to have them installed...

kzlflash

iTrader: (1)

I already have headers on, but they're doing the spark plugs at no additional cost, which is a win I guess.
Any other (maintenance) items to do while the engine is conveniently out? Belts, etc.?
To my knowledge there's no other significant things that they can service, aside from spark plugs.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Just have them do a good inspection on the starter. It sits in a very warm place and if it has been used heavily, would show signs of wear. It's very hard to remove by itself, and I expect it will get removed when they drop the upper oil pan, so it would be ideal to take a good look at it to be sure it will be fine for many miles to come.