CJJones87

First off, I picked up my 2015 RC F in July and am loving it so far. Now that we are in the winter months, I went to use the heat for the 1st time and noticed it doesn't work out of the driver's side vents (dash nor floor) - it just continues to blow cold air no matter how high I set the temp setting. Everything works fine out of the passenger side vents (both dash and floor vents), but I cannot get heat to come out on the drivers side whatsoever.

I took the car into the Lexus dealer for the AC servo campaign and they kept the car for 2 weeks and said they needed to replace 1 servo that was not behaving correctly after doing the programming they do before replacing anything. Long story short, I pick the car up after they had it for 2 weeks to find out the the exact same problem is present - no heat from drivers side vents. At this point, I am going back and forth with the service manager instead of the service advisor that handled the repair order. After getting some details of exactly what they did and what parts they replaced, they said the servo that they replaced was for the defrost ducting for the windshield. This was the 1st red flag as I wouldn't think that has anything to do with the only problem on the repair order (being no heat from drivers side vents). I took the car right back to them for additional diagnosing since what they did had absolutely no impact on the problem. Now they are saying that all of the servos are working correctly and that the entire AC box needs to be replaced, to the tune of ~$3500 just in parts alone.

Just trying to see if this AC servo campaign has affected any others on the forum in this way. Seems awfully suspicious to me that they replaced a servo (paid for by Lexus under the campaign), found out that it didn't correct the problem, and now are saying that I need to buy a new complete AC box assembly (of which Lexus will of course not pay for since it isn't a servo) to correct the issue. Any advice appreciated, just seems odd to me that I am experiencing a problem that is described exactly as I am experiencing on the 1st page of the AC servo campaign Customer Support Program 20LE01, yet they will not cover the repair.

I have already called and started a case with Lexus corp office to see what can be done at their level, but so far that hasn't gotten me anywhere - They are just agreeing with the dealership that they did the repair, it didn't fix the problem, and now I need to pay for what will fix it because it is not a servo which is all the campaign covers as far as parts/labor are concerned. Sorry for the lengthy 1st post and thanks in advance for any ideas/suggestions.

Chris

504GSF

Coming from a Lexus Service Advisor, if the servos are working properly Lexus is not going to replace them. They have to prove that the servos are the issue and they run a test on them to see if they are working. If the servos pass this test they don't replace them. If one fails like in your case they will only replace the affected one. Which in your case probably was not the actual true cause of your issue, but a problem none the less. So it seems to me like they went in and were able to prove to Lexus that one of the servos did not work properly and they replaced it. And you are having the same issue because the servo even though proved to be bad, was not the root cause.

miop4000

Seriously. The car is now 8 years old. Lexus bends over backwards to cover fault issues with the best recall and TSB programs in the industry. I have had four figure repairs covered under good will out of warranty. However, they don’t run forever and you do need to cough up for maintenance and repairs.

504GSF

Lexus also takes into consideration your dealership relationship. Meaning customers who get their vehicles from Lexus and have them serviced and maintained at the dealership vs going to third party vendors for purchases, maintenance and repairs have a better relationship with the dealer and are often considered for goodwill without much of a hassle because of their faithfulness to the brand.

And also Lexus considers the dealerships experience with you as well for goodwill consideration. Meaning if you are a whiney customer that always has an issue with everything and always causes problems every visit with the service department. You're likely to have your request for goodwill fall on deaf ears.

Just had a customer last week that wanted a goodwill battery replacement because he was right out of his 4 year 50K warranty and his battery failed the charging system test when he brought the vehicle in for electrical diagnosis. We denied replacing his battery at the dealership for free because it was out of warranty and he did not want to pay for one. So he filed a claim with corporate who reached out to us at the dealership to get the backstory on this client. And because he was a customer that does not service his vehicle with Lexus, and denied the other service recommendations that his car needs because he could "get it done cheaper elsewhere" they quickly denied his request for goodwill.

So just keep in mind what kind of customer you are, if you are a valuable one. You have a better shot at getting help from Lexus, if you are not a valuable customer........ Well, it just gets harder for you.

miop4000

Couldn’t agree more. After a10 year association with the dealership they accidentally gouged the door card on the RCF while fixing a window regulator. They have been been very good to me in the past and I have purchased multiple cars. I respectfully asked if they could fix the damage and was willing to contribute. The manger had it repaired and asked if I was happy with the repair as he had a new door card on order just in case. The repair was fine.

vraa

iTrader: (2)

That's so interesting because I got **** service from Sterling McCall Lexus, a group 1 company, and from lexus corporate

504GSF

I’m sorry to hear that as a fellow enthusiast. I’ve gotten subpar service from dealerships before as well.

You have a few options available to you in the case of that matter.

1. give them another try
2. find another location with better service

vraa

iTrader: (2)

Ended up going to another dealer, when the sales lady passes away I'm done with Lexus.

Won't ever go back to another Group 1 dealer. So far the gulf state dealer is treating me alright - but most of the fantastic service comes from the sales lady her self. The rest of the departments couldn't give a ratsass how much money you spend or how many people you refer.

Tom44

This makes zero sense: so you’re supposed to pay inflated dealership service fees and maintain a “relationship” with the service dept in the hopes that an out of warranty claim will be honored under good will. Why not save those thousands of dollars in service fees and pay for the repair out of pocket (if such a mishap happens after warranty expires).

504GSF

Probably because most consumers don’t take the money they save on service and repairs and put it aside for future repairs.

A surprise $2,000 repair catches a lot of people off guard.

RandallNYC

I rather build a relationship with my personal mechanic. I change cars every 2-3 years and I’m not brand loyal. I don’t trust any dealership period. I won’t let them change my oil or brakes. My mechanic is a seasoned vet. The dealership has children and vets.

504GSF

I’m not advocating for anyone to bring their car to the dealer for service.

I’m just saying in his case, wanting a goodwill resolution they do take into account how much money you spend with them and your relationship with the service department. If you are a person that only comes in for recalls or warranty work. They definitely take that into account.