not sure

This was 10 days ago. I wanted to express my disappointment with my 2004 GX470. Now, I realize I bought it as a used vehicle, but it was a true one-owner with extensive maintenance records verified by CARFAX. And, it was never involved in a accident.

The vehicle lived with the original owner in Miami until I purchased it in April of this year when it moved here to Nashville, TN.

The source of my complaints to Lexus were as follows;

1) The common issue of corrosion on the wheels. (I did a thorough inspection underneath the vehicle before purchase and although this vehicle was owned in Miami nothing underneath indicated that it was driven into the ocean, on the beach, or otherwise into water-filled areas. There were no corresponding areas of corrosion to be seen.) I solved this by stripping them down and painting them myself after realizing, due to this forum, that the dealers / Lexus corporate doesn't accept this as a actual defect.

2) The also common issue of the "clunk" as it pertains to the rear drivetrain. I have spent a few hours underneath the vehicle changing front diff/xfer casea/rear diff fluids and also greasing the driveshaft fittings. This did not solve the problem.

3) The also common problem of cracks appearing along the dashboard. This, I indicated as my least favorite defect as I fixed the wheels and can eventually change the driveshaft if needed, but the in-depth nature of dashboard repair prevents me from tackling this job. Plus, face it, it just makes the vehicle look like ****!

Anyway, I'll let you know what the response is. I indicated to them that this is my first Lexus, that my wife and I are young and on a upward income curve and that their response would determine how high Lexus is on my list of future purchases either new or used. (I'm sure they aren't too concerned about losing a used vehicle owner that does most of his own maintenance though I will use the dealer to change the supposed lifelong WS tranny fluid and the timing belt).

B

Booyah

Its used and 5 years old--Jeez

But a damm new one~!

not sure

I forgot to mention. There were 58k miles on it when I purchased it. 66k now. With the exception of the problems that everybody here has / is / will experience it was pristine. A Lexus (marketed as pursuing perfection) with this record?

nate579

iTrader: (4)

Wow, sorry hear about your GX. Our 06 after almost 50,000 miles has no issues whatsoever. Winter in the east can be just as bad as driving on the sandy beaches of Miami. You won't believe the amount of salt they put on the roads here. My 18 year old SC has no signs of rust. I think more may have happened to your GX than what written on paper. The clunk issue though minor has always been addressed when it did rear it's ugly head. So far it has done it only once since the GX was purchased. Now the cracks along the dashboard...This is the first I heard of that happening. Good Luck on your campaign.

cssnms

Everything you mentioned are well known problems. You've only put 8k mi on it since you bought it so I am guessing you recently purchased it. I am curious, did all of these things just appear in the last 8k miles since you bought it???

Is your GX out of the powertrain warranty (72 mo/75kmi)?

not sure

Hi, the dash cracks have all appeared in the 8k miles / 10 months I've owned it. Possibly due to change in climate from Miami to Nashville? This is the issue that troubles me the most.

The wheels were already corroded and the clunk was initially non-existent except under very hard to reproduce conditions. It is still very minor when it does occur and still somewhat difficult to reproduce regularly, but I do intend to have it tended to before the powertrain warranty runs out (~4k miles).

I'll keep the club posted on the response, if any.

Brian

cssnms

You better get into Lexus ASAP, since the warranty is 72 months OR 75k mi, whichever comes first. You may have already passed the 72 month mark - check your manufacturers date.

Rob Daman

the wheels and clunk are common. you need to see if lexus will help cover your bill for a new driveshaft. they only covered 25% for mine while my mom put thousands into maintenance. it did have 110k miles so you may get lucky.

Lexus 4 ME

I took my car to the dealer and they replaced drive shaft without any questions. Also one more common problem is air height sensors.

trhs75

Our 04 has never had cracks in the dash. Interesting!

not sure

I finally received the call this afternoon from Lexus HQ. The representative informed me that I needed to have a dealer actually diagnose the cracked dash and "clunk" before they could assist me in any way.

So, not the greatest timing, but will be doing this Monday. I'll post the eventual results...

JASP615

I have an 06 which we bought new. I have had the clunk fixed without first going into the dealership. I just called and they ordered the part and I was called when the part came in to make an appointment. Not a problem.

My rims were a different story. I got so many excuses that it wasn't even funny. The best was it was my fault for leaving the break dust on the rims too long. My answer to that was "Do you mean to tell me that Lexus did not make a rim that could withstand break dust"? His face got really red. After a 1 month campaign of not letting up and not accepting that they would either paint my rims or they would give me 640.00 dollars towards new rims (2100.00) which I told them that this was like a slap in the face. I got new rims. Now mind you I was just into my 3rd year of warranty and I only had about 25,000 miles on the truck and when I did take it into a dealership they remarked about how clean the truck was. They finally replaced my 4 rims free of charge.

As for the cracks in the dashboard. I have not seen this nor heard of it. I have come to the conclusion that there is really no quality control no matter how much you spent. I have own everything from a Ford Bronco to a Cadillac Escalade 20 new trucks in all each receiving the same type of service. Where Lexus prides themselves for being the best is yet to be seen. Don't look for anything about the wheels anytime soon. It's cheaper to address it per case then it is to do a recall. Think about how many accepted that the wheels were not covered. Under the corrosion warranty it states 72 0r 75,000 miles. Well the rims are painted and they corroded so fix them.

I love the truck and by rights I would be in the market for a new one but the way things are going with the trucks and the model just doing a change I'm going to wait a bit. It's nice to not have a truck payment not to mention I now have 27,000 miles on this truck and it's in mint condition. I'm seriously thinking of buying the extended warranty for another 4 yrs.

Good Luck.

not sure

Update on the letter to HQ, i visited the dealer for proper documentation on the dashboard cracks. While there i mentioned the "clunk" problem and the rear driveshaft was replaced without issue in a day. it keeps slipping my mind to call back to lexus to report that the dashboard cracks have been noted by the dealer. perhaps because i've convinced myself that my efforts will not be rewarded? i'll call this coming week...(hours are M-F)...just so busy!

Jasp, definitely do get the extended warranty. Like you said, you don't have a car payment to worry about so instead invest that money into the warranty. From what I've seen on here common issues do tend to occur.

I've read of multiple members having a leak from the transfer case housing i believe it is, some have reported a small leak from the radiator (on the lower driver's side mostly?) and the aforementioned dashboard cracks. Which, not sure how helpful the extended warranty would be for this issue.

however, the warranty will pay for itself should you have only the radiator leak and transfer case oil leak.

ROSCOGX470

I just recently bought my 04 GX 470 from a used luxury car dealership. I noticed the corroded wheels and made it a point to have them fixed before picking it up. They had a rim co. strip and refinish the wheels for $100 a wheel(it needed all 4). They came out nice, but it makes me wonder how long it will last if the wheels are made of poor materials. I have noticed a bump when rolling out of a stop position(the infamous drive shaft). I believe I read somewhere there was a TB but not a recall on this. I bought a 4/48 extended warranty for these reasons alone.