Hello Everyone,
I just purchased my 2019 RC-F recently, and I’m encountering a very weird issue. The selling dealer told me the car was under factory warranty still, however after visiting the service department they told me otherwise.

Car fax and a titling search shows the cars first actual purchase was 5/5/21 with its first actual owner where tire and wheel, maintenance package, etc was purchased. All subscription based services also started in 2021 as well. It is a 1 owner car. However the dealership says the Date of First Use was 9/6/2018. Very strange

With some further research done, turns out the selling dealership used it as a “display” car at a sports stadium for almost a year. Car didn’t move, just sat. Only services ever performed on it was a battery service and a fuel treatment, because it sat for so long.

The car was first purchased in May of 2021 and titled first July of 2021 with 125 miles on it. 3.5 years later the car only had 125 miles on it from moving around the lot, etc. But the selling dealer listed the Date of First Use to Lexus as the date they chose to start displaying the car.

Now I’m figuring out there’s zero warranty coverage on the car, the actual first owner had almost zero factory warranty left, and I have barely any as well.

Definitely a first for me on this one. Thoughts?

 

If you create a Lexus Driver's account and claim your car via the VIN, the date of first use will be listed there. You used to be able to just put in any Lexus VIN and get factory options and first use date info. Kinda sucks that first dealership flagged it that way but it happens when a dealership uses it as a demo car.

Big difference since a first use date of May 2021 would give you full warranty coverage until May 2025, but Sep 2018 means full bumper to bumper has lapsed and power train has less than a year left.

I know my 2015 wasn't sold until mid-2016, so I was able to get a bunch of little things and TSBs fixed right after I bought it in 2019.

 

But thats the thing. It wasn’t used as a demonstrator car, it was just used as a display piece of an advertisement if you will. If it was a legitimate demonstrator car, then the Date of first use being what it is would make sense. But with this being the case it doesn’t. Plus it took them 3.5 years to actually sell the car

 

Im sure the first owner got a great deal on a low milage car. That's just the way it goes. The first owner could have negotiated a warranty. If you bought if from a dealership, I'd be very surprised that it was not CPO. CPO would give the car a CPO warranty and the dealerships CPO cars that meet a certain criteria of condition. So, unless there is a reason to not CPO the car, it should have been done? Look for a diamond shaped sticker in the door jams for CPO certification. Dealerships buy the cars. The dealership is the first owner. If you bought a car and displayed it in your garage that doesn't mean the warranty would start when you started to drive the car. My warranty came from my credit union and was just over 1k for bumper to bumper. The clerk was like, "wow I just did a M3 today and the warranty was 4 times as much". Yoink! thank you very much. Maybe re-finance the car through a lending agency that provides warranty coverage.

 

Dealer was not the first owner of the vehicle though.

That’s by definition date of first use. The car was not sold as CPO, as a demonstrator, as slightly used or any of that. The car was sold new. It was simply just a display vehicle and then a lot ornament for many years. 125 miles in 3.5 years hardly quantifies. Selling dealer was the dealer it was delivered to. Car was at the same dealership until it finally sold

 

Sounds like it was flagged as a demonstration vehicle. Yes it sat as a decoration, but the first dealer entered it into the Lexus database which then started the clock on the warranty.

It's a used car, your kind of stuck with how it was handled initially, even if you personally don't agree with it.

 

RC-F doesn’t need a warranty. That’s why I bought it over the Mustang, Camaro, M4, and Corvette I cross shopped. It’s nearly bulletproof.

 

Related to the BOLD above. Looks like you got it from a Lexus Dealer? What I would do is send a email or something to the Sales Manager and/or GM. Ask them why they told you it was still under Warranty? I'm guessing a Salesperson told you this? Then call Lexus Customer Care and ask them to create a case and get involved. Unless there is something I am missing here?

 

Do you have anything written from them saying it was still under warranty? If not, they lied (shocking!).

 

If they did lie to you and there is nothing to be done, I wouldn't sweat it. The car is pretty much new. Very few if anything is going to go wrong with it... so just drive it and enjoy. Also make note to never buy anything from that dealer again or recommend them..etc.

If this was a different manufacture I'd probably be pissed (initially pissed for being lied to), but in reality, not really concerned since there are NOT glaring things that go wrong on this platform other than the valley plate leak.

-Nigel

 

I would put that car along with the stage/stand in my living room, set it up exactly like in those photos and never drive it. It's just too beautiful and it's a Time Machine! I would get another RC F, a 2023 or 2024 (with full warranty) to drive around with instead.

 

Depends on what they told you, because technically it still is under the factory warranty, just not the full bumper to bumper coverage.

 

Have your documents and call directly Lexus corporate and they should be able to help you. I had a similar experience with my L Cruiser, it was dealership owner's car for a year, I purchased it and brought it to local service. Dealer confirmed new 36m warranty will start with my purchase, but local service first said I only have 2 years warranty left.... little bit of explanation and phone traffic, it is all sorted out. good luck, it is a beautiful car!

 

forgot to add, after that hassle, the car had zero issue for the last 9 years anyways, so nothing claimed via warranty

 

I was thinking the same about how it looked that set up in the showroom, like buying a Dream. Another idea is to load the pics as the Display boot on start up in the car.