Intermediate Steering Shaft and Extended Warranty

TwitchyArmadillo · November 15, 2016

Just come back from having the charcoal cannister replaced as per recall. Only took a few hours. However I asked them to check for a 'clicking' noise coming from the steering. Turns out the intermediate steering shafts is loose/broken and needs replacing. Estimate is £880. Yikes!

They don't know if my extended warranty will cover it until they strip the car and get the job done. Does anyone have have experience with this part or the warranty?

I don't mind paying but I'd like to think my warranty is good for something

DanD · November 15, 2016

Should the warranty not cover this, I wonder if there is an appeal process you could go through.

Also, it could be worth considering becoming a fully fledged club member, as you would then get 10-15% off to this and subsequent bills.

Look here: http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/discounts

TwitchyArmadillo · November 15, 2016

52 minutes ago, DanD said:

Should the warranty not cover this, I wonder if there is an appeal process you could go through.

Also, it could be worth considering becoming a fully fledged club member, as you would then get 10-15% off to this and subsequent bills.

Look here: http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/discounts

Thanks DanD. I'll get on that membership right away.

They mentioned that they won't know if it's covered by the extended warranty until they put in the claim. I didn't realise it worked that way. I've got to pay up anyway as I'd rather not have the steering die on me. Thought I'd come on here and see what others might have experienced. I wizzed thru the warranty details and it does say that steering is covered by the warranty. So fingers crossed!

Shahpor · November 15, 2016

There should be no reason why it isn't covered under your warranty since I can't see how it would be classed wear and tear. Although, strange things have happened in the past on here regarding warranty claims.

They have to directly examine the cause of the failure, which they will then put into a report to send to the warranty company, who then decide what to do.

You can also speak directly to the warranty company. In the past I have done this and I have been told if a part is covered or not. Although you might want to record any conversations you have in case you need it later.

stormchaser · November 15, 2016

On the US Prius forum for the Gen 3 they suffered with this problem. One guy decided to investigate it and found out it's only a worn bolt on the shaft and has replaced this himself and it's cured the problem. It's in one of the threads there I have read.

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doog442 · November 15, 2016

This Lexus extended warranty business is becoming a bit of a joke. There is absolutely no reason why a fault like that shouldn't come under a warranty and hopefully it will go your way.

Is it any reason the likes of BMW are so popular with their bombproof Mondial warranty, I appreciate its probably well used but its a massive comfort blanket that Lexus appear to be struggling to aspire to.

DanD · November 16, 2016

18 hours ago, doog442 said:

This Lexus extended warranty business is becoming a bit of a joke. There is absolutely no reason why a fault like that shouldn't come under a warranty and hopefully it will go your way.

Is it any reason the likes of BMW are so popular with their bombproof Mondial warranty, I appreciate its probably well used but its a massive comfort blanket that Lexus appear to be struggling to aspire to.

"A bit of a joke". Why?

I have made several claims against Lexus' warranty over the years, and I have never, ever had one rejected. In fact, I would go as far as saying that it is the best I have come across and one of the reasons I remain faithful to the brand.

Wass · November 16, 2016

21 hours ago, stormchaser said:

On the US Prius forum for the Gen 3 they suffered with this problem. One guy decided to investigate it and found out it's only a worn bolt on the shaft and has replaced this himself and it's cured the problem. It's in one of the threads there I have read.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I investigated the issue on my car. At the time I posted details of it on one forum or another. I suspect I probably posted it on the american forum since the UK forum is quite a bit less interested in DIY. The issue on my car was caused by the stock bolt being low tensile instead of high tensile. The stock low tensile bolt simply stretched in service thereby allowing the top steering shaft spline to move inside the intermediate shaft. I have a lot of spare high tensile bolts and simply threw the factory bolt away and replaced it with a high tensile bolt. This was about 2 years ago and I have not had any problem since. I do recall the american dealers telling similar stories involving great expense. If you would like to err on the side of safety, don't spend £880, I would recommend taking the vehicle to another specialist for a second opinion. The job I did solved the problem in 15 minutes and most of that time was spent in finding the right spanner for the job!

Shahpor · November 16, 2016

I agree with Dan on this one. I too have made several claims, and all of them have been easy and quick. Yes, there have been a few strange ones on here, but I am sure there are plenty more with positive outcomes.

As for the BMW warranty, have you seen how much they cost? They also charge more if the car has over 60,000 miles on it. For what it costs, I would hope that it is good.

doog442 · November 16, 2016

1 hour ago, Shahpor said:

As for the BMW warranty, have you seen how much they cost? They also charge more if the car has over 60,000 miles on it. For what it costs, I would hope that it is good.

Yes, I had one and it was less than Lexus ever quoted me for what might be considered a higher risk car. You simply cannot deny the Mondial warranty is pretty damned good no matter whatever your 'allegiance'. If you pay monthly there is no increased charge once you go over 60k.

doog442 · November 16, 2016

3 hours ago, DanD said:

"A bit of a joke". Why?

I have made several claims against Lexus' warranty over the years, and I have never, ever had one rejected. In fact, I would go as far as saying that it is the best I have come across and one of the reasons I remain faithful to the brand.

Simply based on reading multiple threads on this forum over the last 10 years. The OP should be in no doubt if its a warranty job or not without having to worry about "They don't know if my extended warranty will cover it until they strip the car and get the job done " ....

Bearing in mind its an £880 job the devil really should be in the detail. Hopefully it will be covered.

Shahpor · November 16, 2016

15 minutes ago, doog442 said:

Yes, I had one and it was less than Lexus ever quoted me for what might be considered a higher risk car. You simply cannot deny the Mondial warranty is pretty damned good no matter whatever your 'allegiance'.

Are we talking about the same BMW extended warranty? Based on the equivalent car to mine (320d SE, 100,000), they want £1046.76 per year, which is twice what a Lexus warranty would cost you. That is also with a £100 excess, which Lexus doesn't charge.

As for whether it is a warranty job or not, no dealer will ever commit themselves without knowing what the warranty company says. It is mostly a formality because the dealer will have a pretty good idea whether it will be covered, but wouldn't say in case there is an issue. As for diagnosing the problem, even if the dealer was certain what was wrong, they need visual confirmation of what exactly has failed as well as any possible causes.

All of this is pretty standard, and a lot of us have had no problems with getting warranty work done. In the case of my seized rear caliper, the warranty company got back to my dealer within one hour authorising the work. Can't do much better than that.

stormchaser · November 18, 2016

On the US Prius forum for the Gen 3 they suffered with this problem. One guy decided to investigate it and found out it's only a worn bolt on the shaft and has replaced this himself and it's cured the problem. It's in one of the threads there I have read.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I investigated the issue on my car. At the time I posted details of it on one forum or another. I suspect I probably posted it on the american forum since the UK forum is quite a bit less interested in DIY. The issue on my car was caused by the stock bolt being low tensile instead of high tensile. The stock low tensile bolt simply stretched in service thereby allowing the top steering shaft spline to move inside the intermediate shaft. I have a lot of spare high tensile bolts and simply threw the factory bolt away and replaced it with a high tensile bolt. This was about 2 years ago and I have not had any problem since. I do recall the american dealers telling similar stories involving great expense. If you would like to err on the side of safety, don't spend £880, I would recommend taking the vehicle to another specialist for a second opinion. The job I did solved the problem in 15 minutes and most of that time was spent in finding the right spanner for the job!

Ah yes it must of been about yours I was reading. A great simple repair for much less money.

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TwitchyArmadillo · November 18, 2016

I think I will let them have a look and depending on their assessment of the actual damage I will decide whether to let Lexus deal with it. All this for a sub £100 part. ****!

Thanks for the replies. Feeling a bit better about it all now.

stormchaser · November 19, 2016

Good luck I hope you sort it out.

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TwitchyArmadillo · December 8, 2016

Here's an update on this one. All sorted and covered by the extended warranty. Car is smooth again and the MPG is back up into the high 50s. So I'm all happy again. On a slightly different note, the naughty scamps at Lexus gave me a 2016 plate IS 300h as a courtesy car. Boy that is a nice drive. Almost didn't want to give it back!

Shahpor · December 8, 2016

Excellent news!

I know, those damn dealers and their excellent courtesy cars! The cheek of lending you such a nice car knowing you have to give it back. Someone should have a serious word with them and demand they replace their cars with Vauxhall Corsa's immediately!

TwitchyArmadillo · December 9, 2016

18 hours ago, Shahpor said:

Excellent news!

I know, those damn dealers and their excellent courtesy cars! The cheek of lending you such a nice car knowing you have to give it back. Someone should have a serious word with them and demand they replace their cars with Vauxhall Corsa's immediately!

Just imagine dropping off your CT and being given a Corsa for a day ...

TwitchyArmadillo · December 9, 2016

18 hours ago, Shahpor said:

Excellent news!

I know, those damn dealers and their excellent courtesy cars! The cheek of lending you such a nice car knowing you have to give it back. Someone should have a serious word with them and demand they replace their cars with Vauxhall Corsa's immediately!

Just imagine dropping off your CT and being given a Corsa for a day ...