Okay the local dealership here has changed (lost?) its mind and decided not to deal with any car purchased outside their dealership as far as the recent recall is concerned.

I'm going to contact corporate Lexus (Toyota?) to see the available options.

I don't understand the company's authority hierarchy. To whom should I report the problem? Where do I start and how do I escalate it?

Specific persons' names, titles & contact info would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance guys.

 

Is the "recent recall" you are referring to the recall for the valve spring replacement in 07-08 LS460s/600s and some other models?

 

That's correct.

The dealer had initially agreed to do the fix. Today the seemed to have changed their mind and decided its not their problem.

 

If you have not experienced a broken valve spring or unusual engine noise, I suggest that you wait until the official notification is announced in the US before you pursue Toyota over this issue.

I made the comment, in a previous post, that this was "shaping up to be a Safety recall" but so far only the Defect Information Report has been filed with the US NHTSA. It is interesting to note that the DIR did not mention "Safety" but the acknowledgment did. NHTSA has issued an acknowledgment of the DIR and the next step will be when Toyota files the Draft customer notification with NTHTSA which is supposed to occur 5 days prior to mailing the notification letter to the owners. It seems like a long time has passed for this next step to happen. That may be because of some legal maneuvering or it may be because the effort is so large and costly.

To keep from spinning your wheels, so to speak, it might be a good idea to wait until you have some more ammunition to support your case. If the US NHTSA Safety recall comes, which seems likely, then those documents should help you.

 

What dealership is treating you like this, and where are you located?? I want to know right away please. And what is a recall and needs to get fixed. It doesn't matter where you buy your Lexus, if it is a recall they NEED TO FIX IT! Your first step would be to contact the Regional office and let them know what your issue is. They will get it done or tell you a dealer who will help you.

 

The poster's info sez he's located in "Riyadh" and I believe I recall he purchased the car in the USA and had it shipped to Riyadh. Standing by for his response to your query.

 

You've made two very good points in your response. The reason I'm considering the fix is that I've been hearing what sounds like a "quiet version of a diesel engine" noise in my engine and the noise rhythm has changed recently which doesn't give me a lot of rest. Otherwise, I would just leave it the way it's until Toyota comes up with a magical do-it-yourself solution or something close.

In any case, I would like to gather the information I need now. But I probably wont start bothering the corporate very soon as you suggested.

Thanks for the response.

 

I purchased my car from Texas and shipped it to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The dilemma here is that who's responsible for the fix? Is it Lexus? If it's Lexus, then which one? Lexus of the USA? Japan? Saudi Arabia? Or is it me? But then I purchased my car in July 2009 and I based my decision (after an extensive research) on the findings that made the purchase look feasible & safe only to find out a few months later that Lexus had known about the issue a long time ago and kept it low? Had I known that there would be a 0.02% (or whatever the percentage is) chance that my engine would breakdown, I wouldn't have purchased the car. I would definitely have gone to an '09 LS460 or something else.

I called the local (exclusive) dealer here in SA back in July and I was told to bring in my car on Aug 1 or later. I was advised to take an appointment to guarantee a 3-day fix and not waste time waiting in line. So I called today and I was informed that I'm not welcomed anymore, which doesn't seem fair to me on many levels.

 

I have had that noise issue looked at before as well. I was told it was the fuel injectors on this car. It seems worse in the winter time.