Buying my first Lexus soon - opinions on this purchase?

[Sundance]

Hi Scott, welcome to the Forum.

I suggest that any comments about colour mis-match be taken with a pinch of proverbial salt. There is absolutely no way that anyone can guarantee minor panel paint contrast from a random resolution showroom photo with its indistinct and variable false lighting plus the fact that it's then subject to inconsistent adaptation onto a media screen.

You'll need to inspect it close up with the naked eye and then decide, preferably in natural light.

Good luck with the 21 day trial and enjoy. 😊

[Linas.P]

If you know what you looking for you can tell mismatching paint quite easily. Nobody is going to tell it 100% from picture or even in person without using paint gauges etc. but I can say with 90% confidence the rear has been repainted, because there is mismatch. It is just flagging that further investigation is needed to check why paint isn't matching, that it isn't matching that is kind of fact and not even up for debate.

In principle it is opposite of what you said - not many people can tell you from the pictures that car was NOT painted, because it may look okey in the picture, but in person it will be clear it is not matching. But many can spot when it not matching in the picture with high degree of accuracy and if it isn't matching in the picture then it is almost guaranteed not to match in person. It is just a matter of experience, especially if one had experience with painting or detailing. 

There is no reason whatsoever why there would be different reflection between rear door and quarter, the panel is in the same plain so should reflect the same.

What I can't tell from pictures is whenever it was minor damage or major damage, or how is the repair quality - this needs to be measured, you need to look at the corners and panel gaps for overspray or tape lines etc.  

[MartinH]

3 hours ago, Linas.P said:

Quite simple issue here - when metallic paint is repainted it is very difficult to get same angle of metallic flakes as factory paint, so what usually happens is that they match paint colour, but not the angle at which flakes reflect and therefore it is very easy to spot repainted panels on metallic colours.

Unf this is true of my car. No major damage but for a gouge in the front passenger doorskin which took a lot of blowing over. The contrast between the door and the front wing, still in its original 2007 paint, is all too apparent.

[Thackeray]

I wondered about the colour match, too, but it's hard to make a judgement without seeing the car. However, every metal panel should have a VIN sticker. If a non-Lexus bodyshop does a respray they typically won't bother about replacing the stickers and may even spray over them. A Lexus approved respray would replace the stickers, though they cost £100 each.

There should be a sticker towards the bottom of each door on the inside rim; one on the boot rim on the right hand side on the UK spec model. Also on the UK spec car there's a sticker on the central left-hand pillar between the front and rear door. I'm not sure if there's one on the right hand side. There's also one inside the bonnet lid but I can't remember where. If these are missing, it's a sign that there's been a repair. This isn't necessarily a problem if the repair has been done well but at least it's something to negotiate about.

As for the seat, it doesn't look as if there are switches for heated seats, which suggests they are the fabric seats as per the Luxury spec. The wheels also look like the 10 spoke 17inch wheels, which if they are original would also help confirm it's the Luxury model, at least in the UK spec.

[LenT]

3 hours ago, Sundance said:

You'll need to inspect it close up with the naked eye and then decide, preferably in natural light.

I think Rowley has got this right, Scott.  There may - or may not - be a significant colour mismatch.  But only when it’s in front of you can you really determine if it’s a deal breaker for you.

Looking at the images of the other ‘imperfections’, I would have thought that they might be of more interest - especially what seems to be a small crease.  Mind you, nothing a good panel beater couldn’t deal with in minutes.  And overall - I would have thought - nothing unexpected for the mileage.

I don’t know about this sales outfit, but I presume you can always make them an offer?  If you do that during the test period, I suspect it’s more likely to be accepted as it saves the cost of recovering the car!

[Mr Vlad]

Re the OBVIOUS difference in that screenshot. If you want to get serious then forget the screenshot. Look at the side profile. If anything has been painted then its the rear door. The rear quarter panel and sill and top panel and front door and front wing are the same shade/colour. The rear door is lighter.

To look at a paint finish on a car you look at it at night where the car is illuminated by an overhead street light. That's been done for decades. 

Oh. I've spent far too much time in spray shops in my 20's and 30's. I think of myself as knowledgeable when it comes to paint jobs.

Oh. The metallics are in the clear coat not in the colour.

Well said Rowley 👍👌👏

[Sundance]

Poor old Scott, he came to us wanting simple straight forward advice only to find himself involved in a full on tis-was about what on the face of it looks like a potentially good honest car!  The poor fella's only just joined the Forum for Pete's sake. 😆

Stick with it Scott and do let us know what you think of it once you can actually see it, touch it & drive it! 😉

[ScottAdams86]

Just paid for a carfax. Seems fine. 

Lexus CARFAX.pdf

[Linas.P]

1 hour ago, Mr Vlad said:

Oh. The metallics are in the clear coat not in the colour.

The metallic in most productions cars are in the base coat, apart of few custom pain jobs and maybe Lexus "structural" blue.

Not that would make a difference where it is, in the context I mentioned it, but I think at this point I will make a note to myself to never ask you about paint jobs, because you clearly don't have a clue.

As for door being painted and not the quarter, that is more reasonable statement and I made sure to compare it to other side... as it happens doors are lighter/brighter metallic on both sides, so I am pretty confident it is the rear bumper and both quarters that don't match the rest of the car. 

As well if you click on "Imperfecciones", then you will see that car is quite beaten-up and was either not cared for or rental... but the most important picture is of boot liner which is creased around the opening of the boot and doesn't quite fit under the seals. If that is not a sign of rear end job, then sorry nothing will help here. 

Again - I am not saying car was in serious accident, nobody could say it from the pictures, but that rear needs further investigation that is quite obvious.

[ganzoom]

21 hours ago, ScottAdams86 said:

The full service history is there. Seems fine, recent as February and only general maintenance. @ikeja How long before I need to worry about replacing the hybrid battery? 150k km? Or around 15 years age? It's from 2014 and only done 94k km.

You don't need to worry about the hybrid Battery, there is a reason pretty much every private hire vehicle these days is a Toyota hybrid.

[Digifant]

If you're talking about long Hybrid system warranty(I don't remember 12 or 15years), it applies on non accident cars only...

[wharfhouse]

13 minutes ago, Digifant said:

If you're talking about long Hybrid system warranty(I don't remember 12 or 15years), it applies on non accident cars only...

The warranty is for 15 years unlimited mileage - but that's an interesting comment that has never come up before - what documentation / T&Cs does that come from? Are you referring to ANY accident damaged cars or insurance write-off category cars?

[Digifant]

it's from basic T&Cs from any car brand. As long as I remember from my past expierience. There is quite big list of warranty exceptions and they are different depending on country. For example you could be rejected in warranty just for back of the car(if you have rear damage) or just engine(if you maintained it by yourself) or paintwork(if the car has been repainted)... For damaged in accident cars, all depends on type of damage. If the damaged part can be replaced just by unscrewing it and replaced for a new one, then there're no reasons for warranty rejection. Like damaged bumper, if all fittings are in it's factory dimensions and sizes, then new bumper can be put on without loosing warranty(at dealers workshop only offcourse). As for write-offs I think all of them don't have warranty's. It's interesting to look at the arguments between dealers and insurers at the point where the repair price builds up. Insurer, offcourse, whants to give as less money as possible for repair. But car manufacturers are pushed by law to provide warranty for full claimed period. And that gives them power to put in the repair list every little thing, which they need to replace for keep warranty for the car, meanwhile insurer can't say "no, we're not gonna pay for this, this, and that". Technicaly, there could appear serious repair cost for minor damage. So it's a relation between repair cost and cars value. Numbers everywhere are different, but write offs are happen when repair cost is somewhere in between 30-50% of cars value. No dealers repair, no warranty, write off.

 

[Sundance]

Streuth! ... Is this thread still going? 🤣

[wharfhouse]

21 hours ago, Digifant said:

it's from basic T&Cs from any car brand. As long as I remember from my past expierience. There is quite big list of warranty exceptions and they are different depending on country. For example you could be rejected in warranty just for back of the car(if you have rear damage) or just engine(if you maintained it by yourself) or paintwork(if the car has been repainted)... For damaged in accident cars, all depends on type of damage. If the damaged part can be replaced just by unscrewing it and replaced for a new one, then there're no reasons for warranty rejection. Like damaged bumper, if all fittings are in it's factory dimensions and sizes, then new bumper can be put on without loosing warranty(at dealers workshop only offcourse). As for write-offs I think all of them don't have warranty's. It's interesting to look at the arguments between dealers and insurers at the point where the repair price builds up. Insurer, offcourse, whants to give as less money as possible for repair. But car manufacturers are pushed by law to provide warranty for full claimed period. And that gives them power to put in the repair list every little thing, which they need to replace for keep warranty for the car, meanwhile insurer can't say "no, we're not gonna pay for this, this, and that". Technicaly, there could appear serious repair cost for minor damage. So it's a relation between repair cost and cars value. Numbers everywhere are different, but write offs are happen when repair cost is somewhere in between 30-50% of cars value. No dealers repair, no warranty, write off.

 

Ah yes ok - if something has been damaged in an accident then yes that part wouldn't be covered under warranty. But unrelated damage wouldn't mean warranty is invalid on another part. But yes that's why even for a small accident (especially if not at fault) worth getting the car checked properly. 

[Tony1452]

On 6/15/2023 at 11:46 AM, Linas.P said:

It is not leather. Yes Luxury is third worst trim no-trim>SE>Luxury>Exec>F-Sport>Premier. The rest of comments still applies, especially around audio. As I said depends on the market in Mallorca and your expectations, I would not touch anything below F-Sport and at least Premium Audio.

The sat-nav upgrade with android unit would be great addition of course, highly recommended.

Mine is the Luxury version and we find that the trim (for the third worst on your list) is very comfortable. I had a VW with full leather and I had to purchase seat covers because in this kind of weather it made me sweat which made me very uncomfortable. Not so with the Luxury model, which is great for us in every respect. Air conditioning is great too. All in all these cars are superb.

[ScottAdams86]

Well gents I'm going to collect the car from Barcelona in the first week of July for a full inspection. Then straight back on the ferry to Mallorca, next day I'm considering taking it directly to my local Lexus garage for a "health check". (They've given me a 21 day money back guarantee.

I'll keep you posted!

[Linas.P]

On 6/18/2023 at 12:20 PM, Tony1452 said:

Mine is the Luxury version and we find that the trim (for the third worst on your list) is very comfortable. I had a VW with full leather and I had to purchase seat covers because in this kind of weather it made me sweat which made me very uncomfortable. Not so with the Luxury model, which is great for us in every respect. Air conditioning is great too. All in all these cars are superb.

Perspective matters... obviously coming from VW it is market improvement, but that isn't even valid comparison... because you comparing car for half the price and from completely different segment. 

It is like saying - "I got from Royce Royce into Lexus with Premier trim and I don't understand why they call it 'luxury car', it is all so cheap inside" - yes sure even best IS trim will be relatively poor compared with Royce Royce and even the cheapest trim will be exceptional compared to VW. 

[ScottAdams86]

Well I wish I had some better news, but the car company just called me to tell me during the cleaning process today (I'm supposed to go to collect the car tomorrow!?) the rear window smashed...apparently it was due to it being so hot and them cleaning it with cold water.

Not sure what to do now, totally thrown me off course, I've already arrange everything and paid the deposit...Any advice please?

[wharfhouse]

6 minutes ago, ScottAdams86 said:

Well I wish I had some better news, but the car company just called me to tell me during the cleaning process today (I'm supposed to go to collect the car tomorrow!?) the rear window smashed...apparently it was due to it being so hot and them cleaning it with cold water.

Not sure what to do now, totally thrown me off course, I've already arrange everything and paid the deposit...Any advice please?

Can they not replace the rear window - might take a few days but I would hope that they would reimburse you out of pocket expenses should you incur any during the delay caused?

[ScottAdams86]

Yes I'm waiting to hear back exactly about how they will resolve it, and if they can offer me some reimbursement. 

[Digifant]

6 hours ago, ScottAdams86 said:

...apparently it was due to it being so hot and them cleaning it with cold water.
 

What!?!?!? Because of cold water in hot weather? No way...))))

It's more likeliy the car's geometry suffered from rear damage. And the body/frame is not stiff enough anymore. 

 

[ScottAdams86]

Finally! Everything looks fine, no noticeable damage in the back or panels, all doors had their official stickers, total history all from Lexus garages since 2014.

Tomorrow I'll be taking it to my local Lexus dealer to do a health check. 

[ScottAdams86]

Bad 12v Battery, needed replacing, €260. Now need to wait and drive 1000km before they can do the hybrid Battery health check. 

[wharfhouse]

1 hour ago, ScottAdams86 said:

Bad 12v battery, needed replacing, €260. Now need to wait and drive 1000km before they can do the hybrid battery health check. 

That's not unusual if the car has been sat around for some time and the 12V Battery hasn't been regularly charged. Without a properly functioning 12V Battery the hybrid health check can't be completed successfully. There are a number of reports on this forum about the same issue and the car then tested fine after a new 12V Battery was fitted and driven the requisite mileage. Now you have a new Battery, after the 1000km hopefully all will be well and good with the hybrid side. Worth getting the miles in quickly anyway to test everything else out on the car. Also, if the Battery was original, then on a 2104 car it was probably getting towards the end of it's life anyway. My IS 300h is a 2014 model with 134K miles and still on the original 12V Battery but I do expect that at some point in the not too distant future I will have to replace it (though nothing to point to any problems at the moment). Your new 12V Battery, if properly maintained through charging regularly and not allowing it to go flat should last another 8+ years.