Currently on the Honest John website (honestjohn.co.uk)

[royoftherovers]

 

Is the cover of the Toyota/Lexus Relax warranty better or worse than an extended warranty?

I purchased a brand new Lexus NX on 17 March 2021, which includes a three-year warranty. I also purchased an extended warranty with the offer to buy the fourth year warranty and receive the fifth year free. I will be getting the Lexus serviced at my Lexus dealership as part of a three-year service plan. Lexus Extended warranty has offered a full refund on my extended fourth and fifth-year warranty. But will the extended warranty I paid for offer better cover than their free after-service warranty? Your advice, please. Kind regards.

Asked on 4 June 2021 by Marlinleg

 Answered by Georgia Petrie

Essentially, as a Lexus owner, you're being offered an extra layer of cover if you remain faithful to the dealer network and you get it serviced within in the recommended intervals. There are no complex clauses, exclusions or caveats as it's supposed to be easy for owners to understand and benefit from. The idea is to simplify servicing and warranties for customers. However, I would suggest you read the terms and conditions of the extended warranty because there are some exclusions to be aware of: d3rvezpmgp265q.cloudfront.net/lexusone/lexgbenv11/...f

In short, from what I've seen in the Ts&Cs (which I've linked you to above), there are some major exclusions under the Relax scheme which may be covered by your extended warranty. These include but aren't limited to maintenance parts, rubber parts, body and paint, multimedia systems etc. This means components that are excluded from cover include brake pads, wheels and tyres, belts and tensioners, batteries (in non-hybrid models), spark plugs, rubber parts, shock absorbers, infotainment systems, paintwork, lights, seat covers, 12v socket, exhaust system (including cat. converter) etc.

So, the point of the Relax scheme is to keep/bring back owners into the Toyota/Lexus servicing network. This is good in many ways because Lexus itself will offer the best Lexus servicing with genuine parts (though, it'll be more expensive than using an independent garage). I believe the Relax warranty itself is free, too, as it's automatically applied at each service. The best way to determine the difference between the warranties would be to look at the Ts&Cs of both. If you give your local Lexus dealer a ring, they'll probably be able to offer some clarity, too. You can then make a decision once you're armed with the facts of both warranties.

 

 Regards

[rayaans]

Bit of a pointless answer really - Could have just summed it up by saying "read the T&C's"

[royoftherovers]

Just now, rayaans said:

Bit of a pointless answer really - Could have just summed it up by saying "read the T&C's"

The original HJ can be read in the Daily Telegraph each Saturday.

This lot merely use his name and lack gravitas.

[Phil xxkr]

4 minutes ago, rayaans said:

Bit of a pointless answer really - Could have just summed it up by saying "read the T&C's"

Exactly 📖, do people ever do homework these days? 

[Las Palmas]

1 hour ago, Phil xxkr said:

Exactly 📖, do people ever do homework these days? 

Few.

Read a manual? If a big manual is needed the product is not made perfect. A short guide should be enough for most (I hope). Sorry John.

[royoftherovers]

30 minutes ago, Las Palmas said:

Few.

Read a manual? If a big manual is needed the product is not made perfect. A short guide should be enough for most (I hope). Sorry John.

I know young fella that you have read or are  reading the full manual of the CT!  

One must persist with the basics, musn`t one ?

[LenT]

2 hours ago, rayaans said:

Bit of a pointless answer really - Could have just summed it up by saying "read the T&C's"

I still have two thirds of a Service Plan to run, but I did tale a look today at the T&Cs on the Lexus site.

The list of exclusions is so long - and the qualifications so extensive - that I became unclear as to what was actually covered!  Still, I expect it will all become clear by the time it becomes relevant.

[Phil xxkr]

9 hours ago, Las Palmas said:

Few.

Read a manual? If a big manual is needed the product is not made perfect. A short guide should be enough for most (I hope). Sorry John.

You may not know but the UK Tax Code is 17,000 pages long 😱 yet the most heard complaint is rich people avoid tax because they can employ fancy accountants and lawyers. Compare that to Hong Kong where it 276 pages 🍾

[Las Palmas]

11 minutes ago, Phil xxkr said:

You may not know but the UK Tax Code is 17,000 pages long 😱 yet the most heard complaint is rich people avoid tax because they can employ fancy accountants and lawyers. Compare that to Hong Kong where it 276 pages 🍾

A teacher once told me that the more laws and exemptions from these a country has, the less worth it is to live there.

The Faroe Islands and Iceland were mentioned as good countries. But that's a long time ago.

[royoftherovers]

9 hours ago, LenT said:

I still have two thirds of a Service Plan to run, but I did tale a look today at the T&Cs on the Lexus site.

The list of exclusions is so long - and the qualifications so extensive - that I became unclear as to what was actually covered!  Still, I expect it will all become clear by the time it becomes relevant.

The proof of the pudding Len is.......................................................................?

[rayaans]

10 hours ago, LenT said:

I still have two thirds of a Service Plan to run, but I did tale a look today at the T&Cs on the Lexus site.

The list of exclusions is so long - and the qualifications so extensive - that I became unclear as to what was actually covered!  Still, I expect it will all become clear by the time it becomes relevant.

To be fair, the main mechanical bits are included. The general gist of it seems to be that wheels/tyres/paintwork and rubber parts arent included

[ColinBarber]

11 minutes ago, rayaans said:

To be fair, the main mechanical bits are included. The general gist of it seems to be that wheels/tyres/paintwork and rubber parts arent included

Most of that wouldn't have been covered on extended warranty and the paintwork has a warranty anyway.

But the issue is the differences that are no longer covered such as headlights, exhaust, shock absorbers, engine mounts, multimedia system (which the assumption is that is the whole system headunit, amp, screen).

Possibly the headlights stopped being covered on the very latest extended warranties but not supporting the multimedia system which would cost thousands to replace is a concern.

 

Whether Lexus still choose to cover these items remains to be seen, but by the letter of the contract they certainly don't have to.

[royoftherovers]

I wonder what the term "manufacturing defect" means, said Christopher Robin.

[Phil xxkr]

2 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

The proof of the pudding Len is.......................................................................?

..... is....... Totally dependent on how much brandy is put in the thing in the first place 🤗

[Shahpor]

2 hours ago, ColinBarber said:

But the issue is the differences that are no longer covered such as headlights, exhaust, shock absorbers, engine mounts, multimedia system (which the assumption is that is the whole system headunit, amp, screen).

For me this is the crux of the issue.

Personally, I have had a shock absorber and engine mounts replaced under warranty and I know there are members on here that have had headlights and multimedia screens changed, so these things do occur and are, as you say, very expensive to rectify.

As someone of limited means (I am far from homeless but a repair of £'000's is beyond my usual income limits) the worry of something like this happening would somewhat rob me of the pleasure of owning one of these cars.

Shame really as I do like the Lexus experience a lot. 

[Spacewagon52]

4 minutes ago, Shahpor said:

For me this is the crux of the issue.

Personally, I have had a shock absorber and engine mounts replaced under warranty and I know there are members on here that have had headlights and multimedia screens changed, so these things do occur and are, as you say, very expensive to rectify.

As someone of limited means (I am far from homeless but a repair of £'000's is beyond my usual income limits) the worry of something like this happening would somewhat rob me of the pleasure of owning one of these cars.

Shame really as I do like the Lexus experience a lot. 

I think that could go for any premium make. I would be put off if the repair bill is excessive. Then I would probably switch to a Toyota model.

[LenT]

4 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

The proof of the pudding Len is.......................................................................?

Very true, John.

As long as a claim doesn’t leave a bad taste…🙂

[Shahpor]

3 minutes ago, Spacewagon52 said:

I think that could go for any premium make. I would be put off if the repair bill is excessive. Then I would probably switch to a Toyota model.

But that is the point - up until now the Lexus Extended warranty precluded this issue which is why this is such an annoyance to people like myself.  I could have handled the reduced mileage allowance but it is the reduction in coverage that make it unfeasible for me.

As an example, BMW do offer what they call Comprehensive cover, which is very similar to the Lexus Extended warranty.  Granted it isn't as cheap (especially after 60k miles) but the fact that it is an option means that I have the choice if I buy one of their cars.

[royoftherovers]

1 minute ago, Shahpor said:

For me this is the crux of the issue.

Personally, I have had a shock absorber and engine mounts replaced under warranty and I know there are members on here that have had headlights and multimedia screens changed, so these things do occur and are, as you say, very expensive to rectify.

As someone of limited means (I am far from homeless but a repair of £'000's is beyond my usual income limits) the worry of something like this happening would somewhat rob me of the pleasure of owning one of these cars.

Shame really as I do like the Lexus experience a lot. 

Point well made Shahpor. There are many of us in that boat with you.

It might be useful going forward if we had access to the design life of parts that seem subject to the most claims, whether they are included or excluded from the new Relax warranty.eg, Shock absorbers, Multi-media systems, Headlights etc.

We could then perhaps form a view as to whether a particular failure was due to poor design, defect of manufacture, design life having been achieved (wear and tear?), not fit for purpose ,etc. We could then decide how to pursue the matter eg, use the Relax warranty, accept wear and tear, or not fit for purpose under Sale of Goods Acts etc.

There is much for us all to reflect upon. As I said in another Post, if 80% of claims are approved, there will be general acceptance.

[Malc]

oh the joy and tiny expense of owning and using very fully an old fashioned astonishingly well-built Ls400 

it makes me wonder how all this super-doopa new technology translates into insecurity, very limited mileage wear and a lack of confidence in the product by the manufacturer ( Lexus ) itself.............. to give-up on keeping the customer satisfied and content to own, what used to be in olden times, a brilliant marque

It's the times we're in ............ corporate avoidance of responsibility .......  Lexus is probably no different these days to all the other car manufacturers ..... a lack of pride to produce something really really worth having

Malc

[LenT]

15 hours ago, Las Palmas said:

Read a manual? If a big manual is needed the product is not made perfect. A short guide should be enough for most (I hope). 

Ideally, maybe.  But my Lexus came with two Manuals totalling over 1000 pages.  And they refer just to operating and basic maintenance, not repair.  Maybe that’s as short a guide as they could manage?

Despite that, I’ve encountered elements that were ambiguous or not explained at all.  Often the solution to owners’ problems are so obscure, hidden  - or even absent - that owners find it much easier to ask knowledgeable contributors on this site rather than tackle the Manuals.

And yet these are products that while ‘not made perfect’ are better than the average.

Quite how you’d write a short guide for something as complex as a car, I don’t know.  Although it is interesting that very often sophisticated and expensive electronic equipment just comes with a simple ‘get you started’ leaflet, normally supported by online guides.

[Las Palmas]

38 minutes ago, LenT said:

Ideally, maybe.  But my Lexus came with two Manuals totalling over 1000 pages.  And they refer just to operating and basic maintenance, not repair.  Maybe that’s as short a guide as they could manage?

Despite that, I’ve encountered elements that were ambiguous or not explained at all.  Often the solution to owners’ problems are so obscure, hidden  - or even absent - that owners find it much easier to ask knowledgeable contributors on this site rather than tackle the Manuals.

And yet these are products that while ‘not made perfect’ are better than the average.

Quite how you’d write a short guide for something as complex as a car, I don’t know.  Although it is interesting that very often sophisticated and expensive electronic equipment just comes with a simple ‘get you started’ leaflet, normally supported by online guides.

I believe they started out with a nice clean easy to understand manual for their first car (Toyota) and then when more features were added they added pages on and instead of explaining in a simple easy to understand language - they added and added - and mentioned the same item so many places in the manual that in the end it ended up with what we have now.

I am pretty sure that many of the functions of your car are mentioned several places in the manual and not in any logical place.

The CT manual is a mess.

Ideally they would have somebody who knows to tell how things function instead of just writing more and more.

Those who know – they do.

Those who do not know – they write manuals.

[Malc]

Just now, Las Palmas said:

they write manuals.

I guess initially in Japanese and then challenging translations to English maybe 

Malc

[Las Palmas]

1 minute ago, Malc said:

I guess initially in Japanese and then challenging translations to English maybe 

Malc

and if they use Google translator it would explain something.

[Bounce75]

Correct me if I am wrong, but the average 2 year warranty extension was roughly £1,000? For 2 years?

if you own the car for 6 years that is £3,000, that can pay for quite a few repairs if needed, if not needed you have the money for a nice holiday. 😃