db4690, it’s the rear bumper. Sorry if I didn’t actually state that. At this point, I have to let the Lexus dealership that sold me the car attempt to explain why it’s repainted and possibly wrecked. At some point, I suppose either Lexus or myself will have to have the bumper removed to see what was replaced, and, with this happening, check out the entire car to see if it’s been wrecked elsewhere. Though, as you state, someone could have pushed it through to sell. But that seems really a poor choice when a mechanic, a body shop owner, and the Lexus service coordinator all walked up to it and looked at it and immediately said it had been repainted, and cheaply done.To label it Certified and knowing that was foolish. Someone mentioned in one post that I should have noticed it. It’s simply not my area of expertise, and with the Certified tag on it, it would seem unnecessary.
BTW, this is all such a huge pain in the posterior. I just got sick at my stomach thinking about it today. I guess it’s just bad luck on my behalf.
Carfax does not catch vehicle damage not reported to the insurance company and or accidents not reported to the police. It is not a guarantee that the vehicle has not been wrecked. The dealer should have noticed the repairs and not have certified it.
ok4450, I have told the dealer the car is running out with gas remaining in the car. The three times it has happened, the miles to empty were 13, 9, and 8. The tank, per the manual, says it holds 17.2 gallons. All three times I filled it up, it was between 14.7 gallons to 15.2 gallons, so according to the size of the tank, there was anywhere from 2.0 to 2.5 gallons left in the tank. As I’ve noted elsewhere, I’ve driven cars for years with low fuel lights, and I’ve NEVER run out of gas as long as I’ve made it to a gas station before it hit zero (and after, on a few times I got stuck in the middle of nowhere). Over 200,000 miles I estimate. And never had any fuel system problems. So this is much different based on all my experience with previous cars.
At this point, Lexus corporate is involved with the fuel system problem and the misfiring problem. I have contacted the dealership where I purchased the car about the bumper and poor paint job and possible wreck. So, three separate issues, two that have been escalated to Lexus corporate and one that is in it’s initial stages with the original dealership.
Nothing else to report at this time, except the 2014 IS250 loaner is the new model. I like the styling better on the outside, but I can’t say I like the interior better, except it does have the large navigation/radio/backup camera screen, which is pretty nice. Little more room in the car, front and back seats.
Please stop with the ‘car running out of gas’ problem. You have PROVEN what the actual, opposed to the supposed, gas tank capacity is. Live with it, stop worrying about it, it is a NON ISSUE.
Just my 2 cents worth, but. If you knowingly let it get down to between 13 and 8 miles left, it’s your own damn fault and have no legitimate complaint to begin with.
Texases and PvtPublic, thanks for the snarky comments, but if you’re going to put a Low Fuel Light in your car, like all the ones I’ve had before, it would be nice that they actually be accurate. If you two want to stop everytime you get below a half a tank to fill up, more power to you. Maybe there are some of us that assume the car actually holds the amount of gas it says it does and that the low fuel light is a decent guideline (as it has been on all my other cars). As I’ve stated, I’ll not be driving this car and trusting the light and gauge, even though it’s the only car I"ve had in in ten years that the light and gauge was not reasonably accurate. Regardless, there was still a engine code regarding the fuel system that is multi-layered and could be part of this situation. Or not. And another code about a engine misfire that has already caused a recall, just not in my VIN number. Either way, since they can’t “replicate” the codes, they are done with it, for the time being. Why do you have computer codes that tell you what the problem is ,and then the dealership says that they can’t “replicate the situation”??? The computer has already told you what the problem is, so fix it! There’s no need to “replicate” it. As my Dad used to say when he took tractors to get worked on and they couldn’t find or fix the problem, letting it happen again, “I’m not paying you to work" on it, I’m paying you to "fix it!”. Those are my thoughts exactly. About to drive the car for a week and about 1500 miles roundtrip, with the dealership’s blessing. So we’ll cross our fingers and hope, because I’ll only be around three Lexus dealerships on the whole trip, and then only driving through. I certainly hope there are no more problems, but if there are, my courtesy towards Lexus is going to end.
Carfax does not catch vehicle damage not reported to the insurance company and or accidents not reported to the police.
It’s far worse then that…Not all insurance companies in all states report data to Carfax. In fact many states have laws against that. Same with police. Many states have privacy laws preventing the police from reporting that data to Carfax. And that’s not counting the people who never report an accident to the police or their insurance company.
Then there’s repairs…which are rarely reported to Carfax.
I still vote for the bent gas tank theory or a bent sender if anyone has worked inside the tank before.
I also concur that vehicles are not puposely produced that are that far off of accuracy.
Something needs fixed.
In my entire carrer as an auto parts man I’ve seen…count em’…TWO vehicles with inaccurate senders ( my own 1979 chevy pickup and a 1976 Ford Granada ). Both of those corrected with bending the sender float arm to accurately read empty no matter what full said.
“Then there’s repairs… which are rarely reported to Carfax.”
Exactly.
My brother ran into the back bumper of a truck several years ago. The truck bumper was fine, but his car was all buggered up. I replaced the hood, taillights, radiator core support, grille and turn signals. Not to mention some straightening. If you didn’t know the car’s history, you’d never know it had been mangled.
Carfax doesn’t know about it, because there was no insurance involved.
I did the same kind of repair on a neighbor’s car.
Carfax also doesn’t know about it, because there was no insurance involved.
Why do you have computer codes that tell you what the problem is ,and then the dealership says that they can’t “replicate the situation”???
Because they don’t tell you what the problem is, they indicate a symptom of the problem. Sometimes, they can point directly to the cause, many times, they are just clues to the root cause.
“I’m not paying you to work" on it, I’m paying you to "fix it!”.
It’s not unlike going to the doctor and telling them your head hurts. Would you prefer they just give you aspirin and send you on your way or perhaps do some diagnostics that might reveal something more significant is the true cause? It’s not always black and white. Cars are complex mechanical devices that often defy the simple solution. Your over-simplification of the effort required is not unlike standing on the moon and proclaiming the earth to be a peaceful place. It’s naive and likely to make people less inclined to be helpful. You might figure that out in a few years…maybe not.
You already alienated one of the best resources on this board that could have given you crucial insight into the process you might not otherwise have access to. Instead of looking at their history on the board and judging their motives based on that, you shot from the hip and, regardless of your “eraser phrase”, have likely permanently burned that bridge…
I don’t have any faith in used car “certification” or Carfax, which is why I think it’s always a good idea to get a used car checked out by your mechanic before you buy it. You never want to rely on an inspection conducted by someone who might have a conflict of interest when buying a used car.
I’m sure the issue with running out of gas is a legitimate issue, and there is something wrong with the car that needs to be fixed, so keep pressing the dealership on this issue until they make it right. Having said that, there is no advantage to running your gas tank down so low. It is always a good idea to fill the tank when the needle reaches the 1/4 tank mark on the fuel gauge. I’m not saying you should do this in lieu of a proper repair; I’m saying you should do this regardless of whether the problem gets fixed.
Regarding what the service writer said about fuel brands, he’s probably basing that on this kind of information: http://www.toptiergas.com/ I don’t fault him for regurgitating this kind of marketing hype, but next time someone at a dealership asks you where you buy your gas, you should answer, “I always buy my gas at Chevron.” That might help shut them up and focus their attention on solving the problem instead of looking for a scapegoat.
When I test drove my car, the fuel light was on. They filled the tank before I drove it off the lot, and I haven’t seen the fuel light again since. That was 14 years and 249,000 miles ago.
TwinTurbo, regarding the Lexus resource …this matter has the potential to develop into something full blown (though I certainly don’t want that too happen, too much energy and too much time involved). It would not be wise on my behalf to share details on questions that seemed to be leaning towards scapegoating my actions, regarding however pure his intentions may have been. I didn’t “shoot from the hip”. I thought the comment through completely before I responded. I don’t regret my comment then or now.
I understand that cars are complex devices, but when you are told every single time that the engine codes could not be replicated, and there’s nothing else they can do, then it seems to be the system is fatally flawed. The fuel system engine code has a long list of potential problems with a format to test them one by one. Yet they still cannot find the reason. I do like one suggestion however. Wait until the low fuel light comes on and take it in with 20 miles remaining showing and let them drive it then. Murphy’s Law being what it is, it would of course not stop running until it hits zero. Perhaps there would be more motivation if they think they will run out of gas at 70MPH on the interstate like I did
The dealership that sold me the car has agreed to repaint the bumper, no charge. However, I’m considering paying to have a mechanic (independent) to inspect the entire car for any other damage. There have been several points made about the fuel tank being dented, which is something I intend to check. I actually had some guy back into me before I took the car in for a minor fender bender (yeah, I think the car may be cursed too), so I’m taking it in Wednesday to have those minor dents fixed. I may be able to use the body shop owner to double-check the paint and body and put it on a rack to see if he can spot any other damage. His father started the body shop and he’s run it for at least 20 years. When he saw my bumper, he was showing me the different areas and how Lexus would not have painted the seams like that, etc. I’ll ask him to do that first before I consider an independent inspection. At least as far as paint and bodywork, I don’t think I can find a better resource.
Slowly. I am about a third of the way into a 1500 mile round trip I always do around Thanksgiving, and, so far so good. The dealership gave me the blessing to drive it, so we’ll see.
@golfdawg11: from your post 11/24, you mentioned not wanting to answer “questions” posed by members of this forum (presumably because you were considering legal action.) So, your attitude is;
“Please make a good-faith effort to help me, as I supply you with incomplete and evasive information upon which you can reach your conclusions?”
Can you not see where such an attitude will cause everyone around you to be unhelpful? A simple understanding of human nature would suggest this.
There are a thought or two I’ve had, but–on general principles–I’m not about to he heplful towards an unhelpful person.
Sorry, but when a tank gets down to the last gallon of fuel, much less a quart, an engine can buck or stall out at any time.
Spreading even a gallon out over the surface area of a fuel tank makes it pretty shallow and this is made even worse by fuel slosh.
It doesn’t matter if the tank holds 15 gallons, 20 gallons, or a 1000 gallons. All that matters is the last couple because that’s what the Low Fuel Light thermistor is working off of.
