jimbosr1

all vin tags are there except the drivers side front fender.i called the first owner(corp lease) and he said he hit a pole at a raceway gas station going approx 5 mph in the rain and they had to replace the fender and head light and front bumper and blend to paint.the only way you can tell is the gap where the bumper is under the drivers headlight is set out a little farther then the pass side.should this be a cert vehicle?

caddyowner

The don't certify that it has never been in an accident. From http://www.lexus.com/cpo/overview/index.html :

HISTORY CHECKED
For extra peace of mind, CARFAX® vehicle history reports are provided for every Lexus Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle, helping you and your Lexus dealer identify potential problems that might otherwise be difficult to detect.

METICULOUSLY INSPECTED
Every Lexus Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle must pass a comprehensive 161-point inspection by a Lexus-trained technician. If any discovered flaws cannot be repaired to Lexus standards, the vehicle will simply not be certified.

THOROUGHLY RECONDITIONED
Lexus Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles must be in like-new condition. That means using only certified Lexus parts for any necessary mechanical repairs, performing paint and surface restorations to meet Lexus standards, and thoroughly cleaning and detailing each vehicle to bring out its true beauty.

jimbosr1

i have no problem with the car,i just was curious about the certification process.when i got her home i changed all fluids except the transmission and change the plugs and added a k&n airfliter that should cover the 60k service.

Playdrv4me

It really depends on the dealership unfortunately. NO there is not really a mandate of body repair history. Most Lexus dealers typically only keep vehicles that are up to an extremely high standard for their clientele, and send any others to the auction. In fact, I have to give Lexus dealers credit for holding to this more than any other, as the Mercedes dealer in Tampa for example, will sell just about any garbage that passes a mechanical inspection. Typically anything with paint-work, and especially anything with a replaced panel will not be retained, but in some cases if its a one owner car that they know well and was brought to them for every service yada yada they will keep it and use it as a promotion vehicle with a special price. Also, they will almost never keep anything with an accident on the Carfax, but sometimes they'll hang on to it if the accident did not get reported.

The only Lexus dealers I usually see that keep anything less than perfect is the ones in the Northeast (especially NY and NJ), where well... just about anything goes. My 2004 had some paint work in the right rear quarter (though no panels were replaced) and it was wholesaled to a local third party dealer despite a meticulous service history at the same dealership in Kansas, and no accident report on the Carfax. I have a rule of not buying cars with paint-work regardless of reason (its just a personal pet peeve that I hate), but I messed up on this one and was too hasty on my initial inspection. Live and learn I guess, though I don't feel so bad after seeing a $116,000.00 2009 Mercedes CL63 AMG at Dean Team here with some very obvious paintwork on the right rear quarter AND the hood to say the least. I stopped feeling around by the time I got to the hood.

nkoppy

A word of caution to Jimbosr1 on the K&N air filter. I used to have one of these in a car of mine, years ago. I really liked it, and had no problems. I actually noticed a boost in power and improvement in gas mileage. I was going to pick one up for my GS 430 last summer, and the guy at the auto parts store said he wouldn’t recommend using a K&N filter. I asked him why and he said that the cotton/gauze-like filter element has a very thin coating of oil on it, and that some of this oil could drip or be sucked onto the car’s mass airflow sensor, and wreak havoc with it. I guess in Toyota/Lexus engines, these are hypersensitive (and very expensive to replace)… It was enough to make me reconsider buying a K&N filter for my car.

abs

Although off-topic, I also do not care for a K&N filter. I have run these in the past and they simply do NOT filter as well as a high quality paper filter. I can remember holding my filter up to light and clearly seeing pin-sized holes through the cotton gauze. Yes, they do flow better, but at a cost which is too high for my taste.

Andrew

caddyowner

I agree with both of the above reasons for avoiding a K&N. I have used them in the past and had both problems.

m3nv

Even if a car had paint work, it can still be certified.

Jabberwock

Agree - Lexus CPO does not certify a car is accident free. But I am almost certain Lexus will not CPO a major damage or frame damage car, or one with any accident reported on CarFax and the like.

The northeast Lexus dealers may stretch that a little more because so many cars up there end up somewhat damaged or in accidents just from putting in miles in a tough environment. That's the one place in the country from which I would never buy a used car.

As an aside in my opinion K&N filters are rubbish - supported mainly by huge marketing $$$ and resultant hype rather than objective testing. I think using one of these alternative filters can be potentially dangerous to your engine. JMHO.

V8_Fan

It varies from dealer to dealer. I've seen top-rated Lexus dealers in AZ sell LS's that have been rear-ended, and they are asking the same price as no-accident vehicles! I've bought 2 CPO vehicles in the last 4 yrs, and have looked at many more. I've seen there conditions all over the place...LS's with rim rash, LS's with cheezy paint jobs on the front bumper (drips) and dark ganster tint, and absolutely mint ones. You need to look past the detailing and look at other clues. One thing I've noticed is my dealer will only certify vehicles with complete service histories, so that is one major clue you should scrutinize, as the service performed indicates the type of owner. If the PO turned down lots of recommended service (like brake pads, new tires) and only had the basics done, I'd be wary. (of course, I'd do the same and do the pads myself, but I keep my own set of records and always include these when I sell a vehicle). Avoid any vehicle that has a skeptical electrical history, like batteries kept dying, even after being replaced, rat chewed through a harness (have seen this in a CPO!).

jimbosr1

well i removed the k&n air filter and reinstalled the toyota filter.the 1st owner kept up with the maintenance.ran a service history at a lexus dealer and the guy gave me the history sheet which had the 1st owners name and phone number..at least i know it was a minor hit with a pole at a gas station.was sold in florida now in ga.

Playdrv4me

Yep, pretty much exactly what I have noticed as well. My paint-work radar does stop at the bumpers though, since those are kind of expected to get scrapes and scratches once in a while so a few runs in the paint of the bumper wouldn't bother me all that much. I tend to be pretty **** about the metal surfaces though, a 120k CL63 AMG with half the car repainted is just absurd.