Please Help And Advice With Ongoing Case

[hsiaolc]

Dear members,

I used to be a very happy Lexus owner just about 6 months ago. I am running out of options so I come to you and ask for advice and help.

The problem started 6 months ago when I took my car in for a recall of engine valve springs. At first I was very skeptical about the entire process because it is a complicated procedure, so I called up Edgware Lexus dealer (closes to me) to ask if they have done this recall before. Their reply was they have done it on similar cars and so I shouldn't worry about taking my car in for a recall.

First thing I would like you to know a bit about me. I am a hypermiler meaning I care about MPG a lot and I would like to juice out as much as can out of hybrids.

When the car was fixed a problem arrised. At first I just thought there were extra petrol in the system so the car smelled like petrol in the cabin. I only realised the problem when I came out the car and I can smell petrol maybe 20 meters away from the car. To cut the story short the petrol was leaking from the petrol filter. If you put your finger on it you will be covered with petrol. I didn't make it into a big deal and they gave me a bottle of champaign and a tank of petrol to compensate the error.(I don't drink and of course they blame it on many many things other than their own error)

But through out this experince I thought the MPG was down by a lot but contributed that factor to the Petrol leak. However, one of their service tech actually corrected me in saying that a petrol leak would not results in such a heavy MPG loss. I used to be able to get 27MPG but after the recall I was getting 23MPG average for one tank of petrol.

I took my car back to them and they achkowledge my problem. I tried to help them as much as I can with obersvations and etc and describe the situation to them. They achkowledge the problem at first but could not figure out what is wrong with it since no warning light or any error light is showing up. They contacted technical team Lexus GB and no answers comes to light. They have tried to blame the MPG down to my new tyres. Because I didn't buy the orginal tyres they keep blaming it on that. But what they didn't know was the fact that after they gave the car back to me after the recall I have used the orginal tyres and my MPG was down.

To cut story short a few weeks back they took the car in again because they received new procedures to test my car. After that my car can only do 16-17MPG which is what my Petrol 3.5L V6 non hybrid can perform.

Because it has been half a year since the incident, I had to live with a car that I feel it is no longer mine. It is no longer the same car I've bought. But because the Service manager and the mechnical tech are extremly nice and helpful so I let them deal with it and hoped this will be resolved just between us and I didn't feel the need to bring this up further.

Unforutnately now, I felt it is out of their hands because I don't see anything being resolved. So i contacted Lexus Customer Service and complained and requested a course of action to fix my car because it has taken too long.

A day later I got the reply from Lexus Customer Service saying that after their investigation they have found no problem with my car because the dealer told them there is nothing wrong with my car.

I feel I am very stressed and suffering from all this problem they are giving me instead of just fixing my car. I have a feeling they can't fix it because they don't even know the problem themselves and this should put some worry to all Lexus Hybrid owners.

So any advice and help is highly recommended from a desperate owner.

Yours Faithfully

[steve2006]

I would suugest you take the car to an independent specialist and have a 2nd opinion. If you take it to another Lexus dealer they could simply look at the cars history on the computer system and to avoid conflict between dealers come to the same conclusion.

I have a LS400 and it does more to the gallon than your hybrid!

[PJ S]

Might be worth reading clublexus forum - being US they have had the 3.5 V6 engine in both the 350 and 450h models.

I thought the valve spring was only for 06-07 cars, not as new as 09.

I recall there being reduced mpg after the job was carried out, but can't remember the exact difference.

Again, some may've had theirs re-inspected by another dealership, and remedied since not all dealers had techs with the requisite training completed, so customers were turned away by them.

As much as the above reply sounds plausible, I don't think there's any intrinsic benefit for the network of dealer techs to back each other up - so a few calls to other dealerships near and far, might yield a better response, and resolution to the problem.

Give it a try - you've nothing to lose other than a bit of time and pocket change, yet everything to gain.

[tonyricha]

Hi, as said by the previous poster you car should be too new to require this work but that aside my 06 450h had the job done at about 85,000 it made no difference to the consumption figures and to this day has never returned less than 33MPG on any tankfull.

Suggest to contact lexus@vehiclerecalls.co.uk and discuss it with them, something is very wrong with the car.

[hsiaolc]

Latest Update.

Lexus took it in for a test drive on one full tank and they have came back with some very funny numbers and now Lexus HO are now saying they can't fault the car so the case is closed.

Recently I have done a trip run from London to North Wales there and back and I could never achieve anything better thatn 21MPG on the motorway all the way. City driving stop and star I have achieved only from 16-20mpg where I used to do 26-29 mpg depending on tempeature.

Now they are saying after they test drive it they have achieved without power button on 40mpg and 33.5 with power botton on. I can't even achieve anywhere near that!!!! I know they must have done something funny to the way they drive and etc to achieve that weird number on the computer. And now they are closing the case. I am so distraught but this whole experience.

I just want the same car back before the stupid recall.

Any can suggest anyway to help? Can I sue Lexus?

[tonyricha]

I would be tempted to demand they take you out in your car and so prove how they achieve these figures.

[wendle]

Sorry to hear about your problem

It is possible that a 09 plate needed a valve spring recall mine is a Sept 2008 (58) and I had to have mine done, I also didn’t notice any difference in the cars running or fuel consumption.

There must be something wrong looking at your figurers, I do mainly 5/6 mile trips, but must admit I do drive fairly carefully, I don’t use the power button, but do use the heated seats in the winter to help warm me up rather than using the cars heater.

I achieve 24mpg in the winter and 29mpg in the summer and I have just come back from a 300 mile round trip mainly on A roads and motorways with the cruse control set at 75/80 and achieved a average of 37mpg.

As Tony has suggested ask them to take you out for a ride, I would play it a bit dumb, try saying ok it must just be me, please can someone take me out to show me how I should be driving this car. Before you let them take you out reset the fuel computer, let us no how you get on.

[hsiaolc]

Sorry to hear about your problem

It is possible that a 09 plate needed a valve spring recall mine is a Sept 2008 (58) and I had to have mine done, I also didn’t notice any difference in the cars running or fuel consumption.

There must be something wrong looking at your figurers, I do mainly 5/6 mile trips, but must admit I do drive fairly carefully, I don’t use the power button, but do use the heated seats in the winter to help warm me up rather than using the cars heater.

I achieve 24mpg in the winter and 29mpg in the summer and I have just come back from a 300 mile round trip mainly on A roads and motorways with the cruse control set at 75/80 and achieved a average of 37mpg.

As Tony has suggested ask them to take you out for a ride, I would play it a bit dumb, try saying ok it must just be me, please can someone take me out to show me how I should be driving this car. Before you let them take you out reset the fuel computer, let us no how you get on.

Thats the figure I used to get. Now I only average 22-24 on A roads or motoway and 16-21 average on city driving. We have gone out testing out with me and the mechanic for a whole afternoon with another GS450h and with one run I only managed 28.2mpg (A roads and no traffic) and the other GS450H did 32.3 MPG. You might think that 28.2 mpg is good but actually it is not because normally that run I achieve 32mpg above.

Afer they have taken my car in again for testing and tuning my MPG have worsend.

[PQuist]

These are the very things that let Lexus down! I have no regret selling mine and moving on