Hoping for some input! We had a 2000 Rx300, only owners, with 280,000 miles on it. We decided to give it to our 18 year old grandson so took it in to our regular mechanic last week for a new battery, oil change, and told him to look over everything to make sure nothing else needed to be done. Picked it up Friday and handed it over to our grandson. Saturday morning my daughter calls and said the cv joint fell out and he couldn't steer, causing him to hit a curb and a palm tree, while only going 5-10 miles per hour in their neighborhood only 7 houses from home. Had it towed to our mechanic and he told us it couldn't possibly have happened the way he said. The wheel rim is also destroyed which he said had to have been a direct impact. He said with this Lexus it's impossible for the cv joint to just suddenly fall out like that and that he had to have hit the curb first, then all the damage happened to the car. Opinions appreciated!

 

Welcome to Club Lexus.

I dont know which type of affirmation you want ... [I think it is a loose loose situation]
Daughter/Grand-son narration
Mechanic's analysis

I personally think you want some affirmation that you did not hand over a rolling time bomb. I personally dont think so. Hug your grandson and move on. Reassure your daughter (which may not be needed) that you would never ever give a bad vehicle to your grandson.

Salim

 

Hey kids will be kids...I am still trying to figure out how my daughter had three flat tires in a parking lot...That was fun, juggling tires trying to get the car to drive. I guess those curbs just jump out at you.

 

If the CV joint was bad you would have heard loud and clear they stating clicking when you turn your wheels, but to have a CV joint just fall out. I checked with different Lexus dealers and they said that they just don't
fall out something like an accident will cause this problem.

 

How would the CV joint make the steering stop working?

 

Thanks for the responses. Before we spoke to our mechanic...actually 3 mechanics...we were feeling really bad that we'd tried to do something nice for our grandson and had given him a faulty car. He only had his license for a week and this was his first time driving by himself, even though he just turned 18. All 3 mechanics said he absolutely had to hit the curb first and it was impossible for the cv joint to just fall out of this Lexus. My husband drove it an hour before we gave it to him and it wasn't making any noise. We think this was just an inexperienced driver and he hit a curb and freaked out and didn't know what to do. It's just such a shame...we took such good car of this car and it was perfect for him. It will cost at least $1500 to fix the damage they can see, and possibly more once they get it apart. It's 17 years old with 280,000 miles so not sure it's worth it.

 

A solo drive after having his license only a week? Bad parenting, in my opinion.

 

He did have his restricted license for a year and drove a lot with his dad but just got his operators license. I'm trying not to judge...it's a hard lesson for him to learn after being so excited to get the car.

 

We were all 17 at one time and yes some of us probably had a little bo bo accident or something similar also I would have it fixed get different shops cost before you do it. You can't buy anything for 1500 dollars and
the RX 300 is a safe car to drive for young people just starting out.

 

Once we get the emotional part out, here is an opportunity to learn.

a) Let the grandson decide what he wants done to his newly acquired responsibility. Unless he is handing the keys back to you with thank you but no thank you.

b) He can build a list of needed parts and get after-market or reclaimed from salvage the broken parts ... That should get the $ for parts.

c) Let him find a mechanic to do the repairs or do it himself with a knowledgeable friend.

d) Loan him the amount of money for repairs which he can pay back over time.

I will yet again reassure you that, you did not give your grandson a bad vehicle.

Salim

 

Thank you salimshah, I appreciate it! We've been taking all of our vehicles to this mechanic for over 15 years, so he's trying to quote as low as he can, which includes getting used parts, etc. He said the car is definitely worth fixing, and said he would buy it for $800 since he can fix it and sell it...he knows it's always been taken care of. $800 sure won't buy another car so we feel he should get it fixed. This is our step grandson, so we were just trying to do something nice for him when we could have sold it for about $3000 before the accident. Our son in law wants to believe his son that the car just fell apart and caused him to lose control, and I guess I don't blame him for that. It's a sticky situation to say the least, taking away the joy we got for giving it to him.

 

You need to take the next few steps carefully.

Assume you have the vehicle fixed. Then what? Would you hand the keys over the second time? That would be the second nice gesture on your part, but father and son may feel uncomfortable ... obligated to accept but having doubts about the condition/safety. If you decide to keep it grandson may think you took the gift back.

Open and honest discussion would help. You being the grandparent may have to give lot of slack [love]. So frame the situation such that the grandson makes the choice he and his father are making the decision.

This might help ... determine if it was a loan or a gift. If it was loan you take it back and do what you like [even suggest if the grandson wants it, he can have it]. If it was a gift then let the grandson decide what to do with it. Be prepared that the grandson may want to sell it for $800.

I wish other grandparents were as nice as you. But at the end the perception of the folks on the receiving side matters.

Salim

 

Oh lord the stories, my daughter backed out of the driveway and hit my motorhome, damaged both. I didn't want to go thru insurance and hurt her record, so I told her I would fix motorhome, and she could get her car fixed. She chose that and she was able to get repairs for under $500. She even paid for it. Few more years down the road she avoided some cones that kids had stuck out on a very busy through way right after a right turn. She spun out and slammed the rear wheel into the curb, knocking the suspension off its cradle (Mercedes 190E). Hey its life, and accidents happen, what is important is what they learn, and whether they are safe.

 

To damage the wheel with such a large OEM tire, he had to hit that curb real hard - hard enough to cause the kind of damage to the drive axle reported by the mechanic. The kid screwed up and is afraid to admit it.

 

Well they're getting the car fixed...hoping they don't find even more damage once they start taking it apart. His parents are making him use his money, and the mechanic knows that and is going to keep his cost as low as possible. My daughter looked at the curb and she could tell he rode the curb for 10-15 ft., which is probably why he said the car was veering right...that happens when you hit a curb. The cop also said he had to be going at least 20 mph. He fortunately didn't get a ticket. It was the tow truck driver who first said the cv joint fell out, causing the accident, which of course we now know isn't what happened. We all think he hit the curb and freaked out because of his inexperience. Now he says he may have hit the accelerator instead of the brake when it happened. Everyone feels bad for him because he really is a good kid and was so excited to get the car. Hopefully this was a real learning experience for him. We're all hoping he wasn't distracted from his phone which is permanently attached to him and the mechanic suggested looking into something that disables it while in the car. He of course said he wasn't using it. After it's all said and done we're hoping this will make him a better driver and are just thankful nobody was hurt.