Dissatisfaction/BS from Lexus of Wilmington (DE) (Please provide input)
05-07-11, 12:18 PM
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Haha, I'm glad you asked. To be honest, it was the head of parts and services who was the joke. Luckily, I didn't speak w/ him today when I returned to the dealer.
So I go back this morning, the tech who initially did the road test in my car greets me, and we take the car for a drive. I can't hate on the tech because he was down to earth, very informative, and appeared to have the intentions of addressing my issues to the best of his ability. We drove over some pretty bumpy roads and the rattle came back. Just to be clear, the noise I am experiencing occured in two places on the dash: (1) all along the edge of the dash where the plastic meets the window, and (2) right above the two air vents on top of the nav screen. The tech told me that customers had complained about dash rattles before and were very noticeable and loud. However, he considered my situation minor and something I would have to live with. He also stated that if I wanted him to place the pieces of felt along the edge of the dash underneath the plastic (like the TSB says), it would run me $1K since the warranty to cover that service is 50K miles (I'm at 62K). He also didn't express much confidence in taking the dash apart, which I wasn't pleased with. So he said he would put super thick foam between the top of the dash and the windshield all along the front free of charge to eliminate the rattling in that area. He also said it wouldn't be visually noticable, which was a big deal to me. I agreed to this remedy instead of having them remove my dash board. Secondly, he would remove the air vent above the nav and insulate it heavily to reduce the squeaking/popping noise. Even when I applied force to the area above the air vents, it squeaked. This area also is the worst in the winter when the weather is cold, due to the flexion of the plastic clips underneath that area in the dash. So at this point I'm thinking so far, so good.
As the tech and I sat in the Lexus parking lot upon returning from the road test, the RPMs dropped to 600 and the rough idling returned. The tech agreed with me that he felt it too and said it was carbon build up on this pistons. He stated that it really wasn't much to worry about, but agreed to perform the top engine clean free of charge. He said it was covered under the 70K mile warranty (per TSB). However, here is the kicker: the TSB I gave him for the rough idling was for an IS250. I only provided the TSB to show the dealer that I wasn't an idiot and was clearly aware of a known issue with the IS and carbon build up (even though it was for a different engine). Either he didn't notice it said IS250 on the TSB or he recognized that the idling issue was apparent and it deserved to be corrected. He said that unless the 'check engine' light comes on, they typically wouldn't correct the issue because the on-board electronics haven't deemed the problem hazardous to the vehicle.
So all in all, it was a positive experience. Again, the biggest issue the tech had in fixing both problems initially was that he couldn't replicate them upon a road test. Therefore, Lexus would not fix the problem. BS! I spent 30 minutes this morning driving him around and both issues occured. My gut feeling is that the tech, and possibly the head of parts and services, knew I wasn't taking NO for an answer and that these problems were occuring. The tech stated that his job is to maintain their customer base and make customer's happy with their vehicles. I feel he upheld that statement today. So the only thing I will be paying for is the labor involved with removal of the air vents so the tech can insulate the dash underneath, which may be $100-$200, according to the tech. For me at this point, the dash rattle and rough idle was so annoying, I would've paid pretty close to anything to have it resolved. Luckily, both problems replicated this morning and the tech was able to put himself in my shoes, instead of thinking about what he CAN and CANNOT do according to the legal limitations Lexus Corporate places on their techs.
Also worth noting: he agreed that there is no super chip in my car, but thinks my ECU has been re-flashed for higher perfromance. That still seems like BS, but I didn't pursue an argument over it. He also said they hate when customers bring in TSBs they found online and say "I need this fixed." As expected, he said the purpose of the TSBs are to guide the techs on how to correct certain problems. The fact that they leaked onto the internet just causes them frustration. I told him the only reason I brought them is was to reinforce the fact that there was a known issue occuring with my vehicle that warranted correction. If they were to tell me they couldn't find anything wrong, I would've shown them the TSB saying "This bulletin states otherwise..."
Anyway, I should be getting the car bank on Monday. I'll follow up and let you know how it is.
So I go back this morning, the tech who initially did the road test in my car greets me, and we take the car for a drive. I can't hate on the tech because he was down to earth, very informative, and appeared to have the intentions of addressing my issues to the best of his ability. We drove over some pretty bumpy roads and the rattle came back. Just to be clear, the noise I am experiencing occured in two places on the dash: (1) all along the edge of the dash where the plastic meets the window, and (2) right above the two air vents on top of the nav screen. The tech told me that customers had complained about dash rattles before and were very noticeable and loud. However, he considered my situation minor and something I would have to live with. He also stated that if I wanted him to place the pieces of felt along the edge of the dash underneath the plastic (like the TSB says), it would run me $1K since the warranty to cover that service is 50K miles (I'm at 62K). He also didn't express much confidence in taking the dash apart, which I wasn't pleased with. So he said he would put super thick foam between the top of the dash and the windshield all along the front free of charge to eliminate the rattling in that area. He also said it wouldn't be visually noticable, which was a big deal to me. I agreed to this remedy instead of having them remove my dash board. Secondly, he would remove the air vent above the nav and insulate it heavily to reduce the squeaking/popping noise. Even when I applied force to the area above the air vents, it squeaked. This area also is the worst in the winter when the weather is cold, due to the flexion of the plastic clips underneath that area in the dash. So at this point I'm thinking so far, so good.
As the tech and I sat in the Lexus parking lot upon returning from the road test, the RPMs dropped to 600 and the rough idling returned. The tech agreed with me that he felt it too and said it was carbon build up on this pistons. He stated that it really wasn't much to worry about, but agreed to perform the top engine clean free of charge. He said it was covered under the 70K mile warranty (per TSB). However, here is the kicker: the TSB I gave him for the rough idling was for an IS250. I only provided the TSB to show the dealer that I wasn't an idiot and was clearly aware of a known issue with the IS and carbon build up (even though it was for a different engine). Either he didn't notice it said IS250 on the TSB or he recognized that the idling issue was apparent and it deserved to be corrected. He said that unless the 'check engine' light comes on, they typically wouldn't correct the issue because the on-board electronics haven't deemed the problem hazardous to the vehicle.
So all in all, it was a positive experience. Again, the biggest issue the tech had in fixing both problems initially was that he couldn't replicate them upon a road test. Therefore, Lexus would not fix the problem. BS! I spent 30 minutes this morning driving him around and both issues occured. My gut feeling is that the tech, and possibly the head of parts and services, knew I wasn't taking NO for an answer and that these problems were occuring. The tech stated that his job is to maintain their customer base and make customer's happy with their vehicles. I feel he upheld that statement today. So the only thing I will be paying for is the labor involved with removal of the air vents so the tech can insulate the dash underneath, which may be $100-$200, according to the tech. For me at this point, the dash rattle and rough idle was so annoying, I would've paid pretty close to anything to have it resolved. Luckily, both problems replicated this morning and the tech was able to put himself in my shoes, instead of thinking about what he CAN and CANNOT do according to the legal limitations Lexus Corporate places on their techs.
Also worth noting: he agreed that there is no super chip in my car, but thinks my ECU has been re-flashed for higher perfromance. That still seems like BS, but I didn't pursue an argument over it. He also said they hate when customers bring in TSBs they found online and say "I need this fixed." As expected, he said the purpose of the TSBs are to guide the techs on how to correct certain problems. The fact that they leaked onto the internet just causes them frustration. I told him the only reason I brought them is was to reinforce the fact that there was a known issue occuring with my vehicle that warranted correction. If they were to tell me they couldn't find anything wrong, I would've shown them the TSB saying "This bulletin states otherwise..."
Anyway, I should be getting the car bank on Monday. I'll follow up and let you know how it is.
05-17-11, 06:04 PM
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Just as an update on this story:
1. The dash rattle has been 90% fixed. The other 10% of the time I still hear a faint rattle when I hit large bumps, but it is bearable and I'm satisfied with the result.
2. The rough idle is still present and makes itself known EVERY time I drive the car......even after the top engine clean.
Seriously......I am at a loss on how to correct the rough idle issue. I have been searching the forums and other various online resources, but don't know how to fix the problem, if I even can. Fuel injector cleaner in the gas tank didn't work. The top engine clean didn't work. My next attempt to correct the problem is going to be putting water or seaform into the vacuum lines.
Someone help me out!
1. The dash rattle has been 90% fixed. The other 10% of the time I still hear a faint rattle when I hit large bumps, but it is bearable and I'm satisfied with the result.
2. The rough idle is still present and makes itself known EVERY time I drive the car......even after the top engine clean.
Seriously......I am at a loss on how to correct the rough idle issue. I have been searching the forums and other various online resources, but don't know how to fix the problem, if I even can. Fuel injector cleaner in the gas tank didn't work. The top engine clean didn't work. My next attempt to correct the problem is going to be putting water or seaform into the vacuum lines.
Someone help me out!
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