After reading most of this thread, I am left w questions.

Is is then fair to say the door handle will likely fail unless water is never allowed in or around the handle?
And/or is the handle also inherently weak and prone to breakage?
Is there any way to add some "water resistance" inside the handle area?

Rob

 

Not really about "to be able to pay", more like how to get the thing better than guys at Toyota
And the differnce of approx. $700 for an OEM part from YoshiParts and replacing the handle myself (with other two hands of my friend) to OEM pricing at Lexus of $3400 + labor, well the result is obvious

 

Water will not likely to be the cause of striped teeths on the cog wheels... Just handle the door handle gently (my routine is to touch the front of the handle, then pull it just enough to open slightly and after that I grab the corner just behind the glass and open fully) and don't let kids to pull it like the locked doors could be opened

The inner mechanics with the motor has some weather seal already, so unless tampered or jet sprayed it should keep the water away

 

Thank you for that info. Will use your to routine. Easy does it.
Btw, hats off to you for tackling this replacement. I know I couldn't do it w 5 friends.

Rob

 

Have we concluded it is better to use the key fob to lock the door bc pushing the handle gently to activate the lock is a possible cause to strip gear teeth?

 

I've pushed on my door handle to open it only a handful of times and I still got a broken door handle.

 

Nope. The servo/actuator is the mechanism that failed. Pushing the door handle is just activating the actuator to pop the handle out so you can open the latch. No difference in using a fob key to activate it.
I just chalk it up to something that can fail on this vehicle and have the fund saved aside to replace when the time comes.
I’ve been using keycard exclusively and not plan on changing to fob.

 

exactly correct, it is the actuator that goes out on these ; both of mine went and were replaced under warranty
cars get rained on, making it immaterial to the problem

 

I've had my LC 5 years. It has never been driven in any wet weather. No issues yet with either door handle.

 

precisely ! rain has absolutely nothing to do with the probelm

 

Just popping into the conversation as a newbie to the LC. Noticed the door handle deal as a common issue. By the sounds of it, it appears as this problem isn't model-year specific and effects ALL years? If not, are more MY's more susceptible to this? But in saying that, I guess the earlier MY's would be more doomed to this failing, as they would have been used and worn more,...given the mileage.

Second part is, when the replacements either from Lexus (OEM) or aftermarket versions have been installed, are either versions an upgrade in design that fixed the flaw(s), or is it just replacing the flawed-designed part with another, which will have the same possible outcome down the road?

Third part is, I'm contemplating a 2018, that doesn't have warranty, but am thinking of a third-party warranty. Has anyone had any good or bad feedback dealing with this door handle issue through that kind of warranty set up? I know each provider may differ with what's covered. But thought I'd ask.

 

IMHO third party warranties are useless..they cant even sell Carshield in CA,thats a big red flag to me. Youtube is loaded with unhappy people using different companies.

 

Reread his post. He is saying his LC was never exposed to rain and HAS NOT had any door handle issues. I have an 18 and it has seen water only during a rinse, and also has not had a door handle malfunction. So rain can very well cause this problem.

 

Just set the cash aside you wouldve paid for the 3rd party warranty and use it for any issues. Those 3rd ones are **** IMO. And the biggest expense point of failure, the drivetrain, is virtually bullet-proof in the LC. It's one of the biggest reasons I chose an LC as my final "new" car, forever-car purchase.

 

@Korbek
“And the biggest expense point of failure, the drivetrain, is virtually bullet-proof in the LC”

Spot on and agree with this sentiment.