Ellingtoni

I'm sorry you're experiencing this issue. It would be particularly frustrating in a new to me car.

I suspect some of the delays may be due to issues in getting parts. COVID has wreaked havoc on the global supply chain.

My 2016 was in an accident recently due (my insurance suspects the accident was intentional as part of a fraud attempt) and it has taken a few weeks for the body shop to source all the parts.

Hopefully the stereo will be trouble free when you pick up the car. I would recommend having the dealer check for a leak before you pick it up.

I live in Atlanta where it is super humid and have a moisture remover in my cabin and trunk after having issues with excessive humidity in my last two Infinitis.

FSporting

Thanks for your kind words and good tips. Yes, I am definitely frustrated and decided to air it out here.

COVID supply chain issues are certainly a plausible explanation for the delay in getting the parts, but my service advisor never mentioned anything about this. He did mention that they were short on techs, which is a different issue altogether.

swaangin

It's swapping an amplifier so it's not intensive work. They probably want to make sure it's all good because they did the service for you once and the amp got messed up so they're losing time and money on it as well. Just enjoy the loaner, you'll get the car back in working order with a warranty as well

I heard Alfa Romeo (and other brands) don't even give you a loaner while servicing your vehicle

wthrman2

If you are waiting for a part to arrive or have the dealer find enough tech to do the job, could you still not drive the vehicle and just bring it in the day they can proceed with the repairs?

FSportBill

@FSporting I bought a 2006 IS350 about 2 years ago for my fun weekend car and was disappointed with the sticky dash/door panel issue but overall it's a fantastic car with zero other issues (with only 95,000 miles)!!.......now get this......I gave the 2006 IS350 to my son last November for his 16th birthday (lucky kid!) and bought myself another IS350.....this time a 2012 f-sport.......it had the same sticky dash/door panel issues......and guess what, because it was still under the extended 10 year warranty Lexus replaced the dash and door panels free of charge!.......after almost 10 years and 140,000 miles and Lexus replaced the dash and door panels free of charge.....tell me what other car manufacturer would do that for free????....probably not many if any!!!.....have faith in Lexus and I'm sure they will solve your issue!

FSporting

Possibly, but that’s not the approach the service department elected to take.

FSporting

I hear you. I had a 2007 RX400H and it also had a dashpad recall. They replaced it free of any charge and it made the interior seem like new. That happened at another Lexus dealership and I always had great service there. That’s largely why I decided to return to the brand. But the dealership I am dealing with now has, as noted, been a disappointment and I will probably take my IS to the previous dealership in the future, even though it is miles out of my way.

And yes, your son is very lucky!

FSporting

It’s not that simple. I like the car very much, although I haven’t been able to spend much time with it so far. I chose it after spending a considerable amount of time searching for a replacement for my Sonata, which was totaled in an accident. I decided I wanted something sportier and more fun to drive, and I was willing to sacrifice some of the creature comforts the Hyundai had (adaptive cruise control, ventilated seats, heated steering wheel, Apple CarPlay) in order to meet my price target. This 2014 F Sport nicely fit the bill.

What I am not happy with is the service department at this particular Lexus dealership, but I have to see this through before I can change dealerships.

95bat

100% agreed.
I had a shock go bad with the active suspension on my ES, replacement shock was also bad, then had a long wait to get a 2nd replacement from Japan. Drove the loaner around for 19 days I think.

Its a car, none are perfect. Theyre fixing it, you have a loaner, whats the big deal? If you're that unhappy, go buy a Hyundai again. The used car market is so crazy you will lose very little or nothing at all dumping the IS.

FSporting

At least your service advisor told you the reason for the long wait. All I got was “we have no idea what the eta is.” Then today, they called to say the shipment was delayed until Thursday.

While I appreciate the Lexus loaner program and fully recognize that not every brand offers the same, the hallmark of an decent service center is fixing the problem the first time in a reasonable amount of time. Period. Anything else is subpar. That’s a big deal to me.

I am frankly disappointed by this sentiment. I am new here at CL but not new to enthusiast forums, and it’s always disheartening to see stuff like this. If my posts somehow triggered you, my apologies. But as I already mentioned, I like the car, it’s only this particular service department that makes me unhappy.

95bat

1 - they didn't tell me the date, they ordered one and I waited. I never said I had an exact date of repair from the start. I shared because it is similar to what happened to you with a defective replacement part, except mine never left the dealership. It was DOA.
2 - no dealership or services in general will fix everything right the first time. If that is your expectation you are setting yourself up for a lot of disappointment in your life. They could have installed an amp, turned on the car, heard music playing, and thought it was fixed so they called you to pick it up. How would they be able to predict the future and know the amp will fail in 3 hours? This situation needs some logic applied.
3 - There are always new people to the forums that want to complain and are never seen again. This is far from being an enthusiast. To think this "triggers" people is just another example of not applying logic. I'm assuming it is to get some kind of reaction out of me.

The point of my post was pointing out the bigger picture.... you're getting a problem fixed for free with a loaner provided. It sounds like they're doing everything they can to make it right. You unfortunately got a bad amp, OR you have a wiring or ground issue causing that loud pop and frying your amp. Usually happens when a cap discharges when it shouldn't. A truly crappy dealer could have said you fried the amp since you had the car for 3 hours and told you to pay for a replacement.

Drive the loaner, wait on a repair, be thankful its being fixed for free, and hope that when its all fixed up you can enjoy many trouble free years. It sucks, but its a first world problem. There are worse things that could happen...

SmittyLex2

Are the original factory speakers in the car? Someone could have replaced them and have a speaker wire grounded somewhere........which would damage the amplifier. If the factory speakers are there, check for any modifications around the left and right sides running to the back.

SmittyLex2

Also If the speakers made a loud pop or squeal when you turned your radio on, that could most likely be a shot down speaker wire, or a speaker wire touching together or touching the body of the car especially if they were replaced with aftermarkets. Have them check for those things.

Evitzee

Electronics in cars are getting trickier and trickier to diagnose and fix. I have a 2006 IS350 with the ML system and its been reliable overall. About once a year it will hang up and the sound goes on and off about once a second, the only way to fix it is to stop, shut off the engine and restart it, then it's fine for another 9 months or so. It's a quirk, I can live with it. The car is now 15 years old so I can't really complain about the audio system. Lexus will figure your problem out, hang in there.

sunpadre

On a positive note, the Mark Levinson system in my 2004 has been relatively trouble-free. The only issue I've had was a few years ago the subwoofer cone started coming apart and I fixed it with a hot glue gun. I know these systems are expensive and do sound very good. You'll be pleased after the repair has been made and you start to enjoy it.