Dealership wanted to charge me 12 dollars for a new battery!
07-13-07, 04:11 PM
#46
Lexus Test Driver
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A KEY FOB BATTERY!...what kind of nonsense is that? i was like "bro, the battery died in 6 months, what kind of products are you selling"? and he says, "it was probably a faulty battery, it doesn't happen often". then i say "uh are you kidding me, if it is faulty then you need to replace it for free". he then says, "no i can't do that--batteries last different periods of time, but it only costs $12 to replace". i literally said. "is that the type of business you run? this is the last car i buy from you guys, and my family has been with lexus for for over 15 years". i stormed out, and no one followed me out, but i had a backup plan in case they wouldnt hook it up for free. i drive two blocks down ventura blvd from Vista Lexus to BATTERY WORLD! CR1632 $2.00, ef Vista Lexus.
i think you guys are blowing it out of perspective. it wasn't a huge deal. i was pretty calm throughout the process. i just gave you cliffnotes of what actually occured. it just sucks that people have gotten free batteries from their dealership while mine just wouldn't budge, even though they said the battery must have been Defective. ya know? i mean if the tech said, yeah they don't last very long. you gotta buy new ones they cost 12. i wouldve given him a thanks but no thanks. but to say that it was defective, and then make me buy a new one--come on. many of you would react the same way.
07-13-07, 04:58 PM
#47
This is true. Sometimes you have to play a little dumb. Take it in to service and complain that your FOB isn't working properly anymore. Let them tell you the battery needs replacing. Often they will do it for you for free under warranty. Every warranty item I thought I might need on my Lexus I let my wife take the car in to service and explain the problem in a vague way even if I knew what the problem was.
07-13-07, 09:40 PM
#49
Lexus Champion
You don't even have to leave your desk. Just Google 'CR1632 battery' and you'll find online retailers galore. I picked up 5 Panasonic CR1632 batteries for $6.00 delivered to my door. No reason for anyone to be left short of these batteries.
07-13-07, 09:53 PM
#50
It could be worse
The August 07 Car and Driver mag has a letter from a guy in Tuscon who was told it would cost $896 to replace the Lexus Link backup battery. It was warranty work..so he didn't have to pay for it.
He got the part number and found the battery could be bought for $21.50 (thus the printing of his letter I suppose).
Now I don't know what Lexus Link is and why it needs a backup battery and how much labor is involved..But it still goes to show, we get lots of 'free stuff' at Lexus dealership and get taken care of..But..."There ain't no such thing as a free lunch"!!
He got the part number and found the battery could be bought for $21.50 (thus the printing of his letter I suppose).
Now I don't know what Lexus Link is and why it needs a backup battery and how much labor is involved..But it still goes to show, we get lots of 'free stuff' at Lexus dealership and get taken care of..But..."There ain't no such thing as a free lunch"!!
Last edited by sjgIS350; 07-13-07 at 09:57 PM.
07-14-07, 05:10 AM
#51
Lexus Test Driver
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The active nature of the fob results in much shorter battery life; unfortunately, Lexus used an odd-sized battery that's not readily available in stores. Mine died after 1.5 years. Just ordered 5 Energizer ones for $5.20 on ebay.
07-14-07, 09:46 AM
#52
And I'm sure your family isn't willing to forgo 15 years of accumulated "credit" with Lexus because you were asked to pay 5 to 10 bucks more for a battery...
The smarter move was just to say no thanks or I'll think about it and just got the battery elsewhere. The guy behind the counter doesn't really care if you come back or not to buy a car...
07-14-07, 11:27 AM
#53
Pole Position
I'm sure the dealer didn't follow you out as maybe you had hoped, because they understand that you, as an 18 year old, didn't call the shots to buy Lexus for the past 15 years, and probably still has no say in what car your parents buy you and themselves....
And I'm sure your family isn't willing to forgo 15 years of accumulated "credit" with Lexus because you were asked to pay 5 to 10 bucks more for a battery...
The smarter move was just to say no thanks or I'll think about it and just got the battery elsewhere. The guy behind the counter doesn't really care if you come back or not to buy a car...
And I'm sure your family isn't willing to forgo 15 years of accumulated "credit" with Lexus because you were asked to pay 5 to 10 bucks more for a battery...
The smarter move was just to say no thanks or I'll think about it and just got the battery elsewhere. The guy behind the counter doesn't really care if you come back or not to buy a car...
07-14-07, 06:09 PM
#54
07-15-07, 09:26 AM
#57
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A KEY FOB BATTERY!...what kind of nonsense is that? i was like "bro, the battery died in 6 months, what kind of products are you selling"? and he says, "it was probably a faulty battery, it doesn't happen often". then i say "uh are you kidding me, if it is faulty then you need to replace it for free". he then says, "no i can't do that--batteries last different periods of time, but it only costs $12 to replace". i literally said. "is that the type of business you run? this is the last car i buy from you guys, and my family has been with lexus for for over 15 years". i stormed out, and no one followed me out, but i had a backup plan in case they wouldnt hook it up for free. i drive two blocks down ventura blvd from Vista Lexus to BATTERY WORLD! CR1632 $2.00, ef Vista Lexus.
-the shoes on your feet
-the clothes on your back
-the car they built
-the home its in
-that 99cents Jr Bacon cheeseburger? Yeah it costs them 50 cents
Its a business, is is a Lexus. Many of us buy the dealer products, sometimes we will buy the cheaper equivalent.
I have always been one to endorse the building of a relationship with the dealer. Be nice, even if you might not buy what they are selling.
07-15-07, 11:14 AM
#58
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A KEY FOB BATTERY!...what kind of nonsense is that? i was like "bro, the battery died in 6 months, what kind of products are you selling"? and he says, "it was probably a faulty battery, it doesn't happen often". then i say "uh are you kidding me, if it is faulty then you need to replace it for free". he then says, "no i can't do that--batteries last different periods of time, but it only costs $12 to replace". i literally said. "is that the type of business you run? this is the last car i buy from you guys, and my family has been with lexus for for over 15 years". i stormed out, and no one followed me out, but i had a backup plan in case they wouldnt hook it up for free. i drive two blocks down ventura blvd from Vista Lexus to BATTERY WORLD! CR1632 $2.00, ef Vista Lexus.
Knocking on that guy for driving a WRX is a d*ck move too. Learn how to treat people correctly, and you'll get your defective batteries replaced for free.
07-15-07, 01:45 PM
#59
No offense, but your conversation makes you sound like a spoiled kid rather than an adult trying to negotiate. Starting any sentence with "bro" will convey that. Also "my family has been with Lexus for 15 years" means absolutely nothing to the person working the parts/service counter.
Knocking on that guy for driving a WRX is a d*ck move too. Learn how to treat people correctly, and you'll get your defective batteries replaced for free.
Knocking on that guy for driving a WRX is a d*ck move too. Learn how to treat people correctly, and you'll get your defective batteries replaced for free.
i understand what you're saying about starting with the word bro. that is probably really unprofessional, but like i said--it happened very casually. i didn't walk up to him like an ny mobster or something.
and evitzee, eh he picks on me alot.
07-15-07, 02:09 PM
#60
Lexus Diva
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The August 07 Car and Driver mag has a letter from a guy in Tuscon who was told it would cost $896 to replace the Lexus Link backup battery. It was warranty work..so he didn't have to pay for it.
He got the part number and found the battery could be bought for $21.50 (thus the printing of his letter I suppose).
Now I don't know what Lexus Link is and why it needs a backup battery and how much labor is involved..But it still goes to show, we get lots of 'free stuff' at Lexus dealership and get taken care of..But..."There ain't no such thing as a free lunch"!!
He got the part number and found the battery could be bought for $21.50 (thus the printing of his letter I suppose).
Now I don't know what Lexus Link is and why it needs a backup battery and how much labor is involved..But it still goes to show, we get lots of 'free stuff' at Lexus dealership and get taken care of..But..."There ain't no such thing as a free lunch"!!
Btw, I've been using my key for 8 months now and it's still going strong.