ES350Bob

That is typical settlement language, they get to claim nobody has admitted any wrongdoing.

Since, just on the Lexus side, it is reached in early 07 and the models/years affected are ES300 1997 through 2002 and RX300 1999 through 2002, it took quite a while and a lawsuit for some serious standing behind the product to happen.

My 99 ES300 had this happen, then as now with a defect, there is the claim it is rare and so few owners experiencing it.

In my case it required the manager of a Mobil Lube Express calling and demanding to know what was being pulled on me in order for me to avoid being charged for the work to repair the damage caused by the gel. I won't say it was huge fight but it was enough of a tussle for it have been an inconvenience to have to prove I should not be charged.

At that time I accepted it was supposedly rare for that to have happened and now I see quite the contrary. Also it was never pointed out to me that there was an established extended warranty approach to cover this because I was made to think it so rare and as if somewhat of a favor was being done for me in not charging me for the work.

The car was never the same after the valve job as before it ever gelled and needed the work, though repaired, rougher idle etc. and is the reason I traded it.

dreyfus

If you pull off your oil filler cap you'll see oil the consistency of yogurt. There's no mistaking it.

I don't know if there are lesser gelling instances where this wouldn't happen, but that's what I saw.

mmarshall

Yes, but in a case like this, where you have a questionable engine design combined with SOME (not all) owner neglect, a compromise decision is about the best you can come up with that is fair to each side.

ff_

Exactly.

(and I don't own a pair of those glasses either)

mmarshall

Judges and juries, especially at the circuit court level, don't always settle cases either. Many verdicts are appealed by either side, for various reasons.

Higher-level courts and judges often overturn verdicts from lower levels. Toyota, of course, being one of the largest and richest companies in the world, has an almost endless amount of money to pay their lawyers to keep appealing.

That is why, IMO, those subject to a settlement here should take up Toyota's offer to settle while they still CAN. If they hold out for more, and Toyota decides to fight it, that's it......this case, trust me, won't be settled for YEARS.

mmarshall

To a company like Toyota, what's one judge?

Judges and juries, especially at the circuit court level, don't always settle cases either. Many verdicts are appealed by either side, for various reasons.

Higher-level courts and judges often overturn verdicts from lower levels. Toyota, of course, being one of the largest richest companies in the world, as an almost endless pool of money to pay their lawyers to appeal.

That is why, IMO, those subject to a settlement here should take up Toyota's offer to settle while they still CAN. If they hold out for more, and Toyota decides to fight it, that's it......this case, trust me, won't be settled for YEARS.

sdbrandon

They need to settle the engine issues so they can focus on the transmission issues.

GSsnarl

That should have been ES350BOB's post. I think you beat him to it. j/k

ES350Bob

That would be even funnier than it is if not for the length of time people have been complaining about them, long before I even knew I had a transmission problem.

Threxx

I'm sorry to be so blunt, but when are you going realize your opinion does not = fact? You have a habit of telling people they're flat-out wrong in cases when there is no actual right or wrong answer, and I think it's because you have an extremely high regard for your opinion.

There is no "absolute truth" to proper oil change intervals. The closest I've come to it is the results of countless oil tests on various forums including especially BITOG forums... and most of those tests tend to promote higher mileage oil changes as being completely safe.

But regardless... it's a complex variable function of the vehicle make/model/motor in question (design, oil capacity, oil delivery system, condition of the motor, etc), driving conditions, the oil being used (detergent and antioxident packages, base stock, viscosity, etc), the filter, a little bit of luck, and a whole lot of preference on the driver's part (ie: "If I can save even an immeasurable amount of wear or sludge buildup by changing at 5k instead of 8k then I will", vs the guy who feels it's not worth the extra time and money when the engine will likely outlast the rest of the car anyway no matter what he does with the oil- neither is necessarily correct but at some point the line must be drawn).

It was an expression. I didn't mean a judge literally told them he'd fine them a bunch of money if they didn't take care of things. That wasn't the point of my post at all.

1QWKGS4

iTrader: (3)

Thanks.. i'm not sure i exactly understand - "take off the oil filter cap" - do you mean just the filter or the cap on the filter? I don't think I've ever remove the cap off the oil filter..?

LexFather

Oh dear, I think I'll sell my Lexus and tell everyone to sell them and buy VWs instead....teh sky is falling.....

spwolf

that still doesnt change the fact that Toyota has changed warranty policy for these cars some 4 years ago, and gave longer warranty for these people.

Only thing that the settlement changes is that instead of suing Toyota, customer can go to mediator who they dont have to pay...

If you havent maintained your car per toyota specifications, you still wont get anything, sludge or no sludge.

mmarshall

I don't post things for my own regard. If I did, it would be a waste of time...I already KNOW what I think. Most of what I post is for the benefit of others....including you. If you think otherwise, feel free to ignore my posts. I don't answer every post I disagree with, either.......even on the DEBATE thread. If I did, I would be up all night......and I'm getting too old for that crap.


True...and I never said otherwise. But even if the oil itself does not suffer viscosity breakdown ( as dino oil does at high temperatures ) the additives and detergents wear out. Those oil additives perform a number of important functions besides just general oil lubrication and heat absorbtion.......cleansing of deposits, anti-scuff action, evaporation of moisture, suspension of engine-metal-wear shave particles, etc......
But....for MOST of the type of driving we do today in urban and suburban areas, 3 months / 3000 miles is generally best. That is a fact, not an opinion. Today's endless stop-and-go driving is murder on engine oil, even with the good quality oil we have today ( SM grade, now ). And in fact, many automakers agree. For " severe service " intervals, which is what most of us actually encounter today, they recommend about half of the standard 7500 mile interval......3000-4000 miles, which is pretty much what I said.
Several automakers have tried out on-board computers that " monitor " oil condition based on number of cold starts, short trips, starts/stops, engine load, etc.....and signal for an oil change after a certain number of them, but experience with these devices has shown that the engines don't stay as clean as they do with standard 3/3000 changes. BMW, for example, has had more warranty work and engine replacements with these oil monitor devices than they did the old-fashioned way with regular oil changes every few months.

So......CAN you stretch oil changes? Sure you can. Will the engine suffer? In many, if not most, cases, yes. And some engines simply will not put up with it.....they will bite you......as the topic of this whole thread to start with....the Toyota / Lexus 3.0L V6.

So...I hope that clears up our disagreement a little. I'm not saying that oil change recommendations, even mine, are cast in stone. But recommendations are made for a good reason.....experience has often shown it.

dreyfus

Not the "oil filter cap" - the "oil filler cap". Top of your engine where you pour the oil in.