MattBianco

Interim update: Car has been at the dealer for two days now. Lexus never sent the email they said they would, specifically citing rotors as not covered. I called and they said I should refer to the warranty handbook (where only "brakes and liners" are excluded". They consider everything that is NOT covered to be a "wear and tear" item, but won't name which parts in this case -which is odd as even the engine and transmission are wear and tear. As for the other issues, they are still diagnosing.

I see this as a Lexus issue, not a dealer issue, as they will do any warranty work they will get reimbursed for. Dealer has its own issues.....when I showed up they apologized for having given away the courtesy car they were holding for me.

Ashron

I've had many Lexus vehicles over many years and never experienced this type of service from the two dealers I use. Sounds like a dealer issue. You have also mentioned other problems with your car. Did you buy it new? If not, have you checked the vehicle's history. The LX is a heavy duty vehicle with robust systems and construction. Unusual for the LX to experience this many issues, in particularly with so few miles. Probably well worth a trip to another dealer for a second opinion. At least you'll know where you stand.

MattBianco

I have had three Lexuses serviced at three different dealers. My experience will all three have been that they are more expensive for all repairs than both BMW and Mercedes, but there are far fewer things that go wrong, and net-net, you spend less on repairs with a Lexus after warranty. But the service level pales in comparison all around. There is no comparison in terms of staff quality, being service-ready or customer oriented.

I bought the car used, from a reputable Jaguar/Range dealer, and I happen to know the prior owner -a house-wife who drove one child to school back and forth. They had never removed the hitch cover, or taken it off road or to the mountains. I take it skiing and load up 3-4 bikes on a regular basis. Nothing more strenuous than 1/3 mile on a flat gravel road when we take it to riding stable.

Basically, the brakes have an issue, it is not the wearable pads, and Lexus will refuse the refund the dealer if they do this as warranty work, and you can tell by the attitude of the dealer (do you have pictures of the other problem fog light?) that they are more concerned about pleasing Lexus than the customer. Though I have never been denied warranty work by the other dealers, nor hassled in any way (none are close to me now), the service quality has always been inferior, and as opposite as you would get from a regular Toyota dealer in Japan. The only good Lexus dealer I have been to is Irvine -about 450 miles south. My current dealer (7 miles away), even looks like a dumpy Chrysler dealer.

Chocolate

Is the brake setup any different on the 2016 to the 2013-2015 models?

caha14

I did a quick search on lexuspartsnow.com, and it appears the rotors are the same, front and rear, through Sept. 2015 production. Post Sept. 2015, there's a part number change for the front rotors, and it's not clear what the change captures.

I think the brakes on the LX are nice and grabby, but have been a bit disappointed in their durability - not the life of the pads, which has been ok, as much as the relative regularity of dealing with pulsation from warped rotors, surprisingly more so from the rear brakes than the front.

MattBianco

Please shed more light, as you seem to have experienced with this. That is precisely my problem: 70% pad left, but badly pulsating despite gentle use.

Chocolate

Good information. My CPO truck is a 2013 and it had its rear pads and rotors replaced, and front pads replaced and rotors machined, around 28k miles right before it was up for sale in May.

DocT

The truck is 6000lbs and it takes a lot of force to stop this monster. So the most force applies to the truck would be the front brakes and they wear out more than the back ones. I would replace them with after market brake rotors that have perforated discs to evaporate the heat faster.

caha14

When the truck was barely over a year old and well-shy of 20k miles, there was pulsation fore-and-aft (rear rotors) and the steering would also vibrate upon braking at highway speeds (front rotors). I forget which were which, but one set was replaced and the other machined - all under warranty.

Despite brakes being considered a wear-and-tear item (broadly speaking), I have never encountered resistance to cover pulsation under warranty within the first 20k miles of a vehicle's life.

Fast forward another 15k miles, same problem. This time, the brakes were squeaking, and there was (is) a TSIB calling for new front rotors to address this problem, so the warranty took care of those. I paid out of pocket for a full rear brake job.

Fast forward to the 50k service late last year, same deal, though the pulsation was predominantly fore-and-aft (again, rear rotors). Because I had paid for a rear brake job relatively recently, the dealer was generous enough to "goodwill" the rear rotors. Braking became a good 80%+ better.

This brings us to the present... more pulsation - again - predominantly fore-and-aft. The front rotors have held up fairly well, but the rears are a problem. I am not sure yet what I will do.

It does take a lot to stop this truck, and thus maybe the rotors should have more meat to them. You are right about the front brakes, and this has generally been my experience with other vehicles, but not so on the LX, interestingly. Not only have I experienced more warping from the rear rotors than the front, but also, pad wear has been more than expected (not abnormal per se - just not too much less than the front pads, as in other vehicles, if that makes sense). I will likely eventually go aftermarket.

caha14

I haven't yet bought anything through the site, but it seems like a good option.

On a side note, there was also a change to the rear brake pads beginning in MY 2013. Pad backing is now green (can't remember color of the previous ones). I don't know what the nature of the change was, but in the end, it's supposed to be an improvement, and that's what my 2010's rear calipers are loaded with at this point.

MattBianco

Update.....picking up the car tomorrow.....The issue is LEXUS, not the dealer.

The dealer called and said they talked to Lexus and convinced them this should be covered under their "goodwill" program. Everything is apparently fixed, and I should be getting the car back tomorrow.

As one other person above as chimed in, you may want to pay attention to the brakes. The discs are unable to maintain their shape -this is usually an alloy and/or casting problem. My LX470 with 220k miles until I sold it, never wobbled, and never needed discs/rotors machined. The other member above had this issue with even fewer miles. I expect the problem will return after a while. After market discs that are high quality, should run over $1k, but really should not be necessary if they OEM part is well built.

IchibanDJ

Wow, that's crazy.... I purchased a pre owned 2013 LX 570 with 1800 miles and the brakes squeaked, I previously purchased a brand new 2012 GX 460 that had the same squeak and mentioned that to them when I brought it in. Needless to say they replaced the rotors as they stated it was covered under warranty. Your dealership truly sucks! I'd contact the corporate office and at least make them aware of how you've been treated. Hope it all works out for ya in the end! \m/

MattBianco

Dealer made good by making it a courtesy repair. The proble is Lexus who had three people on the phone with me explaining why it was not covered, though the documentation on the warranty limits exclusions to pads. They claimed the rotors were wear and tear -so is the engine and transmission, was my counter.

malba2366

Glad you got the problem fixed!

My experience in dealing with car companies has always been that the 1800 number for the manufacturer has useless reps who usually just tell you to call a dealer, or that xyz isn't covered, or that the warranty is at the dealers discretion etc. As mentioned earlier in this post if you can find a regional service rep they are usually much more helpful especially if they realize that you are more informed than the average customer.

IchibanDJ

Nice, glad it worked out for you!