Ls460 Door Armrest Button Illumination

[JellyBean]

Please could a kindly 460 owner take a butcher's in the dark and tell me if all the buttons in the driver's armrest should be illuminated.

Specifically, is the door lock switch illuminated with two 'tell-tales' or just one?

And does the window lock swtch have illumination?

Last night in the dark, as my trouble & strife tried to get out, I could not unlock the doors whilst I fumbled about for the switch, like a silly old f@rt.

[scythe]

Hiya. At night, my 460 has five lit up buttons - the four windows, plus the 'lock' section of the rocker. The unlock is not lit, nor is the button for preventing the other windows being opened. On the passenger side, there is one lit up window button, plus, also the passenger "lock/unlock all doors" rocker has the lock section only lit.

When the car is in park, the handle itself is lit, so you can find and operate it readiy.

I don't want to be prescriptive here, but I'm a firm believer in learning where all the buttons are without looking, whether they are lit up or not, and do train myself when I get a new car.

The other thing is, all the door handles light when you are in park, so anyone can see their handle, unlock it manually if they wish, and open the door. Oh, and, the passenger door has that rocker switch too.

It's all to do with training. : o )

[JellyBean]

Thanks for this - mine also has the five lighted buttons. So I won't have to call in to Local Lexus Lot before my year's warranty expires. Not that anything has been fixed FOC so far anyway. E.g. undertray flapping about - "not covered under warranty"; most of the engine covers' fasteners missing - "not covered under warranty"; tyre valve faulty "not covered under warranty".

And when I found many rust bubbles on the underside of the sunroof's leading edge - "not covered under warranty". But I squawked loudly and they are reconsidering, but I bet I know what they will say...

[scythe]

I'm surprised that they've said no to both the rust and the tyre valve. The missing clips for the covers and the undertray, well, it's probably them when they serviced it, but I can see why missing bits wouldn't be covered by the warranty - shame its so hard to pin their missingness on anyone. I'm presuming that the warranty is a proper lexus one?

But rust though - that's not a problem I've had with lexuses before....

: o (

[JellyBean]

Bought car from Lexus main agent, but looking at my year's warranty, it seems to a Toyota Silver Cover one.

Still reckon they sold me a car with rust on, though.

Harrumph.

[scythe]

For all the nonsense you read about Lexus Dealers being the best, they do sometimes get a bit confused about things. When they sell you a used Lexus, the warranty they supply (see their website for this) should be at least equivalent to a manufacturer warranty in its depth of cover. If they've given you a different warranty..... well.....

The missing bits of fastereners, I suspect is a sale of goods thing. And the rust .... well.... if they'e sold you a rusty car, I don't see how they can get away with it.

I'd write a letter to their dealer principal, sending it recorded, listing your problems, and wait for a response. Then give Lexus GB a ring, and tell them why you're disappointed. Lexus as a brand only has one thing, and that's our trust.

[JellyBean]

Yes, they sometimes are a bit disappointing.

When I bought my LS400, from a dealership in the midlands, there were a number of faults with it. The most annoying was an inoperative driver's seat heater and the most serious was that the front tyres were really cheap & nasty ones which made a horrible whining noise but also had the wrong speed rating. Thing was, they tried repeatedly to fob me off - even telling me that the driver's seat heater only worked in cold weather. Then I got cross.

My wife, who writes legal stuff as part of her job, wrote a six-page letter and we sent it to the dealer principal as well as to the boss of Lexus UK. I never forget the last line which I copy here:

Please be assured that if I am not satisfied with your response I will send a copy of this letter to Akio Toyoda, Senior Managing Director, MD of Toyota Japan.

Bingo! Grovelling dealer rang me, car was collected and everything fixed.

If they do not deal with my rusty sunroof, I feel a bit of déja vu looming.

[scythe]

Cool!

[soundchaser100]

As the owner of a LS400 which I have owned for 6 years and have only recently had to do ANY work on, (sticking emergency brake), I am rather saddened and suprised to hear of the trouble that owners of new Lexus' have with their cars. Its not just Lexus of course, Bentley, Mercedes, Aston Martin etc all seem to have caught the modern disease of not building things right in the first place. Put this down to economics if you like, but I think that if you pay a lot of money for something, you should expect, and get, quality above the run of the mill stuff that will satisfy "ordinary" people. My car is 16 now, but I am very loath to part with her. I know that a newer car will not be built as well as this one.

[JellyBean]

Alas, I believe you are correct.