Squeaking rear suspension - Warranty?

[kris250]

Hey guys,

Been having squeaking noises coming from the rear for a while now every time I drive over rough terrain. Seems to have gotten much worse now that I can hear it even when the windows are rolled up. I've decided to book it into Lexus Battersea to have it checked and possibly claim under warranty. The only problem is that the lady (not a mechanic) suggested it was the rear shock absorbers which wouldn't be covered under warranty? I've just had an MOT done yesterday and no advisories on any absorbers what so ever. Furthermore, she told me that their labour charge is £160/hr! 

Surely if it is an item thats covered under the extended warranty - I shouldn't be charged the £160 diagnostic fee? Sounds a bit extortionate to me - anyone have any similar experiences or advice?

 

Cheers

[madasahatter]

6 minutes ago, kris250 said:

Hey guys,

Been having squeaking noises coming from the rear for a while now every time I drive over rough terrain. Seems to have gotten much worse now that I can hear it even when the windows are rolled up. I've decided to book it into Lexus Battersea to have it checked and possibly claim under warranty. The only problem is that the lady (not a mechanic) suggested it was the rear shock absorbers which wouldn't be covered under warranty? I've just had an MOT done yesterday and no advisories on any absorbers what so ever. Furthermore, she told me that their labour charge is £160/hr! 

Surely if it is an item thats covered under the extended warranty - I shouldn't be charged the £160 diagnostic fee? Sounds a bit extortionate to me - anyone have any similar experiences or advice?

 

Cheers

If you have just had mot seems strange no faults found. Not only suspension but bushes also which could be the cause. Lexus prices are ridiculous for which is

basically a toyota. This is why people do not use the dealers after a certain mileage and age. I would look and see what is covered under the warranty terms.

[rayaans]

51 minutes ago, madasahatter said:

If you have just had mot seems strange no faults found. Not only suspension but bushes also which could be the cause. Lexus prices are ridiculous for which is

basically a toyota. This is why people do not use the dealers after a certain mileage and age. I would look and see what is covered under the warranty terms.

Bit of a silly thing to say. 

Are you wanting Skoda prices for Audi diagnostics as well? The higher costs pays for wages (which incidentally are higher at Lexus than Toyota), the fancy showrooms and many more things. 

1 hour ago, kris250 said:

Hey guys,

Been having squeaking noises coming from the rear for a while now every time I drive over rough terrain. Seems to have gotten much worse now that I can hear it even when the windows are rolled up. I've decided to book it into Lexus Battersea to have it checked and possibly claim under warranty. The only problem is that the lady (not a mechanic) suggested it was the rear shock absorbers which wouldn't be covered under warranty? I've just had an MOT done yesterday and no advisories on any absorbers what so ever. Furthermore, she told me that their labour charge is £160/hr! 

Surely if it is an item thats covered under the extended warranty - I shouldn't be charged the £160 diagnostic fee? Sounds a bit extortionate to me - anyone have any similar experiences or advice?

 

Cheers

I wouldn't say its a warranty claim unless there is a problem with it. In other words, if the shocks are leaking, or there is a defect. 

Lots of cars have suspension squeaks over bumps particularly cars with higher mileage. My previous RX had the rear suspension squeak over large bumps, the Audi A7 suffers from suspension noise, so does the Lexus NX to an extent.

Additionally, suspension is one of those things where its very easy to say wear and tear

[kris250]

1 hour ago, rayaans said:

Bit of a silly thing to say. 

Are you wanting Skoda prices for Audi diagnostics as well? The higher costs pays for wages (which incidentally are higher at Lexus than Toyota), the fancy showrooms and many more things. 

I wouldn't say its a warranty claim unless there is a problem with it. In other words, if the shocks are leaking, or there is a defect. 

Lots of cars have suspension squeaks over bumps particularly cars with higher mileage. My previous RX had the rear suspension squeak over large bumps, the Audi A7 suffers from suspension noise, so does the Lexus NX to an extent.

Additionally, suspension is one of those things where its very easy to say wear and tear

Well its been having this squeak probably since 75K and its currently at 80K. Seems to have got worse over time as well. Having it checked over by the MOT centre again tomorrow to see if they  missed anything. Do not fancy paying £160 to be told I need to fork out 500 more to fix it..

[Ben1001]

Why not just take it to an independent for an assessment?

[Shahpor]

It is a bit of a tricky one because if you successfully claim under the warranty then the warranty company pay the investigation charge, otherwise you are left to pay the bill.  The problem, of course, is that you won't know which it is until after you have committed to having it checked.

Having said that, my local dealer (Lexus Reading) haven't charged me a fee in the past unless they could give you a definitive answer on the cause.  They also didn't charge me when it was something simple that didn't require too much time.

Shock replacement under warranty is a bit hit and miss since people on here have had inconsistent results from claims.  At 80k miles, if it is a shock, you have a better chance at getting it approved since that isn't a particularly high mileage.

If it turns out to be something like a top mount then I would be surprised if the warranty people approve it.

Like others have said, if the noise really is that bad then it is strange that the MOT didn't find anything.

And yes, the hourly charge Lexus set for labour is about the norm for luxury brand main dealer prices these days.  Annoyingly, the dealer previously charged £86 for their investigation because it used to be half an hour, but they have since stopped doing it.

[is200 Newbie]

As a post I just put up against Shahpor's caliper post

Checking all the components when you have the wheel off is a no brainer - when for example I do the re-greasing (a bit off topic) of the calliper pins I will check all the components and give them a clean to make sure there are no issues.

Once they are cleaned I will put a squirt of WD40 in all of the components that move (obvious ones excluded) - things like the ball joint rubbers / suspension bushes - for no other reason, good or bad) that its something I have done for years now with no issue (it may have been something my dad showed me when I was helping him with his car ... don't know?)

I would suggest you could do the same to yours - oil the rubbers, bushes etc, in the arches -  if it disappears then you know there is possibly an issue with one and narrow it down from there. I have also heard that while the shocks are ok (something along the lines of what Rayaan said above that the inner shocks can cause a squeak. I have seen this on a few other posts against Lexus. If oiling them, remember to do the top mounts and use a WD40 can with the straw attachment as it makes the job a lot easier and cleaner.