I don’t get it - you’ve had trunk struts go out, and your car needs an alignment, or, at worst, a set of tires. Neither are a big deal, you just need to find a good shop. I stopped using my dealer 10 years ago, found a good shop with the Car Talk mechanic finder, no worries. 13 years and I’m happy.
No, a fuse is not something that would have to be ordered.
I also fail to see what a new stereo unit that has been (allegedly) replaced has to do with the heating and control unit which according to you was also inoperative.
If the complaint about the stereo and heater control system was a failure to illuminate, loss of memory, etc. then it’s possible the entire problem was nothing more serious than a fuse.
My point about doing a bit of research on this is that the stereo unit was replaced AS FAR AS YOUR HUSBAND KNOWS.
Unless your husband was standing there watching them actually, physically replace this unit then he is basing his opinion on what he was told; which could be utter BS after a fuse was replaced.
If that stereo unit was really replaced under warranty then there should be a record of it on file at the regional office. If not, you’ve been snookered and maybe you should reconsider your thinking about this swell dealer.
(And also remember that not only is the radio/heater control circuit on the car fused, the stereo itself is also fused. Most stereos have a light duty (often 2-5 amps) fuse located in the back of the radio itself. If this fuse goes, the radio will not work.)
I thought my issues were big deals. To summarize:
Alignment: Was never given a good explanation as to why it took 25 miles to determine my car WAS NOT out of alignment. So, as a layperson, I assumed the worse. Plus, months later, one of their service guys acquiesced said he thought the 25 miles for a road test was excessive.
Struts in trunk: Owned an RX300, only had it 3 years and the trunk struts wore out… I’ve had cheap American cars that lasted much longer on trunk struts. So, one would expect a $40,000 car’s parts to last much, much longer.
Then, my SC430’s trunk struts wore out. Hmmm…began to detect a pattern here. Cheap parts manufactured for Lexus??? My SC only currently has 23K miles on it.
So one can see why I would be suspicious. I just wanted to be sure I wasn’t getting the shaft, so to speak. I took my issue up with Lexus because I wanted them to know that for TWO cars’ struts to wear out so quickly, implied in my mind, faulty cheap parts.
So in comparison to a $18,000 American car, my Lexus vehicles pale.
Perhaps you are correct still. I frankly cannot tell you since we were not standing there, as you say. And yes, I can see this being a great ploy on the dealer’s part for PR purposes.
Wow. Just cannot seem to trust anyone or to fully know, who to trust. I do remember my friend marking his oil filter with a permanent marker before taking his car in for service at the dealership–and when he got his car back, he noted the oil filter had NOT been changed. The business said they must’ve missed that. And my friend said: “Yeah, right.”
You’re comparing ONE part to another vehicle and you come to a conclusion that they make an inferior vehicle??? …WOW…
As OK pointed out…Lexus does NOT make every single part on their vehicle…no one does…Rolls Royce for years use to use a Transmission made by GM.
Now I will admit that the struts should have lasted longer. The struts on my 90 and 98 Pathfinder were never replaced after over 10 years of ownership and over 300k miles. But I sure wouldn’t rate the whole vehicle based on that one part. …get real.
As for Lexus parts…I suggest you shop on-line. You can find parts for your Lexus on-line and MUCH better prices then what the dealer will charge. There are aftermarket parts available for almost every part on there. Do some searching.
I’m with Mike on this. You must have had extremely good experiences with your other two Lexuses (Lexi?) to have this be a problem. I found struts for $70 the pair on the internet: https://www.partshighway.com/home.php?cat=262
I’m not recommending this place, just noting that much cheaper parts are out there.
The SC430 is a 2+2 roadster with a folding metal top. The trunk is not so large that the lid should be heavy. We’re not talking 1959 Caddie here.
I hope I did not come across as critical about all Lexus cars. You must see it from my perspective. For TWO Lexus vehicles’s struts to wear out so soon, one must suspect inferior parts–and you cannot deny a pattern here. Sure, Lexus may not be the maker of those parts, but they do stamp their name and reputation on the whole vehicle–thus, they have some culpability in the entire process; from selling the vehicle to backing up their claim that these cars are a step above the average car out there.
Higher price cars are by no means more reliable, look at Jaguar and Mercedes, among others. I’m just puzzled over this level of concern over a minor, if not cheap, part.
I replaced the trunk struts on my 1998 SC300 last December. Ordered them online from LiftsSupportDepot.com for $42 total. My hood struts are still good on this 10 year old car, so I don’t fault Lexus. The first strut took me an hour or so while I figured out how to compress it 1/4 inch to fit (a large wrench levered against the trunk lip); the second took me a couple of minutes. A pro should do it fast and relatively cheap.
I responded to your SC430 alignment question and realized that you had another issue with the gas struts. It really sounds as if your Service Department is trying to pad its bottom line. Escalate these issues to the service manager; if you don’t get satisfaction, call the 800 number in the owner’s manual. With your service experience, you’re seeing the “squeezing” of the customer. Dealers are trying to make money on the backs of service and parts customers; vehicle sales have much less profit than before. I recommend being a “squeaky wheel” (be polite but firm).
As I said in the other post, are you near another Lexus dealer? What about locating an independent mechanic? Good luck.
Personally, I don’t think there’s a serious problem with trunk struts or the line of Lexus automobiles.
Lexus builds great cars and odds are the trunk struts are farmed out and manufactured by the same company that is also building trunk struts for 90% of the vehicles out there.
Buy a Lexus, Honda, SAAB, or Ford Escort and chances are great the (fill in the blank) struts are made by the same company.
A quick look at an '01 Lexus for example shows it uses the same supports as a Benz. Pretty high rolling company.
Environmental conditions can also cause early failure of these parts (extreme cold or heat).
Every single thing in the world that rolls of an assembly line is going to have a certain percentage of factory rejects or early failures. Expensive car, fishing reels, pop-up toasters, or you name it; things are going to fail at some point.
It all boils down to the simple fact that no one likes to spend money on their car; the multi-purpose tool they use every day. There’s not a problem with paying a HVAC guy to repair the central A/C on the home or a plumber to repair a leaking pipe but when it comes to a car then it just HAS to be someone’s fault.
There’s nothing wrong with a Lexus car or the trunk struts that are attached to it.
Some last forever; a few don’t.
Not cheap. $162 per strut. And we have to buy it from Lexus. Even my private mechanic could not buy a generic part for our RX. Level of concern is warranted considering what we paid for these cars and how young the cars were and are at the time of breakdown of these struts.
Thank you. The other dealers are pretty far from our home–not sure if they will give us a loaner car should we use them. I can check into it though.
Gas struts?
Again, I shall reiterate the fact that we have had TWO Lexus cars whose trunk struts only lasted 2-3.5 years with minimal usage. So, I hope people can empathsize our position and disappointment in these parts stamped and approved by Lexus–no matter who manufactured them.
Case in point: The new struts are far better than the ones put in my SC at the time it was built. Much stronger so, that it takes alot of strength and weight to push down my trunk.
So, is it a roulette wheel when it comes to receiving durable, competent parts? Maybe so.
Our Lexuses are garaged and always have been. We live in an area that is generally temperate. Our Honda Accord has been sitting outside for 4 years and so far, so good.
…Lexus does NOT make every single part on their vehicle…no one does…
Perhaps that is true, Mike, but car companies are supposed to have a stake in part quality and car companies are supposed to set quality standards for the part suppliers.
Lexus doesn’t make most parts, but Lexus owners expect them to shop for the best part manufacturers. Lexus owners also expect Lexus’ quality control managers to ensure the parts they receive meet Lexus’ quality standards. It would be stupid for a car company to NOT set and enforce standards for the quality of the parts they buy.
It is irrelevant that Lexus doesn’t make car parts. What is important Lexus is responsible for setting quality standards for the parts and enforcing those standards, regardless of who actually makes them.
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Whitey…If you re-read my post…I stated that I believe those parts SHOULD have lasted the life of the vehicle. I do believe that the parts were faulty…and Lexus should take responsibility…HOWEVER…TWO vehicles does NOT MEAN it’s that it’s occurring in ALL or even MOST Lexus. Far too small of a sample to be statistical significant. It could very easily be random occurrence and most Lexus owners don’t have a problem with them.
Lexus doesn’t make most parts, but Lexus owners expect them to shop for the best part manufacturers. Lexus owners also expect Lexus’ quality control managers to ensure the parts they receive meet Lexus’ quality standards.
They may have…Because the problem is happening in a vehicle so young the problem is just NOW showing up and Lexus thought the product was perfectly fine. This happens to ALL manufacturers. What I want to see is what Lexus does do IF this really IS a problem. So far all we know is that TWO sets of struts over a 5+ year period is a problem.
Not cheap. $162 per strut. And we have to buy it from Lexus.
If there really is a problem with these struts…then you’ll start seeing aftermarket struts very soon. The aftermarket companies will JUMP on a problem like this if they see that they can sell several thousand of them. What I’ve found is that the more reliable a part is the less likely you’ll be able to find a aftermarket part for it…And versly if the part is unreliable the more likely you’ll be able to find a aftermarket part AND you’ll have several choices good price competition. My Dad’s 77 Aspen I needed to rebuild the carburetor. I was able to find a completely rebuilt carb for the price a rebuilt kit…Chryco was having a horrible time with those carbs back them. Around the same time I needed to rebuild the carb on my 71 F-150 with 200k miles on it…The carb kit was MORE then the rebuilt car on my Dad’s Aspen. The complete rebuilt carb was 10 times the price of my the one I bought for my Dad’s Aspen. There are at least 5 different companies making replacement intake manifolds and gasket kits for GM V-6 and V-8 engines. Dealer item only Toyota or Honda.