alamgirian

Hi guys...

Sorry, i know its already too late. So I came across this IS350 at a dealership in Northeast with less than 30K miles, but since its 2006 - they cannot sell it as CPO.

1 owner car, low miles, clean kept, maintained at the dealership for a few oil changes and inspections its needed.

MY QUESTION: What should I worry about ? So far the only thing I noticed is, the engine plastic cover, on this particular IS350 did NOT have a lexus logo on it, and one of the plastic trim parts inside the engine bay were broken.

Rest on the test drive, the car drove smooth- It was first test drive, and I didnt push it hard. I have put a deposit on the car and am picking it up in a day. I plan to drive it a little harsher to see all the gears, since first day, highway was packed and couldnt really do that.

It has the 2 key fobs with it. Dealer says that they have done all the req. maintenance, its uptodate with recalls, etc - ***the only thing they told me was that the drivers door was repainted for a scratch, and the front bumper cover was replaced, they didnt tell me why***

Being my first Lexus purchase and being really crunched on time because of another commitment, I reach out to you guys to point me what to look for - Since its going to be out of State purchase, ill be driving it back to my home state (live next state over) and register it. I can have a local mechanic then check the car, but again, I dont know if I will have time for that.

What should I check in the car BEFORE giving them the final bank check ? (VIN on engine, hood, fenders, doors ?), what electrical/mechanical things I should look for ? - So far the pre-owned staff was pleasant and helpful. Should I worry about them pulling a fast one in any manner or being a lexus dealer, its not like traditional mom n pa dealerships or even honda/toyota dealership type of games. ???

Thanks

Sffd103

iTrader: (16)

Welcome to CL. Looks like you found a nice one with low miles. I have an 06' 250 and its a great car. 350 is so much quicker. Here is a link to help you with questions. Good luck and hope all goes well. You will have to change the spark plugs at 60K which you can pirchase through Sewell Lexus who is a dealer that gives us CL members discounts on all OEM parts. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...iy-thread.html

alamgirian

Thanks brother ! I came across the Sewell name around here. Definitely keeping it bookmarked.

Any tips what to look for when I pick up the vehicle ?

PS.

Am reading the page that you linked - have printed a list of recalls/service bulletins - just in case something major jumps up. getting Anxious..... its going to be a Honda=>Toyota (Acura=>Lexus) switch for me

Uda880

iTrader: (7)

There's a sticky for this, but here are some major problem areas:

1. Water Pump: Has been known to fail anywhere from 60 - 180K miles. When failing, you can start to see small beads, or even a film, of coolant (usually off-white colored residue) around the pump. (Quoted around $500 - 800 range I believe)
2. Alternator: can fail in the same range as the water pump. Can result in battery not being charged, etc. (Quoted ~$800 fix)
3. Navigation: either the navigation screen will fail to respond to touch, or the navigation disc reader (underneath the screen) will fail due to some ECU issue requiring a $1,700 replacement. (Researched ~$3,400 navigation unit, ~$1,700 fix for Navigation disc reader)

Other issues may be slight oil leaks from the gasket (this is a minor issue, usually resulting in residue marks on top of the alternator and other engine parts; but if you have it, it's a $3,100 fix), and the start-up crank noise (sounds like a belt slip or a metallic clanking sound lasting 1 - 3 seconds) - again, this is a minor issue, but can sound really bad due to oil starvation in the cam gears.

To be honest with you, the car has avoided some of the smaller issues as seen in BMWs/Mercedes (window regulators, lock regulators, bushing replacements, etc.), but the things that do break are ungodly expensive; sure, it may not compare to the $2,000 valve adjustments of M3s or $1,800 electronic rear windshades of E-classes, but from the list I've posted above, if you're out of warranty, God help your wallet.

alamgirian

These are the kind of things I wanted to know about - So it was between IS350 or 335... and knowing that 335s have the notorious HPFP failures, even replacement after replacement failed... I decided to go on IS350 route.

Thanks for the NAV heads up. Since the mileage on the car is well below 60K (its in low 30s I believe) - I think i am okay with alternator/water pump. But i just gotto say "daayyyuummmm" on that Navigation ball drop. So just check the navigation unit good, and see if the screen responds at all points etc ? - The dealership is offering 2 months/3K miles warranty. After the deer totaled my other car... a new car wasnt in my budget for another year - hence I am passing on $2600 4 yr/50K lexus warranty they offered.

Appreciate the help. keep em coming guys... I got a lil' over 24 hours to build up a list

Uda880

iTrader: (7)

If you have the money, get the warranty if you can. It's really playing Russian roulette. I'm very partial to the decision you're going to make, because I was going through the same decision you were a year ago. I've owned 3 BMWs, and 2 Japanese makes (the IS and a G35 Coupe), and so far, the IS has beaten the German vehicles in total maintenance costs. This means from the standard 60K service (belts, coolants, spark plugs) to any wearable items (belts, bushings, brakes, etc.) have all been well under BMW costs (usually to the tune of $500 - 700 depending on independent service costs).

The thing you really have to consider is, with the 335i (this includes the new single turbo N55 engines), the HPFP is a REAL issue. Yes, you have anecdotal advice here and there about cars not failing, but it is a very common issue that could strand you on the road, but also (if you're beyond the 100K mark, or you voided your warranty) will cost around $1500 to repair outside of warranty (indies have better rates of course). That said, you will still have to deal with the standard maintenance costs. At the same time, despite the stoutness of the Lexus engine and lack of smaller maintenance items, when the electronics/items do break, they're expensive enough to seem on par with German vehicles.

My honest opinion? I'm currently going through the process of repairing 4 out of 5 of those issues. I've skipped out on my Nav screen being non-responsive, and have no signs of oil weepage from the timing chain cover. However, staring down the barrel of having to fix the alternator (~$800) + Water pump (~$800) + Navigation Disc (~$1700) to a total of $2,300 isn't an easy pill to swallow. It'll all even out in the end, and it may be a better idea to factor the monthly payments with an extra insurance option for items that break (and they WILL break), than to have to face it later on.

alamgirian

Since I have not finalized the deal (have signed the contract but not paid in full) - they do have about 25% of selling price deposite on my credit card - the salesman assured me that all RECALLS/SERVICE work has been done, in fact he said that the upcoming routine maintenance has been done as well.

Granted car has low 30s mileage - but it falls under the Oil Leak VIN series - and IF that repair has NOT been done, I am considering walking away from the deal. Because now, factoring in $2600 warranty price, which is for 4 yr/50K miles (i dont know if it has a deductible or not, but assuming its full coverage), it will put the price of the car more than what I would want to shell out.

Even if I bought the warranty, $2600 will only buy me 4 yrs - if the oil leak issue happens after that, I am still out of luck ! If I go without the warranty, then I might as well put the Inevitable Repair costs towards the newer year IS350 or something else...


Decisions Decisions.... hhmmmm.... It better NOT be hard to ask for a refund on the credit card deposit, because clearly they have given me impression that all Bulletins/Recalls have been done.


+1 Agree with the N55 engine issues with you on all counts. As good as 335 sounds, its was actually a BMW brainchild or a pig if you would - for the upcoming Turbocharged M3 lineup.

Sffd103

iTrader: (16)

I forget the site (maybe someone can help with that) where you can type in the VIN and see what work has been done at a Lexus dealer.

CUTigers

idk about that. I mean the boosted 3 series is like 7 years old now. They were still developing the V8 M3 after the 335 first came out. Needless to say, I traded my 335i for my Lexus lol

WhatYaGot

The dashboard and door panels are cracking, feel sticky, and are melting. Lexus is turning their back on most of us. You also have the start up noise issue that some of us had. They fixed mine 3 times and still happens. If you are getting an extended warranty, make sure its a Lexus manufacture brand warranty not a 3rd party one. I also would get the longest extended warranty you can. I'm sure you will be using it. I think I had about $5,000 worth of repairs. Was this vehicle involved in an accident? Pay a body shop to inspect it BEFORE you purchase it. They can tell you if it was involved in an accident. CarFax and others are NOT always accurate,

CUTigers

someone hates their car lol

Uda880

iTrader: (7)

Hahaha. You know, maybe some of us had the wrong impression, but moving from BMWs to Lexus, I was expecting this to be a near flawless ownership experience. Instead, I'm getting some expensive fixes outside of warranty that I've never even experienced with my Bimmers ($3,000 navigation? $1,700 indescribable navigation disc error replacement?). Hell, even the G35 coupe had less problems than the Lexus.

I think at this rate of repairs, I may be going back to the German marques for my next cars - it's simply not worth it to trade an all-encompassing driving experience for slightly better maintenance costs.

WhatYaGot

I Love my car! Starting to dislike Lexus/Toyota because they are not standing behind their problems.

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

You are picking up a gem, and sounds very similar to how I got my '06 350. Found it online, placed a deposit on it, flew from SC to NJ to test drive, gave them a check for it, drove it home (SC), and never looked back! Please do yourself a favor and give the car a good kick in the shorts before purchasing; if something is "weak", it'll come out the "rough" test drive.

All of the above mentioned issues and known issues that NOT ALL owners will come across. To start, the dash melting issue is well documented to only be for cars in the extreme sun temps of like FL, TX, and other southern areas. Up NORTH, I've not read about a single melting issue. The NAV unit issue well documented on CL here, but it just doesn't happen all that often. It just seems alot because all of the owners with the issue seem to post on here asking for the fix for it. LOL!

Now, there are more common issues that you should be looking out for :

*water pump - look for pink (Toyota OEM coolant os pink) crust underneath the front-mounted water pump housing. Don't get thrown off by the pink crust around the overflow tank; that is actually normal.

*excessive front inner camber wear - factory front negative camber specs are aggressive for a factory car, so the fronts can wear out more quickly than other comparable models.

*A/C drainage block - hopefully it's not raining outside when you have that second look at it, so crank up that A/C while walking around it and look for the normal A/C puddle to form near the transmission (middle) portion on the ground.

Other than the recalls and TSIBs (Technical Service Bulletins) that Lexus performs free of chrarge, you should be good to go.

If you know the VIN # of the car, sign up on Lexus.com for an account. You can then input the VIN # as "your car" and then view the complete dealership vehicle maintenance history online.

When YOU DO PURCHASE this car, post pics!

Buya02

iTrader: (2)

Dont pay full price for the extended warranty...I think you can get them down to $2000. Wait till the finance guy brings it up. They usually roll it into your loan, so shouldnt make your payment much higher.