Fis4Forty

First off I apologize for such a long post. After two years of searching and reading up on this board, finally pulled the trigger on a 2020 GSF that I found on Carvana. Sharing my story if it may help any others looking to purchase a GSF from Carvana (there is a Red 2020 for sale on there now https://www.carvana.com/vehicle/2892381) and also if anyone like me is not a mechanic and relies heavily on the Lexus dealership for advanced work on this rare vehicle. Ultimately, this board is only as powerful as its members and there are some incredible members with a wealth of knowledge and experiences. If it wasn't for this board, it would have certainly cost me tons more money and I would not be the happy GSF owner that I am today.

Carvana: I come across a 2020 GSF with 18k miles, no accidents, and service records from a few Lexus dealerships at a good price. I read many many reviews of the nightmare situations people have dealt with buying a car from Carvana so I fully prepared myself for the worst. They have a 7-day return window for a full refund and also a 100 day limited warranty to cover any repairs that the 150 point Carvana Inspection may have missed. The car appeared to be in near perfect condition so I decided to roll the dice. The entire purchase process was a breeze. All automated and delivered to my doorstep. Did a once over of the vehicle and it was just as advertised.

Drove the car around the block and immediately I knew something was wrong because the suspension was shot. I had driven some GSFs of different model years but never a 2020 and this one drove like a lumber truck. Shout out to @Tom44 for his insight on the 2020 drive quality. Every bump, every imperfection, every expansion joint was felt deep in my bones. I felt like a bobble head driving it and even a colleague of mine got sick from riding in it. This car drove so bad you could never drive it around where I live in West Los Angeles let alone ever have a passenger. Even the valet guy at my office who drove it 20 feet was asking what was wrong with it when I picked it up. I had an appointment scheduled at Lexus Santa Monica first thing the next morning.

Lexus Santa Monica pulled up the Lexus records which was the same I could see. Original owner complained about noise from front suspension at 4,500 miles but no repairs done then sold the vehicle. At 9,500 miles the car was in for same noises and Lexus of Glendale (CA) mentions notes of "aftermarket suspension installed". It is still unclear when/who/what was installed but after that point, car came back into same dealer in Glendale at 15,000 miles with owner complaining vehicle riding "overly stiff" and the response from Lexus was "driving characteristics normal being an F model". Immediately after, the car was sold to owner in Georgia. Owner #2 in Georgia brings the car into Nalley Lexus in Roswell, GA because its driving "bumpy" and dealership tells them "suspension to have same characteristics of other GSF models driven before". About 1,000 miles later the 2nd owner sells the car to Carvana. And thus I purchased the car from Carvana.

Here is where the plot thickens. Lexus of Santa Monica told me that the suspension was aftermarket which would jive with some of the previous Lexus service records. I thought "great, this will be easy. I will tell Carvana they sold me a vehicle with aftermarket parts and file a warranty claim within the 100 days and they will pay to bring back to OEM and working condition." Lexus Santa Monica quoted about $9k worth of repairs and spoke to the Carvana Warranty company. And this was the first time Carvana denied the claim. Called, complained, yelled, threatened. Took the vehicle to an in-network repair shop that works with Carvana and they said the same thing. Needs all new suspension and its going to cost $6k. Filed another warranty claim...denied again. Called, complained, yelled, threatened. I demanded that they re-open the claim to which they said they would send out an inspector. Inspector came and looked at vehicle (but did not ride in it) then went back and entered notes. Carvana denied the claim again. Demanded the inspector come back out to ride in the vehicle which I was there to drive him around. I even brought my 2016 GS350 so I could have him ride in for contrast. He said "I've driven many cars and this is not how a Lexus is supposed to drive." Great. Submits his notes and once again, Carvana denies the claim.

At this point I am faced with two options...#1 return the car and get my money back (the easy option) or #2 continue to fight and try to get this thing fixed (either on someone else's dime or on my dime.) I chose Option #2. My next call was to Lexus Corporate. They were super nice and helpful but ultimately, since this was dealing with "aftermarket parts", there was nothing they could do under Lexus Warranty. I decided to drive the vehicle out to Scottsdale (where my parents live) since I have had success buying cheaper priced Lexus parts via Bell Lexus North Scottsdale and if I was going to replace myself I would buy the parts there.

Here is another plot twist. On my drive from LA to AZ about halfway I hit something on the freeway and noticed my air pressure plummet from my passenger rear tire. Pulled off the road, inspected it, and luckily there was a tire repair shop at the same exit. The guys jacked her up, took off the wheel, and patched the hole. While doing this I got to look at the suspension and to my surprise, the rear suspension was OEM! I was shocked (pun intended) and this means that Lexus Santa Monica either didn't fully inspect or worked on so few (or zero) 2020 GSFs they had no idea what they were looking at. Granted there are way more 2016s produced than 2020 MY. My next stop was Bell Lexus North Scottsdale to have them inspect everything and see what is what. I assumed since they are a massive dealership that they had more experience with F cars. Shout out to @lobuxracer for the intel that the suspension pics I snapped were in fact OEM and also that it could be ECU related. That lead me to a post by @SkyPara82 about similar ride quality he experienced in his RCF after suspension repair where Lexus forgot to re-calibrate by doing a "system initialization". Post here: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rc-...ion-issue.html

Unfortunately after speaking with the Bell Lexus North Scottsdale Service Manager and Lead Tech, it was pretty clear they didn't know much about the vehicle or service very often. They were also pretty rude and arrogant when I was telling them my story. When the tech said they don't need to do a re-calibration on the suspension after a replacement, that was the final straw for me. I am no mechanic but I spent hours investigating what was going on with this vehicle and they were not open to hearing any of it. Saying similar things like "well the F cars do ride stiffer" and maybe the springs were aftermarket. I told them I am not trying to be high maintenance or a jerk but was only sharing with them what other dealerships had been telling me and what I learned was probably incorrect. It rubbed me the wrong way so I decided not to bring in the GSF and have them inspect.

Shout out to @sickpuppy who mentioned Lexus Superstition Springs where he knew a few guys there and had positive experiences. About an hour drive away from Scottsdale but well worth it. Spoke to service tech Chris and asked him about experience working on GSFs and my story. He informed me they work on many GSFs and even an LFA or two in the area. Mentioned one of their performance advisors (not sure his exact title) who had been in many GSFs would be happy to ride around with me to see what is going on. WOW what a completely different experience. Everyone was super nice and legitimately concerned about my situation and cared to get this F back to full health. Mike the knowledgeable GSF tech rode around and in minutes confirmed the car was not driving like it should. Popped the hood and was poking around giving his initial thoughts with about 8 other techs and employees standing around like he was giving a TED talk. Said it could have been blown suspension from aftermarket pieces or possibly ECU when they tried to return it to OEM parts. They were committed to figuring out the issue and how it could be fixed. I get a call from Chris the next morning and he tells me they are submitting this as a suspension "part failure" and fixing under Lexus warranty. Brand new parts at all 4 corners. Said there was aftermarket sway bar links and I could keep them or return to stock for $500. Paid the $500 to get it back to 100% OEM. Ultimately what started as a $9k repair quote from Lexus Santa Monica to a $6k repair quote from Firestone and after multiple phone calls and countless hours spent with warranty companies and online resulted in a $500 out of pocket cost to fix.

As you would imagine I couldn't be happier but learned a few valuable lessons:
#1 - ClubLexus and this message board is an extremely powerful resource and I will be eternally grateful for all the insight members have shared here. I only hope I could possibly help someone 1% as much as you all have helped me.
#2 - Not all Lexus dealerships are created equal when it comes to the GSF. These F cars are a rare breed and with that comes an understanding that if you have to take them to a Lexus dealership, you better find a dealership that is experienced in working with these cars. Some of them probably never see them. The group at Superstition Springs Lexus took great pride in restoring a special vehicle back to its Lexus-intended driving condition and had the experience to do so. Lexus Santa Monica has been great to me over the years and I will continue to take my GS350 there...just not the GSF.
#3 - If you buy from Carvana, you never know what you will get. They have been ripped for issues not delivering cars, not delivering license plates, not registering titles, etc. In my case, they sold me a car with completely busted suspension and could have been anywhere from $2k if I bought parts and fixed myself to $9k if I had Lexus Santa Monica fix it.

Again, sorry for such a long post but hopefully any part of my story could possibly help out any fellow Lexus owners or prospective owners. Big shoutout to those on this board who helped along this crazy purchase journey of mine. I am a proud Lexus owner, proud GSF owner, and proud to be a member of ClubLexus. Now the real fun begins...

IMAGINTHAT

Wow, glad it turned out well for you in the end. After the second claim denial I think I would have just returned the car and started the search again. Your persistence paid off. Nice to hear there are still some caring dealerships left out there.

AtomsilGSF

Thanks for sharing! These cars are definitely very different with the AVS. Our local dealership in San Antonio replaced my rear shocks because they were blown under warranty. Crazy thing is my car suffered the same thing, luckily the service advisor is a big car guy and told the master tech to recalibrate the AVS and voila it was good as new. They had never experienced this issue before but were extremely open to suggestions which is why they continue to get my business for all 3 of our vehicles.

cyfi66

Hey man I am really happy for you, I have seen that car on Carvana and check their inventory regularly. I bought mine on Carvana last summer and I was lucky, everything was 100% perfect, but I did do my due diligence to thoroughly check the car.

Sad to hear that about Bell Lexus, I go there for parts often, never been for service. I am glad to hear Superstition Lexus is knowledgeable on the F cars.

I wish I would have known you were here so we could meet. Also it looks like you took a cruise up to Tortilla flat. I have hauled *** through that road in my GSF and had an absolute blast.

gordonyz

Thank you for your report! I was wondering what happened with this car as it had 2 shipping but no purchase. Was about to call Carvana.
edit: realized that your car was not the red one, after reading it thru

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

I'm glad you've been able to get it sorted out properly and at a minor cost compared to what you were facing in Santa Monica. I'm especially glad to you chose to stick with it and see it through. You've got a great ride now, and it's doing what it was always intended to do - be a great driving car!

Congrats!!

truonghthe

Wow that was a wild ride with Carvana.

I bought mine GSF from Carvana as well, but the only defect i was able to find was the steering wheel worn did not included in the original photo and bad sunroof seal. Once they deliver the car the next day I had it under a lift and we went thru the inspection.

called local Lexus dealer ship asking them to perform the "unofficial ATF drain and refill" The lady on the phone said "Trans fluid is life time" so I been a smart *** and asking "is that mean Lexus give me lifetime warranty on the transmission?" she pause for a moment and transfer my call to service manager. At that moment I knew this dealer isn't up for the task.

Brought to a Independent Lexus specialist shop and they quickly identifying the clunking sunroof and service the trans fluid, rear diff fluid (3 chambers) evac and recharge A/C, Coolant replacement and brake fluid. All for 1/3 price of what the dealership quoted.

When I was shopping for a GSF yours was for sale by a small car lot in Socal "North Hollywood motors" at the time with asking price around $65k, it has air suspension and 20" aftermarket wheel with Apexi exhaust. Sat on their lot for like 8 months before sold to the owner in GA, my guess is the owner in GA tried his best to return the car back to stock (OEM suspension and wheel aren't exactly cheap), once he couldn't figure the problem you having now he might cut the loss and sell to Cavana.

Despite of any car, I suggest people to use MyLexus website and carfax to see the maint service history (my Lexus provide you more details regarding dealer service). Knowing these car are meant to be driven hard I looks for maintenance interval and any "issue" found during dealer visit. The 2020 red one you said had cracked caliper and rotor (oh track days) tires wear before 7k miles is another indication of track usage. Its also living it life so far at the dealership so no surprise it still available.

here is mine GSF

Fis4Forty

Yes thanks! I certainly thought about giving up but then whenever I was discouraged I just went and started her up. Definitely formed a bond over those long weeks and the thought of how it would be that much sweeter once I get her back to form.

Love to hear that! Well, not that you had to deal with that but that they diagnosed and fixed her up quick. I'd be a customer for life at that dealer as well! And more documented cases of the same issue will just help the next one

Thanks again you definitely helped talk me back from the ledge and put it in perspective. Fight was well worth it!

Fis4Forty

Really appreciate that. Glad to hear some others had some success on Carvana. Kinda sad about Bell for sure, I had much higher expectations and I would still take my GS350 there but with how Superstition Springs took care of me, customer for life. Yep Tortilla Flat was a blast...a great way to celebrate the car driving like it should. I split time between Scottsdale and LA but we should connect on DM, my old man who lives in Scottsdale introduced me to some guys in the area that get out and drive every month. Would be killer to have another F in the mix!

Fis4Forty

Wow filling in the blanks to the mysterious past is incredible! I bet you are absolutely right. Maybe the original owner is around here on the board somewhere...btw, beautiful ride!

Zergling

Which shop would you recommend in Houston for the trans and diff fluid services?

truonghthe

Clear Choice automotive Lexus independent shop, they have two locations. Woodland right across from Northside Lexus and Sharp town area (59 and west park tolls way). I only been to the woodland location. So far the experience of the tech is better than Lexus dealer has to offer.

Where are you about in Htown?

Zergling

Oh yeah I've heard of em never been there though. Seems like you had a great experience so I may consider them now, thanks.
I'm in the Copperfield area also have a matador red gsf, maybe I'll see you around!

truonghthe

no ****, i am in that area as well.

Zergling

Small world I'll be on the lookout for you then lol.