Spacewagon52

Dealership Experience Part 1 (This story will be a trilogy!) Having followed the thread, “Why Lexus is yet to break into the UK mainstream” I thought I would share my recent experience of a Lexus Dealership. I have had good and bad experiences during my long motoring odyssey. Below is the start of a story……….. We intended to change our RX400h next year, when hopefully the second-hand prices have stabilized. Looking at Auto Trader and the pre-owned Lexus website, I came across an interesting vehicle. It was the 450h L - which is the 7-seat version of the RX450h. It is longer than a standard 450h. Whenever I showed my wife the 4th generation RX, she really got twitchy over the size, even though she has driven a 17 seat minibuses in the past. What attracted me was the colour - Mesa Red with cream leather interior and brown trim. The bonus was yet to come! Showing my wife photos gained her interest for a short 30 seconds. “That model of RX450h is too big!” she replied. “Well, what do you think we should replace the car with next year?” was my reply. “The NX looks a better size to me!” she countered. I knew I was on to a winner with the colour combination, as my wife really liked it. Then fate intervened! “We have not been out since before Christmas, I have cabin fever,” she announced. My next ploy was a master stroke! “Would you like a run out to Canterbury darling?” I said nonchalantly. I NEVER call her dear! “Yes that would nice, though I am not bothered about shopping.” YES! YES! YES! Then the coup de grace! “We could call into the Lexus garage just to see what size boot the NX has?” I offered. BINGO! Nearly there! We arrived at Lexus Canterbury and surveyed their NX stock. We went to into the showroom and was greeted by Hardeep, one of the senior sales representatives. We asked if we could look at the size of the NX 300h boot. Also, could we also compare it with the Mesa Red RX 450h L? Hardeep, the salesman, was superb and not pushy at all. We looked at the size of the NX boot and felt it was not far off what we have in the RX400h. Then we looked at the RX. We both liked the colour and I fell in love with all the features and the size of the boot! (we have a large Labrador). Hardeep spent some time explaining all the features on the RX. I was extremely impressed by his knowledge of the various specifications. She sat in the driver’s seat of the RX and instructed Hardeep and me to stand at each corner! Hardeep suggested parking the RX next to our RX400h – well done Hardeep! A brilliant stroke! It was about a foot longer but also wider. My wife much preferred the size of the NX. “Too big!” was her final judgement. We thanked Hardeep and were just about to leave when he said, “What specification NX would you be looking for?” I then made up my mind to try and get the exact colour. “Same as the RX, Mesa Red, Tahara interior, no pan roof.” I replied. “Actually, we may have one in our group stock. If you have time, I can show you on the big screen and you can have a coffee and biscuits – no obligation, would you both like to take a look?” Into the showroom for refreshments while Hardeep explained the specification and showed us the photos. Never make a rush decision, always have a think. Hardeep said if we were interested he could arrange for the car to be brought over for us to look at. We thanked him and said we would let him know. After discussions at home, we decided we could bring forward, by a year, our purchase. We then arranged with Hardeep to see the car. Initially, I was a bit disappointed as the RX was immaculate. The NX was NOT a disappointment. Hardeep spent a good deal of time with us explaining the cars features. We took it for a test drive and decided to take the plunge. I fully appreciate that a salesperson’s job is to relieve you of your money! Even so, Hardeep made it a very enjoyable experience. His understated enthusiasm for the brand was clearly evident, he was not pushy or too familiar in any way. To be honest he was a credit to Lexus Canterbury. I was satisfied with the trade-in price and we concluded the deal. Part 2 of this tale will be the handover! Watch this space!

I do not follow this forum, so sorry if this is repeated. Lexus UK have a policy to help keep SC430 on the road by offering payments / discounts for servicing and repair. May also apply to LS 400 / LS 430 - not sure? Has anyone ever enquired about this? Sounds interesting.

The fuel consumption figures for both cars are impressive.

Thank you Vlad!

Thanks for posting. How do we access it? Any link?

People who leave, after owning a Lexus ............. often return!

Maybe Lexus Cambridge need to up their game? In any situation, even a charity where a person is a volunteer, THEY are representing the company and should be very mindful of that. We all have off days but dealing with the public is a skill, that sadly many people lack. Can you train people to be polite?

Thermal expansion would seem a reasonable explanation but if it rattles that is a design fault.

Thank you Phil, Linus, Bill and John. That is very interesting, because you came to the brand by accident. A conversation I had with a Lexus salesman reinforces your joint experience. he said, "All we need to sell more cars is to get people to enter the showroom!" Once they are shown / demonstrated the Lexus product they will purchase. Giving extended test drives / loan for 24 hours is one option. I suppose the downside would be tyre kickers, who want a free car for the day. Unfortunately with Lexus that is only part of the "capture" of a customer. People, who do not know the brand, need to own the car for at least 3 months to fully appreciate the quality of these cars. Not that many people would justify hiring a car to see what it is like. If dealers can get them in a Lexus, even an older one, they would be hooked. I also agree with Linus, there is still snob value rfegarding MB and BMW / Audi.

How did the people, taking part in this thread, first come to Lexus? Did any of you buy one as a company car choice? How many of you bought new for your FIRST Lexus? Lexus is a very unusual brand, where wealthy people can enjoy a new car and less affluent owners can own an older luxury brand without breaking the bank on repairs. Yes, there are risks, even with Lexus but far less so than other makes. Interestingly, the BIG complaint here seems to be choice, not quality. My first Lexus was a Mk3 LS400 which cost £2200. I was messing myself after buying it! Why had I bought a large V8 barge that was probably going to cost me a fortune when it went wrong? Was I stupid? No, just incredibly lucky to have discovered such a fantastic brand.

A cracking thread with honest opinions. 1) If you had to choose a NEW car that someone (company) else would pay for and you knew you were getting another new car in three years, what would you choose? 2) If you decided to buy a NEW car with your own money (an inheritance - pension pot - savings?) - what would you choose? The two choices, I am sure, would be totally different! MY CHOICE:- 1) BMW - MB - Tesla - Land Rover - Jaguar 2) Lexus / Toyota / Honda What would you do?

A very interesting thread to read. Up until now, I have only bought older Lexus models from Private and Independent Retailers. On the two occasions I have visited my local Lexus Dealer (both for a 12V battery), I was met with a warm smile and courtesy regarding my enquiry. I do not think a loyal regular customer would have been treated better. Some cynics would say they are there to relieve you of your money ...... fair enough but other premium brands do the same with little politeness or honesty. I used Mitsubishi Canterbury for many years. Why? The reason was simple. The customer service was superb, particularly when I had issues. That is the hallmark of a good dealer in my opinion. Yes, they can sell you a car but after sales service is often the clincher for a returning customer. The poorest service I received was at a SKODA dealership. The salesman (a cocky young schmuck) promised to sort a couple of small bodywork issues AFTER the sale. You can guess he was not interested after I bought the car. It was not a deal breaker but I would never return to that dealership. I will post a recent experience at Lexus Canterbury ............ watch this space!

First world problem - third world solution! Love it!

The "P" on the transmission is not meant to hold the car. I would not trust the mechanism on a hill - on flat ground it would probably be fine - no pressure on the mechanism.

I could not agree more. I would change the wheels back to standard and get rid of the spoiler. MOT history looks very reasonable. Lovely colour combination - the best in my opinion.

From what I have read, it is BEST practice to use the parking brake except in potential icy conditions developing overnight. "Use it or lose it" is a good phrase, as it is better to keep ithe mechanism moving than leave it static to possibly rust and become inoperative. I use it both on my LS400 and RX400h even parked on my flat drive!

Stunning! Brings back memories of Hairy Hill!

Hence your wise advice about keeping clear of brand new models for at least a year!

Could not agree more!

I would second this. It has always been the battery when this has happened to me. Interestingly you get no warning that it is getting flat.

From previous posts, I would second that if you get nowhere yourself. They have a good reputation on here.

Welcome!

One wonders if the previous owner had these issues and so decided to get rid of the car. Buying an "older" Lexus can be gamble. I have bought 4 and been generally lucky. Buying from Lexus, with a warranty, is the safe but expensive option. Hope you manage to sort the issues. If things do go wrong they can work out expensive but relatively cheap compared with the cost of a newer car. The big worry is NOT being able to fix the issue at all. Just my thoughts.

What year NX did they first fit the tribeam LEDs with bladescan?

None of the RX 400h models had air suspension. I am not sure how many sold compared to the 450h but the 400h seems to be more reliable than the 450h ..... going off the posts in this forum.