Lex2000TL

Sorry for your feeling, but you stand no chance to return your vehicle for full refund. On the other hand, Lexus will replace transmission with rebuilt one and it will last. It is extremely rare that transmissions are replaced with brand new units, almost unheard of. It does not matter if tranny is rebuilt or new, as they all go through inspection and have to comply with factory spec.

oubobcat

My concern is this:

Why did the transmission fail? Was it the transmission, the vehicle (bad frame, bad tcase, etc) or the previous driver. The service manager confirmed that I will never know why this transmission failed (called me on his day off).

With the "loud knocking" as described by the service tech (audible when on the rack) I explained to the service manager that I need to know which other parts of the powertrain could be or are effected. I told him we will not repossess the vehicle until all questions are answered.

Thanks for the checklist. I asked the SM to have whomever completed the checklist available so they can explain why they didn't do their job or lied and didn't make note of it. This will help.

I am going to seek buyback or trade me out (zero sum) for one of two additional 2008 RXs on the lot with the same options and similar miles. Not the same color but I can live with that.

Rainbird

I hope this works out for you. Obviously, someone didn't do their job on the CPO inspection. Chances are this vehicle will be fine after the tyranny is replaced. Lexus should do the right thing to make the customer happy and do the vehicle swap. That said, the other option of getting a full refund on this vehicle are about as great as winning the lottery. Let us know how this turns out.

redrocks

You'll be better off switching to another CPO vehicle. My personal experiences with rebuilt transmissions have always been negative.

salimshah

In service bay, I really doubt that hey will even try to open the transmission. The most they will do is examine the drained fluid and hook up the diagnostic computer.

With CPO, my feeling has always been that a rudimentary check is made, and in reality the extended warranty is offered to the customer. Original owner could have bought the extended warranty without any mechanical checks.

At the time of sale, most probably the problem existed but was not evident to the buyer and the dealership and that is the basic advantage of CPO [where the customer is covered].

I would suggest read the sales contract. My assumption is it provides the safety net and repair at no cost [yes, expect some upsell .. my suggestion of main seal is one] to the purchaser. I seriously doubt that it obligates the seller/dealership to buy back the vehicle. That said, in order to make a customer happy the dealership may take that step. You may end up absorbing registration fees etc.

Bottom line, understand the sales contract. That is binding. Present your case to the dealership and Lexus corp as needed. Who refurbished the transmission is a reasonable question to ask (but if you do then you are already on the path of repair option). Granted a new transmission is the best offer, but a refurbished is likely better than a used one of the same milage.

Wish you best of luck.

Salim

oubobcat

The dealership has already stated all repairs will be covered under the warranty. Fortunately or unfortunately for me, the way it was stated was that the CPO warranty took effect at the date we bought it. This was a 3yr/100K however, the vehicle still has 34 months/45K remaining on factory powertrain and 10 months on the bumper to bumper.

I don't want to have another transmission go bad after 3 yrs and then have to pay. I want out of the car or at minimum a transmission/powertrain warranty beyond the 3yr/100K. Not sure if that is even possible.

salimshah

It seems you have already lost faith in the vehicle. Have you lost faith the brand?

If the dealer gives you another vehicle and you are willing to accept it then the choice is easy [The dealer would be bending backwards for you to do this .. you will have to be a major customer that they dont want to loose].

If not, then the question is sell now or sell later. My suggestion would be use it till you have the extended warranty. This would be the least financial loss to you.

Salim

ycl1688

Consider the way dealer treated you would be easier for you to take the short pain of out of the car then getting the long pain of keeping the car not knowing what is to come after the warranty runs out. I have not been having a pleasant experience with the dealer consider some rattle noise out of the luggage cover problem, it is the dealer that sucks. The way they treated customers like dirt is not a way of doing business. They felt their cars are the best of the world ? why care for the few customers ?

oubobcat

Update:

The dealership called and said they believe it is the pinion gear which makes it necessary to remove the transmission. I am disgusted with this. I asked the dealer to explain why this was not caught during inspection and they have no answer. The Service Manager did agree to sit down with me and go over the inspection.

I have lost faith in the car. Faith in the brand, no I haven't lost faith but I see no reason to assume Lexus is any better than anyone else.

I have a voicemail into the Service Manager asking who rebuilds Lexus transmissions. I dout it is Lexus. As for the warranty, It doesn't buy me anything. We drive on average 12K to 15K miles a year. The remaining factory powertrain has 34months/43K left.

If Lexus wants me to consider buying another Lexus ever again, the warranty on the transaxle/transmission/transfer case needs to be 125K with no year limit. If not then they do not get my business again (my wife, who works for Toyota, is in complete agreement).

oubobcat

I did ask about the rear main and per the Service manager they are not removing the fly wheel and they are not opening the rear main seal.

Does anyone know who rebuilds Lexus transmissions?

mandyfig

I suggest that you let Lexus do what they are supposed to do. Tranny issues on our cars have been almost non-existent. As long as they do a good job in replacing your tranny and you take care of it, I would think you will enjoy many years of trouble free miles.

Unfortunately you were the one who got hit with a bad tranny. Statistically, you were the one. There's not many who have complained about their tranny around here.

Wish you good luck.

salimshah

If the transmission is decoupled, the main seal is right there [Can some one please confirm]. The reason I suggest that it be replaced is that the cost of the seal is around $50 and and it will get stressed as the transmission is removed and attached (being old it may not recover).

Salim

oubobcat

Update:

Service manager informed me today that Lexus has third-party re-manufactured transmissions. The SM said ALL-Tech (spelling) does the overhaul and that they are not and child/OEM to Toyota/Lexus.

Regret buying Lexus, Disgusted by Lexus, Last Lexus I will ever buy. 3 weeks of ownership and I'm getting non-OEM from the Dealer. Quality? Reputation?

Grumpa72

I have to say that your overly high expectations seem to be clouding your judgement. Digusted? Because something broke? In the real world, things fail even in a premium brand. Lexus has owned up to the problem, they are giving you a rebuilt transmission that will most certainly have a warranty and must meet or exceed Toyota/Lexus standards. Not that it matters since your mind is made up but Lexus quality has ranked high, if not first, in owner satisfaction on the JD Powers surveys.

As has been said, you don't know how this car was driven in the past so you assume it is a quality issue. If you read the forums, very few people write in and say "my car still runs and drives like new and nothing has broken. What is wrong with it?". The point is that the only folks who ask questions here are those who are experiencing some sort of mechanical fault. Me? My 5 1/2 year old RX failed me when the tires needed replacing at 44000 miles. Seriously though, most owners are extremely happy with their car.

In my world, I say get over it, stop crying in your Cheerios and realize that you can drive this car for a long time and drive it reliably.

Just my two cents!

oubobcat

Sorry grumpa, I don't see it that way. If you've ever been on the wrong end of this type of situation you'd understand. I sincerely hope you never get there. You'll change your tune and trust me, you don't over it.

As for Lexus owning up to it? The jury is still out. I haven't had a chance to look at the car no inspect the quality of work. In addition, I need to put miles on it before we know if anything is fixed. You're also assuming that they identified what caused the failure.

Expectation overwhelming? Why, because I trusted the Lexus brand and dealership to actually inspect the car? Maybe its because I thought Lexus' were built with quality? Or because I didn't expect for Lexus to sell the tooling to a third party for their transmissions (yes this is in the voicemail from the SM).

I'm happy that you are happy with your car. Your comment about tires doesn't make sense or I don't share your sense of humor.

Driving for three weeks is a long time.....maybe I can drive it for three weeks before something else goes bad. I'll be sure to let you know.