My Lexus Experience...

[bitonw]

Hi All,

I bought my first Lexus IS200 SE Auto W reg in the UK at an non Lexus dealer somewhere on the other side of the river in 2005 when I was living in Bristol. On this vehicle I got 3 months warranty from that dealer. Any way to make a long story short I never got any warranty and changed the lower ball joints my self, £100, 6 bolts and 45 min later job done.

This was for me the lesson never buy an Lexus at an non Lexus dealer!

So with this wisdom I bought via the Internet / phone an Toyota Rav4 for my girl friend at Valentine's day at Toyota Guildford. We never saw or test drove the Rav4 and on an Saturday we collected from Guildford. Everything was arranged I only had to give them the keys of the old PX VW Polo and put some signatures. The MOT will be posted since it was still in the computer. There it was and we drove away. What a nice car, drives very well and was in show room state! An real Pre-Owned Approved Toyota car. The only thing was that it didn't had the Radio / CD unit but an Radio / Cassette unit. But via e-Bay that problem was sorted quickly. I can tell you that she was very happy with this car as I do. After some weeks we got the MOT by post as promise. Very well done job of Toyota Guildford!

So my trust in an real brand dealer was growing. Since my Lexus was on 90k miles I was thinking to get another IS. Because of my new job I drive 106 miles a day.

After searching the Internet site of Lexus I saw an nice Feb 2003 IS200 SE Auto with only 21k miles at Lexus Bolton. Also they had an special offer over the month March what sounded attractive. So I arranged everything over the phone. This was like an new car they told me, we had even put Brand new tires on it. On an Saturday (March 4Th) I drove to Bolton with my Aztec Red IS to PX. I had to wait since I was a bit early. The Vehicle wasn't there but they were still repairing it for collection. Finally it was time to do the papers but the MOT certificate was wrong, wrong registration so they couldn't get an Tax disc from the Post Office... They tried and other Post Office who accepted the wrong MOT and they managed to get an Tax disc. Also other errors were made with my name on some documents like Gap insurance. After signing the papers I got the keys. Well the keys but not the grey spare key and the key numberplate. Oh, yes? Oh we will trace the previous owner about that. So off I go without an MOT, Spare key, key numberplate & wrong papers (my name). But I didn't care since this was an Lexus Pre-Owned Approved vehicle with all the warranty you can get.

The MOT came by post after 1 week so that was OK. While driving home i notest that this car was different than my old one. After some days I checked the tire pressure they were on about 28psi. I always had my tires on 33psi so I changed that. Also the car was different with the tracking. On the motorway not really a problem but on the country road close to my work very bad, so bad that I had to correct the car with both hands not to drop of the tarmac! What a shock, I drove the same road with my previous IS and didn't had this problem so badly...

After 2 weeks I spoke with Lexus Bolton about this and they told me to come back with the vehicle or go to any Lexus Centre since I had all the warranty. Well living in Birmingham and working at an Games company I don't have the time to drive all the way up to Bolton just like that. So I arranged an visit at Lexus Wolverhampton what is closer to me, I live at the west side of Birmingham close to the M5 junction 3. They couldn't't help me direct since I need an loan car so it took some time to book the car in. In the mean time my list with problems was growing and growing. I told Lexus Bolton that I was very unhappy with a car like this and started to ask my self the question how a car like this could had the Lexus Pre-Owned Approved status any way. Bolton told well the car has an brand new MOT... he he he MOT what is that, it's just a test on safety and nothing else. See my list with problems. I told them before the 30 days that I didn't want the car any more, I have 30 days exchange... Told them that I was even prepared to pay some more money for a better car. Yeah a better car, we have an IS250 for about £600 a month or another IS200 for about £400 a month, were the alternative they could offer me. I'm paying now about £300 a month. Not really interesting on my side.

In the mean time Lexus Finance made a mistake and took the Direct Debit from the wrong account so that I got an fine since I was closing that account, no monies on it. After some hard words and faxes they paid the fine back to me.

Well I was just wondering what is this Lexus Experience??? For me it became more and more an nightmare!!!

The vehicle went to Lexus Wolverhampton for the tracking and some other problems. A full alignment was needed, what I already knew. Now I also knew whey Lexus Bolton did put new tires on this vehicle after about 20k miles, tracking...

Any way after collection, they give me a very nice black GS SE-L as loan car, the tracking wasn't improved so on a Saturday morning I went with the chef mechanic to test drive the vehicle. He concluded that it was indeed still not correct and an other appointment was needed. He told me that they had difficulties to adjust the tracking after speaking with the mechanic.

This time the car was booked for 2 days with a loan car. Arrived at Lexus Wolverhampton to bring the vehicle I had to wait for the loan car. After 52 min. waiting the loan car was still under it's way from London to Wolverhampton so I went in the IS to my work, was about 1 hour to late...

According Lexus Wolverhampton it's better to go back to Lexus Bolton since my list is quite big.

So I'm back at the beginning... Bought an Lexus Pre-Owned Approved Toyota re-badged plastic box on wheels for way to much money compared with an non Lexus dealer. And have the same problems???

For me it's clear, no more Lexus for me! *** I hate this car, I hate this whole Lexus image, empty words, no more than that. I miss my old IS, okay it was an old (W reg) car but it drove fine...

Let's see how this problem will be sorted... Will keep this forum informed.

Biton

The (growing) list with the problems of the IS200 SE Auto, MD52 aaa.

- When starting the engine, some times the engine ticks over on 1500 rpm and I smell some Petrol! This happened on an afternoon when the weather was warm... So no need for the engine to use the choke. Airco was OFF!

- If the car USN't being used over the weekend and I press the brake peddle it feels hard with no movement on the peddle. As soon as I start the engine the brake peddle goes down. Looks like vacuum problem to me.

- When cold (not used over the weekend) the transmission really bangs in the R or D, very annoying when you are parked between cars! Also you will need to press the brakes very hard to stop the car from moving. Wrong oil? To thick?

- Heavy steering by times, more with cold weather. Slipping belt?

- Leaking drivers door, some times drops of water (from the top of the door) inside the car when driving and it makes a lot of wind noise when driving above 60mph.

- Some tyres are not keeping their pressure, losing between 2-5 psi. Adjust them with 33psi and after some days they drop to 28 - 32. I check the pressure in the morning when cold at the same filling (BP)station.

- Tracking (still) not correct.

- Brakes are making some times some noise when braking. They vibrating (on steering and peddle) if braking from 70mph or faster. Disc's bent?

[Gord]

No fun is it mate i have same problems with lexus doing warranty work (or not doing as the case may be) keep telling me everything is ok, but its not, coz im just the man in the street then i must be wrong.

I dont know who lexus think they are at times, i can see number 1 slot going very soon :o

[Ro1]

I've placed two calls to my dealer about problems with my new IS250. The sales manager and service manager each promised me a call back with an appintment. That was six weeks ago and four weeks ago. I have yet to hear from them.

I am extremely disappointed with this level of service after spending EUR 60k on a new car.

[Pip]

Lexus Bolton says it all mate. Did you not hear that they were under seige last year or earlier this year by a lone gunman? LMFAO!!

He has taken the longest post award from me.

[The Count]

Totally agree - the service from my local Lexus main dealer has been crap. In the end I had to go to Lexus GB to sort it out - and they were very helpful.

[Scarlet Pimpernell]

Guys - from my experiences the problems are common:

1) the people on the end of the phone are just people, many will have come from other dealerships and won't always delight you ('cos that's something which is in a persons nature IMHO or has to be enforced) unless they know what is expected of them

2) Private/independant dealerships, from my experience, are always much better than multi franchised groups, as the top guy is focused on what Lexus stands for, not juggling between various and delivering the lowest!!

3) the Dealer Head Honcho's (i.e. Dealer principals) will take these things seriously - give the bod on the end of the phone one chance, then escalate.

4) Lexus GB are incredibly receptive to any complaints from a customer. Let's face it - Cust Sat is what sell's cars and the Lexus Branding is based quite heavily and directly on that. So they will defend their rights to maintain the quality of service and therefore act in your favour. Which is great!!

5) All dealers are there to sell. It's what makes up nearly all of the targets with the Manufacturer. The sales people have targets to hit. A car salesman will always be a car salesman...

6) Sorry for the motherhood statement, but I would never buy anything so expensive without driving it first. I know your experience of a Rav 4 was great buying over the phone, but there is always a risk when doing that (and I take your point of Lexus Customer Care - like I say it effectively gave you the confidence). Even if you drive the car on the day of collecting it, minor glitches will be "forgiven" due to the excitement of the car. Had you driven it before, you may have insisted on certain assurances and fixes based on a drive.

[snake]

Sorry but i have to agree with jambo.

I would never buy a car without first taking it for a test drive.

I also have to say my buying experience from a franchised lexus dealer of my IS200 sport has been nothing short of fantastic.

In fact it's the best customer service i have ever had from any company !!!

My IS was also given a full RAC inspection before they were even allowed to sell it as a pre-approved lexus, you should ask if yours was given an RAC inspection as i believe this is now mandatory for all pre-approved lexus.

I will let you know if their standards drop as i have owned the car for 3 months now and 3 of the alloys have started to corrode ( A common problem i am told), lets see if my warranty will cover this as i asked about the alloys before i went to see the car and was told they were all good and if not they would simply fit a new set.

Good luck with getting yours fixed, if they give you grief just keep hold of the courtesy car !!!!!!!

[trevman]

I've noticed that since the IS250 was launched Lexus dealers seem to be reluctant to do much warranty work on IS200's, Especially handling or gearbox issues.

It seems they have their hands full with IS250 warranty jobs. Maybe it's something to do with the company that runs their warranty scheme ?

[bitonw]

Hi,

My biggest disappointment is that it's a Lexus Approved Pre-Owned vehicle with all the papers / MOT / RAC Inspection Report / Mileage check / 30 days exchange / etc, etc. You start making your self the question, How can it being sold like this?

I could better buy it from a non Lexus Dealer for £2 / £3 cheaper and used that difference to make it a sound car?

And yes, my mistake was indeed to buy this car without an test drive, but you can exchange it within 30 days (that’s what I was trying)... Another lesson learned!

Update, Lexus Bolton should call me back about an appointment to book the car in yesterday (18 May) I'm still waiting...

I hope to drive around soon with a star on my hood, going back to my roots.

Biton

[NetOne]

All dealerships are running independently, they usually don't care much about individual issue but your money. If you have any problem that really concerns you after having booked the car in to fix one or twice, you should at least NOT to go back to that same dealerships and try another one. But the best solution is to contact the Lexus Head Office informing them about the issue and obtain the proper procedure for the fix. They are the only one who really care about the Lexus reputation, I have to admit that they take very good care for Lexus owners.

Keep in mind that after making complaint to Lexus Head Office, don't go back to that particular dealership for any service as it won't do you any good at all. It happened to couple people I know

[maneesh]

I feel for ya dude. I had many issues after buying my series 1 LS from a Lexus dealer (this was when they had 3 years warranty on used cars).

The car's first service was quoted as 6k (I even have the original quote!!). I complained to Lexus GB, and their letter back admitted the car had suffered a very hard life (according to their records), but there was nothing they could do for me. I trusted their approved used car scheme. An independent mechanic reckoned the car had been clocked, but we had no proof.

I would find it hard to buy from dealer again.

Don't lose faith in Lexus mate. Buy a car that's been looked after by a LOC member. I bought one my GS from this site, and it's been pampered.

[DJR]

I've had problems with Lexus returning phone calls - was after quotes on the value on my IS200, went to 2 dealers who said they would call back and never did. I've also phoned for service and never been called back etc... After the servicing problems (including being lied to) I emailed the dealer principle and got a phone call back the next day. I think he was apologising, but could have been wrong as I felt he was very aggressive on the phone defending actions of the dealer (I resented it being made out that the reason that there was no courtesy car (necessary as dealer opens at 8 and closes at 5 and I work 8-6) was my fault and that I couldn't expect them to have cars available - I feel that that is their problem not mine)

[baby_lexus]

Snake : The RAC inspection means nothing at all. I bought an IS300 that had after many checks turned out to have been in at least 3 crashes.... the worst was a front wing not aligned properly at all. I think used cars from dealers are absolutely pants. The replacement they offered was from Bolton.... it came and was rejected by the dealership I was dealing with, because the bodywork was not up to scratch...evidence of damage.... but it was passed by the RAC !!

The dealers are loosing it as far as I am concerned. Great car.... bad service. JD Power might have something to say !

[Pip]

I am telling you now people put too much faith in RAC inspections and other things like Hpi checks. They dont reveal everything.

There are many cars out there that are cat D damaged or worse that are not even logged into the insurance register as damaged, they are escaping and being put into a grey area. These are then being resold by 'dealers', patched up and being sold at a big profit.

I know of a few guys doing this and making a very good living.

[bitonw]

Don't lose faith in Lexus mate. Buy a car that's been looked after by a LOC member. I bought one my GS from this site, and it's been pampered.

Well I do, Sorry no more Lexus in my life. There are lots of other good brands around.

Update; Still waiting for a phone call from Lexus Bolton to book the car in. It's starting to become the never ending story... Even that grey spare key is still underway from Germany. If I had a pushbike I could easily cycle and collect it! Bear in mind I bought this vehicle in March 4th 2006…

[Rob]

i started laughing the second i read LEXUS BOLTON - i knew it was going to be bad - lets say that they have lived up to the reputation they have on here! = total and utter s**t

[mattstheone]

Who owns Lexus Bolton

as they are all a franchise

I must admit I use Birmingham and i hate to say it i have never had a bad time with them

had a Cam belt fitted and after 6 months i removed the cam cover and thought the belt was splitting

phoned them and the service manager asked me to take the car to them ASAP, they swapped the belt

but even gave me a courtesey car there and then

i even got them to drop the price on work £800 ish to £680 for

new drive hub ,new disks pads sports grill power steer oil change diff oil change gear box oil change

and a IS250 for the weekend

and i think they are owned by listers i think could be wrong

Birmingham i salute you

Matt

and no i dont work for them

[Pip]

Whoever owns it needs to severely catch a dose of something nasty.

[Gord]

Who owns Lexus Bolton

as they are all a franchise

I must admit I use Birmingham and i hate to say it i have never had a bad time with them

had a Cam belt fitted and after 6 months i removed the cam cover and thought the belt was splitting

phoned them and the service manager asked me to take the car to them ASAP, they swapped the belt

but even gave me a courtesey car there and then

i even got them to drop the price on work £800 ish to £680 for

new drive hub ,new disks pads sports grill power steer oil change diff oil change gear box oil change

and a IS250 for the weekend

and i think they are owned by listers i think could be wrong

Birmingham i salute you

Matt

and no i dont work for them

RRG own Lexus Bolton + Lexus Manchester and now Lexus Stockport and Toyota Dealer's all over the northwest

[Scarlet Pimpernell]

Who owns Lexus Bolton

as they are all a franchise

I must admit I use Birmingham and i hate to say it i have never had a bad time with them

had a Cam belt fitted and after 6 months i removed the cam cover and thought the belt was splitting

phoned them and the service manager asked me to take the car to them ASAP, they swapped the belt

but even gave me a courtesey car there and then

i even got them to drop the price on work £800 ish to £680 for

new drive hub ,new disks pads sports grill power steer oil change diff oil change gear box oil change

and a IS250 for the weekend

and i think they are owned by listers i think could be wrong

Birmingham i salute you

Matt

and no i dont work for them

Slightly wayward from Biton's issue, but when you say Birmingham, do you mean Lexus Sutton Coldfield>? I ask 'cos they were fab when I went there for a test drive. They knew I was not gonna buy an IS250 from them, but they gave me an hours test drive just so that I could decide whether the leather was really worth it, and also just to check out that Auto box (I drove a black base 250 Auto).

So it does show, not all the dealers are brilliant; one or two need a quick splatting with a kipper!!

The other point of complaining to HQ and then using your dealer - well I did just that and guess what? The dealer fixed all of the issues in one single hit and I even got to meet the Dealer principal who assured me of good service in the future...and all lessons they learnt!! So I would suggest that you speak to someone at the top as soon as you get an issue. If you are genuinely complaining and have a poiunt, human nature will wear them down (unless they really are bad...)...

[bitonw]

Jamboo,

I had contact with Lexus UK about that spare key... It's now the end of May... Still no key...

[Scarlet Pimpernell]

Jamboo,

I had contact with Lexus UK about that spare key... It's now the end of May... Still no key...

If it was sold as an approved used car then Lexus GB ought to pull their finger out.

Contact Steve Settle...at LGB. His office ought to be interested, and Alex Kirby or another (very helpful) person will be in touch (unless you've done that already). Even an email will suffice.

This is very surprising...

Try these email address's if you haven't already:

Alex.Kirkby@lgb.lexus.co.uk

steve.settle@lgb.lexus.co.uk

gill.want@lgb.lexus.co.uk

Good luck

[bitonw]

Hi Jamboo,

Thanks for your advise!

Yes, It was a fully Lexus Pre-Owned Approved vehicle with all the papers etc etc. That’s why I had all the confidence that it should be a good car… This is also my biggest disappointment, how can a Official Lexus dealer sell a car like this one…

I had email / phone contact with:

Sean Lester

Lexus Customer Account Manager

[Rob]

i spoke with cust services a few times about bolton after getting crap service and bad attitude from the dealer principle - the reply was the dealers are all independant and they do do what they want!

[nwc100]

I have always found Lexus Ipswich too offer a really good service department, Gavin there seems to be able to make time to talk about your problems and is normally spot on with a diagnosis, I know its not local too many people its a 50 odd mile drive for me but he willl aalways get me a courtesy car and lets me bring my car in at 8am and return last thing in the evening so ican get back home for the day.

He is really helpful and well worth a visit if all else fails!

Nick