Alphard

Just an update on Conner’s car. I sold it yesterday. I told the whole story to the buyer and showed him the paperwork. He saw it all as a plus point. He is a decent guy and it was a pleasure to deal with him. I guess that’s probably typical of the kind of person who would buy one of these cars. He had a 50 plus mile drive home and is very happy with the car.

Good point. the 08 models will be the oldest so we’ll see how things pan out over the next few years. It may be a bit unfair but what I mean by duff design is that where the ATF cooler is sited creates the possibility that what would otherwise be a failure requiring a minor repair will very likely result in significant damage to another component and a major repair bill.

Comes down to the individual dealer. They are franchised to sell Lexus products but aren’t owned by and have no financial interests in Lexus. having said that, if Connor got a decent px value and as I got the car fixed at the dealer’s cost, two out of three of us did okay. The issue with the transmission cooler and the road wasn’t the dealer’s responsibility. The party who should have held its hands up was the manufacturer. A car like this should not be written off after nine years because of a duff design and it is hardly in the interests of Lexus to tell their customers that the car has a ten year life expectancy. Lexus should have fixed this one and warned others to have the rad changed. good luck to those of you sitting on a time bomb.

I don’t know the cost for certain but I did see an estimate for under £2500 including vat and carriage. I suppose they just had to replace clutch plates and maybe some gaskets/ seals when they put it back together. The metal parts are reputed to be very strong and shouldn’t have been worn or damaged at that mileage. I don’t know how many hours it took the dealer to get the gearbox out and back in. I believe they had to take the engine out.

Hi Connor, thanks. After posting here, I found your thread on the car. What a nightmare. I’m really sorry about your experience. Lexus Carlisle sold it to me with the problem but with a full Lexus warranty. They fobbed me off a bit at first, presumably hoping that as I was 100 miles away, I’d get it fixed locally. I took it back to them and asked them to sort it. They couldn’t really argue. It seems they took the gearbox out and sent it to transmission specialists in Glasgow and claimed on the warranty. The warranty company refused to pay because it was a pre-existing fault. Lexus Carlisle must have paid (with or without help from Lexus GB). I guess Lexus Carlisle absorbed the labour in slack workshop time - I was without the car for two months. It wasn’t great as I missed some great dry summer days but the outcome is that the car is fixed. As you say, the car was faultless in every other respect and had clearly been respected by its previous owner. i needed to drive to work meetings yesterday so instead of taking the train to work, I took the ISF and had a great afternoon on some of North Yorkshire’s best open roads. Today, I’m wondering why I ever thought of selling it!

Who is going? They say they reserve the right to limit to one car of each model because they are short of space and ask clubs to limit to ten members.

Thanks Guys.

Hi Connor, are you the guy who asked for the Vin the other day? It is my car and it is absolutely perfect. The gearbox has been fully reconditioned by Mackies in Glasgow and it drives perfectly. I have a photo from them of the gearbox in shrink wrap, sitting on a pallet with the contaminated clutch pack sitting on top. It has also just had the water pump replaced and the sump seal redone. It is a “third car”, which I have had for a year. It follows a Soarer a pre-facelift SC430 and a facelift SC430, each of which I kept for a year and each of which was spot on when I sold it. I was drawn into the Lexus thing by the guys on Lexusworld and have been carried along by their enthusiasm. I’ve really enjoyed each of those cars but they have been toys to enjoy for a while and then move on. I don’t mind if that hobby costs me a few quid - many hobbies do - and I have no reason to sell someone a duff car. I’m sorry you were fobbed off. I guess after they sold it to me, they were at the stage where they had to bite the bullet and fix the car. Whoever buys this will get an immaculate car with no problems or niggles at all.

Hi all, I thought I’d stop by and say hello. Cars? Currently I have an isf. That replaced a facelift sc430, which replaced a pre-facelift SC430, which replaced a Soarer vvti single turbo. All have been brilliant cars. Favourite? I really can’t say!