ndk83

My sister is in the market for a new car, she has her heart set on and put a downpayment on a 2005 lexus SC430 in excellent conidition and very very low i milage.

I want to check the car out before she purchases it and Im not sure if taking it to do the checkup at the dealership ($220)is worth the $150 dhs over the garage ($70)

Now the question is, do i take the car to get checked out at Lexus (where they will perform a mechanical checkup and a chassis checkup and provide a report?)

Or is taking it to a unaffiliated garage to do a basic systems and visual check up gonna give the exact same results?


Right now, im under the impressions (maybe incorrectly) that the dealership would do a more thorough check. This is the route that ill go if its true

Thoughts?

Is the dealership checkup much better than a indepedant garage?

cjs18

I'd say that when compared with the cost of the vehicle, $70 is nearly insignificant, so what you're really most concerned with is getting a quality assessment. All things being equal, the dealership should be ultimately familiar with the car and have the highest level of expertise for detecting and correcting problems. It should also have all the special service tools and information available for the technicians. From what you describe they may do a more thorough check than the independent facility but that doesn't mean that you couldn't get a good evaluation from either. In any case, for about $200US you should get a couple hours' work and a detailed written assessment or check sheet. I would try to get documented compliance with any TSBs and a copy of the dealer service history. Beyond that, you can find a number of threads in this forum that give detailed checklists of areas of concern to check. You'll find that the engine and drivetrain are almost bulletproof but there are a few potential trouble spots that could become costly. You're painting a picture of a 6-year-old Lexus that hasn't been driven much so if it's had all its scheduled maintenance I wouldn't expect any big problems.

76210Guy

Sometimes that little extra buys a lot of peace of mind.

ndk83

for $200, the car stays with lexus for 3 days. luckly the owner agreed.
i plan on getting the results of all the tests documented.
thanks for this post was quite informative

VVTiBob

If you are going to pay the $220 at Lexus I'd suggest you ask them to SPECIFICALLY inspect the car as if it were going to put on their lot as a CPO car or Certified Pre-Owned. That inspection includes the following:

Every detail is inspected by Lexus-trained technicians, right down to first aid kits and spare tires. A small squeak or faint odor is enough to disqualify a vehicle.

- Technicians perform a mechanical inspection and computer diagnosis of the engine
- The exterior is checked for dings, dents and scratches
- The upholstery, audio systems, power windows and locks are part of the interior inspection
- The safety and security of airbags, seatbelts, brake pads and rotors, plus tire tread depth is assessed
- The undercarriage is checked, including wheel alignment, chassis, frame rails and subframe
- The upholstery in the luggage compartment is evaluated, along with the spare tire and first aid kit
- A road test is performed to check for engine noises, handling issues, interior squeaks, rattles and vibrations

Then ask them to carefully inspect and comment on: the wheels for bent rims, all speakers, but especially the door speakers (woofers) for being blown, and the trunk and hood struts. Then I'd get the VIN and go to the Lexus website http://drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/home and get the maintenance history. Or, if you use the dealer, ask them for the FULL maintenance history.

Good luck with her purchase.

ndk83

Excellent post, thanks alot, very valuable information posted here, will take this info with me to the dealer

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

Very nice! $200 is WELL worth the time, investment, etc to have the car checked out right. Think of this-a car fax costs a good portion of that and it's not even close to being accurate and tells you really not much about how the car was taken care of, the condition of the mechanical operation, maint. history and minor paint work.

Good luck!

Some tests you can run on your own:

Really listen to the car with everything off in a garage or silent place...listen for chirping from the belts-the serpentine belt goes out every 3-5 years on these cars
With the car running open hood and visually inspect, then lay a towel down on the ground and slide under the car (or as much of you as you can) and look for any leaks and feel for any exhaust leaks (air coming out of cats or y-pipe or axle-back exhaust)
Mark Levinson speakers are known to go out on these cars....put in a cd of your own and test the front speakers only, then front left, front right, rear left, etc etc and push them to make sure none of them are popping.
Measure your tire tread...follow standard guidelines
Measure brake pad depth-if you can see (depending if they have twists or dinner plate wheels)
Turn on all accessories-don't forget about the headlight washers and the mirror tilt operation when you go in reverse!
Put top down and up, and repeat process
Push down on the front corners and rear corners of the car to test suspension return speed-if it's slow to bounce back check for leaks in the wheel well from struts
Test rear trunk and front hood struts-these commonly go out too. They should allow the trunk/hood to go up with not much pull/push and should stay in place. If they sag or come down on their own then you may have a problem
Get a turkey thermometer or any thermometer from home and test the A/C temp on full blast at the vent....should be under 40 degrees

Many others...these are just some of the major ones I'd do.

cjs18

The full CPO checklist: http://www.lexus.com/cpo/pdf/CPO_161_Checklist.pdf

I would be interested to know if this is what the dealer is proposing for the ~$200 cost. Thanks.

76210Guy

I want to invite YOU to come with me next time I buy a car! Great advice.

scdroptop

iTrader: (1)

Lol...thanks. Been burned too much to NOT learn what to look for. I recently fell in love with a gorgeous super low 07 PB at a local dealer and found out it had paint work by looking at VIN stickers that were mismatched, feeling for tape lines and finding overspray on some hidden gaskets, etc and asked to see a paint meter and showed the dealer. They came back and said the story was they "touched up" at their body shop so I asked them to see the records of that and they told me to take a hike! LOL...must be SOME reason why they were hiding, right????

KaiserSea1

++

Having a good body guy is paramount.

ndk83

So interestingly, I took the car to get it checked out at Lexus here in the UAE. I printed out the US lexus CPO checklist and took it with me, I thought they would be able to use it as a checklist and fill it out, but apparantly there is a diff branch of Al Futtaim (but unrealted to lexus) that does the buy-backs and checks on used cars. So interestingly enough the Lexus peeps dont and cant do the full check up like i had hoped. However for less than $100 i get a mechanical check for the major components, as well check the electrical and computer bits.

Im having a problem wthe VSC light, i read on here that alot of these cars incorrectly throw the VSC light on the dash even though there is nothing wrong w the VSC. Problem is it takes a few mins of the VSC light to come on, so anytime u want to replicate the problem at the dealership the light doent turn on. I explain that to them and told to make sure they replicate the problem cause the light WILL turn on. They informed me they can only fix the prob if the car flashes a light.

What exactly is the problem w the VSC light going off and how do i explain to them how to fix it?