When shopping for an LS (of the VSR vintage), is there a way to visually tell whether the VSR was done to that vehicle, such as a sticker/label in the engine compartment? I know when I had several recalls/TSBs done to my 02 ES, they applied a sticker (I believe on the fan shroud) to show that a particular item had been performed.

I know I can check service records, but I was wondering if there's a quick visual way to see if the VSR was done .......

Walt

 

No, not that I know of, mine doesn't have any sticker showing any of the recalls including the VSR...

 

A lexus dealer they can pull the service history for you and show whether it has been done. This history can be printed out for you, they don't usually mind

 

the dealer that sold me the car refused to print me a copy, citing privacy concerns. they had no problem showing me the history on the screen, though. haha

 

The dealer should also have the CARFAX or AUTOCHECK. I've seen it on there many times.

 

they gave me a carfax, but the carfax doesn't indicate whether the VSR was done or not. lexus internal service records do

 

I have found CarFax to be utterly worthless... in my experience, in fact it never revealed the true picture of the car I was looking at ever. Im not sure why anyone even pushes them.

 

I agree for the most part, but sometimes they disclose accidents. If you go to www.lexusdrives.com and register, you can find a more accurate service history of your car if the service was performed by a Lexus dealer. I think my VSR was performed because they left about 25% of the engine cover clips off because the tech was so tired after doing such a good job. Anyway, my engine runs exceptionally smooth and quiet.

 

I picked up a couple of boxes of clips here

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/LEXUS...Q5fAccessories

I like them all to be the same, even if the mechanics do put them back they are all mixed and matched when I get it back, so I just have my own stock to keep them consistent. There are lots of buyers up on EBay with different types of clips but I find that this one works well for the engine covers. 1.00 for a box and 12.50 to ship it.... you can shop around and find them for less.

 

Thanks for the tip, I will order them although I spend to much time on ebay already. A hazard of being retired.

 

Another hint: Give a Lexus dealer the VIN#. The can tell instantly of the VSR was done.

 

Also, from the VIN the dealer can/should also be able to tell you if it is included in the VSR recall.

Mike

P.S. "Silverpaws" - I love it!

 

If you are registered on the Lexus Drivers site just log in and your entire vehicle history from when it was first prepped and all services done since at Lexus dealers (including TSIB's and recalls) are shown, along with date and mileage. They reference back to the service order number that is on the paperwork you got when the service was complete.

 

This is the exact reason why I'm not having the VSR done until I actually have a problem. If they can't even put silly clips on properly, how can I trust them to do such a big job on my car. From my research, it looked like there is only a .02% chance that my car would be affected. That's 1 out of 500 cars!! There is definitely a much higher chance that a tech will screw something up. I am specifically worried about paint damage. Other things can be fixed, but if a panel is re-painted, it's never the same. If I actually get bitten by this problem, I will get it fixed, then decide if I am going to sell and get something else, or if I'm going to keep it......I know....I'm crazy.

 

No, actually you are not. Great minds think alike. Knowing what I know now, I would also be hesitant to have the VSR performed if my engine was performing ok. At this time, after the VSR, I could not ask for quieter and smoother performance. I just hope that the technician didn't leave other things undone as he did when replacing the engine cover clips.