RXSF

as i mentioned before, since you took the car off the lot, the dealer doesnt know what you had done to it, how many times you washed it, or whether or not it was there before. I dont think they can be held liable at this point.

However, bringing it to the detailer and it got worse? I think you have to take that up with the detailer. Im assuming that Lexus only suggested that you bring the car there as a solution.

afpj

Ah ha! So it is possible to have a dark colored non-swirled vehicle. I've just never really seen one out here with the blowing dust and sand. I suppose in the showroom...but then again, I infrequently look that close since I'm partial to light colored cars. If it's any consolation, the paint's been broken in. You just have to break in the rest of the car. Hope Lexus comes through to your satisfaction.

codyrx

A reply for clarification on the last 4-5 posts. We drove 350 miles on a Friday, spent Saturday test driving an Audi Q5, Cadillac SRX and lastly the Lexus which is what she wanted from the git go. By the time we finished our test drive of a red RX350 and decided we wanted it, it was nearing 6pm. We had dinner reservations which we were gonna be late for. The wife decided she liked the saphire black one with black interior best, it was outside up in front of the dealership elevated but like all teh vehicles on the front lot, it had a good layer of dust on it from the busy downtown blvd that the dealership is on. We told them to get the papers together on it and we would go eat and then return to sign and take the Lexus home. When the Lexus was pulled around front for us to take delivery, it was already dark outside. It was still kinda wet and of course looked nice and shiny in the lighted lot. The next morning (Easter Sunday) we got up early had breakfast and drove it the 350 miles home. I didn't even get to look at it closely with the Sun shining on it til we got home Sunday afternoon. Which is when we saw the swirls, I contacted the dealer first thing Monday morning to let them know what we had discovered. The vehicle was obviously never washed by anyone but the dealership when the problem was identified. It was the dealership Lexus Customer service lady that instructed us to then take it to a particular detail shop to be evaluated and then later buffed, all of which was paid for by the dealership directly. Well I guess we'll see what the outcome is, I expect more from Lexus than a cold shoulder and a sorry.....your screwed, but only time will tell. The worst part about all of this is that none of my issues are truly Lexus's fault, they are the fault of I am guessing, one man or woman that works at that dealership that made the blessed mistake of improperly washing a brand new vehicle. Now as to whether or not the dealership takes responsibility for that and does the right thing.......?

afpj

Indeed, taking delivery at night has been a problem. We had to do the same thing because of scheduling, but when we found defects in the daylight, the dealership owned up and fixed them. Hope you will be treated the same.

kitlz

codyrx, sorry to hear you're having problems with your RX. I hope the dealer and/or Lexus do the right thing. Can I suggest contacting a few of the amazing CL vendors here that detail cars to see what they would suggest - i.e. if it's correctable or not. Dealers are in the business of selling and servicing cars. Prepping is not necessarily one of their strongest points even if the car is brand spanking new. Good luck.

MEP7557

I have to say I would be throwing a fit. Lexus, I thought, was supposed to be better than this. One problem and they go running. It's not like a total loss for them, they should be able to resale it to someone who won't care about the swirls and enjoy the discount off the original price.

At this point I would only be talking to corporate. The dealer is simply going to try to patch it.

Good Luck. I feel your pain. Maybe you should have them look at this forum and see how everyone feels about this situation.

siamiam

shame to hear about your troubles

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jquinn14

I've had the same problem. Took my car in to repair the electrical shorting out (which they traced to a small hole in the roof of the car that was channelling water down the driver's door to the electrical under/near the floorboard). While the car was in the shop and engineers from the North America production line were inspecting it, someone managed to ding/dent the passenger side door and then cover it up with gloppy touch up paint. Of course, once I noticed it I was beside myself (car only had 1000 miles on it at this point!) and took it straight back to the dealer. They "fixed" it, but now I have very noticable swirl marks in the paint of my passenger door. They've tried to do a second round of polishing (we needed to wait at least a month in between to do a really good job, blah, blah, blah), but you can still see the swirls. Very disappointing service and solution. Good luck with yours!

Jabberwock

Good luck dealing with Lexus and I hope it works out and they do right by you.

This should be a lesson to everyone buying a car. Never EVER accept delivery of a new expensive car and drive it off the lot without performing a careful very detailed inspection of the exterior and interior. Insist on doing it on a dealer washed and detailed delivery prepped car and do the inspection only in bright daylight outside or indoors under bright lights. Any defects need to be noted in writing and dealer has to state in writing that they will repair to your satisfaction or you don't take delivery. Or just delay taking delivery till they repair or replace. This obviously is a hassle and takes longer, and its more hassle for everyone, but if you want a perfect car you have to put in the time and trouble to make sure its perfect.

codyrx

Well here is the latest. I went to body shop #3 yesterday per Lexus to have them look at what its going to take to make the paint look like a new car and not a 2 year old swirled up car. They stated that they would have to remove the headlights,taillights,mirrors, door handles, tape off the trim, and spend endless hours first with a polish and then several more steps for protection,wax,glaze,etc. Estimate is in the $2000+ range. I have advised my dealership and Lexus that this is unacceptable and I will not accept this option! They are supposed to be getting back with me sometime today. I guess we'll see how much Lexus cares about having happy customers.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Factory paint is so thinly applied,it's tough wet sanding.Glazes will just temporarily fill the swirls.A repaint is worse.
I'd want another RX.Too much aggrivation and future paint worries.
I have friends and relative car nuts who do not want the dealer to exterior prep a dark color vehicle for pickup.
I never let the dealer wash my RX and it's silver.
Black isn't just a color to care for,it's an obsession.

codyrx

Well here is the final word from Lexus......I am officially screwed! Lexus advised me that this is not a warranty issue and that they cannot mandate the dealership that scratched this vehicle to do the right thing. The last body shop gave my dealership a multi thousand $ estimate to buff out all the scratches and now all of a sudden the dealership is advising me that the scratches are normal and that they are actually under the clearcoat. Heck of a great car buying experience, I thought buying a Lexus meant something more than buying a Toyota, but I guess not. I can tell you that I will not EVER own another Lexus and will do everything within my power to steer peers and friends away from buying one. My ordeal has been simply unbelievable! We will be driving our scratched up Lexus only as long as it will be neccessary to get rid of it, and then we'll be buying something else!

P.S. If you cant tell by my tone, I am not a happy camper!

DNC

The fault belongs to Lexus, their finish is crap. My dealership gave up on getting the light scratches and swirl marks out of our black LS. They told me if I could find anyone that could fix it they would pay the bill, and they did just as they promised. I went to a number of body shops who wanted nothing to do with a black Lexus. I finally found the answer myself after researching it on line for a couple of months. The fix is Meguiars Ultimate Compound applied with an orbital buffer at 4000 rpms.
After that it will be up to you to care for the finish. I would advise you to spend some time on line researching it.
For me it has been a bad experience. I have a wash pit and my wash procedure includes a two bucket wash (buckets have grates in the bottom to allow dirt to settle to the bottom), I use only high quality mitts, professional car soap, a foam gun, and highest quality microfiber waffle weave drying towels.
If this new paint job they are doing on the LS proves to be of better quality I will replace this LS when the new one is 2 years old. And it will be white so it can hide any scratches or swirls.
Twenty years ago when Lexus was introduced the paint finish was the first problem to appear, and it's still a major issue. Just this week I paid a professional detail guy to come out to my shop and detail my car's finish to my instructions. He worked 3 days with me looking over him every minute. He is a real champ at sticking with such a hard job. I have him come to my shop and use only my equipment so I can make sure everything is done just as I ask. This works in keeping the car's finish looking good but it's getting very old as there are other things I had rather be doing.
I wish you luck.

MEP7557

WOW! I can't believe that's how the dealership and Lexus would leave this situation. I would be furious. As much as I love my Lexus if I were treated like that I would boycott as well. I would be posting things about the dealership where ever you can. I feel it is the dealers responsibility first on this situation and Lexus should be there to support you and force the dealers hand to correct it.

I am very sorry you had such a horrible experience, especially for the price you have pay for these vehicles.

RXSF

not really surprised by their conclusion. It is true that it is not a warranty issue. sorry about that