Austinwsj

On Sun July 15th, my mother was driving her 2007 RX350 when the entire car started severely smoking on the road. At this time no engine indicator lights came on (No CEL, Low Oil, Temp, etc). Other motorists had to honk at her to alert her that the car was failing and that she should pull over. Since she was only a few miles from home, she proceeded to take the car home. By this point, the car had lost at least several quarts of oil and we could hear mechanical noises from the engine (engine knock?). Even then, no indicator lights were on the car. The smoke was so heavy there were oil droplets on the exterior of the car.

After covering the garage floor and pushing the car in, we took a closer look. The drain plug, oil filter, coolant, fan works, all looked normal. However there was massive amounts of oil all over the subframe and bottom of the car. From the top of the hood it looked like it was at least leaking from the midpoint (head/block or valvecover) section as there were pools of oil evident on top of other assemblies. Below that it was a wild guess to see if it was the rear main or anything else, as it was so messy. Nothing to indicate that the car was struck by anything or a hose came off etc.

We decided to take it to the dealership as we weren't sure if this was due to a defect or not. The dealership did take the situation seriously but promptly reminded us that we were outside the powertrain warranty by miles. The car has 80k on the odo. However, no serious work has ever been performed. We change oil, top off the fluids and changed the brakes. So this is where it gets interesting.

After a day of inspecting the car, they determine this is not a common occurrence and state that they do NOT know what the cause is. What they DO know is that the rear main seal totally failed (would leak massively when fresh oil poured in, car off) and that were is a leak from the valve cover. This is their official line. They then proceeded to ask my father to authorize them for 25 hours of work (over ~4000) to pull apart the engine and figure out what else is wrong, without guaranteeing any assistance from the dealership or corporate.

Were currently at the stage in which their master mechanic has told us that the situation is a big deal, and very uncommon, but is also covering the dealerships *** by saying it all depends on what corporate says and that we most likely will be spending a large amount of money to fix this even with corporate pitching in and splitting it two or three ways.

As to the relationship with the dealership, our family has bought 3 lexuses, two of them from this particular dealership from 2000.






Can anybody give us any advice in terms of alternative options, filing safety complaints, or getting additional help from corporate?
Would we have more help from another dealership?
Can we still trust the engine?
Has this happened to anybody else with the same car?


By the way this is in the Bay Area.

hypervish

Welcome to Club Lexus!

That's unfortunate, hopefully things that resolved quickly.

When speaking to corporate, be sure to mention you have had/or still have 3 Lexus'. This will influence the decision they make.

My initial thought when reading this was that the oil line which had a recall blew (LSC 9LH - Variable Valve Timing with Intelligence (VVT-i) Oil Hose Replacement Limited Service Campaign). But, that doesn't seem to be the case.

Rainbird

Look up your mothers Lexus on the Lexus Owners Website (VIN needed). Verify that the 9LH Oil Hose recall was completed. It will be in the "Service History". I. am not at all confident that this dealership is leveling with you. This Oil Hose 9LH would cause exactly the problem you mother had. The link below will verify if the recall was done or not. If it was not done, I would be calling Lexus corporate.

https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/home

Adamjeeps

Did you have any prior service performed at the Lexus dealer? I hope for your sake you did and they did not perform the recall on the oil hose. This is of course assuming it was the oil line that failed.

kiwi

since you have no warranty, its clearly all customer pay, all they way.

but since you have bought many cars from them, and i will assume they do all of your service, i would sit down with the service manager and dealer owner and see if "goodwill" warranty would be able to cover it. if they say no, maybe strike a deal to get it to pay a portion.

i would not spend another dime investigating the cause of possible repair. at this point i would start looking for a used engine, since its out of a camry, it shouldnt be impossible to find one.

good luck

Carver

I agree with Kiwi, time to make Plan B. If you don't have a reliable mechanic now is the time to find one. You can source used engines locally, internet, even ebay. If Lexus kicks you to the curb you will need to get it replaced as inexpensively as possible.

$4000 for a look see is ridiculous, don't let them do that until you get an idea if Lexus is even going to make any kind of offer. No fishing expeditions.

LEXRX04

I would follow the steps they are suggesting. See if the recall has been done..Then ask to setup a time with the owner of that dealership to discuss the situation. With you being a loyal customer with them see if they are willing to help out. But make sure you don't get upset and if it doesn't go according to plan. The last resort would be to contact Lexus/Toyota Corp. Let them know the situation, and they might be willing to help. it is all how you conduct yourself, and know that it might take some time to make everything fall into place.

cdnewton

Prior to this event happening, were there any leaks on the garage floor? If you had a rear main seal leak going bad, you would see the oil on the garage floor.

The reason I ask, on our RX330, they have told us we have a rear main seal leak, but I still haven't seen any drips on the garage floor.

hypervish

Rear main seal leaks are usually minor, and will not empty the crankcase as soon as you add fluid. A rear main seal leak is gradual, usually only a few drops. This sounds like something completely different. You may have a rear main seal leak, but there has to be something in addition to that.

lexus114

I wouldnt want that motor anymore after being oil starved like that! Either a complete rebuild, or another engine completely.

Austinwsj

We appreciate all the comments and advice.

1. Were currently waiting to see what corporate will say. Its been a couple days with no new developments. They are pursuing the "goodwill" aspect, but were not sure how thats going to work out.

2. I don't buy the story about the rear main seal either. The car has never leaked until it completely failed. Problem is that its getting pretty expensive just to find out.

3. The 9HL oil like recall was performed by the same dealership in '10, and they have service records of the car, although the last few oil changes were done by myself. Could this really be the cause?

4. To the others that have mentioned Plan B, are there any reputable sites where I can source a used engine, and how difficult is it to get it registered? The cost must be high, as I understand the there is a transaxle in the way and you have to drop the subframe to get this engine out.

hypervish

In case things with corporate do not work out, you can look at www.car-part.com, it's a database of local salvage yards. You should be able to find a used engine.

Carver

Here's an engine with under 30k for 3600: http://www.ebay.com/itm/05-09-Lexus-...f2862b&vxp=mtr

There are many others on eBay, also check locally, you might be surprised. Check your regional forum here at CL to ask for a good local mechanic. Use the very best, a messed up engine install will haunt you until you get rid of the car.

thomas1

was the crankshaft pulley a recall for that Year.? If so wonder if it could have caused a major vibration failure in the oil pump system....

Grumpa72

Wow! Despite the lack of warning lights, continuing to drive the car home knowing that something HUGE was happening may not be something I would willing to share with Lexus! I suspect that Lexus is going to deny you simply due to mileage issues and the significant cost of engine repair/replacement. Fwiw, my daughter did a similar thing and she HAD lots of warning lights. She continued to drive until total failure and engine seizing.