Carbon Build Up - Lexus Response and the non-Lexus Fix
08-18-18 | 12:32 PM
#16
Interesting, I was stonewalled when I called them about my LS460 dash and door panels. "Case manager" rejected the claim said she was the final arbiter and would not put me in touch with her supervisor or anyone else further up the food chain! I've owned 5 Lexus vehicles since 1992. I won't be getting any more.
As an aside, mind telling how much they charged you for the complete walnut blasting?
As an aside, mind telling how much they charged you for the complete walnut blasting?
08-20-18 | 01:05 AM
#18
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Joined: Aug 2009
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From: CA
Interesting, I was stonewalled when I called them about my LS460 dash and door panels. "Case manager" rejected the claim said she was the final arbiter and would not put me in touch with her supervisor or anyone else further up the food chain! I've owned 5 Lexus vehicles since 1992. I won't be getting any more.
As an aside, mind telling how much they charged you for the complete walnut blasting?
As an aside, mind telling how much they charged you for the complete walnut blasting?
And as for the price I paid $786 including tax. It was originally 722 but they had to charge me more for an oil change. So with tax, final was 786. Very well worth it.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Last edited by pewterss; 08-20-18 at 01:11 AM.
08-27-18 | 05:35 AM
#20
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Joined: Aug 2009
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From: CA
Yeah thats what I said to make myself feel better, hahhaha no just kidding.... Well kinda... Agreed, $750+ to get her back to like new condition to me was really worth it. I never had to spend that kind of money in 8 years of ownership. Tell me what other car company can that be said of. My (our) IS's hold up well aside for the one exception of this carbon build up issue.
08-27-18 | 05:58 AM
#21
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From: CA
This post is purely opinion with a little experience added in so please take it as such. Given the well-documented cleanup of the carbon build up of your engine it may be worthwhile to contact Lexus again. Perhaps you will not be given a reimbursement, but you could have a wider inclusion in their 'affected vehicles' VIN range going forward for others with this problem. They may very well be under the mistaken impression that your particular VIN is not subject to this malady based on inputs from their dealerships, who have an incentive to make money on the repairs. It is a pain in the **** and time consuming to contact Lexus all over again, I get that, but it is one of the ways that the manufacturers obtain knowledge of complaints; the dogged determination of informed owners. As a case in point, years ago Lexus provided me with a complete new dash assembly for my girlfriend-at-the-time IS300 with sticky dash. There was no recall, there was no goodwill program, it was just me working my way up the chain until I was talking to the head of Lexus N. America. I was civil at every step of the way, and told him that I worked as an engineer at a large corporation and that I would send in the dashboard so that they could do a material analysis to determine failure as I was sure that the testing didn't comprehend time/humidity/temperature fully. I also explained that I didn't expect a car clearly out of warranty in both mileage and years to be given a complete dash job for free, but if they sent me the parts I would invest the labor. They agreed and sent me brand new parts, including new airbag for the passenger side. Incidentally, they didn't request the failed dash as they were already aware of the problem.
My experience has shown both in my job and as a vehicle owner that poor designs are not intentional, but rather extended time intervals and other factors can uncover problems not foreseen or caught in the testing phases no matter how thorough. No one plans for obsolescence, that would be a silly way to do business as customers don't return for faulty product lines.
Again, just a thought given your detailed information.
Ed in Dallas
My experience has shown both in my job and as a vehicle owner that poor designs are not intentional, but rather extended time intervals and other factors can uncover problems not foreseen or caught in the testing phases no matter how thorough. No one plans for obsolescence, that would be a silly way to do business as customers don't return for faulty product lines.
Again, just a thought given your detailed information.
Ed in Dallas
08-27-18 | 06:03 AM
#22
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Joined: Aug 2009
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From: CA
Does you car burn oil? How is your gas consumption, and mileage info? (meaning how many MPG)
08-27-18 | 02:32 PM
#23
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 2
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From: CALIFORNIA
I've had this issue with my car since 2014 --- it is now 2018, with Carbon buildup and the only solution LEXUS can come up with is the top-end cleaning. I went to a third party auto shop that specializes in Luxury cars and they took pictures just like this one. I took them back to the dealer (after they had told me my car had no build up) and they did yet another top-end cleaning.
Now, my car is having another intermittent issue--- rattling noise at startup cold-start or not. They kept my car for one week to determine that there is nothing wrong with my car. Is anyone else having this same problems? Please advise.
Thank you,
2012 IS 250 RWD
Now, my car is having another intermittent issue--- rattling noise at startup cold-start or not. They kept my car for one week to determine that there is nothing wrong with my car. Is anyone else having this same problems? Please advise.
Thank you,
2012 IS 250 RWD
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