blovely

Have a 2007 IS250, 78,000 miles and took it in to Lexus dealership in November for the CSP (SSC9LA) or L-SB-0048-11 regarding engine misfire, idling at stop signs and even an engine stall during driving on freeway with Check Engine light and CSV light, etc. Diagnostic code came up to verify CSP unofficial recall and parts were back-ordered as most of the postings I see are stating. My car has been in shop for over a week...SA is telling me that I need to replace engine bearings because of premature bearing failure they found while attending to this CSP and taking the engine apart. Bearings are on backorder. I researched online and found 10 reasons for premature bearing failure. I am the second owner on the vehicle. The dealership said the bearings would not be included in the CSP warranty. I pressed further and contacted corporate customer care to inquire why the premature bearing failure would not be caused by the fuel delivery pipe / poor piston design problem and why it's not included in this warranty. It wasn't clear, but said that they have no proof that my oil changes have been done when required since I don't always take to the dealership for oil changes. I offered to provide oil change receipts from vendors I've kept showing the 3,000 change intervals when needed through the 2.5 years I've owned the vehicle. Didn't matter, Lexus Customer Care offered to meet me half way with no other option. I agreed, but said if I could prove my diligence in maintenance to dispute that claim in writing, would they consider changing their status. No offer. The next day, I call my SA to check further into things since one of the mechanics told me complete different details the day before. SA then told me that the dealership would cover the $450 plus labor expense of the engine bearings but that I would need to cover a new water pump for $250. He also mentioned spark plugs. I've read in precious blogs online that with this CSP water pumps need replacement as well. I'm wanting to know if the water pump is prematurely failing because of this CSP recall or if there's any connection and if anyone else has faced this problem and what their dealership offered. I realize a water pump is a wear and tear item, but why is it that other bloggers are needing water pump replacements with this CSP as well even with less mileage and newer vehicles? Also, just from my research I'm learning new details about all the recalls on my 2007 of which there are three on my 2007; the break pedal one in correlation to the carpet which dealership attended to, the fuel sensor/gasket replacement dealership took care of and now this CSP which is not an official recall. There are two others; SSC 9LB and SSC 9LC which involve rear brake calipers and the electric power steering link assembly. Does anyone have issues with those? I just replaced my rear brake pads and the cylinders which I thought was odd since 6 months earlier all was fine with the pads. Then I needed both. Also with the CSP piston and rings replacement and engine clean-up, is the dealership supposed to replace the spark plugs and change the oil with this CSP or is that owner expense? Does anyone have any information on these issues to help a girl out who knows nothing about car engine parts, what to expect and what should be covered under this powertrain warranty issue. Thanks!

Clay Easto

My car has been at the dealer for close to two weeks. They said it should be done the middle of this coming week. The RX350 loaner is making it worthwhile. I decided to have them replace the water pump while they had the engine apart, they are only charging me for the part ($280).

KillaIS250

iTrader: (1)

Nice, if you haven't had them done already, have them do the spark plugs too if you're nearing the time anyways. Also, if they are changing the water pump, might as well have them change out the accessory/serpentine belt if you want...it's a relatively cheap part.

Ca1vN

just had my car done, let me tell you guys, got the light in dec parts came in on feb just got my car back yesterday. and i did notice a couple of things, now the MPGs are lower than it was before, and that im now getting a water-like sound whenever i stop, is this normal? also, dealer charged me for gas, shouldnt this be covered? i asked my SA and says that lexus didnt tell dealers to fill gas tanks.

GoGiantsNJ

I really would like to know if Lexus did any design improvements on the 2.5 for the 2012 IS I bought my Wife,as one of the members stated probably not. Well,I wasn't a fan of the 250,I wanted to get the 350. in retrospect,you have to go with your gut feelings.
In a couple of years I will be trading her car for the third generation IS-350.

vicsis250

I keep hearing horror story about getting this fixed, I just deal with it when it try's to do it and I'm stopped I just throw it into neutral and it goes away. Mine does it around 1 time every 3 weeks or so. I'm just dealing with until it sets off a check engine light. Most people would say to get it fixed but I just want to deal with the other problems.

NQR89

That's quite a bit going on for you! Lets tackle this one at a time. Lexus is supposed to cover you for the oil because the engine is disassembled anyways, doesn't make sense to make the customer pay out of their own pocket for that. Are your plugs bad? Chances are, they need replacing but I'm not sure of when the last time they were replaced. Although, I'm not 100% sure about whether Lexus would cover the cost of replacing the spark plugs or if it is covered under the CSP, I believe you should contact Lexus corp. and ask them. Sometimes the dealers don't know what they're talking about, as Lexus has the say in all of this.

Regarding the water pump, it has been an issue for quite a few members. It has developed leaks and some have even failed at lower mileage than others. Some have also been lucky and haven't had issues. I would say its a good investment to have that replaced while your engine is out. They shouldn't really charge you anything since the water pump is out anyways, so the only thing you would have to pay extra is the cost of the part.

I hope this helps you a little bit. Keep us updated and good luck out there.

NQR89

That's strange. Most dealerships would provide gas out of courtesy.

PervySage

good to know thanks

PervySage

how do you know if you have a carbon build up problem what should I look for?

sm1ke

iTrader: (5)

... The symptoms are listed on the first page.. right at the bottom..

blovely

Thank you for the kind response. I understand the CSP now. From other threads I've read with the same circumstances, I'm finding that the water pump part is the only charge and not labor since the engine is already being taken apart for the CSP piston/ring replacement. I decided to go ahead with the spark plug replacement while the engine was open to save on labor. It was recommended by the dealer, but not required...only the water pump. The dealership still wants to charge me extra for the labor for both water pump and spark plugs. How much labor could be involved? What is the max I should be paying? I read some threads that labor was not charged and I reported that to the dealership and they said they'd look into that. Heading in a half hour to pick up my vehicle after being in the shop for almost two weeks. They are charging $215.95 for spark plugs & labor and then $250 plus labor for water pump. Couldn't get a figure on second. Does this sound reasonable? Isn't the dealership already getting paid by Lexus Corp for this CSP that is taking apart the engine? Why should they charge more for labor?

NQR89

I think the spark plugs sound right, but when it isn't a part of the CSP, so I still think $215 for that is kind of unfair as they are required to take those out anyways. A way to find out how much it is exactly they are charging you for the labor would be to find out how much they charge for each individual spark plug and then the remaining cost would be the labor costs of installing them.

As for the water pump, I also don't think labor should even be charged for that, it just seems unreasonable. Replacing the water pump with the engine out would take no more than 10 minutes. Find out how much they are going to charge for labor

OPTiK

So quick question, has anyone done a basic carbon build up service at a local shop? I can't find a shop that will do the BG GDI service around me, but the local shop does additives in the gas tank/oil (which i know won't do anything) along with using the vacuum line to run the additives through the engine. Will this be enough to get my idle back to new car status and clean off the carbon gunk? I have 44k miles on my car.

KillaIS250

iTrader: (1)

Using the vacuum line to run the additives thru the motor will probably help.
Putting anything into the gas tank won't because of the direct injection design.