RX 400h wheel arch rust

[tom123]

Have just noticed some corrosion on the near side rear wheel arch. Car is 10.5 years old, just over 90K miles. Bought it from a Lexus dealer 2.5 years ago. Car was in for its service at a different main dealer this week so asked them to inspect the area to see if it would be covered under the 12 year corrosion warranty.

However the service manager said that the corrosion must be due to a previous accident repair. When I asked him how he could be sure that this was the case, he replied that he had never seen rust there before so it must be due to accident damage, and that he couldn't see why corrosion would occur in just one place if an accident had not taken place. He didn't offer any other evidence to prove that there had been a previous accident repair.

I also asked an independent local body shop to have a look, and they explained that they thought the corrosion was due to dirt from the road accumulating in the lip of the wheel arch, and that it is common for only the near side to be affected as that is the side that picks up mud etc. from the side of the road. 

Wondering what to do from here, as if the corrosion is due to the poor design of the wheel arch so that it collects mud, I feel that this should be covered under the 12 year corrosion warranty. Also, since I specifically asked the supplying dealer if the car had been in any accidents, which the salesman denied, would I have any case against them if it turned out that there had been accident damage to the car causing the corrosion?

I have come across this company who conduct independent vehicle inspections, but seems a lot of money ('from' £199) to pay, and I'm not sure that they would be able to conclusively determine what the cause of the corrosion is.

https://www.dekra-expert.co.uk/vehicle.inspections/national.vehicle.inspections.uk/vehicle.inspection.engineers.report

 

[rayaans]

14 hours ago, tom123 said:

Have just noticed some corrosion on the near side rear wheel arch. Car is 10.5 years old, just over 90K miles. Bought it from a Lexus dealer 2.5 years ago. Car was in for its service at a different main dealer this week so asked them to inspect the area to see if it would be covered under the 12 year corrosion warranty.

However the service manager said that the corrosion must be due to a previous accident repair. When I asked him how he could be sure that this was the case, he replied that he had never seen rust there before so it must be due to accident damage, and that he couldn't see why corrosion would occur in just one place if an accident had not taken place. He didn't offer any other evidence to prove that there had been a previous accident repair.

I also asked an independent local body shop to have a look, and they explained that they thought the corrosion was due to dirt from the road accumulating in the lip of the wheel arch, and that it is common for only the near side to be affected as that is the side that picks up mud etc. from the side of the road. 

Wondering what to do from here, as if the corrosion is due to the poor design of the wheel arch so that it collects mud, I feel that this should be covered under the 12 year corrosion warranty. Also, since I specifically asked the supplying dealer if the car had been in any accidents, which the salesman denied, would I have any case against them if it turned out that there had been accident damage to the car causing the corrosion?

I have come across this company who conduct independent vehicle inspections, but seems a lot of money ('from' £199) to pay, and I'm not sure that they would be able to conclusively determine what the cause of the corrosion is.

https://www.dekra-expert.co.uk/vehicle.inspections/national.vehicle.inspections.uk/vehicle.inspection.engineers.report

 

Should be covered under warranty no question

[ChrisKaye]

They should have to PROVE accident damage, not assume it.

Maybe write a letter to Lexus GB to start the warranty claim then go int a dealer off the back of that?

Mine is a '53 plate RX300 - lived all it's life on the coast and frequently does muddy tractor B roads into the countryside for work on a daily basis for the last 2 years - no sign of rust in the offside wheel arch.

[tom123]

10 hours ago, rayaans said:

Should be covered under warranty no question

The service manager was just like "since I've never seen rust there before, it must have had accident damage." He couldn't offer me any evidence other than his opinion. 

[tom123]

4 hours ago, ChrisKaye said:

 

 

They should have to PROVE accident damage, not assume it.

 

 

Maybe write a letter to Lexus GB to start the warranty claim then go int a dealer off the back of that?

 

 

Mine is a '53 plate RX300 - lived all it's life on the coast and frequently does muddy tractor B roads into the countryside for work on a daily basis for the last 2 years - no sign of rust in the offside wheel arch.

That's exactly what I thought as soon as I left the dealership! I asked the service manager what would happen if I could produce an engineer's report stating that there was no evidence of previous accident damage, and he replied that he would forward that to Lexus who would then arrange for their own inspection. But now I'm thinking why should I have to spend my own money to prove a negative?

Really annoyed that they couldn't even be bothered to measure the paint depth for example to get some objective evidence of this supposed accident damage repair.

Will probably phone the Lexus helpline and suggest they arrange for an inspection (at a different dealer) if they want to turn down the warranty repair.

 

[tom123]

Took some pictures of the corrosion.

[ChrisKaye]

Wow, that is really bad :( mine in comparison (as an older car) is excellent condition.

I'm usually the last to defend the dealer but I can see why they have jumped to that conclusion.

However, it is not beyond a manufacturing defect (poor spraying at factory for example) and the least they could do for a Lexus customer is get it in the air with the wheel off, if it's accident damage or has been repaired 15 minutes of investigation would reveal any evidence (and there is always evidence of a repair left!) and they could show it to you.

Likewise, no evidence found then straightforward claim under body warranty!

Pardon the dirt!

Sent from my Iphone using Tapatalk

[tom123]

3 hours ago, ChrisKaye said:

 

 

Wow, that is really bad :( mine in comparison (as an older car) is excellent condition.

 

 

I'm usually the last to defend the dealer but I can see why they have jumped to that conclusion.

 

 

However, it is not beyond a manufacturing defect (poor spraying at factory for example) and the least they could do for a Lexus customer is get it in the air with the wheel off, if it's accident damage or has been repaired 15 minutes of investigation would reveal any evidence (and there is always evidence of a repair left!) and they could show it to you.

 

 

Likewise, no evidence found then straightforward claim under body warranty!

 

Pardon the dirt!

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the reply. I just got the follow up 'courtesy call' from the dealer receptionist and told that actually I wasn't happy with my experience when I took my car in last week for a service. She said that she would get the service manager to call me back next week. 

It will take me a whole afternoon to drive there and back for them to inspect it, like you say will take them all of 15 minutes to look at it, so it's annoying that they didn't have a proper look last time.

[tom123]

Took the car to a body shop yesterday. He thoroughly inspected the area - took some of the door seal trim off, inspected around the inside of the petrol filler cap which he said had never been removed. He noted that a scratch near to the area of corrosion had gone straight through to the original factory applied primer coat. He couldn't see any sign a previous accident repair or of re-spraying, and said that there would always be a lip/edge of new paint somewhere to feel if it had been re-painted. He advised me to fight the case with the dealer. Now waiting for the service manager to get back from his holiday.

[bobmc]

Good luck with this, interested to know how it goes. 

[tom123]

18 hours ago, bobmc said:

Good luck with this, interested to know how it goes. 

Thanks, will update next week hopefully when I've heard back from the dealer.

[brad23]

I have a Gs 450h about 9 years old and rust has started to appear in the same place at the top of the wheel arches on both sides. I took it to the local Lexus dealer and they had someone from lexus UK check it out, and they said it was due to a respray. They measured the paint and it wasn't consistent. It was a lexus approved car so surely the garage I bought it from should have checked this? Damage to both wings very strange to have repair both of them !. I went to several body repair shops to get quotes and they said it was a design fault. Went to lexus customer service and they said nothing they can do. Has anyone taken such a complaint any further as I think lexus don't want to do the repair because of the cost ?.

[tom123]

21 hours ago, brad23 said:

I have a Gs 450h about 9 years old and rust has started to appear in the same place at the top of the wheel arches on both sides. I took it to the local Lexus dealer and they had someone from lexus UK check it out, and they said it was due to a respray. They measured the paint and it wasn't consistent. It was a lexus approved car so surely the garage I bought it from should have checked this? Damage to both wings very strange to have repair both of them !. I went to several body repair shops to get quotes and they said it was a design fault. Went to lexus customer service and they said nothing they can do. Has anyone taken such a complaint any further as I think lexus don't want to do the repair because of the cost ?.

I would write to Honest John for advice on what to do, he responded within 20 minutes when I emailed him once. If Lexus try this trick on me then I will pay for an independent engineer's inspection and, if they can find no sign of a re-spray I will probably get the work done and then sue Lexus in the small claims court for the cost of the work.

Does the GS 450h have the same wheel arch design with the lip that catches dirt from the road? Can you post a picture?