lee789

Hi again, Thanks to all who replied to my original post concerning the dented door on my 450H. To recap, this dent was present on delivery, but went unnoticed due to the wet weather. Although the dealer has agreed to pay for a £40 Paintless Dent Removal by a guy I have used before, they have refused to do anything further if this method fails. My question is this - should I even consider asking a non Lexus repairer to attempt this repair, or should I simply threaten to reject the vehicle under the Lexus Approved No Quibble Exchange if they continue to refuse to rectify it? What worries me is that having agreed to pay the £40, if the dent guy is unable to remove it, the Lexus Dealer might argue that the car is no longer in the condition in which it was delivered (i.e - that the repairer has made it worse). I'm sure Lexus dealers have their own dent removal contacts, so would I be best to insist they collect the car and rectify it themselves, rather than involve a third party? I'm also concerned that if they force me into asking for a vehicle exchange, they might argue that the dent wasn't there when delivered, that I had signed for delivery of the car, and therefore accepted it was in good condition. I do not want to give them any cause to blame me for the damage, and for that reason I am not going to drive the vehicle at all until this is sorted out. Incidentally, my neighbour is a long standing Lexus owner and customer, and he noticed the dent straightaway. His opinion is that the dealers attitude is disgraceful, and totally unacceptable. I would post pictures, but unfortunately it is very difficult to photograph due to the high gloss black paintwork. Thanks for any advice!

Hi Tonyricha, No, it's not Hatfield Lexus, although I am going to use their Southend Service Department for my 3 year service plan. The dealer I purchased the car from is about the same distance from Southend as Hatfield, but to the East of London. I won't name them at this point, at least until a Smart repair has failed, and they refuse to offer any further assistance. I've e-mailed their sales manager, but he has so far failed to get back to me. I'm sure that if I exercise my rights under the 30 days exchange program, it is going to cost them a lot more than getting the dent on this car sorted out. I haven't mentioned doing this yet, so I expect a rapid change of heart from them if I do.

Hi Dave1, I've checked, and the dealer only has the 1 Lexus outlet, and seems to have various Toyota dealerships around the South East. I will look into whether they can obtain cars through the Lexus network if necessary. Many thanks!

Hi Knitware, Many thanks for your comments. I've looked at the Lexus 30 day exchange policy and it doesn't mention being able to get a refund and going to another dealer. All it says is that you can choose to exchange for another "in stock" vehicle at the dealer that supplied the car. It tells you what you should expect from a Lexus Approved vehicle (no tears, no burns, working entertainment system etc), but says nothing about dents in the bodywork. So, maybe Lexus think it's OK to sell a car that is great on the inside, has no mechanical or electrical problems, but can be sold with damaged body panels? At present the dealer has nothing to exchange it for, so I don't know where I stand on this. I don't want to HAVE to reject the car, and I certainly don't want to exchange it for a different Lexus model that I wouldn't have considered in the first place. I have e-mailed the sales manager and told him exactly what I think of their attitude, and based on my experience I have also included a comparison of their dealership to a shady back street secondhand car seller. I have obtained the name of the dealer principle from Lexus, so if I have no luck with the engine drivers monkey, I'll go direct to the engine driver!! If he's no help, I'll go out of my way to cause them the maximum amount of hassle, inconvenience and embarrassment possible. I'll keep you informed, and many thanks again for your post!

Hi Dave1, Just checked the dealer website, and their cars are listed as "Approved Pre-owned". Do you think this means it is covered under Lexus Approved terms? My car was sold under that section on their website. If that 30 day exchange policy applies I will certainly consider rejecting it as a last resort. Problem is finding another car from their stock, which is pretty low at present and only has much older 450s. I think the quote from Chips Away was high because he believed he would have to repaint both doors, due to the dent being so close to the dividing rubber seal. To be fair he is quoting sight unseen, so it might have been a worse case scenario. Obviously I would rather have Lexus dealer do the repair, but my local Chips Away do fantastic work. Many thanks for your help and good wishes!

Hi Dave1, The Log Book shows it as a Lexus Owned vehicle, and I'm sure it was Lexus Approved. I'm still waiting for the Smart repair guy's opinion, but I emailed pictures to 2 others repairers, and they didn't want to do it because it is so close to where the metal wraps round at the edge of the door. I'm hoping that the majority of the dent can be pushed out using tools from behind the door panel, and that the rest can be pulled out with the adhesive/pulley tool they use. If not, the quote for fill and paint is 250.00 from Chips Away. I'll have to wait and speak to consumer direct on the legal standing, but even if I have no legal rights, I think the dealer should do the repair, or at the very least offer to do it at reduced cost in the spirit of good customer relations. Especially the case when you have paid this amount of money and only had the car less than 24 hours.

Many thanks, I'm glad you agree it is unacceptable. It is almost a "now we have your money we don't care" attitude. I did try Lexus Customer Services, but they said it was between the dealer and myself, and they were only there to mediate in a dispute. Frankly, I've had far better customer service from my local Ford dealer, where I am in the process of purchasing a used car for my wife. Since this Lexus Dealer makes such a big thing about attention to customer satisfaction on their website, I will have no problem naming and shaming them on this forum if they fail to address this complaint satisfactorily. They are currently trying to persuade me to take out an in-house 5 year service plan with them, something they can stuff if they treat customers so poorly.

Hi, I've just taken delivery of my GS450H. It is an an ex Lexus Management car, registered in June 2010, and has covered 5000 miles. My local dealership brought the car down to me last Friday for a test drive and inspection, and it was perfect. They delivered the car to me yesterday. This morning, I noticed that the rear passenger door (passenger side) has got a small dent in it. I am sure it was not there when I inspected the car last week, and suprised it wasn't picked up at PDI. I telephoned the dealership, and they agreed to pay for a local SMART repair at my home (up to a cost of 40 pounds). However, because the dent is so close to the edge of the door, this type of repair may not be possible. When I informed the dealer of this, they refused to pay for what may need to be a fill and paint job in their bodyshop, and told me that you have to expect things like this from a secondhand car. Having paid 36 grand for it, I don't think that attitude, especially from a Lexus Dealer, is particularly good. Do I have any grounds to reject the car if they continue to be unreasonable, or can I force them to rethink? The purchase was made without me ever visiting the showroom, although I had a face to face with a salesman during the home demo. No advance paperwork was done, and I only received this on delivery of the car. I am wondering whether Distance Selling Regulations might apply...any advice gratefully received. If it hadn't been raining yesterday I would have picked up on the dent myself - particularly noticeable on a black car in direct sunlight. Frankly think the attitude towards the complaint sucks, so would be interested to hear views of other members. Many thanks indeed!