T4Fun

on the contrary, my 2000 white corolla has tons on paint chips on front hood and bumper. has seen lots of highway use, and granted i washed it frequently with tide detergent when it was new (a no no)...probably weakened the paint, it did dull the shine thats for sure...

akfd

I never wash the car myself, instead I take it to the gas station to have it machine washed, and so far no paint chips. So I guess not washing the car helps the paint stay on better!

Koz

The only thing that causes chips is objects hitting the paint. How you wash your car will only affect the surface of the paint. Every time you touch the paint you are putting fine scratches/swirl in the paint. The only way I wash my vehicles is by hand (two bucket method) with extremely soft microfiber or sea sponge. Machine car washes (regardless of what type of brushless system) is the worst way to wash your vehicle.

Koz

Craig B

I agree, I only hand wash my vehicles and I only use a good quality car wash soap.

NoNameDFW

Same story here. Cannot get the steering wheel straight (centered). The truck pulls to the right if you take your hands off of the wheel. Been to the dealer 4 times for the same issue and each time they swear it's fixed. We've had the truck 1 year today and are pretty frustrated.

As for the paint, I'm actually impressed with how well it's held up. We have one single chip on the very front of the hood. In comparison if you looked at the paint on my Infiniti in a mean way, It would chip...

NC244GLT

Well, we are now on truck #3 since the first of December. This one is a white one, and the paint is so much better than the black. No "orange peel" and the overall quality of the paint is more on the level one would expect from a Lexus. We are much happier with the paint and the overall look of this one, but still are having some issues in other areas.

First issue is that the steering wheel is crooked on this truck...exactly like the second one. The odd thing is that we had a standard GX460 as a loaner for a few days that was 12/10 built (our new one is 2/11 build) that had the exact same problem. This is really an annoying issue to me and is obviously a production problem. We are going to take it to another dealer to have is fixed, as our regular one could not fix the last truck for this issue.

Second issue is a strange "clunk" in the steering wheel that shows up mostly when you turn and brake or turn and hit a small bump. It it easy to hear/feel this and sounds like it is in the shaft inside the truck. We will be taking it in for this in the next week....grrrr.

Third issue is the pop that is felt in the brake pedal when you apply it. This was in all three trucks, as well as the loaner GX. Also, we have the odd creeping issue at stoplights that requires a concentrated pedal pressure to keep the truck from rolling forward. I think this is an issue with the material chosen for the pads, rather than the brakes themselves.

Overall impression of this vehicle is not that great. I think the lack of certain features and the multiple steps to access some things (outside temp, no dual button, no door closers, no auto folding mirrors) is disappointing. I make most of my judgements based on my LS430 experience, but this should be reasonable considering the sticker prices were very similar.

I'm sure some will find this to be excessively picky, but when a company uses "Pursuit of Perfection" as it's slogan, I feel that should be what we shoot for!

SaniDel

You certainly have had a bad experience with yous GX 460(s) and Lexus needs to find a way to make it right for you. Of all the problems you described only one seems to be an "un-problem" ... creeping at stoplights. It seems that is by design and it will eventually become second nature ... after fifteen months we aren't even aware we are "standing on the brake" at a stoplight, but we are.

Certainly, none of the other problems you described are acceptable nor are they by design and you should expect Lexus will solve them for you, even if it means you get truck #4! My only caution is your comparison of the LS and the GX on the basis of price. We owned a series of Lexus trucks, but switched to the LS in the middle. They may be similarly priced, but Lexus sedans and trucks are vastly different. I'm not sure that the same set of features on one should be expected on the other. More to the point, what do you want to own ... a sedan or a truck?

There is no question that Lexus has fallen short of their "Pursuit of Perfection" with regard to your trucks and you should expect the same quality as in their sedans. I'm just not sure you should expect the same features.
Regards,

SaniDel

T4Fun

Our steering wheel is slightly in the 1145 position to keep it straight, and it too will pull to right. I think this has to do with suspension being off, as my right side sits lower than left in back. it will be going in tomorrow.

T4Fun

thats the worse thing you can do! always hand wash for me...

Luke27617

iTrader: (2)

I have the Base model and even though it goes straight, the steering wheel was off-center and if adjusted to straight position, the truck would shut to the right. I took it to the dealer and they have re-centered within an hour.

The truck still feels very sensitive to side winds, unevenpayvement and you have to adjust at all times to stay between lines, but at least the wheel doesn't drive me crazy.

NC244GLT

Well, my wife dropped the GX off at the dealer Thursday morning to look into the loud popping in the steering shaft over bumps, and it's now Easter Sunday and we are still in the loaner car....awesome! I am so done with this total piece of junk....we bought a Lexus for the quality...lol....maybe we should have gone with a Chrysler...at least we would expect crap from them!

SaniDel

We've been in your situation several times with Lexus, but they always turned to our advantage. That's why we have owned ten (10) Lexus vehicles and have no intention to buy another brand.

First thing you need to do is to review the "lemon laws" in your state and circle the date on your calendar (Thursday) when you dropped off your GX. Depending on state law, you may have X days for Lexus to fix your GX before they owe you a replacement.

Second thing is NOT to return their loaner until you are sure the problem is fixed. If they say it is, have your wife drive you to the dealership and drop you off, but have her drive away. You and the service manager take the GX for a ride to let them satisfy you that the problem is fixed. If not, thank them for trying, call your wife and wait out on the sidewalk for her to pick you up. As long as you have their loaner ... and they have your truck ... the clock is ticking in your favor.

Your Lexus dealer should escalate this and you may expect to hear from several managers and eventually the GM at the dealership. Be willing to repeat step #2 as long as they claim to be working on the problem. Be firm, but be nice.

Eventually, they may fix the problem or if not the time you determined in step one will elapse, in which case you have a legal claim for a replacement. I've done this twice and it was a win-win for all concerned. Here's an example of how it worked:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/5747992-post27.html


Whatever happens, don't get mad, don't get nasty and be sure of your facts before you say anything, especially in writing. Don't get a lawyer involved until push comes to shove, but have a lawyer in reserve in case it does. Good luck!
Regards,

SaniDel

Craig B

I agree, get the general manager at the Lexus dealer involved. This is my 6th Lexus. Lexus has always taken care of any problems. You can always ask for a field service rep from Lexus to inspect your vehicle...

NC244GLT

Well, we have already involved everyone at the dealership...remember, we bought the car the first week of December and are on our 3rd one now. So it's now Tuesday night and they called to tell my wife they are replacing something in the steering shaft inside the car and should have it fixed Wednesday. This is such an amazing ownership experience...cue sarcasm. we have had alot of experience driving the RX model as a loaner, so if anyone is looking for one, please ask away....we have driven them longer than the GX by far...hybrids, gas, various trims....all of which drove and seemed to be better painted and built than our GXs. I don't remember if I mentioned it or not, but one of the other issues with the second car was the circuit board that controls the Lexus Enform was bad when we picked the car up...red light on all the time next to the sunroof, which required the car to be in the shop for almost a week for that issue.

We will see how it goes....we are not optimistic based on past experience, but I am required by "marital law" to be positive.

SaniDel

Listen to your "better half" ... presumably she owns half of this problem so present a united front at the dealership, even if you argue at home. Good luck and keep us posted.
Regards,

SaniDel


Off Topic: We used to think of the RX as only good for a loaner ... until Lexus introduced the RX 400h. It convinced us to try something other than a truck and we had it for over four years. If Lexus hadn't introduced the GX 460 we would still own it.

I remember our test drive in the dealership's first RX 400h in the Spring of 2005. We were #1 at a stop light and when the light turned green our sales representative told me to "stand on it"! That was definitely the quickest RX I had ever driven.

Too bad the RX 450h has "middle-age spread" and a bad case of ecological guilt!