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2017 Lexus LS460 Normal or Abnormal Problems? Lemon?
Hello Everyone! I’m not entirely sure if this is the correct place to ask these questions but I’ve been reading of ‘normal’ problems with Lexus cars on here. Things like normal transmission problems, normal engine idle problems and normal wind noise problems. However no thread I’ve come across so far has been extremely specific. I have a 2017 Lexus LS460 I purchased brand new about 4 months ago, I have about 9,000 miles on it and I’ve had some wind whistling noise that’s higher in volume than normal speech and the the stereo. I am not sure I can post a link to a YouTube video demonstrating the problem but I’m unsure if that is what people talk about when they complain about the wind noise. I also have a lose front bumper and I’ve had the engine stall a few times on me while getting on the freeway and while taking off from lights. It also surges on acceleration at times and idles rough when it surges. I’ve brought it in to the dealer for all of the problems and they say they can’t duplicate the issues and they even claimed they fixed the wind whistle. Also my headliner has been getting pretty lumpy, I’m not sure if there is a sunroof leak or what. The dealer says they see the lumps in the headliner but they say that’s normal too. I’ve had the car for 4 months, purchased the 100,000 mike warranty because I was really hoping this would be the best car I’ve ever owner but so far I’m having a tough time getting these issues fixed. Is there a direction I can head in or is this ‘normal stuff’ I came from Mercedes and yes I was in the dealer is a lot but they always fixed everything. Lexus hasn’t fixed anything and I think I’m at 6 unscheduled trips. I don’t want to burn a bridge and get a lemon law attorney, but I also don’t want to keep bringing it back and having nothing fixed. If it’s normal I’ll just live with it and go on down the road lesson learned and not buy another Lexus. If it’s abnormal to have problems like this and there is a solution or a way to navigate Lexus to have them put the effort into fixing it I’ll go that route. Any help would be appreciated. I apologize if this is not a direct repair related question but i do not want to attempt a repair on a 4 months old car under warranty myself. I can’t even get my dealer to return my phone calls, I’ve been dealing with Lexus customer service for about 2 months now, I kept being told that there were no managers and nobody else worked at Lexus when I asked for a different customer rep because mine would not return my calls. I finally went to the basic BBB and I got a call from Scott Murphy at the ‘executive branch’ and he is telling me to bring it in again to have a Lexus ‘district service and parts manager’ look at my car. Which I’ve committed to bring it in next week but being new to a problematic car and being new to Lexus I don’t know what to expect or what to do.
Wow, that is amazing your dealer is not being more helpful. Not sure what part of CA you are in, but since you have already elevated it to Lexus upper, see what the rep has to say. You may have more options in going to a different dealership.
My Lexus was originally from Southern Cal and was at two different dealerships for service when first purchased but I have read on here that one dealer was not very good with client so they went elsewhere, but don't know who that dealer was.
It it is sad that you are having these issues when generally speaking, the LS has a very good reputation.
Please se let us know how your visit goes with Scott Murphy. Hopefully, everything will be taken care of.
Hi alexsystem, I am very sorry to hear about your troubles with a 2017 LS. It's very unusual to say the least. It's troubling to hear that the Lexus dealer (where you bought the car?) has not been very responsive to your concerns. Needless to say, this is the first time on CL that I am hearing about such poor customer service for a prized customer. Let's hope that Lexus Corporate takes better care of you. As Cubblylex suggested, in the future, take your business to another dealership. Good luck!
It is strange that the dealer convinced you to purchase a 100K warranty on a brand new car. It makes no sense since you have a bumper-bumper 50k/4y new car warranty already on the car. I am interested to see what lumps you see/feel in the headliner. Can you post a couple of photos? If the dealer is not able to replicate the wind whistle and rough idling issues, you have no choice but to record the noise. The car should be very quiet at highway speeds. It would be helpful to post a video for us to get a sense of the problem.
Thank you, I will certainly keep you updated, I’m dropping it off tomorrow after work. The district parts and service people will look at it Wednesday. I’ll see that they say. I have the videos of the whistle and the completed repair order I uploaded to YouTube to be able to show the dealer at first. Then I uploaded a couple videos when they didn’t fix anything and then didn’t want to keep working on it. Also I requested the warranty because I’ve had the car 4 months and put almost 10,000 miles on it, 50,000 would run out pretty quick for me I drive between 35,000-45,000 miles a year. Being new to Lexus I didn’t know exactly what I should expect so I purchased it as a little extra insurance. Anyways I guess I’ll let you guys know. Also here is an attachment of the wind noise video,
it’s a link to YouTube, I hope that isn’t against the rules here. I have the loose bumper video and stuff up there too. I also sent the videos to Scott Murphy who said he’ll give them to the techs. I know the videos aren’t too flattering for Lexus but, I was frustrated when I made them. Thank you, I’ll keep you posted.
These are my lumps coming up in my headliner it’s even leaving streaks in my sunroof cover because the lumps run around into the sunroof area and rub if I slide the cover back.
That noise would annoy the heck out of me. Does the pitch change with vehicle speed? How could this be coming from the center console as the tech reported? The dealership should be bending over backwards to get these issues sorted out. It's sad to say that some Lexus dealerships have lost their way?
Thank you, I will certainly keep you updated, I’m dropping it off tomorrow after work. The district parts and service people will look at it Wednesday. I’ll see that they say. I have the videos of the whistle and the completed repair order I uploaded to YouTube to be able to show the dealer at first. Then I uploaded a couple videos when they didn’t fix anything and then didn’t want to keep working on it. Also I requested the warranty because I’ve had the car 4 months and put almost 10,000 miles on it, 50,000 would run out pretty quick for me I drive between 35,000-45,000 miles a year. Being new to Lexus I didn’t know exactly what I should expect so I purchased it as a little extra insurance. Anyways I guess I’ll let you guys know. Also here is an attachment of the wind noise video, https://youtu.be/_ZbK5qMwzP0 it’s a link to YouTube, I hope that isn’t against the rules here. I have the loose bumper video and stuff up there too. I also sent the videos to Scott Murphy who said he’ll give them to the techs. I know the videos aren’t too flattering for Lexus but, I was frustrated when I made them. Thank you, I’ll keep you posted.
https://youtu.be/_ZbK5qMwzP0These are my lumps coming up in my headliner it’s even leaving streaks in my sunroof cover because the lumps run around into the sunroof area and rub if I slide the cover back.
Hi Alex, Unbelievable
Lexus of Escondido is treating you like sxxt. How could they possibly say the whistling noise was gone? Perhaps the service advisor or tech should have gone with you for a test drive to realize that the noise remains. Trust me, this dealership experience is not typical, especially for someone who brought their car brand-new. Don't ever go back there, and make sure Lexus Corporate hears about it. As far as the noise itself, it appears to be at the window. When is it first evident, and does the pitch change with speed? Could it be a transmission whine rather than wind noise? Regardless, Lexus owes you to resolve this matter to your satisfaction.
I see the headliner lumps you mentioned. This appears suspiciously like a problem connected with the deteriorating sunroof gasket. Can you post some pics of the sunroof trim from the outside? Many of us have had that issue, but never to the extent seen in your car, and the dealers have by and large replaced the entire sunroof unit under warranty. Do you go thru the carwash a lot. Looks like the sunroof is leaking and collecting dampness underneath the headliner. What's the repair history for this issue?
The rough idle etc. should be easy to resolve. Perhaps you can post a history of that problem also. I could not find any video or photo of your loose front bumper. That seems like such a basic thing to resolve. This forum is meant to help people enjoy their cars, so there are no rules against posting and discussing your noted problems.
As far as the 100K warranty, is it a Lexus Platinum VSA? For your car, you can purchase a Lexus platinum warranty that provides unlimited mileage coverage for 4-8 years for less than $4000. I am not sure what warranty you have, but there was no need to buy anything from this dealer while the new car warranty was still good. There are several threads on this forum on extended warranties, and given your driving pattern, a Platinum VSA would be the best choice.
Keep us posted on your experience with Mr. Murphy from Lexus Corporate. If I had to guess, I think he will make sure all of this is taken care of to your complete satisfaction. Good luck!
Alex, sorry to hear all these issues with your brand new LS. What's is disappointing is how Lexus of Escondido is treating you and your car. Its pretty abnormal based on my experience with Lexus dealership.
I believe this high pitch sound is from wheel bearing. I did have similar sound but bit lower pitch than on this video on 3 year old LS. But hard to believe brand new LS would have bearing issue. Do you hear that sound at lower speed, say below 45mph?.
I suggest few things, escalate to Corporate and launch a complaint against that dealership. At this dealership, talk to service manager and ask his to change your service advisor and identify who are the master techs. Request one of those to look into these issues. I am sure as a brand new car owner, you didn't have to take these extreme steps. But believe me, no two advisor are same and same goes so true with technicians.
Alternatively, if there is another dealership nearby, I would take the car there and see what they say.
While picking the car, I normally opt to talk to technician directly. I hear directly from him about my car(s) health.
Hope your issues gets fixed soon and have enjoyable ride with LS.........
Thank you for the responses!
1) I’m really glad to hear that these are not normal issues. Which is a relief because some of the threads up here talk about normal shifting problems with the ES and the early LS460’s normal wind noise and some of the TSB’s for the issues. So I will remain positive that Lexus will resolve them.
2) I’ll take a couple outside sunroof pictures later today before I drop it off at the local dealership and post them later today.
3) It’s interesting to hear mention of the mirror trim and the wheel bearing, because I did a little experiment, I don’t want to do anything mechanical to the car for trying to resolve these issues yet for warranty purposes. However, I did roll down the drivers side window while hearing the whistle noise. Surprisingly it didn’t go away. I was driving next to the concrete center divider and although the ambient noise went up with the window down it was still audible and it seemed it was reflecting off the divider, it sounded like screeching scraping but then again sound travels in funny ways, so it could have been my perception of the sound coming from the mirror too. I let Mr. Murphy know this because I genuinely would like my car fixed. So it could very well be something mechanical like a wheel bearing. As you may have saw from the video as the car drifted to the side while I was filming the noise stopped briefly until I centered the car back out. Also in the mornings it is not as loud as in the afternoons.
4) Car wash, it’s been washed by the dealer every time it’s gone in, so about 6 times at a car wash. I hand wash it every few weeks at home which has amounted to maybe 4 washes. So who knows and it’s rained a couple times since I got the car. I don’t see any staining of the headliner though.
5) Here is the video of the front bumper being loose and a video of the voicemail I received about the headliner. The dealer said that my headliner is normal. She said she sees the issue but it’s normal. Honestly these videos were taken to convey to Lexus corporate the issues I am having. They aren’t too flattering for Lexus but I couldn’t think of another means of transferring this along to someone staffed in Texas at a corporate office. I’m pretty sure there are some people who contact corporate for petty things I wanted them to see sort of first hand my issues. Plus the first contact I had with a case manager she was completely ignoring the issues and just told me to keep going back to the same dealer so I put a couple videos in a BBB letter and was assigned to Mr. Murphy.
I have 2017 LS460 purchased new in January 2017 and it does not exhibit any of the issues you describe. My previous LS460 from 2007 did have a few issues when new that were satisfactorillytaken care of by dealer (wind noise and glove box closure) but with the 2017 I have not noticed a single piece of trim, rattle, squeak, etc. that I could fault or comment on when brought to dealer for routine oil/filter/rotate service. Hopefully you have no safety issues but with so many issues, particularity loose bumper and ceiling bumps, you might look for signs of repair for damage in transit to dealer that was repaired at body shop. If dealer says it is normal - have them show you another 2017 LS460 with in the same condition.
Thank you for the responses!
1) I’m really glad to hear that these are not normal issues. Which is a relief because some of the threads up here talk about normal shifting problems with the ES and the early LS460’s normal wind noise and some of the TSB’s for the issues. So I will remain positive that Lexus will resolve them.
2) I’ll take a couple outside sunroof pictures later today before I drop it off at the local dealership and post them later today.
3) It’s interesting to hear mention of the mirror trim and the wheel bearing, because I did a little experiment, I don’t want to do anything mechanical to the car for trying to resolve these issues yet for warranty purposes. However, I did roll down the drivers side window while hearing the whistle noise. Surprisingly it didn’t go away. I was driving next to the concrete center divider and although the ambient noise went up with the window down it was still audible and it seemed it was reflecting off the divider, it sounded like screeching scraping but then again sound travels in funny ways, so it could have been my perception of the sound coming from the mirror too. I let Mr. Murphy know this because I genuinely would like my car fixed. So it could very well be something mechanical like a wheel bearing. As you may have saw from the video as the car drifted to the side while I was filming the noise stopped briefly until I centered the car back out. Also in the mornings it is not as loud as in the afternoons.
4) Car wash, it’s been washed by the dealer every time it’s gone in, so about 6 times at a car wash. I hand wash it every few weeks at home which has amounted to maybe 4 washes. So who knows and it’s rained a couple times since I got the car. I don’t see any staining of the headliner though.
5) Here is the video of the front bumper being loose and a video of the voicemail I received about the headliner. The dealer said that my headliner is normal. She said she sees the issue but it’s normal. Honestly these videos were taken to convey to Lexus corporate the issues I am having. They aren’t too flattering for Lexus but I couldn’t think of another means of transferring this along to someone staffed in Texas at a corporate office. I’m pretty sure there are some people who contact corporate for petty things I wanted them to see sort of first hand my issues. Plus the first contact I had with a case manager she was completely ignoring the issues and just told me to keep going back to the same dealer so I put a couple videos in a BBB letter and was assigned to Mr. Murphy.
I also got my LS460 from Escondido, they treat me good, last time had same problem on wind noise, there tech test drive with me for 40 minutes. try Carlsbad, some of my friend said they are better even both dealer are same owner
Every now and then any manufacturer turns out a singular problematic car, such as my wife's 1988 Saab 900S. That individual car will always have problems.
You have more patience than me. I would have invoked the lemon law by now.
Lemon Laws vary by state but the spirit applies to "substantive defects". Unfortunately, other than the stalling which can't be reproduced, I don't think any of the OPs complaints qualify as "substantive" (but annoying, yes). Take the car to a different dealer - these issues can easily be fixed. Take their loaner until they are.
11-11-17, 11:17 AM
2017 Lexus LS460 Normal or Abnormal Problems? Lemon?
