GS430nCool

Hi folks,

Something I started to notice is a notchy sensation in the wheel, mostly it seems on transition in sweeping turns, say 30+ mph. It is subtle and my wife says she hasn't even noticed it. I caught a glimse of a TSB on the electric steering last night on a thread here. So today I looked out at all the TSBs on my '06 and sure enough, there is one for a fix on a notchy feeling steering.

So I need a little help here: 1st off, has anyone got access to the full text of the Lexus TSBs? I'd like to understand what else is out there on my car. 2nd: more specific to the steering issue, has anyone had this and had the TSB done or got it fixed? And Last: My car, due to time is out of it's basic new car warranty -- does Lexus still cover TSB repairs out of warranty? or is it a "depends" type situation (I'm thinking steering could be too close to a safety issue for them not to cover it....).

Thanks in advance for any help/advice you have.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

tsibs technically are covered when car is still under warranty. if car is out of warranty it's up to dealership if they are willing to do it out of goodwill

GS350Lexus

iTrader: (5)

I would say still give it a try at the dealer and if they give you a hard time maybe calling lexus of america and letting them know how unsafe this is.

GS430nCool

Thanks, Rominl. Is there any difference from a tsibs and a SSC? The farthest I can get information on is there is a SSC 9LC that might cover this condition.

We bought the car at a BMW dealer and did buy a 3rd party warranty through a company named Zurich, but it does have a $200 deductable....

on edit: Thanks to you as well GS350Lexus. I plan to swing by the nearest dealer today and also have them run a National Service History report and was going to ask them about any dealings they've had with Zurich (maybe I'll hold off on that last part, eh?!).

rominl

iTrader: (4)

hahaa that's exactly something i asked between tsib and ssc about the hybrid system in the hybrid forum. i really don't know much about ssc to commend on this though

but regardless, it's definitely something nice to try at dealership and talk to them. especially if you go there for services as well, that should help

passnu2

iTrader: (33)

If I understood from yesterday a TSB would have to fall under warranty. If its a SSC then this is a possible hazard issue meaning it has been linked to accidents. If this is the case its a mfg flaw and they would need to fix regardless of your miles and of course Lexus would want to make sure your car is safe.

If say its the Brake Dust TSB or even the TSB for the B-Pillar molding then if your out of warrant your SOL but there is NO safety issue with either of these. Its more cosmetic then anything else.

Hope that makes sense.

passnu2

iTrader: (33)

OP if this is for the power steering I can tell you it falls under the SSC as I pulled my service history yesterday so I could see the SSC from the caliper and they performed both on the same visit for my car. This would be considered a safety issue so worth going to your dealership.

GS430nCool

Thanks!!! Very encouraging... btw: love your name -- perfect length for a license plate

The car was a CPO for the 2nd owner and would have still been under that warranty had they not traded the car, but I'm assuming most all earlier stuff would have been brought up to current back in '09 when it was CPO'd. The SSC for the steering I think was issued last year tho...

I'll let you know after my visit with the dealer what happens...

IXI187IXI

iTrader: (3)

there was a recall on the rack and pinion for the 3GS.

What the OP describes sounds just like what happened to my car with the "notchy" feel in the steering wheel and the dealer said it was the rack and pinion. I would check to see if the rack was ever replaced under the recall. If not, the dealer should replace it for free as its a recall item and not a TSB

rominl

iTrader: (4)

great response mike

GS430nCool

Back from the dealer and got the printout of the car's service history with Lexus. SSC 9LC and 9LB were done when the car was CPO'd back in '09, so I'd need to pay for a check-out and repairs are on me up to my $200 deductable if they determine a problem.

Good news: looks like the car has had reasonable care (oil changes close enough to on schedule) with the 2 previous owners.

Bad news: I talked to one of the senior service advisors about Zurich extended warranties. He said they've had coverage problems with them just like all the other 3rd party companies.

Also bad news: I swung by America's Tires (Discount Tires for those of you east of CA) for a rotate and balance check. Found a slightly bent front rim. I think an alignment check is next on the list...

So, at this point I'm going to do that and also just see if the steering is maybe "normal" for this type of variable fly-by-wire set up, as in I just need to get used to it....

It is a pleasure to drive this car, and when I'm on my own I can crank the rock until my ears bleed -- pretty nice stereo for a car

Thanks for everyone's help!

passnu2

iTrader: (33)

Yea the electric steering is a little different. Maybe go test drive another GS430 and see how it compares.

IXI187IXI

iTrader: (3)

thats who i had for my 3rd party warranty and they actually covered my steering issue. i had that notchy feeling and my rack was already replaced. i found my paper work and brought it to the dealer, then someone from Zurich came to the dealer to look at the car and ok the repair. I only had to pay $100 of the $1800 bill. They didnt give me any troubles even with the car being lowered.

GS430nCool

Well a huge Thanks! for that So how many miles had the car gone between the 1st replacement and the second one? And how obvious was it when you took it in (did you do the 1st SSC 9LC proactively or did you have symptoms?).

I'm thinking of waiting until it gets worse after reading your post.... As a side observation: I'd think Lexus should cover them no matter how many replacements are needed, unless they have solved the root cause -- if the racks are still going bad, maybe it's a design flaw for earlier years?

BinaryJay

Well nobody issues a recall to replace parts when they don't have a modified part that is supposed to fix the root cause. In this case it was badly attached magnets which supposedly were redesigned and fixed in a new part number.

Apart from that, every piece of a car will continue to fail given enough time. Now if it fails because of the same cause as the recall that may be something to complain about but good luck ever finding out "why" your rack is bad they will just say the rack is bad and needs replacement. They pull the old one out and chuck it and put the new one in - nobody takes the time to disassemble it and do an autopsy.