lexus600hl

How much is the Hybrid battery? Is it not warrantied for 10 years? By the way, even if the hybrid battery is not good, can we still not use the car?

CJITTY

$5500 installed and tax. Part is $4900 or so. You have to have a hybrid battery. You can probably run on it for a while but as the cells go bad it will work as it should. Hybrid Battery and other hybrid parts are 8/100 and perhaps 10 years in California

lexus600hl

"As the cells go bad, it will work as it should"? I don't understand. Can I ignore the warning and keep using the car, even if hybrid battery is bad? I really don't care, if the car is running on engine all the time.. and I don't care what the display says.. The car doesn't have much value now.. and is not worth $5000 investment, if it can be avoided.

lexus600hl

The service writer told me that he saw the same failure in another 600! They sold only maybe 10 600s from their dealership... i am guessing.. Out of which, two, including mine, had the same hydrocarbon switch failure - $7000 repair! Lexus should have stepped up, with a free part, for the both of us! The mark levinson audio amp failed in two of my LS cars and they are failing in many other's! This is ridiculous - that Lexus is not offering free replacement, even if out of warranty - for such a high rate of failure ! They should have had a recall on that - and probably this $6000 hydrocarbon switch!

After buying 25+ Lexus cars, no more lexuses for me! Only Jaguars. They are actually better value/cheaper and better looking. My xjl is 2.5 years old, 30k miles - not a single problem! My xf has 30 k miles and needed only brakes. No other problem. Lexus is no longer the "great customer satisfaction company". The jaguar dealer drops off a loaner and picks up my cars, for oil change etc..

SW17LS

Wait and see how your Jaguars are when they're 8 years old. The vast majority of cars are reliable for the first 2.5 years and 30k miles. What else would a car need but perhaps brakes in 30k miles? Not an accomplishment at all.

There has to be some end...they can't warranty a car forever. In CJITTY's case that was a little extreme, but if its out of warranty its out of warranty...they don't have to do anything...at least they did something for you. You had the option of trying to find a secondary source for the repair, and independent shop or something but you didn't want to do that...would have saved you a lot.

Plenty of Lexus dealers still drop off a loaner and pick up cars for service too.

The LS600 is pretty exotic, its a $130,000 super complex hybrid. Expecting it to be dead reliable forever isn't realistic. You and others have urged me in the past to buy a 600 when I was shopping for CPO 460s because the cost difference wasn't that much...well this is why I didn't do that.

lexus600hl

you are incorrect about me trying to get it fixed by independent mechanic. I tried. Couldn't find any one. It's a very rare car. Besides, the part alone is $6000. Some one here was amazing that he gave me a link to Japanese source. In Japan, it was only $1500 but the dash number was different.
Independent shops cannot fix a 600. None that I have, anyway. I have had the brakes for the 600 done by a mechanic but he knows nothing about the hybrid system. There are shops for the prius.

You might be correct about the jaguar after 8 years. Time will tell. 2011 jaguars have had serious rust issue with sunroof. Bad design. I won't be surprised if it proves less reliable. I don't have any friends who owned xjl for 100k.
You were smart to buy the 460 instead of the 600 and not have listened to people like myself. I stand corrected. I would never own any car without extended warranty.
The 600 is an amazing car and I expected it, in lexus tradition, to be as reliable as 460. As I wrote, I put 240k miles on my 90 LS400. The engine oil looked new even after 3000 miles at 240k.
Most modern (Japanese) cars would and should do 150k miles without needing $7000 repairs (maybe except bmw or Mercedes or even jaguar) .
The hydrocarbon switch should never have failed, as with the engine or transmission. The mark Levinson amp had unusually high failure rate (two of my cars and my nephew's) . I am unhappy with lexus for not stepping up with the catalytic converter, which seems to include hydrocarbon switch - especially after being the second largest lexus customer in the city and probably the state.
It was ridiculous that they tried to cheat cjitty for being 1 day out of warranty. He had to put a lot of effort to bring it down to $1500. I had to put a lot of effort for 50% discount, as did my dealer. That's not the customer satisfaction commitment, that I expected from lexus.
I bought extended warranty for both jaguars because I expected them to fail. I expected better customer satisfaction commitment from lexus. I wouldn't buy anymore lexuses, except maybe one, that too only because I like the dealership.
And yes, lexus would certainly pick up my car for service, if I asked but I don't ask because I know that they don't typically do for others, I know them well and I try to be very polite with them.

SW17LS

I think the bottom line is that your expectations were too high given the sort of car you purchased, and your expectations for the brand were too high. What good is it to have expiration dates for warranties if you're just going to keep covering things forever? As a company Lexus can't do things differently for you because you're the "best Lexus customer in the state", they have a policy, and they stick by that policy. Any company is going to be the same way. Otherwise its just a revolving door, sure everybody come on in and we'll just fix these things on our dime. EVERY company is going to resist goodwill just to stop the bleeding, the fact that they came back and offered you something shows that they DO care. They would be 100% within their rights to just tell you good luck.

And in the end, your reaction proves why companies like Lexus should not do goodwill repairs beyond the warranty period. They offered you half off the cost of the part, and your dealer offered to comp the labor, and you're still bashing them in public and saying you won't patronize their brand again. So...what value did they get out of the goodwill they gave you? Should have just left it at full cost.

Its a very reliable car, but its the most complex vehicle the entire company makes, and its very rare. Think of it like a Japanese V12 S Class. Most of them don't have failures...but when they do have failures, and nothing is perfect, its going to cost you big time. Thats just common logic.

If you expect that any other carmaker would have behaved differently in this situation you're just setting yourself up for disappointment.

lexus600hl

as a long term and large customer, I do expect to be treated by lexus differently. In fact they themselves admitted it. I bought always from the same dealer. Never tried to go 100 miles to a different dealer to save money. All my cars are serviced there, most of the time. If you got a $7000 repair for your 460 at 90 k miles or if you were denied warranty for an engine failure for being one day out, you might feel differently. It's always easier to preach and spend other people's money.
If the water pump failed, it is to be expected. If my car were in California, this would have been covered, I think. If they are selling that part in Japan for $1500 and charged me $3000, for a part that should almost never fail, I consider it bad customer service. They saved $3000 but lost a loyal customer of 27 years. I didn't complain about the dealership. In fact I wrote that I might buy one car from them. The installation was under $500 and making it free, makes me obligated to buy another car from them. Btw, I don't even negotiate with them when I buy or lease. I tell them to make their fair profit and that I don't expect to get the "lowest deal". I know some of my friends have paid less than me. In fact I am a fair referral source for the dealership. Dealers know their customers well. That's why I get great support. They have commented to me about how people drive 100 miles to save a little money or pit different dealerships etc. Maybe you are not that type of negotiator.
In fact I paid list price, without discount for my 2007 ls 460l because the general manager asked me to, as a favor. Did you ever buy a lexus at list? As I said, it's easy to spend some one else's money!

And I wouldn't know much about another luxury car maker because I bought mostly lexuses for the past 27 years and only once I bought an S class and kept it only for 60 k miles. No trouble. I have a bmw 5, within warranty. No trouble. I would try to ask but I would not expect a similar support from bmw or Mercedes because, I am not an important customer to them. I forgot. I bought a c class and a couple of a4s for my son but I never kept them long. So, I would not know how Mercedes would be. Oh I just remembered. My friend has an audi a8. His navigation failed. I think $3000 to $4500 range. 55k miles and out of warranty. But audi replaced it for free. No charge. He's planning to buy s7 from them now.
BTW The hard drive in my 600 failed. $1500. I didn't complain. I have had navigation problem with my other 600 also and again, to be expected. I didn't ask for free. That is to be expected. But the failure of catalytic converter in two of the 10 cars sold here or rampant failure of amp should be considered manufacturing defects. As Mr trump would say, I am a HUGE customer of lexus and I demand better. Huge being a joke of course. In terms of lexus, I know I am micro

SW17LS

I've found that the times in my life I've been the most let down by companies and people I do business with is when I've expected that I would get some sort of special service or special treatment because I'm a "really good customer". Since I've stopped expecting anything like that from anybody I do business with I've been a lot less disappointed.

The reality is that your business is important to your dealer, and clearly they have done as much as they could possibly be expected to do. To Lexus however...you're just a customer number. Your importance has a limit, they'll make some dispensation but beyond that they'll write you off and move on. Sometimes a customers insistence that they are so important works against them because they figure that customer can't be satisfied.

This is true of every other company you'll do business with as well.

If I had a $7k repair out of warranty id be pissed sure, but I honestly would not expect Lexus to cover it out of warranty. I'd push and get what I could get, and move on.

lexus600hl

as I said, it's easier to spend some one else's money. If you actually the same situation as myself or cjitty , I have no doubt that you will call Lexus customer service. You can preach all you want.
If I can afford to buy so many cars, there's a, but albeit small, chance that I know how businesses generally work. Lol. No need to preach to me.
BTW I don't personally use the 600 anymore. I gave it to my employee. I use the cars for a while and give some to employees. I still get to pay for repairs though. Lol
By the way, being a good customer has its rewards, certainly with my lexus dealership. If you are a cheap customer, you will be dissatisfied. Try paying list price once, for an ls 460l once and see for yourself, what type of service you get. Lol.

SW17LS

Of course I would call. Of course I would push them and get them to give me whatever they will give me, because I know if you do push them they will give me something. To not try to negotiate as good an outcome for yourself as possible would be foolish.

However, I would not see total coverage out of warranty as the only acceptable solution. Warranties have expiration dates for a reason. I've had cars with big repairs out of warranty before.

IMHO your situation and CJITTY's are entirely different.

As for being a "good"customer, I am a good customer. Why would I pay list price though? Had you not paid list price that would have paid for this repair.

lexus600hl

A cheap customer, even if long term, gets different service. If you are disappointed with the service you get in life, try to be generous. Like leaving a 40% tip to a waitress on a moderate bill. That's why I get great service at restaurants I go to.
Again, pay list price for a new LS460L once and then tell me you are not getting good service. I get amazing service from lexus dealership. So, don't try to preach to me about what to expect

VQT

Can I get a job working for you

lexus600hl

but of course.

SW17LS

LOL, I'm not at all dissatisfied with the service I get in areas of my life. Quite the contrary. I get excellent service at Lexus, places I frequent, Etc. Negotiating a fair price for a purchase is not "being cheap".

I would never pay list price for any car, unless list price was a fair price for that particular car, that's just foolish IMHO. Throwing money away. Being a customer that pays list price didn't get do a lot for you hear did it? They would have made the same accommodation for me or any other customer that pushed them.