Philly RX

Ok,
Here is the story...
This Monday I took my 02RX300 with 37K to the dealer to change the navi screen under the warranty (dead pixel), first they refused but after talking to the assistant manager they sad OK
I also shoved to the assist. Manager the back of the driver’s seat, left side where the leather started to peal off and show some cracks... to soon for 37K miles only, he told me that won’t be covered but maybe they will be able to help me. They will take it to the upholstery shop to check... Today I received the call that everything is done and I OVE THEM $ 180.00 for the small piece of leather
Total bill was $380, they paid half under good will (good will my a$$) and I should pay the rest.
Now, as I understand they should call before making any repairs for which I will be charged, right?
Also serv. manager told me that hi did not know how much it will cost, they told him only after everything was done... So if it was $1000 I would pay $500
I think its bull****. If I knew it will cost me I would live with it...Why should I pay for the lack of communication
Now what you think I should do? I f I will write to the Lexus main office is it possible I can get my money back?
Sorry for the long post

Husker4the

That's why it's always important to say ... call me before you do anything. Still sounds like they should've told you from what you posted. I'm not sure what to tell you.

salimshah

You are upset, it is understadable.

Dealership should give you a copy of the work order with the estimated price of the service. When a 3rd party is involved, that is where the owner and the service rep should have had the written or verbal understanding of how to proceed once the cost is determined.

We dont know what transpired behind the scene but on the surface the the dealership covered half of the expense on your behalf (from their point of view for good-will). My feeling is that this expense is not being sent to Lexus as warranty work.

Since you asked ..... I would count it as learning experience and instruct the service writer to call for authorization in future. If you think the base product (seat leather) is/was substandard, feel free to ask service manger and then Lexus corp to pay for the share you shelled out. You may get a more sympathetic ear if you acknowledge the dealership for covering 1/2 the cost.

Salim

NeverSatisfied

Philly RX - I think the dealership did you a favor by paying for 1/2 of the repair bill. The bumper to bumper warranty covers manufacturer defects and not normal wear and tear. It does suck that the leather started to crack at that early stage; I guess I should condition mine more often before it gets too late...

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

If the repair is good, than $180 is not too bad, but the dealer did perform an unauthorized repair even if it turned out to be a good job. In this case, since the job is done, if it is acceptable I would discuss your dismay about the procedure with the manager but still pay the $180. Maybe you can work out a couple of free oil changes or something. You probably can make a big deal out of it as I think it is against the law to perform repairs without autorization, however, in this case (As long as the repair is good) I would just do as I mentioned above and move on.

mikey00

I am sure the dealer had no out of pocket expense on this. The dealer marks up all work that is sent out and has a right to do so as they do spend some time writing it up getting it done, etc. I bet the dealer paid $190 to the shop and would have charged $380 to a paying customer. Most Lexus customers never question things like this and never have the time to visit forums like this to discuss all the unecessary fluid changes, etc the service advisor is selling them. Of course, no one knows this for sure, it's just me venting on the whole Lexus expensive service issue. It looks like a lack of communication on everyones part, including yours. If you make a lot of noise and complain about it , they will most likely pick up your part just to have a happy customer. If it were me I would pay the $190. You want this guy to be on your side, like when your transmission fails out of warranty.

FlintRX

I guess I'll be in the minority and say that you shouldn't pay a penny on that repair. I'm not sure what the laws are in PA, but in CA I know that a customer is not liable for repair charges if they are not authorized by the customer before the work is done. It's that simple. I would certainly expect a car dealership (Lexus dealer, no doubt) to fully understand this since they have a lot to lose (reputation, complaints with Lexus, etc) if they screw up. If it were me, I would have told them to take their "good faith" and shove it up their *** and demanded they give me the car back immediately. Even if it's not technically illegal in your state, it's not a good way to do business, regardless of how well the work was done or how nice they are to you. If you feel like pursuing it further, a call to the Bureau of Automotive Repair (division of the Dept of Consumer Affairs) will wake that dealer up. Good luck.

HarrierAWD

While I believe that the dealer should've contacted you first for authorization, I don't think $190 is out of line for leather seat repair. I'd pay for it - especially if the repair is done to my satisfaction.

No tears on my leather, but the seat is wrinkled really bad after 40K miles. If I get it re-finished, I will ask for the perforated leather like the Coach edition.

parula

Harrier, you have a good point!