tardorange

Have a few issues with a 07 ES350 CPO that I just got a week ago.

When starting the car cold/warm it sounds obnoxiously loud and the RPM is always jumping. The sound goes away after 3 minutes.

The second issue is on the highway at speeds around 60MPH the steering wheel starts vibrating violently. It goes and comes but always vibrates once you go 60+.

Cosmetically the rear bumper is not aligned and the xenon light is out on the left side, great CPO inspection.

I am concerned about the vibration and the loud start up noise. Any suggestions?

sears1234

I doubt you or dealer can do anything about #1 issue, but you definitely should ask the sales man to address the vibration, usually, they will fix that for you for free within 2-3 weeks of the purchase.

miniz

Your tires have flat spots, are out of round, your wheels are out of balance or something is messed up with your front suspension. That is normally the cause of the vibration.

The car could have been in an accident. Please tell me you did a pre-purchase inspection at an another mechanic and body shop before you paid a cent for the car? CPO is worth nothing. Cars get the magic sticker all the time that do not qualify. It sounds like a rear end collision and possibly something on the front end also.

tardorange

I highly doubt its a accident I got all the previous service records from the lexus drivers website and everything was done as it should have been.

Carfax/Autocheck were both clean. It most likely is the balance the car was on the lot for 1 year at Prestige Lexus and then Tri County Lexus. The last wheel alignment was done at a gas station in early 08. Since June of 08 to May of 10 the car was only driven 100 miles.

Dave Mac

You have done all your homework but I would still have it checked out. A year sitting on used car lots is really strange - most dealers will wholesale a car if it sits for even 30 days. And it does sound a little like it may have been in an accident. Without looking back at your post - you did say you purchased it as a CPO car rather than that it was a CPO car at one time didn't you? I had a friend who purchased a CPO LX a few years ago only to learn quite a while later that it had been in a pretty major accident - the dealer immediately took it back and refunded everything including sales tax. They had purchased it from either an auction or another dealer.

Dave Mac

YotaCarFan

If the rear bumper is misaligned, the car was in an accident, hopefully a minor one. The HID headlamps on that year are known for premature failure, so the bad bulb doesn't necessarily indicate front end damage. The vibrations could be due to any of the causes others have suggested; unbalanced wheels are one of the most common causes - not a major concern. The clanking from the cold engine is piston slap - a design defect affecting the 2007 year of ES; Lexus will tell you it's normal and harmless (I'm not sold on their claims).

Since it's CPO, the dealer should fix the the bumper, lamp, and wheel issues for free.

It wouldn't hurt to have a mechanic put the car on a rack and look it over for accident evidence, either.

MDames2

iTrader: (1)

I've owned a 2007 for 3.5 years. The noisy start up sound is typical of the 2007. I wouldn't worry about it. My car runs perfectly. I've had no issues with it at all. I hardly notice this noise any more.

tardorange

It was not a year it was 7 months. My BMW was also a CPO that was on the lot for 5 months. I don't get what you are trying to say "Without looking back at your post - you did say you purchased it as a CPO car rather than that it was a CPO car at one time didn't you?".
The car is a CPO and was a lease return. I also got the additional 3 year for the CPO so its 6/100k for the CPO warranty.

I looked under the bumper to see if any further damage was visible I found none but I am going to post some pictures of the bumper.

Thanks for your post. I hope the car was not in a accident because I asked and they told me cars will not be CPO unless they are clean. The bulb was out when I was driving the car home from the dealer.
The car was not even detailed they are fixing all these things the next time I visit the dealer.

tardorange

Pictures.

Dave Mac

I was just concerned with your statement:

Carfax/Autocheck were both clean. ... the car was on the lot for 1 year at Prestige Lexus and then Tri County Lexus. The last wheel alignment was done at a gas station in early 08. Since June of 08 to May of 10 the car was only driven 100 miles.

That sounded to me like 1 year plus and only 100 miles in the last 2 years. There could be several reasons for this but I would like to know if I was the buyer.

My question re. "did you buy it as a CPO" was answered - you did. But I have seen CarFax's that show that the car was a CPO prior to be auctioned, modified or whatever.

And who has their almost new Lexus get a wheel alignment at a gas station?

You have a CPO and my limited experience with CPO's has been good. Both were detailed to perfection and really good cars.

Dave Mac

tardorange

Oh okay . What do you think of the gap in the bumper?

Dave Mac

I'm afraid I can visualize where that part of the bumper is and don't know what the stickers are - even the torn or cut one - but usually a misaligned bumper indicates at least a minor accident that wasn't repaired well. That is just a flexible bumper skin that is easily damaged and usually not repairable and has to be replaced if even a single retaining clip is damaged. I think there is a styrafoam looking "shock absorber" that is often damaged and sometimes readily seen from under the car if it hasn't been replaced.

Dave Mac

tardorange

Its the left side of the car where the bumper lines up with the rear left door. The stickers are just some old dealer tags that were on the floor.

When I try to push the bumper in it makes a clicking noise I had seen many misaligned bumpers on many GS and ES when I was car hunting is it normal for the left side?

And I agree who takes a new lexus to a gas station for a alignment? But the car is mechanically fine it pulls straight any ways I can check to see if there was a fender bender that took place?

miniz

Was the rear bumper repainted? I could tell from 10 feet away, but you may need to take it a body shop and have them look at it for you.

Just because the dealer assured you it was clean, doesn't mean it is. Dealers lie every day. You could be driving a repaired wreck.

Again, I'm still not sure why you took delivery of this car without having it inspected. You were just asking for trouble. The bulb out, the bumper damage, the fact that it wasn't even detailed....... big red flags.