SW17LS

8 years 130k is still old.

You're also assuming the transfer case actually needs to be replaced. Dealers are famous for replacing **** that in reality can be repaired.

superdenso

OP says the following: I recently suffered a faulty transfer case failure which will be a $4600 repair.
To avoid needless circles, what he says and the dealer's opinion is 100% until proven otherwise.

When a new model is released, the previous model is old. Further, the only thing we can really say is due to miles and the OP wording: "it's out of warranty".


Subjective "old" discussion
http://forums.motortrend.com/70/9529...old/index.html

SW17LS

Nothing lasts forever. An 8 year old car with 130k miles is an older car, reliability issues are not unexpected, and when they do happen even if they are unusual...you gotta pay. They don't guarantee cars forever.

I don't think you will find many people who consider a car of that age and use new.

jerold

Lexus agreed to pay for the new transfer case ($2700) and I will simply pay for the labor installation. Thank you Lexus family for the nudge.

Regarding the symptoms. During deceleration I could hear a faint grinding sound. Usually when approaching a traffic single going from 45-50 down to 20mph....it was subtle but obvious since the ride is usually so quiet.

Happy they did the right thing.

James

SW17LS

That's great! They're good about stuff like that a lot of the time.

superdenso

It appears Lexus expects a transfer case to last more than 130k. A car is designed to be driven. An 8yr old car with 130k shows consistent operation. New cars come off the lot with less than 50 miles and breakdown on the ride home.

Changing transfer assembly fluid every 2yrs/24k miles may extend its time in-service

SW17LS

Of course they do, and as a consumer I don't blame somebody for expecting it to last longer than that either. Clearly they bore some of the cost here and thats great, but that was a customer service decision and not something that they would have been obligated to do.

If you need to believe your 9 year old car isn't old, have at it LOL. IMHO its old, stuff is going to break. When it breaks, you gotta pay to fix it. If you can get Lexus to throw you a bone because you're a good customer good on you, but that doesn't make the car "young".

hfahmy

Great news!!! Congratulations!!!

jerold

Thanks!
For me, I simply enjoy my LS600hl.

superdenso

If you think a 2015 LS with 0 miles does anything better than a 2007 600hL with 130k, this must be your first car. IMHO the LS460 did not age well (I.e. mpg's, 0 to 60, front fascia have gotten worse). For instance the LS430 aged very well. There is no advantage to Toyota giving away free transfer cases except to better their reputation/image and tonight they got my attention. I can load up a few bills from MB that will make most people pay the $4,600 and say thank you for the discount.

NickTee

sdwtchlvr

iTrader: (1)

Great to hear they are working with you!

SW17LS

What it does better is be more reliable. As things age, they get less reliable...cars...other machines...people...doesn't matter. To most people, an 8 year old car with 130k miles is a fairly old car. If you want to think its young and expect it to be as reliable as a new car and expect Lexus to cover component failures as if it were a new car...good for you. Some people think the sky is green. Good for them.

I would have no problem owning an 8 year old LS with 130k miles, in fact I have owned a couple of Lexus vehicles including an LS to that age, but I also did not and would not expect them not to have the potential of suffering some component failures. Comes with the territory.

superdenso

You may be missing the point: Not an LS, an LS600hL. The car represents the best of Toyota Corporations engineering at the time. It is the model that could have moved the car industry like the 1991 LS.

MT 2011: As for the rest of the Lexus lineup, the cars are competitive, but none is best in class. Lexus, it seems, woke a sleeping giant with the introduction of the LS 400. We’re still waiting for the second act.
http://www.motortrend.com/news/1991-...-lexus-ls-400/

SW17LS

I'm well aware of what the LS is, I've owned 3, 2 over 100k miles. The 600hL is just an LS with a hybrid power train, it's the same car. It ages just like any other car. Sorry.

The 600hL never came close to moving the industry, it was way too expensive and never made any significant inroads into the $100k luxury sedan market, or impacted the development of competing cars like the LS400. BTW the first LS was a 1990, not a 1991.

No matter how great something is, it has a lifespan.