Throw me on the list. Bought an 08 in May, noticed it in June, fixed in June under warranty.

 

Took my 08 last week for oil change and a few minor recalls... found my water pump was starting to leak, traces of coolant. Car out of warranty since April, contacted Lexus and they covered it. Just got the car back today.

Bad news, I wouldve rather had the is250... the loaner i got was a 2014 camry! lol

 

Got my '08 water pump replaced last week. 1 month left on warranty from today. Got it done just in time!

 

replaced mine 3 days after getting the car it's cake took 35mins no problem.

 

Just checked mine, no leaks, looks perfect

 

did you call the dealership or lexus? my pump needs to be replaced.

 

Lexus. The dealership made me aware of it while it was in for recalls, so i guess they did their multi-point inspection checking various things around the car. Service advisor, parts guys, and a few others suggested calling Lexus. Called them the next day and they set up a file an said theyd get back to me, and they did the next day saying its a 1 time courtesy to build a relationship with the dealer - which by the way is the dealer the car originally came from.

 

Just found my water pump leaking..
2008 with 150km, so I doubt its worth going to the dealer with it.

Spoke to an Aftermarket mechanic and he suggested a non-OEM coolant when I replace the pump, as in his experience the Toyota coolant is acidic and eats away at the various seals etc, and I would have a better life expectancy with an aftermarket coolant. Any experience with this?

 

I'd use OEM coolant and a different mechanic.

 

Lol agreed is he by any chance pushing his coolant stocked on his shelf .

I'm pretty sure lexus has their own formulated coolant if it's pink.

I had a Volvo s60r before and theirs was blue and specially formulated .

I would stick with what oem is using saving you gaskets or seals in the long run.

You should ask him for proof about this high level of acidity lol

 

lol agreed.

 

I followed speeddem0n's recommendation of contacting corporate and was able to get my water pump fixed for free.
I called corp first to let them know of the issue, of which they noted on their end. When I brought it to the dealer, they saw that note and agreed to verify that the pump is indeed leeking.
In addition, they provided free shuttle service to and from work, followed by a loaner for the rest of the day (while waiting for answers from corp). The next day, they called to tell me they replaced and fixed the water pump for free. No mention of any "1 time courtesy" deal, but the customer service at Stevens Creek Lexus (SJ) has gained my trust.

Thanks again to speeddem0n for the help

 

Happy to help a fellow owner as others have helped me as well

 

Shop I took the car to does a ton of Lexus and Toyota work, specializing in performance and custom parts; not just some average mechanic. (I believe he is also a member here..) While he mentioned Motul coolant, he also said I would be better off with any decent high quality coolant.

Starting to wonder if its worth my time calling the dealer/corporate to see if they are willing to do anything..

 

Your mechanic is selling you something you don't need. I just replaced the original coolant pump on the wife's '06 Scion tC. It has had one coolant change at 100k miles, and just now at 205k miles when I replaced the pump. There was zero evidence of any corrosion in the engine, coolant pump, radiator, thermostat, and cap. I checked everything because she wants to keep the car another year, and I don't want to have to rescue her. With 205k miles on the odometer the original alternator died. I changed the coolant pump only because I already had the alternator off. It was weeping very slightly, but not enough to noticeably use coolant. So any assertion the Toyota SLLC causes corrosion or shortens cooling system service life isn't supported by real world evidence at my house.