Kanpai

All comes down to money

808c2s

Understood, but now Lexus may have to spend more money to refix this problem if more failures occur after the TSB.

Kanpai

Let's be honest, they really don't give a crap about this fix, just like the slew of other Lexus' that suffer from the same fate.

wthrman2

^^ I understand that sometime things happen that was not expected but as a company, you owe to yourself to make it right. I understand its not a safety but its a brand image, and if you don't care that your bumpers can't hold in place and show visible large gaps, then why even be in the business. Lexus got to where they are based on exceptional craftsmanship but if you allow this to happen with your visible parts, who's to say the same lax of quality is not happening in major components. Its a very slippery slope, and they should take a page from some of the other car company. It takes time to build a reputation but destroying it can happen much faster, trying to rebuild it afterward is very challenging.

My advice to any Lexus executive or employees reading these boards, just don't become complacent, you could lose your loyal fan base! Remember, you are not selling your vehicles because they are the most fun to drive, the Germans have you beaten there! You are in business because of your quality, if you let that slip, you will lose your only card and you will see your demise eventually...

Luckily for us, we have cysis66 who seems to have solved our bacon but I would be embarrassed as a multi billion corporation and the world's biggest automaker to be outsmarted by an individual who is doing this on his own....

On a semi related note, I have been on my 3rd Cheverolet Spark (made in Korea) and that has been the most reliable and best little car I have ever owned and ironically, all the body parts are all still fully tight and in place...a 17 000$ Spark people, not a 75 000$ Lexus, just think about that for a second Lexus

RANT OVER

808c2s

^^^ Well Said....

Kanpai

I completely agree with all this. However, it's clear Lexus and every other car manufacturer is seeing a decline in quality. Generationally, I am used to getting the short end of the stick with everything, so my first Luxury car having a cosmetic defect with the company giving 0 ducks about it isn't surprising.

wthrman2

^^ I agree, and my rant was not directed at you and I know you get what I am saying It is just sad we are seeing this happening but oh well....

Kanpai

It is sad but I am happy that people are passionate enough to do the work to get Lexus to listen and to go out and do something about it when Lexus won't

AndyBott

Which shop did you use? Same thing driver took off with my front bumper. Luckily damage was only to bumper

GoPDemon

I tried just the zip tie on my own and it didn’t hold much. I understand the theory on this fix now but I agree it needs more bottom support.

cyfi66

Lexus is still a relatively new car company but I think its expected to some level that as they build their reputation they don't have to try as hard to maintain their place in the market. It takes a lot more to build something from nothing than it does to maintain it. At the same time the entire brand is centered around quality and they cater to a certain type of customer in my opinion.There are companies that let the bean counters run the engineering teams but I don't think Lexus is one of those, at least not right now. And what I mean by that isn't that the engineers are given free reign just that the company has a long term vision in mind and aren't purely focused on short term cost saving. I'd like to believe this was more of an oversight than an intentional scoff at their IS500 customers. You've got to think about the fact that the percentage of people that have and care about this problem is very very small and Lexus has a lot of other very important things they need to balance.

I pulled into Costco gas yesterday with my GSF right behind an RCF. I was so excited to talk to the guy but all he knew about his car was that it was fast, reliable and had a V8, he didn't even know what a GSF was. It just reminds me that the majority of people that have the cars probably aren't enthusiasts or people that really care about nit picky stuff. The people that end up here on the forums are a different breed of owner lol.

Kanpai

Exactly. This is extremely low on their to do list. I'm not personally offended by their lack of action, as in the end, they're a large company trying to make money. To echo your second paragraph, there's a reason why they make so many SUVs and so little "fun" cars. It's because they print money

ICEforever

With respect, I disagree with your sentiment. I can understand why a big corporation might have this low on their to do list. But to execute such a poor quality fix to a poor quality design for a company known for their quality, it strikes a nerve with me. Plus we are talking about something highly visible and expected to fit on the car. This is a company that advertised a marble going across their panel gaps for crying out loud.

Quality is central to Lexus's identity and it's crazy to think they are ok with ill-fitting bumpers. Worse, the fix they came up with is completely outclassed by an amateur on a blog (all love @cyfi66, you're a legend). Making money is extremely important but Toyota Corp can afford it. Lexus needs to do better.

Kanpai

Just how these companies work. This isn't a Lexus only thing, every car company will do the least possible to address an issue. It's all a numbers game now. How many cars does it affect? Does it affect the ability to drive the car or any safety issues? They're going to throw the least amount of money and resources at it every single time and they have a financial amount they're willing to risk if things go sideways, and that includes lawsuits from deaths. Corporations suck and don't care about us in the end.

Hell, I didn't know I had the issue until Frank actually told me I did when he saw my car. That's what Lexus is going to bet on, that the common person who isn't even slightly passionate won't notice or care.

arentz07

Hello everyone,

As you know, a creative, non-TSB solution for the bumper separation issues has been developed by one of our forum members. I wanted to share an install video they provided. The video goes through the process of getting their support block into position and has enough information to prepare anyone to do the install themselves.



Per our forum rules, solicitation and promotion of items for sale is not allowed except by approved vendors. As such, I kindly ask that we keep sales questions and discussion out of this thread. Let's keep it on topic of Q&A, feedback, and discussion of the bumper issue only. Thanks in advance for keeping the discussions on track.