gibbo37 Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 Hi all and apologies for the long post.... I'm just after some advice as I'm not really sure what I should do? Basically, two weeks ago I took delivery of a new shape Lexus GS 300 2005 on a 55 plate, which I purchased from a Lexus dealer. The main reason for buying from a Lexus dealer was that I managed to get an extra two years warranty and two years servicing included in the already reasonable purchase price plus I get peace of mind. Everything has been fine with the car up until last Sunday when a number of warning lights appeared in the dash and the car then wouldn't lock !! I took the car to my local Lexus dealer (not the dealer I bought the car from as they are 150 miles away) who spent the rest of the day trying to diagnose what the fault might be. They kept the car overnight and rang me yesterday to say that it could take days or even weeks to discover what is causing the fault and that this isn't the first time the car has had this problem. When they looked into the warranty claims they discovered that the car has had over £6,000 spent on it and the three different wiring looms replaced (the car only has three in total), trying to resolve the problem. I contacted the supplying dealer and they have agreed to collect the car from my local dealer and supply me with an equivalent loan car whilst they try and get to the bottom of the problem. The car is still within the 30 day or 1,000 miles no quibble exchange policy so I can reject the car if I want to, but my question is would you allow them to try and fix the car and if I do, do you think it will affect my right to exchange the car if I'm not happy? Any advice on any of the above would be really appreciated and if you think there is anything else I should be doing or asking for, please let me know - As a caveat to the above I have to say that they are being really good about it all and the dealer principle is looking after this himself, he has said that if they can't fix it they will find me an equivalent car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 I would reject and run away mate. The previous owner obviously tried pretty hard to get the issue resolved, you're just continuing his pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 Ditto Mac's advice. Reject, get money back and start again. Have a look on the web see if other GS owners have had/are having the same sort of issues. Then decide if you want to buy another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 Sadly, I guess it shows even Lexus can produce a lemon every now and then. Would be worth checking the Lexus Owners' Club forum - generally they are extremely good in terms of electrics, but I don't think this kind of thing is entirely unheard of. Given the warranty history of the car I'd be VERY tempted to make use of the 30 day exchange policy. They are a lovely car, so hopefully this won't entirely put you off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theduisbergkid Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 Agree 100% with the above, Lexus are generally a decent company, and if they were unable to fix it under warranty before you've no chance now. Take advantage of their exchange policy and swap it NOW or face prolonged nightmares with it ! Good luck Gibbo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibbo37 Posted September 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 Thanks very much for all your replies and I think you have just confirmed what I was already thinking, but it's always good to see what others think. If I was to ask for a replacement how close to the original do you think the new car should be in terms of age, mileage, value, colour etc ? I want to be fairly reasonable with them as they seem to be handling this pretty well so far. I spoke with the technician at the local dealership and he said that he has never had or heard of any similar issues with a GS 300 before and in fact said that out of the Lexus range it's the one car they have the least issues with - I guess I'm just unlucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theduisbergkid Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 Thanks very much for all your replies and I think you have just confirmed what I was already thinking, but it's always good to see what others think.If I was to ask for a replacement how close to the original do you think the new car should be in terms of age, mileage, value, colour etc ? I want to be fairly reasonable with them as they seem to be handling this pretty well so far. I spoke with the technician at the local dealership and he said that he has never had or heard of any similar issues with a GS 300 before and in fact said that out of the Lexus range it's the one car they have the least issues with - I guess I'm just unlucky. You should have the same expectations as you did when you bought this one, don't compromise because they've sold you a duffer, they knew it was a duffer (from their service records), so be firm but fair and I'm sure they'll see you right. They're all desperate for the business at the mo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 It does mean they'll sell it on to another punter. Shame, as it is a lemon (which is rare for Lexus!) They should ship it back to Japan for a thorough diagnosis. As TDK has said, don't let it put you off the brand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_Bee Posted September 5, 2008 Report Share Posted September 5, 2008 Is it the version with the keyless locking? My old 220 had this and sometimes radio interference messed up the signal and it wouldn't lock or unlock. Tended to be a very intermittent issue (I had it twice, the RAC van turning up seemed to block the rogue signal fixing the problem) and hard to recreate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saab Posted September 5, 2008 Report Share Posted September 5, 2008 You should have the same expectations as you did when you bought this one, don't compromise because they've sold you a duffer, they knew it was a duffer (from their service records), so be firm but fair and I'm sure they'll see you right. They're all desperate for the business at the mo. If it was me I would cut and run as well whilst the opportunity exists. Some cars will never be right, let someone else deal with this one. It's good to hear that you have received good customer service (and frankly as well you should having spent a considerable amount of money), but don't let that stop you from pushing them to provide you with an acceptable replacement - despite seemingly being helpful don't forget that you have been inconvenienced by the situation, and there is every likelihood that the "reasonable purchase price" was set in the knowledge that the car had caused problems in the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_hargreaves Posted September 5, 2008 Report Share Posted September 5, 2008 Just send it back and get your money back. Whether you have extended warranty doesn't matter, it'll just be constant hassle on your part if they can't fix it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibbo37 Posted September 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2008 Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to reply. Just as an update Lexus UK have delivered to me this morning a brand new 'Hybrid' GS 460H that is mine until they have either fixed mine or sourced me a new one. I also have the personal guarantee from the dealer principle that if they can't get to the bottom of the problem with my car, they will source me another one and are already in the process of looking for one. I'm really pleased with the way they are handling this so far and it certainly hasn't put me off the brand and the way they have treated me so far, is night and day compared with Audi UK, when I had gearbox issues with my 'just out of warranty' A8 D3. I think the only problem is going to be their's, when they try and take the 'Hybrid' off me ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted September 5, 2008 Report Share Posted September 5, 2008 Now THAT is customer service. You'd expect another dealer to give you a smaller 'inferior' car. But not Lexus! Top marks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theduisbergkid Posted September 5, 2008 Report Share Posted September 5, 2008 Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to reply.Just as an update Lexus UK have delivered to me this morning a brand new 'Hybrid' GS 460H that is mine until they have either fixed mine or sourced me a new one. I also have the personal guarantee from the dealer principle that if they can't get to the bottom of the problem with my car, they will source me another one and are already in the process of looking for one. I'm really pleased with the way they are handling this so far and it certainly hasn't put me off the brand and the way they have treated me so far, is night and day compared with Audi UK, when I had gearbox issues with my 'just out of warranty' A8 D3. I think the only problem is going to be their's, when they try and take the 'Hybrid' off me ;-) Fantastic, we often moan about crappy service, nice to hear someone doing it right for a change. Care to name the dealer ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibbo37 Posted September 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2008 Fantastic, we often moan about crappy service, nice to hear someone doing it right for a change. Care to name the dealer ? It's Lexus, Bury New Road in Manchester - They arranged for Lexus UK in Essex to deliver the 'Hybrid' to me in Swindon and are collecting my car from the Lexus dealer in Swindon, either today or Monday. They've kept me fully informed every step of the way and are doing their utmost to resolve the situation. It's good old fasioned customer service at the end of the day and I have to say after my bad experience with Audi, I'm really impressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted September 5, 2008 Report Share Posted September 5, 2008 Excellent news, and good to hear that from Lexus Manchester - one of my local dealers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarMad Posted September 5, 2008 Report Share Posted September 5, 2008 Excellent news, and good to hear that from Lexus Manchester - one of my local dealers! Yep thats the one I used to use, I was at the opening of the dealership as a Lexus owner at the time with Russell Watson singing. They even washed and valeted the car whilst I was enjoying myself. Nobody has beaten Lexus for service for me yet, glad they are still keeping the high standards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_hargreaves Posted September 9, 2008 Report Share Posted September 9, 2008 It's Lexus, Bury New Road in Manchester - They arranged for Lexus UK in Essex to deliver the 'Hybrid' to me in Swindon and are collecting my car from the Lexus dealer in Swindon, either today or Monday. They've kept me fully informed every step of the way and are doing their utmost to resolve the situation. It's good old fasioned customer service at the end of the day and I have to say after my bad experience with Audi, I'm really impressed. They are good guys there. Had a good experience with them when we had a problem with a Lexus P/X when I was at BMW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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