v8n8

I bought a used 2018 LC500 in Feb with 13,000mi on it. Reputable dealership, clean CarFax, and it aced its third-party professional inspection. Since I bought it I've noticed a "clop" sound coming from the driver's side rear wheel area on acceleration, braking and the occasional suspension compression (e.g. turning into a driveway) - at first I assumed something was rolling around in the trunk. The driver's side suspension on the left rear wheel also started squeaking whenever cycled.

The first time I brought it into my local Lexus dealership, they tightened down the control arms and some other accessible chassis parts and called it a day - this reduced the squeaking, but it soon returned. The "clop" never went away. So I brought the car back in and asked them to take another look. The service advisor came for a ride-along with me and verified the "clop" was there, and definitely not normal. They then spent about a week troubleshooting before declaring there must be a cracked pinch weld somewhere in the frame, and they needed to send it to a local body shop to pinpoint and fix it.

Almost a month later I have no updates, aside from there doesn't appear to be any indication the car has been in an accident - the crack must be deep within the unibody. My insurance device in the OBDII port says the body shop is operating the vehicle daily (probably just rolling it in and out of the bay to work on it). I've requested updates from the Lexus service advisory, and he just says "the body shop doesn't want to cut into your frame if they don't have to, so they're just taking their time to try to locate the issue." He hinted that he heard a couple other cases around the USA of LCs having similar frame issues. To be honest I'm growing frustrated - if I wanted a $100k car to be out for months at a time while I drive a rental I'd have gotten a Merc.

Anyone had experience with this? Any advice on how to handle it or what to expect from Lexus?

S2000toIS350

Sorry to hear about this

Just a few points

i am big on facts

if You wanted a $100k car

Since you likely paid under $70k, maybe you should note that instead of overstating cost

Was your reputable dealer a Lexus dealer (I am thinking not)?

At the end of the day, what does a clean CarFax and an aced professional PPI get you?

CarFax only captures existing data, PPI evaluations vary a ton.

Maybe time to take it to your favorite body shop or trade it in for a Merc

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

v8n8 - very sorry to hear about your situation - that must be very frustrating/depressing.

if it is indeed frame damage, then obviously it's a major issue and must be determined by someone very qualified for this. i would suggest you contact lexus directly to explain the situation.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

this is an extremely condescending and not helpful post. please try to be more considerate in future. try to imagine if you were in v8n8's situation.
and while this person may not have paid as much as you, the car was likely $100K when new.

S2000toIS350

That is your view

i just see some stuff that doesn’t add up here and am probing a bit

I would ask that you use PM to express you view about my posts in the future

A large part of why I no longer post on car chat is due to your approach as a moderator

1A1

Seriously? If you have nothing to add then just don't respond.

The clop you describe could be caused by a bushing in the suspension or even the rear subframe. While you can't rule out something with the frame of the car, it is highly doubtful as they are seam-welded frames. Pinch welds aren't used in the frame, just in the outer body shell.

Steve

asinow

Congrats on your new ride. Sorry for the trouble and don't be hesitant with your future posts. We all here (mostly) want to help whether you paid full price or previously owned.

I agree with the moderator and say take it to Lexus and their body shop. It's what they do. IMO the moderator does a fine job here!

Keep us posted

Kenny

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

as volunteer moderators we aren't perfect but some times call out disrespectful posts publicly as an example. frankly your post was completely uncalled for.

sorry you feel that way. you can report any post you feel is out of line with the red/white triangle icon and the moderator team will review.

thanks very much. appreciated.

AirForce8

I also want to support the moderator. There are no issues with moderation on this board that I've seen.

That said, that comment the mod was referencing was offensive and deserved to be called out and certainly doesn't represent the attitudes and sentiments of users/LC owners on this board.

The LC 500 is a once in a lifetime build quality and buying used in no way takes away from the vehicle or what it's capable of. In fact, given the build quality, it's arguable that it's smarter to buy used. I seriously doubt you have any frame issues. You need to start with the most likely culpruts and go from there. Jumping right to a damaged frame/weld seems quite premature to me.

DRGibbons

I think the moderator of this forum does an okay job and appreciate that he performs it as a volunteer.

-BUT-

The comment was not offensive. While it was a bit harsh to most, I'm sure it's exactly how S2000toIS350 feels and it reveals a lot about him as a person and his interaction with others. This world has all types - that's what makes life so interesting. Offensive content is more about foul language, images and such. This being a public Forum, those sort of things are what really needs to be moderated and not opinions that some might not like. If a person felt his comment was offensive, they're pretty thin skinned. I would say - Suck it up, Buttercup! and move on.

Remember, none of us have the right to not be offended. - - - - - Now let me go and polish my Participation Trophies that I keep in my Safe Space before I get upset.

AirForce8

No I stand by what I wrote completely. Someone comes on this board asking for assistance and a user basically knocks him for his expectations on a used LC. Then telling him to go buy a Merc maybe? Uncalled for. Offensive, even. Luckily we're all allowed opinions even though some are better than others. 😂

DRGibbons

I could not agree more!! -AND- we are ALL allowed to express them!!

v8n8

Thanks everyone for the diversity of perspectives. I have deep respect for the wisdom of the crowds (and of the mods ). To be precise (if relevant) I personaly did not pay $100k for the car, but I still consider it to be describable as a ~$100k car in this context, as that's the standard to which Lexus built it, and although luxury depreciation is steep, it's not because we would expect there to be an significant likelihood of frame failures within the first ~13k miles on the car. If you disagree, well, fine - I'm comfortable amending what I said: if I wanted a $70k car to be out for months at a time while I drive a rental I'd have gotten a Merc unnamed other luxury automobile manufacturer .

Today I called the body shop directly and was reassured this is an exceptionally puzzling case - the whole back of the car is taken apart, i.e. the trim and everything is removed, yet the sound is still there! They're scratching their heads, but suspect it's somewhere in a 12x12 space around the B pillar rocker panel. There's 4 layers of metal in this area, with a multitude of welds, any one of which could have failed and resulted in this sound. The next area they would check will be around the rear strut tower.

I mentioned "I saw some forum posts about rattles around the rear deck", and he pulled up forums on his machine and said "hmm, actually I haven't seen this thread before, but this looks exactly like what we're experiencing on your car". He said he's going to try some of the troubleshooting described there and get back to me. Side note: I acknowledged it might be annoying to have a customer backseat-driving the diagnostic process, like WebMD'ing at your doctor's appointment - to the body shop's credit, they're being totally open minded and looking under every rock for the source of this sound. I made it clear I respect their process, and figured we'd want to try every option before resorting to cutting into the frame.

Speaking of cutting into the frame: While I was on the phone with the body shop, I got a call from the dealership - "It's time to decide if you want to live with the sound or cut into the car chassis to pin it down". Again, not an expert, but I'm concerned with this option. On the one hand, I fear the sound could be masking some underlying problem (either now or in the future), not to mention it could possibly annoy the living snot out of me since that "clop" occurs pretty much every time I touch the brake or gas pedal. On the other hand, I know barely enough about metalworking to suspect that even though this body shop has a great reputation for being totally professional (i.e. it's not me in my garage with a few beers and some tinsnips), there's risks of doing exploratory surgery here.

The word that keeps coming to me is "buggah". So I Googled it and found this cosmic coincidence:

hkc

I think you need to take this directly to Lexus. Your options shouldn’t be live with it or let us cut up your car. Like you said, this is one their supposedly finest crafted cars to date. If I was in your shoes I’d have an attorney call Lexus for you.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

v8n8 thanks for your update and for not reacting to criticism and cheap shots.

to me the idea of cutting into the frame is a bit like back surgery... it should be the very last thing you decide to do.

The lc500 is built like a tank so unless someone hit a massive pot hole or tried jumping an opening draw bridge or other crazy driving, i can't see how you'd have frame damage.

as i and hkc suggest take your case directly to lexus. You have their best and most special vehicle. I'd imagine they will want to help you.