Brief Engine Ratte On Startup, My Experience

[BIGW]

Hi guys,

Been a while since I last posted here.

So I've owned my is250 for about 3 years now.

I noticed a brief noise upon start up mid last year and my car threw a check vsc code. After about 2 seconds on google, I realised this wasn't an isolated occurrence.

I took my car into a certain Lexus dealership, they looked at it ran an engine flush through it or as they call/charge it (lifter free up)

They come back to me and tell me the noise has been caused by lack of maintenance and excess oil sludge has cause the vvti controller to be faulting.

I mentioned to them that I had read something about a cam controller issue, to which they stated they have never heard of anything like that and I would be going back to my mechanic and having a go at him for not servicing my car properly.

All my cars have been serviced by my own mechanic for a number of years, he is very well respected in motorsport, he is contracted to Kelly Bros Racing and prepares and builds a number of high performance (1500hp twin turbo 572ci) southern 80 ski boats/motors. I have no hesitations he has no idea how to service my 'corolla'

Unfortunately at the time I didn't have the TSB document Lexus issued for the repair to show the dealer, however knew they were pissing in my pocket.

I had the dealer put down on the invoice everything he had told me and a quote to repair it.

Quote to repair: $8000 but will know more as they strip down the car.

Suffice to say I didn't leave the car with them.

I drive around to my fathers house and he hears the noise, I explain the situation and he isn't as delicate with things like this as I may have been. So he takes the car back to them and asks what the story is, they maintain "your sons car is stuffed because he didn't service it. We told him this before, and we gave him a quote to fix it"

I drove the car for a few months dropping the oil and filter every 5k just to be safe until I worked out a battle plan.

This noise had progressively gotten worse. Before I told my mechanic about the TSB document he told me my cam controllers were shagged. So knowing he was on the money, he suggested I call local Lexus dealers and ask for a price on the part # and just ask them whether they carry much stock & if they have sold many of late.

So I do and the particular dealer I rang did 14 cars the month previous and 12 the month before then.

Ok, so I know now i'm onto something.

I call the service manager at another Lexus dealership and explain the whole scenario and how it has gone down. Very sympathetic to the whole situation he told me to call a chap from Lexus Australia who handles all of these types of inquiries.

Tell him the same story and he immediately asks me to take the car into my preferred dealer..

They send a tech out to look at it and he tells me the same thing the first dealer did, I was in Sydney at this stage and could not meet him at the dealership, unsatisfied with this remark, I tell the dealer to do 2 hours work to lift the valve covers and all will be revealed.

I'm not ready to write a blank cheque to diagnose and then for the dealer to come back with another "its your fault argument"

I arranged for a hire car and didn't hassle the dealer, I let it go a week before I rang to get an update. I'm told they found some broken parts - surprisingly the cam controllers.

I let it go another week until I call again, they are waiting on the rep to come back and inspect.

I let it go another 10 days (over easter) until my patience is wearing thin, I call Lexus Australia and ask for an update. So for the first time in 3 weeks I actually get a call from the dealership.

Lexus have decided to cover the full cost of repair inc parts and the car will be ready on Friday (call received wed)

Well thats last week. After a call to the service manager at 5.00pm Friday, i'm told its now Wednesday.

So it has gone from an $8000 repair to $0 after a bit of persistence. To say I am disappointed with the treatment from the initial dealer is an understatement. There will most definitely be words with the initial dealer when I receive my car back, whenever that is.

I'm not even upset with the new dealer for not calling me in 4 weeks with an update, or not delivering on time, at least it's getting fixed.

The biggest thing I have learnt out of this is No doesn't always mean No (with car rats)

I know had I not had it all in writing from the dealership the first time, there would be no way a car manufacturer would cough up all the $$$ to undertake and out of warranty repair.

This is my 3rd Lexus and I have to say it will be my last.

I can supply the TSB document to anyone who is in the similar boat.

Cheers!

[supertezz]

That is an awesome story good on you man!

[greeneyes]

A good result in the end, but a you can see, dealers are dealers no matter what the brand is!

How do you like it overall compared to your old IS200?

[BIGW]

Overall I rate it as a better car. That said I did have some attachment to my old IS200 as it was a weekender and I spent a lot of time personalising it, so there was probably more emotion with it.

Whereas the is250 is a work car and i'm in it everyday and I can't go to the full extent as I would want to.

Next car will most likely be a Prado D or an X5 3.0d mostly for the fact I can tow my bikes and still have a few creature comforts. After hiring a new RX350 in Brisbane last I was up there, I enjoyed it but not enough to buy one.

[Robo]

You should say some kind words to your mechanic if you haven't already.

[BIGW]

Thanks for the tip but I let mr jack Daniels do the thanking long before I posted this.