jane12

And that's a bummer. Maybe 2010 will see an improved GS.

The G Man

I dont think Lexus will invest anymore money into this generation of GS, I think we have to wait for the re-design.

LexFather

The GS in its first year seemed to have the most issues. They were not BAD, better than most everyone else but not up to LEXUS levels.

For those that know, Lexus took the problems serious and asked dealers to buy back "lemons" or bad cars so they could be sent back to Japan where a group of engineers were set up to explore what was happening. Lexus was aware of the problem.

Seems the newer cars are better built, especially the 09+ from my understanding.

maying856

iTrader: (31)

We still got the F-Sport coming up!

Gojirra99

No longer the case since the LS460 came out for 2007, and thereafter

jane12

Might be a M50H or something like that soon.

Leeladisky

I have been both an Infiniti (1x) owner AND a Lexus owner (5x)... The Infiniti looks great and is fun, but when something goes wrong... look out. Dealer service and Corporate service are HORRIBLE compared to Lexus. And by horrible, I mean - absolutely, would never consider another Infiniti vehicle under any circumstance (if they gave me one for free, I would sucker sale it and buy a Lexus). Example: My vehicle had numerous leather seat problems, starting with the drivers seat bubbling. They replaced the leather ONLY after a fight with corporate as they claimed it was NORMAL. Turns out, 1000's of vehicle have the defect and Infiniti is now replacing seats - but it was a FIGHT and, ultimately, they refused to work on my seat issue any more (it just continued to happen). Then, the transmission had problems, which they admitted, and again - would do nothing about (very serious safety issue) - in fact, unless I could duplicate the problem on the SPOT, the very second the technician was in the vehicle, they wouldn't even write up a repair order to check further. And, each dealer always had a different excuse about what was causing the problem - one even blamed ME and my driving habits for the way the transmission was "dropping" out of gear (it was an automatic - LOL).

So, if these were Lexus issues, the dealer would be aggressive about resolution, versus Infiniti's aggressive about doing nothing wherever possible, unless it was an elective service or something I was paying for....

YMMV

L

The G Man

I agree with you Lee, when it comes to warranty service, not too many manufacturers can measure up to Lexus.

Leeladisky

Lexus is a better, all around vehicle for a detail oriented buyer. I found that the few thousand dollars saved buying an Infiniti over a Lexus, were immediately LOST with the hours of aggravation, paying for something that should have been warrantied, etc.

BTW: My favorite conversation with the dealer was over the sun visor / mirrors... you know that warning label for the air bags on the back of each (it's in all vehicles)? Both of my warning labels started to fracture and crack, like a bad iron on decal t-shirt from the 70's after 2-3 washes... I had NEVER put a garage door opener on my Infiniti visor (as it came equipped with the Homelink) yet they accused me of doing just that and refused to warranty the item.... Instead, they handed me an estimate for like $400 to replace them. Not just one dealer BTW, but several.... And I hadn't even noticed it, it was the service writer who originally noticed the issue!!! Ridiculous.

Lee

I8ABMR

there is an old best motoring video that has Gan San doing a comparison of the 2 cars on button willow in california ( not sure about the track). I remember him saying that the cars were both amazing. He though the Lexus was quieter, but the infiniti was more aggressive.

The G Man

Leeladisky, Lexus warranty service is great, but you know as well as I do, nothing is free in life. You end up paying for that excellent warranty serive one way or another. Lexus have been doing some serious cost cutting, and it shows in their quality, at the same time, they are the most expensive Japanese brand out there. Just like BMW's free schedule maintenance, the cost of Lexus' over the top warranty service is already built into the MSRP of the car.

jane12

I tend to blame the service Dept rather then the brand of car. I wouldn't go as far as to say Lexus is God{even if it's on a Lexus site.LOL** and Infinity is crap. Lexus is a great car and Infinity is right there trying to catch up.

Leeladisky

Absolutely, but I would rather pay a bit more and NOT to have fights constantly over small items, than to save a bit of scratch and argue about an unlimited, possibly infinite series of problems (the range depending upon which day of the week the car was built and how the union has recently done on their contract negotiations ;-D).

L

tommyd3

I considered the M35 when I bought my GS350 about a year ago. The main problem with the M35 last year was the gearing and 5 speed transmission. Highway RPM over 3000 vs 2300 on GS (at 80). The EPA mileage was 3 MPG less for both City & Highway. M35 had significantly less HP and slower acceleration. Lexus discount was $7000 off sticker, Infiniti nowhere near!!!

As for service, I have owned 2 Infiniti for 15 years. My local Infiniti dealer is 10X better customer service than the Lexus dealer. I get an Infiniti loaner for every service no questions asked even for my 11 year old car. Battle to get a loaner for my less than 1 year old Lexus !!! At the Infiniti dealer the paperwork is preprinted, loaner cars are lined up at the front of the dealership. In & out in 5-10 minutes max. At the Lexus dealer I get to wait 15 minutes before the service rep will even talk to me - both dropping off & picking up. Then it takes almost 30 minutes to drop off. They have to enter everything in the computer, walk around back to get the loaner, etc. I have decided it is not worth dealing with the Lexus dealer for the 5,000 mile interval services. Too hard.

Leeladisky

Tommyd3: It appears, you may have an anomaly for a dealer... I have 4 dealers near my home (read: within driving distance) and have yet to have the experience you describe, especially when I make an appointment. However, even when I drop in for something of concern, they'll usually quickly determine if it's a safety issue and send me on my way, with an appointment for a loaner car, if required, for a more thorough examination.

I do agree with a previous poster that dealership experience can vary, but overall, my experience with the 4 Infiniti dealerships in my area (again, within driving distance) was the EXACT opposite of the Lexus dealers, and exactly as I had described above.

I wonder if the dealers, in general, cater to the market - wherein some markets move more Infiniti than Lexus, etc... Although I have no data to back this up, Oakland and Concord , CA probably move more Infiniti than say San Francsisco or Pleasanton, and my experiences are only marginally better with Inifniti in those locations.

I hate to say it, but often times your overall satisfaction with a particular vehicle will translate into your tolerance level and perspective on a specific manufacturer's dealer service.