Saul.Lex

120,000 miles. They just failed the MOT

On the warranty document it says: MOT Protected Part Each mechanical and electrical part of the Protected Vehicle listed in Clause 5.7 all front and rear suspension shock absorbers is covered: Then this: 5.2 We will not pay for the cost of repairing or replacing any MOT Protected Part that suffers a Mechanical or Electrical Failure as a result of wear and tear or corrosion. is excessive leak, wear and tear?

Dear Team, I have a service plan, Lexus warranty and today my car went for a MOT but failed on "near side rear shock absorbers, excessive leak". Lexus Warranty refusing to cover it as they its wear & tear. Cost £700 + Has anyone had this covered by the warranty? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Yes, i intend to do this and may go far as the Ombudsman too. Will keep you posted. Thank you for your help

Well explained John, wish you were my claim handler! :)

Thank you John, I have the document and I agree, I see the same. You know, the document clearly defines wear & tear items as "consumable items" (4.1 e) If that is the case headlight adjusters are not consumable items. I forgot to mention that they sent an independent engineer to visit and he said that wear & tear caused the headlight adjusters to stop working. I guess that still doesn't make a valid reason for refusal as its not a consumable item, or does it?

I don't see any examples on the warranty document. What page do you see this on?

Hi guys, Lexus extend warranty refused to pay for headlight adjusters saying it was wear & tear. I thought such items were supposed to last for the life of the vehicle. Has anyone else had their headlight adjusters repaired or replaced under warranty? Thank you

Do you think the dealer had a part to play in this? Is it because you think they could have done more for me yesterday? £700 is a very expensive experience. :) I was thinking of getting rid off the Lexus because of this warranty. Is there any industry guidelines as to what is wear & tear for certain parts?

HI Jon, any bad experience with them with the warranty? I am grateful to Lee who helped solve the problem today, by putting the claim in again.

Yes, 4.2. Thank you for the clarification. The headlight adjuster incident happened in November 2014. Do you think I can still raise that? They sent an independent engineer who said it wear & tear and based on that they refused it. I agree Shahpor that wear & tear items should mean everyday items, i.e brakes, etc. But I am shocked how they have treated me with the hybrid battery (now resolved) and having to pay for the headlight adjuster. The excuse they use its the age and mileage. Thinking in the future would I need to find out the lifespan of a certain part to get my claim covered.

Thank you Shahpor, It was a shocker yesterday when they refused it. I think they are trying it on. I also realise the warranty is provided by TWG - http://www.thewarrantygroup.com/ and not Lexus. Do you think headlight adjusters should be covered under the warranty? There is no clear definition what wear & tear is and what is mechanical failure. How do you prove that? I also see a clause in their T&C and worried they might use this if I have any future claims as my car is over 10 years. (e) The repair or replacement of any Protected Part has not suffered a Mechanical or Electrical Failure.

Guys, I have this sorted now. Spoke to warranty company in the moring - they still refused saying its wear & tear, mileage and age of vehicle. Also refused to except the point that - battery should last as long as the life of the vehicle . I then spoke to the dealer who put the claim in again to say it was not wear and tear but electrical failure and luckily they approved. I am shocked how Lexus warranty could do this. I am now concerned if they will use this wear & tear excuse every time as my car is 10 years old and 113k in mileage? Is there any point me having the warranty? Last time they refused to cover headlight adjuster saying it was wear & tear and cost me £700 to replace. I brought warranty from Lexus expecting better service rather than any other 3rd party warranty. Guys, thank you for your support during the past 24 hours, I am grateful for your kindness.

Yes FLSH. On a service plan. Paying main dealer service prices so the warranty stays active. and now...... what can i say........

It was serviced in March and Hybrid Health Check was done. Are you saying that they should have picked up something there? Also, back in March I did have alarms come up that said, "check hybrid battery" but the dealer said they did tests but results were inconclusive. Is that a point of argument that they should have pick that up?

I just found this article on Lexus's blog. Please look down where it says: How long do they last. http://blog.lexus.co.uk/how-does-lexus-hybrid-drive-work/ It says: The battery is designed to last the life of the vehicle. In any case, your battery is warranted for five years. The batteries are much larger than regular car batteries as they need to generate and deliver sufficient voltage to power the car at low-speeds without any support from the petrol engine. Their production does have a small, additional impact on the environment, but this is more than compensated for by the environmental benefits of driving a hybrid car. Procedures are also in place so that each battery can be recycled, arranged through Lexus dealerships. Is this proof and do I have case now?

Yep, that's why I needed to find something where they say hybrid battery lasts this many years or miles. If anyone can find something, I would be most grateful.

I thought they could argue that most hybrid batteries fail within a certain amount of miles/age. Having said that, they should legally make this clear and say Hybrid batteries over certain age isn't covered. Its left open. Consumers ACT 2015 requires traders to make contract clear and transparent. I think legally they are weak but not sure how long this will drag on and if i can claim compensation afterwards for them not fixing the car right away.

Can I ask, I thought the warranty was with Lexus warranty a different entity and nothing to do with the dealer? So there's no interest for the dealer to be biased here, or am I missing something? I am all upto date with service by Lexus Woodford. Should the annual healthcheck have shown something wrong with battery? Do I have an argument here?

BOBMC, exaclty, that's my point - no clear definition. I didn't think there would be a cause for the dealer to be difficult. Any official note from Lexus that state how long a hybrid battery should last? I need that to back up my case when I speak to the Lexus warranty.

Would appreciate if anyone can tell me how long a Hybrid battery on Lexus 450H should last or where I can obtain this information. Thank you

Before I purchased the warranty I made sure Hybrid battery is covered. Can the failing of a hybrid be classed as wear & tear? How do you differentiate between mechanical failure and wear & tear?

Lexus Woodford. Exactly, that's why I was allowed to extend my warranty. This is the exact words the dealer has said Lexus warranty have refused the claim, "the car is 10 years old 113k on the clock can't be viewed as manufacturer defect. Would be seen as a result of normal ageing." Do I need to find out how long does a lexus hybrid battery last?