Over the weekend, in the mist of turmoil, I managed to keep my appointment at the dealership to get my license plate installed and a free wash. Not that I cant install the plate myself, I just dont have a screwdriver handy. Anyway, got everything done in 20 minutes.....drove home and found a SCRATCH (1/2" long) next to the rear plate. It was deep...down to the metal. Obviously the servicer slipped his tool and made this scratch. Not a big deal, but I decided to make a fuss since this dealership OWES ME.

Went to the dealership yesterday and went straight to the manager. I presented my case. He said he'd be happy to take care of it. Then i said how about the door ding? He said "what about it"? I said "i think it happened here while I was waiting for my car". He said "we'll take care of that too..... a brand new car should not have any of these blemishes...."
I agreed, and was sent to my loaner. Man...these guys are really pleasers... I am beginning to love this dealership finally, even though they scratched my car!

Got a call today. The service department was unable to buff the scratch out. I said I expected that...it's too deep. So they plan to repaint that area. I'm thinking "you gonna paint the whole trunk lid?" He said no...just that small area... It should look as good as new. I dunno how that is possible....do they blend it real good? I mean, if I can tell the difference Im gonna make them redo it. I hope they dont repaint the whole car because of it cus that "cure would be worse than the disease." Yesterday they ran out of Lexus loaners and sent me to Budget Rent-a-car and i got a Pontiac Vibe (YUCK). I demanded a replacement loaner today, so I'll be driving a Lexus for the next 2 days, with free gas.

Does this qualify as reality-show sitcom plot for Kaius88 episode #6?

 

I guess you're the type of customer that gives people at my job stress related illnesses. Why do they "OWE" you?

If they scratched it, then matching paint should do the job. And do you think the ding in the door happened at the dealership or do you KNOW? Demanding the whole car to be painted over due to a scratch is is a bit much. As well as demanding to change loaners because you got stock with a fairly decent economical car to drive for 2 days? I think the free gas more then compensates for that "inconvenience."

Its good to expect great customer service, but there is a line between expecting customer service, and being spoiled rotten.

Trust me, theyll even bend over for you, in the name for customer service, (any decent bussiness would for its clientele.) But you can bet theyre cursing your name out as soon as you leave the door, even if its done silently.

 

i personally would not repaint an "area" to fix a 1/2" scratch. it may not blend in right (esp on a metallic paint), and may end up looking more noticeable in the long run. i would try to get some touch up paint and perhaps use the langka kit to smooth it out. lots of members have had fabulous results and are very happy.

repainting more than the scratch sounds like a nightmare... just my 2c

 

I would not have a 1/2 inch scratch repainted. Based on my experience with my es350, the new paint never matches the factory paint.

 

I don't understand why the dealership "owes" you either. They gave you a fair deal when you changed your mind and wanted to change cars. Also, you will most likely find that you don't have to "make a fuss" to be treated well at your dealership.

 

First of all i didnt ask them to paint the whole car....they are just going to repaint a small area and blend. I would guess prolly the size of a Quarter max.

My MSM incident a month ago basically allowed the dealership to make a decent profit off of me from my mistakes. I think it is fair that I take advantage of their services....since I am basically paying for it. I think anyone in my position would do the same. They do expect customers to milk them as the premiums for luxury cars are more than the value of the bells and whistles. We are paying for them so might as well....

Got a TP ES350 loaner today (4/06 build), and trying to see if I notice any tranny issues. It has 4000 miles on it, and drives smooth so far.... Trust me I would rather drive my own car.... I dont particularly enjoy visiting the dealership for the hell of it.

 

You've got to be kidding me. You may well be one of the biggest prima donnas I have ever heard. What collossal gall you have. If I was the service manager I'd tell you to kiss my you know what. I can't even begin to tell you how much I agree with the other poster who told you they're cursing your name as soon as you walk out the door.

There's a word to describe your attitude and behavior: 'chutzpah.' Look it up if you don't know it.

What gall!!!

 

Your perspective is very entertaining to say the least. Do you really think the dealer shouldn't be able to make a profit off the second car they sold you because you changed your mind? I'm just curious. You do know that if they didn't sell the second car to you, they could have made a profit on that second car? Sorry, but I think it is sad and in bad taste if you feel like you have to "milk" your dealer just because you felt you overpaid for your luxury car. Before when you posted about your free car washes, I thought it was amusing. Now I just feel sorry for your dealer.

Regarding your paint, I'd be curious if your repaint will be as good as your factory job. In my experience with my es350, the repaint is never as good as the original. Also, just because the damaged area is small, it only means that the actual paint they will apply will only be to a small area. However, to do the job right, they will blend past this small area and shoot clear coat over the entire panel. So if done right, your entire panel will have non-factory clear coat on it. In my opinion, it is not nearly as good as the factory finish because the factory finish is baked onto the car. You also better check your car for overspray on the rest of the car too.

 

Well i didnt do it in any offensive, unreasonable manner. In fact, I went through 3 people who processed my paperwork, and no one really gave a rat's a** about it. No big deal really. I didn't make a scene...didnt lose my cool. I just asked and they gave. This is one of those "dont ask dont get" scenarios, so I really doubt anyone really cares. The service manager was cool.... No one would bother to curse me cus it was really no biggee. In fact they felt bad for making a scratch on my new car while performing such a simple task. I'm the victim here!

Im well aware of the term "chutzapah" since I grew up in a predominantly jewish community in los angeles. But i think the term "Sui" more closely describes my behavior. Look it up if you don't know it.

 

ok... I dont know if I ever mentioned how I ended up with the MSM in the first place. My 1st choice was SGM with grey interior PP+ package. They only had SGM with black Int. So I passed. Here is the exact verbatim conversation between me and dealer on July 8, 2006:

Me: The internet shows the MSM to be a nice color. I'd like to see it.
Dealer: We have none in stock, but here's a scotch sample.
Me: It looks like silver.....whats the difference between this and Tungsten?
Dealer: It has a slight red tint.
Me: Is it pink or feminine?
Dealer: Oh no....in fact, it's the HOTTEST selling color right now.
Me: No kidding? Man...that sounds cool....
Dealer: You are gonna love it. It is really popular. We cant keep enough in stock.
Me: Ok.... but you gotta promise me this aint no wierd color or something ugly. I expect it to be close to the scotch.
Dealer: Dont worry... It's exactly like Tungsten pearl, except with a hint of red wine color. Very classy.
Me: Ok...at this price with PP+...I'll take it! When do i pick up?
Dealer: You pay now, and when it arrives in 2 days I'll call you.

Two days later 7pm. Dusk with poor lighting. Taking delivery..... As anyone would expect, the lighting at dusk does not disclose the true color. Was I expecting this? Nope... since I'm such a newbie car buyer. Hence the MSM saga begins.

Now do you think the dealership deserves some Kaius justice? I mean yes they should make profit. But no, they should not profit off of me twice if they intentionally mislead me. MSM is the hottest color? GIVE ME A BREAK! I do take responsibility in not doing enough research. But I also take responsibility in milking them for what they did to me. Fair? I think so.

 

Ultimately, I think it was YOUR MISTAKE and your responsibility to check out the color before buying it and driving it off the lot at 7pm. You can try to blame the dealer, but the dealer's statements were their opinions about the color. Again, I feel sorry for your dealer. If I were your dealer, I wouldn't do anything else for you after this. Does Glendale Lexus ever read these posts?

 

I say take everything you can from the dealer. Lexus is having no problems financially at this time they can afford these touch-ups. When I was at the dealer last weekend I witnessed the jockeys curb 2 cars. They beat people over the head all the time that don't know any better so I really don't feel for them. So what if Kaius feels entitled?

PsychDoc- If anyone should know what a chutzpah is, it's you! You insist that you are always right because you have a doctorate in a psuedoscience!

 

Kaius, I hope the tranny in the "Vibe (yuck)" was working OK for you at least.
It seems like an awful lot of hassle and BS to go through just to get the scratch fixed. You might be making the process more difficult than it really needs to be. IMO.

 

***because you have a doctorate in a psuedoscience!***

I'll be sure to pass that along to all the insurance companies that pay me lots and lots of money. I'll also mention it to the thousands of patients who have been helped immensely by my efforts as well as that of other "psuedo-scientists."

I guess having a triple digit IQ is not a requirement for owning a Lexus.

 

And I'm sure you will charge an arm and a leg when you pass on my opinion to your patients! I don't measure my IQ for fun, I think there are more important things in life than trying to be smarter than everyone else. I have a great job and a great family that is all I need in life. While you may think that you are God's gift to the world, those of us that are strong enough to to handle our own problems think you and your profession are a joke.