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I am sorry I can't get the darn HyperLink to light up?
Michael - usually with Edmunds you can simply right click and just cut the web address and paste.
If any of you Computer experts have an idea of what I can try ...Please let me know.
These cars are good for several 100,000s of miles...It seems like a great buy to me ...Barely broken in, it will probably be your best car buy ever...You will love the car.
You will love the Nav. system...I have an 01 and would never buy another car without Nav.
P.S. You will probably want to eventually up grade the Nav. system to the 03 (If your brother-in-law hasn't already done so) or get the 04 edition when it comes out this fall...the 03 upgraded the 01 from 900,000 points of interest to over 5 million points of interest...
You can do the up grade yourself, the disk costs about $275
"country... http://www.lexus.com/dealers/eol.html"
:-)
... http://www.lexus.com/dealers/eol.html
The 98 switches are probably totally different due to the auto up/down feature. Also, the 98 LS included a pinch protection feature which probably requires a sensor that your 97 won't have either.
WHEN I CAME IN TO CLAIM MY CAR THE BILL WAS
$1,888 DOLLARS THAT MEANT I JUST GOT A $1500 BRAKE JOB. WHEN I WENT HOME I CHECKED THE WARRANTY MANUAL AND NOTED THAT THERE WAS NO WARRANTY EXCLUSION FOR THE ROTORS WHICH IMPLIES THAT THE ROTORS ARE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY.
I CALLED LEXUS CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE AND THEY ARE TRYING TO MEDIATE THIS MATTER. I KEEP SAYING READ THE WARRANTY MANUAL. LEXUS INSISTS NOT EVERYTHING THAT IS EXCLUDED IS IN THE MANUAL. I STATED THEN HOW IS ONE TO KNOW. LAST CONVERSATION WAS THEY WILL GET ME THE
" VERBIAGE "
I THINK I HAVE BEEN HAD AND FEEL AWFUL. THE CAR A 2001 LS 430 ULTRA HAS BEEN WONDERFUL, BUT I THINK THERE MAY BE SOMETHING ROTTEN GOING ON HERE. ANY HELP YOU CAN GIVE I WOULD APPRECIATE. THANK YOU.
I *am* surprised that they didn't give you an estimate before doing the work. That may be covered by your state and local laws. Many of them require the garage to give you an estimate within a certain percentage of the final cost and to get authorization prior to doing the work.
I'd also ask them why they didn't turn the rotors (refinish them) instead of replacing them altogether, which is probably what they did given the cost.
I think you did the right thing calling Lexus for mediation.
Sean
You are actually paying $36K for a $60,000+ car. That Lexus is every bit as good as the day your Brother-in-law leased it.
I would think that if you have brought your car in for the regular service checks then the dealer is at least partially at fault for not noticing the brake ware that proceeded the roter problem. If the Brakes did not need replacing then it seems there is some other problem maybe a manufacture problem that caused the pitting....
Perhaps someone that is a lot more knowledgable then I can jump in about this...Is it normal ware if the rotors are pitted but the breaks are OK?
As to brakes, when I had my '90 LS, it needed brakes at 40k (had a sticking sliding pin) The price that Midas quoted was much less than the Lexus dealer and it included life-time warranty. I went with Midas and subsequently got two more brake replacements with no additional charge before I sold the car with 130k miles. Be warned, however, there are Midas dealers and there are Midas dealers; not all are of the same calibre.
It's easy to afford a Lexus or Lexi and keep them in tip top shape without breaking the bank.
You are doing the right thing by contacting Lexus Customer Service. There is no way you should have been charged for such a huge cost especially since there was no signed authorization of a quote/estimate of work to be performed from you. You may have given a verbal assent to have the work done, but they needed to tell you what it would cost. That is NOT a sign of a good dealership. If I were you, I'd keep at Lexus corporate to make sure they provide you a refund, in full or in part. Don't relent, keep up the pressure, and if necessary, threaten with legal action.
I have to make a 200 mile round trip into the big city to see a Lexus dealer but You do it so infrequently it is worth the trip.
THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR YOUR RESPONSES, THEY HAVE BEEN HELPFUL AND UPLIFTING.
THE DEALER IS LEXUS OF MANHATTAN. THEY HAVE BEEN MY SERVICE AGENT SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR. THEY HAVE BEEN IN THE PAST MODERATE AND RELIABLE. I AM QUITE DISAPPOINTED. THEY DID REDUCE THE BILL BY $350 BUT I STILL HAD A
$1500 BRAKE JOB. I ASKED WHY THEN DID NOT GRIND THE ROTORS? THERE RESPONSE WAS THEY WERE TO FAR GONE?
THIS MEDIATION EFFORT IS SLOW AND WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT TECHNICALLY FLUENT. THE PROCESS IS SLOW. I SUSPECT THAT OUTCOME WILL CAUSE LITIGATION AND HAVE ALREADY CONSULTED MY ATTORNEYS [YES PLURAL]. THEY SEIZED ON WHAT LEXUS MEDIATION HAD SAID "THAT ALL THINGS THAT ARE EXEMPT FROM WARRANTY ARE NOT DESCRIBED IN THE WARRANTY MANUAL " THERE ARE OTHER EXEMPTIONS AT DIFFERENT MILEAGES ALSO NOT IN THE MANUAL.
LEXUS IS INDEED A WONDERFUL AUTOMOBILE AND PERHAPS THIS IS AN ABBERATION BUT I MUST ADMIT THE ICON IMAGE HAS BEEN SHAKEN.
AGAIN, THANK YOU AND I SHALL KEEP YOU INFORMED.
barry5, regardless of what is in the manual or not, I would think your dealership HAS to call you if such a big job is going to be done.
At least in my experience with Lexus (brake job at 25K miles on an RX300) they called me as soon as they knew what they had to do and gave me the price quote over the phone ($250) so that I could approve it.
They didn't even do that? It seems like an open and shut "case" to me.
Good luck.
If it is not too late be sure to get the old rotor and brake pads.
Note: Your dealer is not on the Lexus Elite list...There are 7 other NY dealers who are Lexus Elite.
Does NY law require that they give you a written estimate of the repair cost?...It is required in my state.
I still question why the Dealer didn't note the brake usage in their regular maintance..You might check your service slips and see if they checked your brakes and your maintance manual to see if that is a scheduled maintance item that they should have taken care of.
Good luck...It seems to me you have a lot of ammo to throw at them.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT. I HAVE STUDIED THE MANUAL AND CAN FIND NO REFERENCE TO ROTORS NOT BEING COVERED. YOU ANSWERED A CRUCIAL QUESTION THE COST OF THE ROTORS AND TIME. LETS BE CONSERVATIVE 4 ROTORS@100= $400 LABOR 1.5 HOURS $120 WHICH EQUALS $520. BY YOUR CALCULATION 4 BRAKE PADS COST ME CLOSE TO $900, I THINK THAT IS ALSO EXCESSIVE.
AGAIN IF YOU COME ACROSS THE REFERENCE CONCERNING THE ROTORS PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR INFORMING ME OF THE APPROXIMATE COSTS.
CAVEAT EMPTOR..BUT ALSO LET THE DEALERSHIP BEWARE.
I too, find this very strange. It seems quite odd that a Lexus would need replacement of the rotors so early. I had a similar problem with the lexus dealer about 6 yrs ago. However, once I complained, they immediately refunded my money. The Rotors for an older LS400 are $105, and $162(Rear) Those prices are from Irontoad.com, and I'm sure the prices for a newer LS430 are higher. Also the dealer will probably charge more to begin with.
While on the topic of brakes..How long are Rotors supposed to last? Also, is there any reason to resurface the rotor everytime the brake pads are changed? When I went to Midas they were adamant about doing this everytime the pads were changed. Unless there were visible surface defects, I've never allowed them to do it..Anyone know the real story?
SV
I'm really sorry this has happened to you.
I think the point is that warranties describe what they cover. Anything they don't mention is not covered. And generally speaking, items that fail due to normal wear and tear are not covered.
There should be a statement somewhere that tells you that much.
Brakes and rotors are considered items that are susceptible to normal wear and tear - so I think folks here are telling you the claim that these things are not under warranty is valid.
But the folks here are also telling you that the amount of money you were charged under the circumstances you describe is outrageous, and that they think you have an extremely legitimate complaint that they think should be rectified, and indeed will have to be rectified in some manner.
But hey, I got to say one thing here -- please TAKE OFF YOUR CAPS KEY! :-)
It looks like you are yelling at us and it makes your posts very difficult to read.
Keep us posted on how things go.
Good luck and keep us posted (in small letters though).
My 92LS, w/94k miles has had the front rotors turned once.
The only other valid reason for turning rotors IMMHO is if the pads got worn down to metal on metal.
Well, I don't have a LS400 but my father in law has a 2000 LS400. I'll take a look at his manual the next time I'm there or he's at my place. I help him out all the time with his cars maintanance because if I didn't he would get robbed blind for stuff like tires & brakes.
He just replaced the front brakes on his LS400 for the first time @52K miles, I sent him to a local shop that resurfaced the rotors and installed new front Lexus pads for $140. His Lexus dealer quoted him about $350 for the same work.
I think the issue is more whether Barry5 was given an estimate before he approved the work, rather than trying to assess the need, since there are too many caveats and variables there.
I would like to call your San Diego dealer and ask if the date of manufacture limits the various options available.
Thanks, Ken
By the way, I probably should change my name to VistaTom since I bagged it from San Diego a couple of years ago...too much Chargers ticket guarantee, Padres stadium, employee pension fund, city council ethics, traffic problems, etc. etc. ...
I do NOT know what happened at the dealer. They told me that they had received an update...I suspect that they were informed on how to better use the CBEST device. At any rate, it works...now...