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I kept my original Lexus appointment this morning and they checked the ambient light above the glove box and it is deemed broken. The previous clock TSB didn't touch that area and the light assembly was still plugged in. Replacement is $312, half labor half parts. I think I'll pass on it for now. Bummed though that it wasn't caught while still covered under warranty by the seller. Guess the previous owner didn't drive it enough at night to notice it was broken. My indie mechanic may be able to get me a break on the price of parts and save some on labor too, but still we're probably looking at $200 for a strip of light. Sigh. I can live without it for now. I called back a moment ago and left a message to ask if they checked the fuses too.
We all accept that Lexus parts are expensive. A light strip like this is unlikely to be available as a 3rd party or refurbished part, so you are stuck with the OEM part. I have noticed that the parts dept at dealerships have some flexibility in pricing, so if you shop around with different Lexus dealerships, you may be able to get a substantial (10%) discount that your dealer may price match. Good luck! Lastly, while that ambient light strip is nice to have, there is enough ambient light from other locations that you won't miss it.
I've had ( and still have ) light strips on different cars (Mercedes, BMW, Audi) since about 2002, never had and heard about one failing...
I agree, tx, on both counts. The labor cost is entering the stratosphere and really encourages one to DIY, which is a good thing. I may just ask my mechanic to use his discount so I can get the OEM part for less and then just remove the panels myself to install. Will see...
Yea, I don't recall ever having to replace interior lights on our original 2006 Tundra that's still in the family, nor my wife's 2006 ES nor our 2002 Sequoia before we sold it in 2012. We weren't the original owners of our 2007 Sienna but that didn't need new interior bulbs either. Of all the cars listed I only had to replace one HID bulb on the wife's 10 year old ES. Surprised a 2013 (Nov 2012 build date) would have a light assembly non-operable, and an LED no less, on a Lexus. Still love the LS but a little disappointed compared with how parts held up in previous Toyota/Lexus vehicles.
I will give credit to Lexus of Sacramento this morning for a great visit and excellent customer care. I received timely attention, SA was polite and attentive and responsive to questions, and the shuttle administrator kindly put me in a loaner upon recognizing my wait would be too long. Today's experience renewed my faith in the service department at Lexus of Sacramento.
I agree, tx, on both counts. The labor cost is entering the stratosphere and really encourages one to DIY, which is a good thing. I may just ask my mechanic to use his discount so I can get the OEM part for less and then just remove the panels myself to install. Will see...
Yea, I don't recall ever having to replace interior lights on our original 2006 Tundra that's still in the family, nor my wife's 2006 ES nor our 2002 Sequoia before we sold it in 2012. We weren't the original owners of our 2007 Sienna but that didn't need new interior bulbs either. Of all the cars listed I only had to replace one HID bulb on the wife's 10 year old ES. Surprised a 2013 (Nov 2012 build date) would have a light assembly non-operable, and an LED no less, on a Lexus. Still love the LS but a little disappointed compared with how parts held up in previous Toyota/Lexus vehicles.
I will give credit to Lexus of Sacramento this morning for a great visit and excellent customer care. I received timely attention, SA was polite and attentive and responsive to questions, and the shuttle administrator kindly put me in a loaner upon recognizing my wait would be too long. Today's experience renewed my faith in the service department at Lexus of Sacramento.
For $180 an hour, the service should include a "happy ending..."
I guarantee something happened to that strip when they replaced the clock, regardless of what they say. That sort of failure is very rare.
I'd be tempted to buy the part and explore replacing it myself. I recently took my console apart to fix a rattle and it was very straightforward. Rattle fixed, and the dealer didn't screw up my car. I'd rather fix it myself vs letting the dealer touch it for free, let alone pay them $180 an hour to touch it lol
Happy ending... LOL, talk about a full-service dealership
Wait.....American Lexus dealers don't? You guys are missing out. Bubba the mechanic at my local Canadian dealership does this. "Pursuit of perfection".
I guarantee something happened to that strip when they replaced the clock, regardless of what they say. That sort of failure is very rare.
I'd be tempted to buy the part and explore replacing it myself. I recently took my console apart to fix a rattle and it was very straightforward. Rattle fixed, and the dealer didn't screw up my car. I'd rather fix it myself vs letting the dealer touch it for free, let alone pay them $180 an hour to touch it lol
Yep, I may just pay myself $180 to do it. I believe this is the piece (below). I am going purely by how the SA described the part as "an assembly above the glove box, a garnish, costing $141.60". If I've located the correct part then it seems it would be only $106 + tax/shipping. I saw some Beat-Sonic videos of how they removed the console dash and was amazed how simple it actually is.
Yep, I may just pay myself $180 to do it. I believe this is the piece (below). I am going purely by how the SA described the part as "an assembly above the glove box, a garnish, costing $141.60". If I've located the correct part then it seems it would be only $106 + tax/shipping. I saw some Beat-Sonic videos of how they removed the console dash and was amazed how simple it actually is.
The part description does not mention a lighting strip. Before ordering the part, you should take the old one off, see if there are any connectors at the back, and proceed from there. It does look like an easy replacement job. Good luck!
Just received a text out of nowhere this morning from Valley Lexus asking if I'd be interested in a 2014 Satin Cashmere/Flaxen AWD Ultra Luxury. I was just curious so asked for some details, but 41K-mile CPO for $54,488 is a little ridiculous. That's $15K more than what we paid for our 2013 UK, and I prefer the Nebula Gray better.
What a taught me though is that something else will eventually come along. I remember feeling like the perfect car would never emerge. Maybe this LS is perfect for someone else:
That's really nice looking car, FatherTo1... I really like the Flaxen and black interior color mix, and the Ultra-Luxury package is great. The price is actually right in line with KBB value for a CPO car, so it will probably sell for somewhere around the asking price.
I'm seeing quite a few low-mileage 2014s popping up right now coming off their 3-year lease, and with the new LS set to hit showrooms in October, the prices may start improving for those looking to buy this year. This model year hits the sweet-spot in terms of price and most of the earlier problems (control arms, brake actuators, wind noise, etc.) had been worked out by 2014. It's probably a good time to be in the market!
When I was looking, I decided the Ultra Luxury package wasn't worth it, since the only useful thing to me was the extra power sunshades on the rear sides to help keep the car cooler when parked.
Everything else for this package was for the rear seats, which is only useful if you commonly have passengers in the back, which I don't.
The (L-version) car with AWD and 40K miles w/o the ULP should be at most $43,000 I'd say. Just IMHO from researching prices for almost a year.
And the base (Non-L) should be at most $40K (or high 30s).
So do you really want the ULP for your needs? If not, I would pass on this one. Just IMHO.
When I was looking, I decided the Ultra Luxury package wasn't worth it, since the only useful thing to me was the extra power sunshades on the rear sides to help keep the car cooler when parked.
Everything else for this package was for the rear seats, which is only useful if you commonly have passengers in the back, which I don't.
The (L-version) car with AWD and 40K miles w/o the ULP should be at most $43,000 I'd say. Just IMHO from researching prices for almost a year.
And the base (Non-L) should be at most $40K (or high 30s).
So do you really want the ULP for your needs? If not, I would pass on this one. Just IMHO.
Thanks for sharing your assessments, rik/rg. I haven't kept up with pricing since we bought ours but I remember almost every base 2013+ LS in California was above $40k. The one at Valley Lexus is UP, AWD, and still has a 3 yr unlimited mileage warranty...still though, I feel $55k is still high for a COP, even in Cali. At $55K I would be considering many different cars besides the beloved LS. At $39.5K for our UL, there wasn't much else better at that price.
I agree with you on, rg, on the UL premium not being worth it when new, but in our used LS I do quite like the side sunshades and we do use the 4-zone climate control regularly, and the reclining seats occasionally. I can't believe the difference the side sunshades make during this Spring and soon-to-be Summer. Combined with my front windshield sunshade the care is only warm when getting in after it sits in the sun for 8-9 hours. Of course, you can just get some stick on sunshades too for a non-UL but every passenger in the back has commented on the side sunshades.
After some more experience I would prioritize the UL features over the air suspension. I mostly have the AS on normal anyways. What I would have liked is to keep the normal suspension and have the option of ECO shift pattern...so basically the non-AS, lol. With the AS, I have to soften up the suspension in order to get the languid ECO shift pattern and sometimes that's just too mushy over bumps. I do like the AS option, just wish i had more control over the damper and shift setrings. Harder to choose our options when buying used though so I'm still super happy with our LS 460.
03-29-17, 12:19 PM
