I was driving on the highway, doing about 70 and out of nowhere I heard a loud noise, it sounded like the tire has popped. So I immediately pulled over inspected the car - didn't see anything. I had few miles left to the house so I decided to take it slow and drive back, during the ride back the car felt unstable and there was a humming noise when I left off the throttle. I inspected the car (suspected suspension) but it looked fine, so I decided to bring it to the dealership.

I got a call back earlier today and they told me that the pinion is loose and the diff is leaking... say what??? I have 11 model with 65k miles on it, I did the rear diff oil change at 60k.. I just can't believe it as I've been using it as my daily only. But here's the kicker...they quoted me 7k+ for it, 5k+ for the diff itself and 2k+ for the install...I'm out of warranty and out of luck on this one. I contacted RR Racing and they quoted a brand new one installed for a fraction. Thinking twice about keeping this car now :/

 

 

 

Are you the original owner? You don't sound like you take this out every weekend to the drag strip. The rear diff is definitely not a common weak spot for our cars.

Id still keep the car but would definitely go with rr-racing. I'm sure you'd enjoy the os giken.

 

You gotta pay to play...... Sorry to hear about this. Go with RR racing.

 

I'm going with rr-racing - not sure if there are any better options.

Lexus dealership.

Unfortunately I'm not the original owner. I got the car at 36k miles few years back, 1 previous owner, but who know what has been done with it. I'm definitely going with the rr-racing.

 

 

Bro, you should be telling the dealership that they need to replace it on their dime. I bet the tech didn't fill the diff all the way to the top or used the wrong fluid. That diff is solid. You were probably better off not having the dealer touch it at all.

Anecdote for ya: I once had the dealer change my oil on my IS350 I had year back and the guy came back and told me that the oil plug was stripped and they couldn't torque it back to spec. They tried to charge me $700 to fix it. I told them to look at my service record; they'll notice that I change my oil at the dealership since I bought it. I had all my oil change records so I told them I wouldn't mind posting that up on CL forum, FB, sending an email to everyone in Lexus Corporate and every contacting the BBB. They quickly acquiesced and put me in a loaner and fixed it on their dime. Don't let the stealerships jerk you around.

 

Do you drive the car hard? At the drag strip ever experience wheel hop? Rear end failures are NOT common. That close to a service is very suspect. If they haven't done a tear down or drain, RR racing, Rafi and the guys will be able to look at it's failure and give a much clearer picture of what failed. Lack of oil is VERY clear on bearings.

My car just hit 204K, I've put 21k on it since February including several major road rally events, 2 road course days including 1 that was 3 days of time attack racing, and countless drag racing events, I've used the car VERY hard and the rear diff is super happy.

 

Thanks, I kinda hoped that owning a lexus wouldn't be this expensive at this mileage, but for sure, RR-Racing is the way to go here.

That sounds awesome, very excited about when I can finally get it installed.

I pretty much followed the lexus service manual for all recommended services. In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have done it, but then if the diff went out the dealership could have stated that the service should have been done and that's to blame. In your case I absolutely, I agree with you - they were responsible for it. I asked the service advisor to contact the corporate to see if they could do anything about it, but haven't heard anything back.

I absolutely don't drive it hard which is why I'm in disbelief about it, I daily it and have some fun on empty roads, but nothing too crazy. Lexus haven't done anything to it since the service, I'll see if Rafi/RR-Racing guys can look into it, but I'm skeptical because it's already been leaking. If there is a sign that it's due to lack of oil or an incorrect oil then I'm sure as heck going to make sure that the dealership covers it.

 

 

You got screwed on the oil change. Diffs in these cars are not a common failure item unless they have been severely abused. Are you just out of powertrain warranty? What was your in service date?

 

Yea that's my feeling too, who knows what went bad there I guess I won't know until it's taken apart.

Yup, lexus powertrain is 6 years or 70k miles, mine is currently at 65k but it's over 6 years as it's 2011. The service date was beginning of March in 2018. I'm sure that I've heard strange sounds since but never suspected the diff

If anyone have any suggestions on what I could in the meantime I'd truly appreciate that - I was thinking about contacting lexus corporate, but not sure if that's even worth a try. The service adviser was reluctant to help; I did mention that it was odd for it to go out, but all he said is that I was out of warranty, I doubt that I'll hear back from him...

 

Your SA is a poor source of relief. Lexus corporate might very well be a better option.

 

Check your receipt to see what diff oil they used. It seems they like to add the LT oil instead of the LX. I’ve seen it done twice at the same dealership. My ISF and another RCF. That’s definitely too close to a service. I would be calling corporate or making a huge fuss. Good Luck!