Windscreen wiper motor

[Ken Timbers]

The windscreen wiper motor on my SC430 has suddenly died. It was working perfectly well up to the point when I put the car in for a major service at Lexus Sidcup, but a week later, when I switched the wipers on, all I got was a horrible grinding noise. I put it into Sidcup today and have been told not only that the motor is unrepairable, but also that they couldn't source a replacement. In effect, the car is unusable when there's rain in the offing.

It's not the sort of service one expects from Lexus, is it. I made my disappointment known to the service team, but it's not the fault of the individuals concerned—it's got to be down to Lexus policy on discontinued models. I was not told that this was their policy when I was encouraged to buy the car, so I'm rather annoyed. Caveat emptor, indeed!

What would the forum members advise?

[Malc1]

wot a disappointment ..  might Amayama or Rockauto have one for you ?

Malc

[Ken Timbers]

Stop Press—the Service Manager at Lexus Sidcup is trying to find an acceptable replacement on line. It would almost certainly have to be a used item, but at least it would be fitted by Lexus and hopefully have a useful remaining life!

Watch this space!

In response  to Malcolm, I don't want to have buy something 'blind' on line, with all the cost of postage (esp from the USA) and without knowing exactly what it is that I would have buy—i.e. part number, suitability for my particular model (7 series), etc. However, if push comes to shove, I may have to do just that—not something I'd look forward to doing!

[Malc1]

or might LexusPartsDirect have one in the UK for you

Steve2006 here would have the right part no. for you I'm sure and ordering from Amayama to my own personal knowledge is just " spot on "

Malc

[Ken Timbers]

56 minutes ago, Malc1 said:

might LexusPartsDirect have one in the UK for you

I've passed on your suggestions to Lexus Sidcup and I know that there's some on-going discussion of the problem as I write. I doubt I'll have any answers before about mid-day tomorrow (Thursday 20th July), but I'll certainly keep the forum informed

I think the subject of the responsibility (or otherwise!) of a company to support buyers of their cars is of general interest. If I'd bought the car from any non-Lexus source, I'd have had to accept the situation, but somehow, as a long-standing buyer of Lexus cars, I would be very disappointed if Lexus is prepared to slope its shoulders in this situation.

[2ddesign]

Hi try this place....he is breaking a SC430 for parts.

Lexus Spares Direct

PAUL FROST

Autotek Lexus Spares Direct

Cotton Hall Street

Darwen

Lancashire

BB3 0DW

United Kingdom

 

[Tomtit]

I would rather fit a new part than a used one. I have bought a number of parts from Amayama without a problem. Including carriage costs it still works out cheaper than main dealer prices. 

If you go down the second hand route, I can recommend Paul Frost. I have bought a number of parts from him.

[Ken Timbers]

To update this topic, I can report that I've heard today from Lexus Sidcup that they've sourced a suitable motor and are awaiting delivery. It's unlikely to be at their workshop before Monday, but will be fitted as soon as it arrives.

That's good news as far as I'm concerned. It's unfortunate when a component goes belly-up, but it's part of one's normal experience in owning any car, especially when it's getting on for its 16th birthday. What prompted my reporting the breakdown of my wipers was the initial information that the company could not repair the car, claiming that the component was not made by Lexus and they no longer stocked it—i.e. it was down to me to solve the problem.

I objected to that approach and, to be fair, the company has taken up the problem and is working to resolve it. I'll post a note when I collect the car—members might like to know what the repair costs! 😄

Many thanks to all of those who have commented so helpfully.

[Ken Timbers]

The car is back in my hands with a used wiper motor bought from eBay by Lexus Sidcup's service manager and fitted in their workshop. The cost to me was a smidgeon over £140, which seems fair enough if I get a reasonable life out of the repair..... Given the sort of weather we've had so far this "summer", it may get more use than I'd expect, but it is what it is.

However, I was more than a little surprised by the charge for work done on another repair job, which had been the main reason why the car was going into the garage in the first place. In the MOT done 3 months ago there was a warning that the osf roll bar link needed replacement and I was told it would be expensive (roughly £900, I gathered, but they had first to acquire one since it was not an item in stock). The repair was duly carried out, but I had nothing to pay! It seems that I had a year's warranty on the car, which came as a surprise—I'd thought it was only 3 months, which I'd thought was probably all I could expect on a 15-year old car. One way or another, Lexus always seems to provide me with the right answers and I'm happy for our relationship to continue—after all, I'm on the 10th Lexus in a row!

[Malc1]

then the wiper motor was also replaced under their Warranty  ?  .  if not then why not !

Malc

[Ken Timbers]

That's a good question, Malc, and one I'll ask when I'm next there. I also had another repair done about a month ago, costing some £420, which I paid at the time because I knew nothing about the warranty. I was in a bit of a hurry when I picked the car up yesterday and these thoughts didn't occur to me.

I'm not sure whether it's part of getting past my sell-by date or a somewhat careless approach to prudent expenditure—perhaps a bit of both—but I do tend to write off experiences unless they affect core values. I've had to recognise that running this car is more costly than I imagined when I bought it—the higher road tax charges surprised me and the insurance bill certainly made me blink—it's more than twice that of identical cover on a RC300 valued at nearly three times that of my SC430 (my age and the car's engine size being the major factors). Fuel costs are almost three times those of the RC300, mostly caused by pottering about in SE London rather than the open road.

Taking all that into account, one might think twice about buying an SC430, but in doing so I cut out the contract cost and higher depreciation of the new car and got a beautiful cabriolet that lifts my heart every time I take a drive in it. The downside is only money and that becomes rather less important at my time of life. I'll leave it at that, before I bore you all to death!

[ColinBarber]

2 minutes ago, Ken Timbers said:

That's a good question, Malc, and one I'll ask when I'm next there.

Worth double checking your paperwork to confirm you do have a 12 month warranty, otherwise you will be highlighting to them that the repair shouldn't have been free 😉 

[Malc1]

Ken, I’d leave well alone now. As you say it’s only a few £££ and maybe just take it all on the chin …… and ENJOY the car whilst the weather is with you 👍 ….. no more fuss, she’ll perform 100% fine going forward 

Malc 

[Brian R]

I think as Colin says very carefully check the warranty which does on the face of it seem exceptional for a 16-year-old car. Then also check just what is covered by the warranty, and I'm sure you will discover that certain items are not covered, which of course will be those you now think could/should have been covered. Sometimes the "quit while ahead" approach serves one well!

[Ken Timbers]

3 hours ago, Brian R said:

Sometimes the "quit while ahead" approach serves one well!

I think that's wise advice. Raising the subject would seem like carping and I get on too well with the team there to want to spoil that. I'm happy to have been saved a large bill and I'm settling for that!