Long story short: Bought a new 2IS in May. Took delivery at night. Drove car home and parked in garage. Finally getting a chance to inspect the car in daylight I noticed some bubbles in the paint surface. Not one or two but many, many, many irregular shaped blotches in the paint that you could feel with a touch of a finger. BTW, blue onyx pearl 2006.

I Contacted the dealer and after several weeks of due diligence Lexus and the dealer offered to replace the entire vehicle. This was far different than anything related to claims of soft paint etc. . . This was a from the factory paint problem as virtually everyone who inspected the car for Lexus agreed (five people total).

The Lexus region rep was outstanding and very honest. No mixed messages, hidden messages, or cover-up. It was very matter of fact. Yes, its a defect. No, we cannot immediately replace the car. Yes, I will submit the information to the powers that be and request a replacement. In 21 days they made their decision and notified me. They found the exact same car with the exception of the interior. I ended up with black instead of cashmere. No big deal since I did not require cashmere to be satisfied.

All in all it was a great experience. The dealer GM (Mike) really went to bat for me in terms of demanding a replacement. The salespeople and more importantly the Service Manager (Mark) were adamant about getting this right. They never made promises they could not keep or commit to anything without making sure they had a definitive answer. Obviously I had to fight a little for a replacement so it was not as if I walked in and they said "no problem." Ultimately, they allowed their process to work.

I did not post my problem here or anywhere else because I wanted to finalize the resolution prior to posting the experience. Not to bash my former brand but Audi would have made my life miserable fighting over this. Hell, I had a hard time getting them to replace little things under warranty sometimes. Lexus took ownership of the problem with no games. The resolution needed to be negotiated but ultimately it was resolved satisfactorily. It would have been easier if the car had been available sooner.

My car only had ridiculously low miles because I don't get to drive it unless necessary. My guess is that they will repair the paint problem and someone will get a good deal on a very low mileage 2006.

All of this to say, Lexus stands behind their product. I'm very pleased.

 

Glad to hear. I have no doubt that Lexus stands behind their products. Yours appears to clearly be a factory defect. Except, unfortunately, we usually only hear from those on the forums that inflict, by self or other means, their own problems, then have the gall expecting Lexus to repair or replace under warranty.

 

What's the name of the dealership? Might as well give them props for treating you so well.

 

Good to hear not only the total course of events, but a positive outcome to your situation.

 

I was told by several Stealers that blue onyx pearl was known to have problems.

Koz

 

later youll find out why black is a real good color for an interior, matches the existing dash etc and gets dirty much less, looks much more sporty too

 

I am always happy when I read stories like this! Way to go Lexus!

Almost 4 years ago when I bought my 99 GS400 (the warranty on it had just expired), I noticed the headlight condensation problem with this car and called my local Lexus dealer and asked them fix this problem as it was unacceptable in my opinion that such an expensive car had such an issue in this day and age. They said that the car was no longer under warranty and could not do anything about it.

I didn't argue with them. I then wrote a very long letter to the Toyota Canada president explaining the problem and making it clear in no uncertain terms that this kind of defect is not a normal and simple defect, but a major defect that even my cheap Nissan Maxima didn't have.

To cut a long story short, I got call from the head office asking me to take my car in to my local Lexus dealer and they would replace the headlights for free. Needless to say, I was very happy and impressed!

The cost of the headlights back in early 2003 was $3200.00 plus a couple of hours labour to replace them. Way to go Lexus!

I am reminded by instances like this of the reasons why I bought my GS in the first place.

 

Yes I strongly agree. Lexus and their customer service is #1. I took my dad to the Lexus of Roseville in Roseville, California. We purchased the 2007 IS250. Everyone there was really helpful and the entire buying process did not take really long. One thing that I have to say I was really impressed me was how much Lexus takes care of you. We bought the 6 year extended warranty. All their warranties take care of any imperfection on your new Lexus for free. Roadside assistance, Free. If your car breaks down in Los Angeles, they tow it to the nearest Lexus Dealer on a flatbed only for free AND not only that, if you need a place to stay while your car is being taken care of they also give you free lodging at any hotel in the US. There is so much more I cant even think of it all.

I own a rare SC300 5speed, my brother just bought another rare SC300 5speed, my dad just bought the 2007 IS250, and I think there much more room for more Lexus to come in the future.

 

Great story! Very happy to read this and see that Lexus stands behind their commitment to customer service and satisfaction!

 

Stock headlights cost $3200!?! Yikes!

Well, I'm glad to hear so many satisfied Lexus customers. I too have been nothing but pleased with everything from shopping to buying to service to buying parts to going to Lexus events. They employ a very professional staff across the board, and are more customer-focused than any other company I have ever dealt with. I guess that's how you go from nothing to #1 luxury brand in the USA (by sales and quality) in only 17 years.

 

Did you get any pics before you got rid of it?

 

Fantastic story, thanks for waiting to share!

 

Thanks all for the feedback. I would post the dealer name but I'm not sure if that is cool to do. They may not want their name associated with a problem even if it was inherited. My new car has a build date that is at the very end of '06. The blue is different than on the other car. My wife noticed it the moment she looked at the car. My other blue onyx looked black with some blue hints. This car looks blue with some blended dark color. I parked them side by side and they looked different in the same light. Whatever, this finish seems much richer and deeper.

All I can say again is that I am very pleased. Although I must add that I never went off the deep end. I was very cooperative and accomodated their process which took time and effort (driving to the dealership for inspections etc . . .). I was really impressed with the region rep and he was very candid. I was shocked at how candid.

He also gave me some good scoop on the IS500 and the upcoming coupe convert. This is old news here but I am out of the enthusiast loop and appreciated his offer to let me in on some interesting info while we worked on my problem. He suggested I stay in contact for some test drives of the models prior to their release.

 

You are 100% right. I love the black. I've had black interiors and I really liked the cashmere(because of the contrast). However, the black is nice, nice, nice, with this color. I like it so much I already have 54 miles on my car. That is similar to others having 1054 miles on their car at this point.

After 3 months, my other blue onyx only had 900 miles and that included a road trip.

 

Not to get on your case, but I'm sure you meant to say "Dealers", yes? I've purchased 5 Lexus cars from the same Lexus dealer because over the last 11 years they have treated me with the utmost courtesy and respect. I should add that my Dealer is among the 5 Lexus dealerships that are accessible to where I live.

Also, remember that Dealers are people - husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers - too.