Repairs Under Extended Warranty

Shaw RX · June 30, 2015

Hi all,

Just thought I'd share my experience on claiming under my extended warranty with you.

I called Lexus Manchester to tell them I had a lazy wing mirror motor. The After Sales Consultant informed me it wasn't broken and just needed adjusting (as the dip when you put it in reverse can be adjusted). I explained to him that I knew it couldn't be adjusted, I had tried it and the opposite mirror was fine. He said bring it in and he would have a look. I asked that if I brought it in on Thursday at 08:30 could it be diagnosed and fixed by Friday night - he said yes.

I arrived early on Thursday morning and was greeted nicely by the staff. The ASC seemed in a bad mood - not a good start. He said he would go into the car park and it would be fixed in 10 mins. Around 20 mins later, he came in and apologised and said it needed to go down to a technician. At this point I had stupidly signed off the paperwork stating a £75 diagnostic fee - I will come back to that.

So, I had explained that I needed to be in a meeting in central Altrincham at 10:00. The ASC said I would need to allow 60 mins travel time. So, by 09:30 I was becoming anxious. Finally at 09:40 the ASC said the technician had taken the wing mirror apart and greased everything etc and it couldn't be fixed. He was happy to put the claim forward to Lexus for it to be repaired under the extended warranty I bought through Lexus Manchester for £950, but there was the fee of £75 - for ensuring there hadn't been any damage caused by me and it was a fault of the part!!!! Long story short - I refused to pay. In the end the ASC said "Its not worth it" and handed my keys back. He then asked me if my car had been re-sprayed another colour!!!! He said he asked because its rare to find a white 400h. Yes it is, that s why I bought it. Cheeky blighter. I was very annoyed.

I left the building and he said he would call me to let me know if Lexus were willing to repair it under the warranty and when I could bring it back. I was 30 mins late for a meeting - so annoyed.

The ASC called later in the day and left me a voicemail requesting photographs of the wing mirror. I called back to ask why on earth they would need photos. The ASC explained that it was like an insurance policy and they wanted photographic evidence to prove it wasn't damage caused by me. Not good enough that the dealership could vouch for that, Lexus needed more evidence!! I sent the photos and all was fine. Full wing mirror to be replaced. I don't know if its necessary to replace the full wing mirror unit - I wonder if the dealership are pulling a fast one with head office?

Finally, car booked in for this Thursday and a courtesy car to be provided. I asked the ASC when I could pick my car up and he said "The courtesy car will be booked for the duration of the day, the dealership will close at 17.30." Is it just me or does this not really answer my question properly. I'm a fan of good communication - this guy isn't.

I received a follow up call from RRG and I explained to them the painful circumstances in which I wanted to have a repair carried out under warranty. I told them I was frustrated, given promises they couldn't keep, insulted and felt I had to bend over backwards to facilitate the repair. This isn't a Mickey Mouse warranty or like claiming on travel insurance. I pay a shed load of money for it and wanted an easy ride. Lexus Manchester were amazing when I was paying them £745 for a 60k service and £950 for a 2 year warranty. Not bothered about me when I want to use the warranty I pay for.

Lets see if they redeem themselves this week.

Anybody else got any good or bad feedback on Lexus Manchester?

Tempted to take my car elsewhere in future. I live in York, so Leeds or Hull may be worth a go. Heard bad things about Hull. Not sure on Leeds. Any opinions?

DanD · June 30, 2015

I like everything to be in perfect working order in my car, and over the years, I have often popped into my local dealership (Hedge End / Southampton) to check one thing or other.

Checks have always been done gracefully, while I was waiting in a clean showroom with a cup of coffee, or chatting to staff. I have never, ever been charged any diagnostic fee.

This is one of the reasons my current Lexus will be replaced with another Lexus.

Incidentally, my local ASC drives a white RX400h... unless he recently sold it.

royoftherovers · June 30, 2015

4th para from end........................RRG is?

Regards

John

mikesands · June 30, 2015

.... and 'ASC' is?

By the way Lexus Teesside is only about 45 minutes from you if you live on the north side of York. They give outstanding service to me.

Mike

PCM · June 30, 2015

.... and 'ASC' is?

By the way Lexus Teesside is only about 45 minutes from you if you live on the north side of York. They give outstanding service to me.

Mike

After Sales Consultant

CJHYBRID · June 30, 2015

Sorry to hear about your warranty woes.

Surprised about adverse comments about Lexus Hull I have found them to be first class.

Cj

royoftherovers · June 30, 2015

.... and 'ASC' is?

By the way Lexus Teesside is only about 45 minutes from you if you live on the north side of York. They give outstanding service to me.

Mike

After Sales Consultant

And RRG is?

Regards

John

jamesm182 · July 1, 2015

.... and 'ASC' is?

By the way Lexus Teesside is only about 45 minutes from you if you live on the north side of York. They give outstanding service to me.

Mike

After Sales Consultant

And RRG is?

Regards

John

RRG is the company that owns that Lexus dealer.

Shaw RX · July 1, 2015

Hi guys, thanks for the feedback and spelling out a few acronyms!

I think I will give the guys at Teeside a go at the 70k service.

I like everything to be in perfect working order in my car, and over the years, I have often popped into my local dealership (Hedge End / Southampton) to check one thing or other.

Checks have always been done gracefully, while I was waiting in a clean showroom with a cup of coffee, or chatting to staff. I have never, ever been charged any diagnostic fee.

This is one of the reasons my current Lexus will be replaced with another Lexus.

Incidentally, my local ASC drives a white RX400h... unless he recently sold it.

Dan, it is well known that service of any kind is better the further South you go :) I have no doubt your Lexus dealer is spot on - lucky guy.

Car is going in at 0830 tomorrow so I will write up how it goes!

PCM · July 10, 2015

How did it go?

Shaw RX · July 23, 2015

They were better - to be fair.

Greeted nicely and courtesy car provided. Work done in a few hours and no problems collecting it.

Full mirror unit was replaced and its as good as new!! Free of charge under extended warranty.

PCM · July 23, 2015

A happy ending!

And FOC!

PhilipK · July 23, 2015

I like everything to be in perfect working order in my car, and over the years, I have often popped into my local dealership (Hedge End / Southampton) to check one thing or other.

Checks have always been done gracefully, while I was waiting in a clean showroom with a cup of coffee, or chatting to staff. I have never, ever been charged any diagnostic fee.

I've also had good experience with Snows (Lexus Hedge End).

When my car was in for the IS250 recall, they told me that my coolant level was slightly low and that they had topped it up, free of charge. Then, when they were servicing the car, I had a call to say that the water pump was leaking. I mentioned that I had an extended warranty, and the reply was "Oh, you have an extended warranty? No problem, sir, I'll just raise the claim now, and I'll let you know when your car will be ready."

Something of a contrast to BMW, where you have to fight tooth-and-nail over every warranty claim!

rayaans · July 25, 2015

RRG generally get very favourable reviews here. Stockport, Bradford and Bolton are good. Whenever I've been to Manchester they have also been good.

The photographic evidence you mention is for Lexus UK to do their own checks as they pay the dealership for any work carried out. Therefore, a dealer could technically just vouch for any customer damage ie a smashed side mirror to fork out extra money from Lexus UK which is why they ask for it. Not the dealers fault on that one.

tom123 · July 26, 2015

I have also experienced a Lexus dealer suddenly lose complete interest in a repair when I mentioned that I have an extended warranty. I suppose there are a bunch or reasons for this behaviour.

Dealers get reimbursed a lower hourly labour by the warranty company than they could charge you.

The warranty company sometimes sends out an 'independent' engineer to assess claims on their behalf. One could speculate why a garage might not want this to happen.

I have also heard of main dealers having targets to meet regarding warranty repairs to save the company money.

billgatesisaconman · July 26, 2015

Mine has been into Lexus Manchester a couple of times, I had a siezed rear caliper changed & they changed both sets of rear pads at cost (£45) bill was £395 though ... lol ... the annoying thing was they wouldn't give me a courtesy car,

I took it in again a few weeks ago for the timing belt, an essentials service & had 2 tyres changed for £665 and again struggled to get a courtesy car off them, they did give me a Ct 200 after a few awkward silences though & I got a present when I got home!...

I found a 10" screwdriver jammed next to my front brake shield (rattled all the way home) oh & I had to relearn all my windows, seats sunroof etc etc ... I got a hybrid health check done foc while it was there ...

There was an offer leaflet in my folder for 24 mth warranty for the price of 12 mth, £995 for the Rx (car has to be under 10 yrs & 140k though) if it's any good to anyone ... It's probably the only warranty I would have if I were to partake ...

Didn't think much of the Ct 200h either ...

billgatesisaconman · July 26, 2015

RRG generally get very favourable reviews here. Stockport, Bradford and Bolton are good. Whenever I've been to Manchester they have also been good.

The photographic evidence you mention is for Lexus UK to do their own checks as they pay the dealership for any work carried out. Therefore, a dealer could technically just vouch for any customer damage ie a smashed side mirror to fork out extra money from Lexus UK which is why they ask for it. Not the dealers fault on that one.

Don't really agree with that one Rayaan ... If they don't trust their dealerships then that's their problem to sort out within thier own network, they shouldn't be asking customers to mess about taking photo's etc ... if the dealers were doing thier jobs properly they should be doing all this for you ... afterall it's not a cheap warranty ... bad synergy & poor customer service if you ask me.

Shaw RX · July 26, 2015

I believe that if they sell you the warranty (which manchester did) then they should honour any repairs under the warranty without question.

Any issues they have between dealerships and warranty issuer should be resolved internally without dragging me into the middle of it. It looks unprofessional and customers should not be subjected to it.

I always manage to get a courtesy car. I do book well ahead. At least a week ahead. Also possible that they try and keep me sweet as they seem desperate to upgrade me to a 450 lol!!!

billgatesisaconman · July 26, 2015

I believe that if they sell you the warranty (which manchester did) then they should honour any repairs under the warranty without question.

Any issues they have between dealerships and warranty issuer should be resolved internally without dragging me into the middle of it. It looks unprofessional and customers should not be subjected to it.

I always manage to get a courtesy car. I do book well ahead. At least a week ahead. Also possible that they try and keep me sweet as they seem desperate to upgrade me to a 450 lol!!!

Totally agree Steven,

I must admit the first occasion was on the spot with the courtesy car but the second was well in advance, they kept saying they didn't have one available on the date, one was available after a few long awkward silences on my part ... it really seemed like they are reluctant to give them out ... never had a problem with a courtesy car at Mitsubishi ... other problems yes, but not the courtesy car ... lol

PhilipK · July 26, 2015

Mine has been into Lexus Manchester a couple of times, I had a siezed rear caliper changed & they changed both sets of rear pads at cost (£45) bill was £395 though

Did the brake pads require replacement as a result of the seized caliper? If so, they should have been covered under the extended warranty.

http://www.lexus.co.uk/img/Terms-and-Conditions-Lexus-Extended-Warranty-for-Vehicle_tcm880-1309714.pdf says:

"4.3 Where the Mechanical or Electrical Failure of a Protected Part directly causes damage to another part of the Protected Vehicle (which is not a Protected Part) when the Protected Vehicle is in a Specified Territory during the Warranty Period, then We will pay for the cost of replacing or repairing that other part in addition to the cost of replacing or repairing the Protected Part subject to the Repair Limit, provided that the cost of such repairs are reasonable."

billgatesisaconman · July 27, 2015

Good point Philip, no warranty here though i'm afraid ...

I personally don't think warranties are economical, and Cj's recent experiences confirm this.for me ....

I've had the car about 3 years & spent about £1500 all told but if I had a warranty it would have only covered £395 worth of repairs, it wouldn't cover my tyres,servicing or powdercoating my wheels etc ...so I reckon I've saved £2.5k by not having one ...

mikesands · July 27, 2015

Good point Philip, no warranty here though i'm afraid ...

I personally don't think warranties are economical, and Cj's recent experiences confirm this.for me ....

I've had the car about 3 years & spent about £1500 all told but if I had a warranty it would have only covered £395 worth of repairs, it wouldn't cover my tyres,servicing or powdercoating my wheels etc ...so I reckon I've saved £2.5k by not having one ...

:D I think that's a bit like saying 'I could have taken out life insurance 10 years ago but since I didn't die I think the saving was worthwhile'

Mike

billgatesisaconman · July 27, 2015

Good point Philip, no warranty here though i'm afraid ...

I personally don't think warranties are economical, and Cj's recent experiences confirm this.for me ....

I've had the car about 3 years & spent about £1500 all told but if I had a warranty it would have only covered £395 worth of repairs, it wouldn't cover my tyres,servicing or powdercoating my wheels etc ...so I reckon I've saved £2.5k by not having one ...

:D I think that's a bit like saying 'I could have taken out life insurance 10 years ago but since I didn't die I think the saving was worthwhile'

Mike

Life insurance ? ... not really a comparison, plus you missed the point that you'd be dead & couldn't spend the insurance money anyway ... lol ... and ... all the beer you could have bought with the premium's

I have never had a warranty on any car I've owned, & most warranties tend to exclude Hybrid components anyway (apart from the Lexus one i think?) ... I only know 1 person who has ever had his money's worth out of a warranty..

tom123 · July 27, 2015

Good point Philip, no warranty here though i'm afraid ...

I personally don't think warranties are economical, and Cj's recent experiences confirm this.for me ....

I've had the car about 3 years & spent about £1500 all told but if I had a warranty it would have only covered £395 worth of repairs, it wouldn't cover my tyres,servicing or powdercoating my wheels etc ...so I reckon I've saved £2.5k by not having one ...

:D I think that's a bit like saying 'I could have taken out life insurance 10 years ago but since I didn't die I think the saving was worthwhile'

Mike

Life insurance ? ... not really a comparison, plus you missed the point that you'd be dead & couldn't spend the insurance money anyway ... lol ... and ... all the beer you could have bought with the premium's

I have never had a warranty on any car I've owned, & most warranties tend to exclude Hybrid components anyway (apart from the Lexus one i think?) ... I only know 1 person who has ever had his money's worth out of a warranty..

I had one seized rear caliper replaced (£350), two leaking rear tail light clusters replaced (£500+), and an air con leak fixed (£920) under warranty during the first twelve months of ownership of my RX. So you can now make that two people that you know who've had their moneys worth out of a warranty!

ColinBarber · July 27, 2015

I had one seized rear caliper replaced (£350), two leaking rear tail light clusters replaced (£500+), and an air con leak fixed (£920) under warranty during the first twelve months of ownership of my RX. So you can now make that two people that you know who've had their moneys worth out of a warranty!

Equality if you didn't have a warranty you could have got the sliding pins replaced and glued the seal on the back of the light cluster back on. The AC fix probably would have been considerable less outside of the Lexus dealerships, all for less than the price of the warranty.