Lexus Pre Owned Vehicle Presentation Ha !

SH20 · July 20, 2023

You don't need to be as OCD as me but some Lexus Dealers need to up their game when they ask £32K for a 16 month old vehicle. Images say it all.

Swissvax Leather cleaner and Conditioner used. Lots more to do on the interior.

Set a service plan today with Lexus Hull my nearest dealer who said the car needs a software update which hasn't been done according to the vehicle details/history which they accessed on their system.

Question? Why didn't this pop up with Lexus Cambridge who just completed the 2nd year service, or did they? Once I add this car to the "My Lexus" Link app I will check myself the recorded service history. Ordering a new Lexus avoids all this nonsense and questionable history and issues which comes with a used car.

Linas.P · July 20, 2023

When it comes to washing or more detailed things like interior Lexus is really not amazing. I guess it is kind of understandable as used car sales are no-margin business and exist more to accommodate new car sales and PX then it is really desirable for dealers to do. And good detail nowadays goes for £500 and that sort of money is simply nowhere to be found when they already making very little on used car sale.

Well at least it is not like my case where they sold me car without brakes and failed to do pre-sale inspection even when they were asked to do it in writing (came to bite them back in the bottom when 3000 miles later another Lexus dealer diagnosed there are no brakes to be found on the car).

As well Lexus Used approved is total joke. First of all, they can stamp the services if they want to (literally says in the T&Cs), so they can totally get 80k miles car with 5 services and stamp the other 3 as done "based on their assessment", as well Lexus Link information on services is horrible - recently got GS300 which I thought is complete junk as it showed only 2 services over 170k miles, but when I got service book it was pretty much fully stamped... 15 Lexus services until 140k miles and none of those details are on the Link App. And even what is available are so cryptic that nobody could work out what was done.

peniole · July 20, 2023

Even without the half and half cleaning it was obvious, and EW!

wharfhouse · July 20, 2023

1 hour ago, Linas.P said:

When it comes to washing or more detailed things like interior Lexus is really not amazing. I guess it is kind of understandable as used car sales are no-margin business and exist more to accommodate new car sales and PX then it is really desirable for dealers to do. And good detail nowadays goes for £500 and that sort of money is simply nowhere to be found when they already making very little on used car sale.

Well at least it is not like my case where they sold me car without brakes and failed to do pre-sale inspection even when they were asked to do it in writing (came to bite them back in the bottom when 3000 miles later another Lexus dealer diagnosed there are no brakes to be found on the car).

As well Lexus Used approved is total joke. First of all, they can stamp the services if they want to (literally says in the T&Cs), so they can totally get 80k miles car with 5 services and stamp the other 3 as done "based on their assessment", as well Lexus Link information on services is horrible - recently got GS300 which I thought is complete junk as it showed only 2 services over 170k miles, but when I got service book it was pretty much fully stamped... 15 Lexus services until 140k miles and none of those details are on the Link App. And even what is available are so cryptic that nobody could work out what was done.

Agreed - back in 2014 to about 2018 the service record on the Lexus online records (now Lexus Link) was actually quite good (at least for my car) with a reasonable amount of detail. After about 2018 the online entries went very downhill sometimes with missing records and that which is on there is very scant - often just one or two words. Although not infallible, I therefore make sure at least the service book is stamped correctly as the electronic records are clearly of little help...

SH20 · July 20, 2023

Interesting that the online records via the My Lexus Link are considered useless to worthless. I'm awaiting on my new V5 so I can enter a code number on the App to validate I do own the car before I can see if there is any service history. I was told a second year service was carried out but if a dealer can enter it on the history record but don't actual do the work but stamp a book to say they did then I agree it's worthless. I guess if you sit there at a dealership while your car is being serviced and then pay an invoice you have some hope that the invoice can be used as evidence. I think though that if Lexus discovered any nonsense about stamping service books without doing the work the dealer would have answer for it.

I bought a Lexus service plan today on a monthly payment scheme and after it was set up the lady rang me to say after entering my car's details it identified a software update recall had not been done. I wonder why Lexus Cambridge didn't action this recall if they entered the second year service on the database. I'm booked in for the recall on Monday next and they said I could wait while it's done. At least this dealer seems interested in looking after my interests.

wharfhouse · July 20, 2023

1 hour ago, SH20 said:

Interesting that the online records via the My Lexus Link are considered useless to worthless. I'm awaiting on my new V5 so I can enter a code number on the App to validate I do own the car before I can see if there is any service history. I was told a second year service was carried out but if a dealer can enter it on the history record but don't actual do the work but stamp a book to say they did then I agree it's worthless. I guess if you sit there at a dealership while your car is being serviced and then pay an invoice you have some hope that the invoice can be used as evidence. I think though that if Lexus discovered any nonsense about stamping service books without doing the work the dealer would have answer for it.

I bought a Lexus service plan today on a monthly payment scheme and after it was set up the lady rang me to say after entering my car's details it identified a software update recall had not been done. I wonder why Lexus Cambridge didn't action this recall if they entered the second year service on the database. I'm booked in for the recall on Monday next and they said I could wait while it's done. At least this dealer seems interested in looking after my interests.

From feedback on this forum some dealers seem to be more diligent than others... I've heaed good feedback about Lexus Hull on here.

Linas.P · July 21, 2023

16 hours ago, SH20 said:

Interesting that the online records via the My Lexus Link are considered useless to worthless. I'm awaiting on my new V5 so I can enter a code number on the App to validate I do own the car before I can see if there is any service history. I was told a second year service was carried out but if a dealer can enter it on the history record but don't actual do the work but stamp a book to say they did then I agree it's worthless. I guess if you sit there at a dealership while your car is being serviced and then pay an invoice you have some hope that the invoice can be used as evidence. I think though that if Lexus discovered any nonsense about stamping service books without doing the work the dealer would have answer for it.

I bought a Lexus service plan today on a monthly payment scheme and after it was set up the lady rang me to say after entering my car's details it identified a software update recall had not been done. I wonder why Lexus Cambridge didn't action this recall if they entered the second year service on the database. I'm booked in for the recall on Monday next and they said I could wait while it's done. At least this dealer seems interested in looking after my interests.

I doubt that would be the way they would go with nearly new car like yours (although mine was 2.5 years old when I bought it, so not exactly old), but indeed there is that possibility if they wanted to. As far as I understand that option is available for them when there is missing history, not that they would stamp the current service as done without doing it e.g. they would do it if car is at 80k miles but missing 30k and 50k services, or they were simply not performed by authorised dealer, then they can just mark them as done, less likely to give you 20k miles car stating 20k major was done by them, but the car wasn't actually serviced (this would basically be fraud... although previous example is kind of fraud as well). According to small print, them stamping the missing services should be based on current inspection results being that car is in "excellent condition" (like having no brakes left whatsoever in my case). So this just basically opens pandora box - if record from dealer cannot be trusted, then no records whatsoever about car's history can be trusted.

Other suspicious thing when I bought the car was that they didn't give me the original service book, they simply stamped all the services to the new book in front of me. That said - I do believe the car was serviced by them, because even before buying it I have checked and services were already on Lexus Link App (well as long as jumble like "Main MAJ 40k DC CH, for PAS F, [LSR], GGG28 - Lexus IS and G, BC BY CC, Di" means anything to anyone). You can actually get details from Lexus Link App even before receiving current V5 - simply run car check (like TotalCheck, although there are many others), they will provide you with "last acquired date" (or similar) and that is your "Date on V5", then the body code ("variant") is the same for all cars of that model, so not difficult to find (e.g. GS300 is GRS190, ES300h will be GSZ10) - and that is it, you now have access to the cryptic car history.

Now they state this is because of GDPR (perhaps there is correlation with service information becoming much poorer after 2018 as that is when GDPR came into force) - basically they have all invoices and service books, but they are destroying them because of previous owner details on it. Now GDPR does not say one has to destroy important business records, only that personal detail have to be protected, so just running over them with strong permanent marker would be sufficient. But I guess Lexus takes no risks in this case of accidentally leaving out one line of address or somebody picking-up old owner address by the imprint of the pen under the flashlight, so their policy is basically to destroy everything.

Either way you look at this - they do poor job of maintaining car history. I feel like they should keep desensitised (meaning without owner details or private plates) invoices based on car VIN, and should be able to print them on request or make them available via Lexus Link App, I even don't mind if they charge say £50 if 10 years later you suddenly ask for all the history (although with sale of used car that should be free). For me it seems like having records is just basic part of doing car sales/service business.

SH20 · July 21, 2023

Spoke with Lexus Hull today about the software update and she went in to the car's history and confirmed the 2 nd year service was recorded and what was booked to the car in terms of parts etc. They will be doing a fresh health check because it's Lexus policy to do one for any car that goes in to the workshop. I asked for a Hybrid health check certificate after the hybrid system is checked, they agreed immediately. Feel happier that the dealer seems interested .