Lexus And Corrosion

[ihpj]

Hi Guys,

I wanted to report back my experience of dealing with Lexus on the issue of corrosion. I know this is a topic we have covered many times on this forum and perhaps none moreso than in relation to the RX. But I felt it important to post back my own experience in the hope that it might be of use to others.

We bought our RX as a used vehicle from Lexus Croydon. It has a full Lexus Warranty until February 2008. In November 2007, the roof bars were showing signs of accelerated corrosion and I asked Lexus Milton Keynes to kindly have them replaced under Warranty. I was promptly informed that the Lexus Warranty on my car did not cover replacement of such items as the roof bars were considered 'trim'. Had my car been under the original 3 yr factory warranty, then yes, they would - but seeing as I had a car that was 3+ yrs old, this was a specific exclusion under the terms of my Lexus Warranty.

I was told that the roof bars themselves cost some £650 +VAT and then labour to fit them. I was not satisfied with this response so raised it with Lexus. Who, to their great credit, didn't take long to respond. The long and short of the situation is that they finally agreed to provide the roof bars FOC, but I would have to pay the cost of labour to fit them. Which is a result because with new roof bars, it will tidy up the whole exterior visage of the car :)

The reason I have posted this is because:

1. If your car is outside of the original 3 yrs factory warranty, but covered under the Lexus extended warranty, then you will not get the same level of protection for items such as your alloy wheels and/or roof bars.

2. I used the experiences of other LOC members (and this forum) to highlight the issue of corrosion - citing that these are very well known problems on Lexus vehicles, in particular the RX.

3. If you stand your ground, use rational arguments and are polite (but firm) then you will get a positive response from Lexus. Might take a bit of effort on your part, but never the less, you should get the result you are after.

4. If you don't have the extended Leus Warranty, then I think you will be hard pushed to get anything out of Lexus.

I think it is well worth an additional mention that we have been very satisfied with the way in which Lexus Customer Services have gone about dealing with our concerns. They have given personal responses, provided appropriate rational (to their POV) and been quick to reply. There has been no unnecessary foot dragging nor have they prevaricated in any way. And you have to commend them on their approach.

I hope people find this of use and informative. For us, we will be renewing our Lexus Warranty in February 2008 (for another year) because we feel it is well worth having (but thats another debate altogether!).

[T7RY B]

I have never seen a rusty RX and thi is the first time I have seen it raised on this forum.

My car is 7 years old and NO rust whatsoever.

[NickS]

I have never seen a rusty RX and thi is the first time I have seen it raised on this forum.

My car is 7 years old and NO rust whatsoever.

Maybe the car itself does not rust but there are many comments about corroding roof rails and alloy wheels. One that sticks in my mind from a member was about the tyres lasting longer than the wheels!

What a pity these fine cars are tainted by such weaknesses. I think "ihpj" has summarised exactly what I understand. Fortunately my car was inside the original 3 years when the roof rails were replaced free, presumably because Lexus GB picks up the tab, not the dealer?

Happy new year, all.

Nick

[ihpj]

Thanks muchly to NickS for picking up on the point I was trying to make.

The issue of corrosion is in relation to the roof rails and alloy wheels. Both of which seem to have been reported many times on the RX (and IS?) threads too. I just felt I should post back my own experience since people may think (or be lead to believe) that if they have the Lexus AUC Warranty/Extended Warranty then issues like corrosion to 'trim' will be put right under the terms of the Warranty - this is clearly not the case. IMHO the Extended Warranty is still very good value for money, however this, like many other such Warranty extensions from manufacturers exclude 'trim' (amongst others). But, this should not prevent you from seeking assistance given that Lexus are well aware of these issues themselves and an otherwise pretty damn good SUV is let down by these niggling issues [of corrosion].

However, full credit to Lexus Customer Services for getting involved and resolving matters.