ancdmd

I bought an '02 Ultra last May with 33k miles. Had JM Lexus in Fort Lauderdale replace front right control arm eccentric bushing/camber adjuster for $400 because some moron stripped the bolt on it and messed it up before I bought the car. Also paid $300 for rear brake pads, what a rip. The radio was not working, and they told me I needed a new one for $500. When I got home I disconnected it and reconnected it and now it works. Twelve months and fourteen thousand miles later I take it to an independent Lexus shop to get an oil change and have some other stuff checked out, and they tell me the suspension part is installed upsidedown, and I need new pads all around before the sensors start to rub. $500 for pads, turn and resurface rotors, install new caliper bolts. Also paid $49 for new cabin filter and $25 for engine air filter. I get home and notice cabin filter box is empty, no new filter installed. Also engine air filter box lid is not clamped down, and adjacent big plastic fenderwell cover is loose and missing the holddown clips.

Why new rear brakes in only 14,000k miles? Did JM even install new pads? Why can't the "expert" mechanics at the dealer install the suspension part correctly? Why couldn't they fix the radio as easily as I did? Why is it so hard to put in a new cabin filter after you take out the old one? Why is it so hard to snap the engine air filter box closed? What is so difficult about putting everything back together the way it is supposed to be?

I'm a health professional and people pay me accordingly per hour for my expertise, why should I pay a hundred bucks an hour to someone with no expertise? It seems their "expertise" isn't much more than your average drive-thru employee. I feel like every time I pay someone to do something, they can't do the job 100%, especially when it comes to car repair. God forbid I need an engine rebuild or something major, I can't imagine how messed up my car will be left after something like that.

I'm nauseated thinking about the hundreds and hundreds of dollars I've just spent for what seems like nothing. I've decided to buy the service manual and do everything myself from now on, just like I used to. I thought one of the perks of owning a Lexus was that the service would be better than average, but apparently not. The old adage is true, if you want something done correctly, DO IT YOURSELF.

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

First of all, you should confront all of these issues to the service manager.
Personally, I wouldn't let this slide b/c if they said that they "did it", it "should've been done". Unfortunately, that horrible tech misrepresented the dealership. If the manager didn't do anything about that, then you can definitely call that stealership a con artist.

I understand that running any business, there's overhead cost. But if they didn't do what they're supposed to, then WTH did one pay hundreds of $$$ for?

I'm a DIY'er and what I can.
Thanks to this forum, I was able to do the brakes myself. Bought the pads+ oem air filter (~$140) from our vendor here.

You can buy an air conditioning filter (for around $3-$8 at home depot, cut it to size, and replace it with the AC filter).

Alot of times when things don't work, do what the engineers do-unplug it, reset it, or bang on it

Well only one can do it themself if they know how (or have the time to)

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

I never take my car to dealership, since they charge a lot and some time don't even know what they are doing. Also, they replace parts than fix them.

I do most of maintanance work myself, if there is problem I can't fix, I will take it to the mechanic shop I trust.

SH212

i know the dealership your talking about i live in ft lauderdale as well and jm-lexus is horrbile with service and sales,
i almost bout an ls400 and a new es350 cash deal but they just dont know how to do business and chased me away to ebay

maintenance i do myself and most auto repairs seeing how i can do auto repairs... and thanks to this website it helps A LOT
but regardless you should always have your own mechanic to trust in case you might need expertise or a lift



sorry about your car i defintly wouldnt let this one slide

best of luck to you keep us updated because im very interested in how this turns out, might keep me away from jm-lexus.....

ancdmd

My experience with working on cars is extensive. About the only thing I haven't done is rebuild the bottom end of a motor or a transmission rebuild. I've done brake jobs many times before on other cars, and I'm kicking myself for not doing it on my LS, its just that at my age and income level I'm tired of doing it myself and feel like I've earned the privelege to pay someone else to do it and spend my afternoon at the beach relaxing. It sucks when you realize that you can't pay people to do simple things and expect the job to be done correctly. I honestly cannot remember when I took my car to get serviced and everything was done exactly as it should. Numerous times I've had incorrect parts installed, parts installed incorrectly/backwards/upsidedown, jobs not finished/incorrectly reassembled. If an air filter can't even be replaced correctly, how can I have confidence that anything more complex is done correctly? One mechanic even took my old car through the drive-thru and left his bag of McDonalds garbage above my sun visor. Its crap like that which is completely unacceptable. Even though I've slung wrenches a lot more than the average Joe, its nothing compared to the amount of wrenching a certified mechanic has done, yet simple jobs seem to always be completely screwed up.

I have to call the owner of the independent shop tommorrow and let him know about today's f***-ups. I think he is a good guy and knows his stuff; I believe its one of his underling mechanics that dropped the ball. Hopefully he can restore a shred of trust in me about his shop so that the next time I need something done that I can't handle I won't have to go back to JM. Unfortunately I will be going back to JM tomorrow to request they fix the suspension part they installed upsidedown, I just hope they don't mess something else up in the process. Knowing them they'll tell me they can't touch the car because its got 20" wheels on it. Idiots.

GRAND_LS 4

iTrader: (2)

Everytime I take my car to the dealership, it comes back with a missing front plate, and other suprises. So I learned to do most of the work myself when I get the time.

campisi

I hear ya brother, loud and clear. I feel the same way - I have the money to pay to have that stuff done but I don't precisely because, more times than not, it won't be done right. They'll **** something up. I just got done changing the oil on all 3 of my vehicles. It was done right! No stripped drain plugs, no loose drain plugs, no tools left under the hood etc etc etc.