garsarno

Are they new tires? What kind are they?

feedmitten

I thought I remember the dealer telling me that they are new (but I also thought I heard him say that the car had XM installed, but I was wrong there...). They don't mention on any documentation that they are new, and they told me that they rotated them (though they didn't document that on the lexus.com site that the documented the road force balancing...).

The tires are Yokohama Avid Envigor 215/55R17 94V all around.

Poqman

Not all mechanics are equal. Some finesse the machine better than others. In extreme cases they have to break the bead and rotate the tire to align the highs of the wheel with the lows of the tire, but this is usually on the 2nd try after the first attempt failed. So it's not unusual that it takes a second try, but it should have been resolved in two tries.

RickC5

Or, throw a tantrum until you get some new Michelin Primacy tires. Don't give up! You paid PLENTY for the CPO warranty.

dreyfus

Rotate the tires and see if the vibration goes away. If so, you probably have an out of round tire. It happens.

Tact

iTrader: (1)

If the tires been balanced twice and it still vibrates I'll bet it's more of a tire problem. I have the same issue on mine and I've yet had time to take and get it balanced, but I know that I have a tire issue with one of my tires, and I suspect that might be my problem.

I had to rotate a front tire to the rear because of a bad pull issue, so I know that one tire is a problem. They are Bridgestones and I'll not buy these when they need replacing.

glepera

go for four wheel balance balancing front without rears can lead to a " a leaning balance" that increases tire wear

glepera

other cause may be a broken belt in one of the tires. that will cause similar feeling

lamikela1

I just noticed that you have the Yoko Avids on your car. Get rid of them as I had the same tires and could never get them balanced. Go with Michelins if you want a smooth vibration free ride. I had a Hunter Road Force Machine factory tech try to balance the Yokos on mine and he said that the belts were seperated on the tires so that is why they would never balance. I also think that they don't build their tires to the same standard as Michelin so they are not balanced as well right out of the factory.

The Michelins definitely made a big difference...

feedmitten

Yeah, I'm beginning to suspect a tire / suspension issue. According to their paperwork, they RECCOMENDED new tires to the previous owner (which I didn't know as I didn't have access to their VIN number lookup until I actually owned the car). When the car was traded in, they did rotation and Road Force Balancing, which obviously didn't fix the issue. Then when I picked the car up they assured me that it had been fixed. It hadn't. THEN we brought in the first time and they did yet another road force balance, which obviously didn't fix it (as they had done it before). I go back in in about fifteen minutes to drop it off yet again.

I've had the car for two freaking weeks - they need to fix this and stop inconveniencing me like now. The whole 'Lexus service is great' mantra that I have heard from multiple family members and co-workers is exactly why I traded up to one in the first place!

/rant over - will update the forum with the resolution.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Is the dealer giving you a loaner?
If so,tell them to keep the car as long as it takes to get it right.

feedmitten

Yes, they gave me a loaner, a cute little new CT200h. 45mpg. Predictably sluggish in ECO mode but wicked peppy in Sport mode. THAT thing hugs the road. It also doesn't wobble. I know it's a different model Lexus and I shouldn't expect the same from the ES350 Sedan, but it drove the same as all the other Lexus cars I have driven EXCEPT the one I now own, which, of course, pisses me off even more.

The service dept is closed for the holiday weekend so I'm keeping the loaner until Tuesday. The service guy called me yesterday afternoon and told me they had done NO work on the car and now needed to get the used car sales manager involved next week. I have no idea why they didn't touch the thing. Even the guy who greeted me at the service department noted the scraping and wobbling when I drove in!

So, as usual, no resolution and I'll have to wait another couple of days to even see my new-ish car again. This is stupid.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

I think the service rep knows it may be the tires and if so the used car manager has to approve a new set which will be paid by the used car department.
I've heard that the service dept,used car dept and the new car dept are all the same owner but different businesses for tax purposes or whatever..

garsarno

Get them to give you a deal, say $250 that you would pay for 5 new Michelins balanced and installed.

feedmitten

Update. After days of dealing with both the dealer and Lexus corporate, the only thing they are willing to do is to give me four new tires (cheap brand - Nexum or something like that - never heard of them). The dealer denies that the salesperson promised me a smooth ride on the highway, they fully admit that the tires are out of round and cause a vibration, but say that they pass Lexus certification rules so therefore I'm up a creek and would have to buy new tires myself. Corporate is apparently helping out to get the new tires at no cost. The dealer is clearly unhappy about this, but I'm unhappy that I didn't get what was promised to me multiple times when I purchased the car.

The dealer's service manager insists that this will solve the issue. I take the car in on Monday morning (AGAIN!!!) to have it done, so hopefully this will do it. I've never dealt with such terrible customer service from both the dealer as well as Lexus Corporate. Hopefully they will change my mind in resolving the issue for good.

So that's that so far. I know they are not the good tires, and I'm not willing to put a penny in to this car until I know it's the tires that were the issue.

I still feel that the brakes need to be pressed down too far before they start to engage, but the dealer replaced the front rotors, then removed an apparent stone that was stuck in the brakes, and refuse to do anything else to address my concern. I'll live with it for now.

Again, thanks all for the advice. Though I regret more than anything trusting both Lexus and this particular dealer, I'm stuck with the car and will drive it and care for it as best as I can and hopefully will start to just enjoy the new ride.