Gs300 Sport Lower Ball Joint Replacement...

TheDon · June 6, 2008

the warenty paid the first £500 towards the bill, i paid the rest £169.00.

Will see what the email respose i get from lexus in regards to the email i recieved last night.

My arguement being that when your paying £100 per hour labour you dont expect niggles and problems.. for niggles and problems you pay £30 per hour

DJ Wozza · June 6, 2008

Surely when you fit a new suspension part, to supension parts that are several years old,

("overly worn" is what you said) the car will behave differently to how it behaved when parts

have worn together over a period of time ?

maneesh · June 6, 2008

My arguement being that when your paying £100 per hour labour you dont expect niggles and problems.. for niggles and problems you pay £30 per hour

Very very weird logic!

There should be no niggles and problems when you get your car worked on, regardless of labour rate.

Gord · June 6, 2008

Surely when you fit a new suspension part, to supension parts that are several years old,
("overly worn" is what you said) the car will behave differently to how it behaved when parts

have worn together over a period of time ?

Seems lots of wear for a car with only 50k on the clock :o Do GS300 or Aristo's wear the parts like this

Scorps01 · June 6, 2008

Seems lots of wear for a car with only 50k on the clock :o

Not if its been clocked...lol

TheDon · June 6, 2008

the lower ball joints were replaced as they were showing signs of wear and had not yet failed.. but i thought i may as well have them done, my is200 had them done at 60k. i think its more of an age thing with the ball joints.

Either way.. the car went in with the steering wheel straight and now came out with steering wheel needing to be turned 5 degrees to the right to drive straight

DJ Wozza · June 6, 2008

Either way.. the car went in with the steering wheel straight and now came out with steering wheel needing to be turned 5 degrees to the right to drive straight

but with the new parts fitted

TheDon · June 6, 2008

yes fitted with new parts... whats that gotta do with the price of fish?

in the end if you fit new parts you still ensure the car leaves the workshop better than when it came in.. not worse.

Even a straight refit of existing parts would warent a mini road test to ensure all is well.

For example after fitting new pads and discs for a customer would you say... off you go then.. if you had not tested it yourself? even a quick trip up n down the road.

Lexus were paid to supply and fit the ball joints.. to me that also means ensuring that the car was also put back to factory standards...

after all we are talking about a main dealer and not a dodgy back street mechanic.. surely they are supposed to set the standards?

Scorps01 · June 6, 2008

Needs a geo now...more dosh.

Lexus were paid to supply and fit the ball joints..

Which they did....didn't they? Did you tell them to do the geo?

TheDon · June 6, 2008

Lets see what lexus come up with on monday.

TheDon · June 6, 2008

Needs a geo now...more dosh.
Lexus were paid to supply and fit the ball joints..

Which they did....didn't they? Did you tell them to do the geo?

if they had highlighted that the geo needed doing then i would have instructed them to do so (after having the car for 8 days and being told its all done and ready for you, good as new) i wouldnt expect to then have to ask them to do it seperately after reassembling the car.. that would be stupid

DJ Wozza · June 6, 2008

yes fitted with new parts... whats that gotta do with the price of fish?

everything really Chris.

1. WELL THATS THE THREAD TOPIC !!!!

2. Lexus are not to know if your geo is wrong before your car goes in. Telepathy is not a Dealer pre-requisite.

eg.. you could have been driving a car around for a long time with the steering wheel at a slight angle.

3. After a short test drive it may well not be readily apparant there was an issue.

You yourself stated that "After spending a good 200 miles in the car" you discovered an issue.

So the actuall owner of the car took 200 miles to confirm the car needed the geo adjusting. How can a very short test drive

confirm something that took you a good 200 miles to confirm. After all you didn't drive out of the car park and think to yourself

'this is wrong' or if you did you would do a U-turn and go straight back.

4. re Geo "i wouldnt expect to then have to ask them to do it seperately.. that would be semi retarded"

so lets play devils advocate for a moment....

let's say they saw it needed it, & billed you for Geometry set up, you wouldn't have complained ?

After your history with this dealer I wouldn't think so eh :P

Scorps01 · June 6, 2008

In my experiance Lexus or any other dealer when it goes in for a repair they will only do that repair the customer has told them to do, i think its ridiculous to expect them to do something which is not on the job sheet regardless of how it was "to you" before it went in.You are more familiar with your car to know that when your s/wheel is to the left or right then there is a problem.

get real Chris, it seems you have a personal vendetta against this Dealership.

TheDon · June 6, 2008

In my experiance Lexus or any other dealer when it goes in for a repair they will only do that repair the customer has told them to do, i think its ridiculous to expect them to do something which is not on the job sheet regardless of how it was "to you" before it went in.You are more familiar with your car to know that when your s/wheel is to the left or right then there is a problem.
get real Chris, it seems you have a personal vendetta against this Dealership.

A vendetta against the dealership...very strong words. Having a bad experience and not keeping my mouth shut about it would not be classed as a vendetta. Its amazing how things never change on here really.

I have gone back to them after giving them a second chance since becoming Jemca, under previous ownership i had nothing but good service. Being outspoken is not a crime as you yourself should know.

The car immidately felt different upon leaving the dealership, i initialy put this down to a different feeling on the ball joints, but also convered over 200 miles on the monday after picking up the car.. thus giving a chance for anything to bed in.

Either way i am corresponding very effectively with Christopher McTiffen, who is dealing with my requests to great satisfaction. And these issues will be put right by both sides, myself and them.

Purvesh, i am unsure of what you sent to lexus, or wrote on my behalf but it appears to them as if i sent the item directly? Christopher is rectifying that for me.

DJ Wozza, i really hope they have you on commision... lol.. but they really can fight their own battles. also i left thier dealership at 6.20pm.. the doors were locked as i left so no option to return even though the next mile was all left and right turns...

And with regards to the dealership not being telapathic, and that i would not like to be billed for geo... thats what telephones are for.. in the same way i went in for a sensor and came out with ball joints.. telephone communication.

i really am not in the mood for what appears to be the usual LOC goading, that i so very much did not miss whilst away.

I started this thread to ask advise, experience and the usual banter that goes with it has somehow degraded.

I would politely request that this topic be put back to its origional path, and lets let lexus do what they do and see where it goes lest it degenerate and turn into something that its not.

DJ Wozza · June 7, 2008

I'm sorry Chris but you seem to have mis-understood.

You asked the question "yes fitted with new parts... whats that gotta do with the price of fish?"

and got pertinent & correct answer. There is no goading involved. Let us just be clear on a previous thread on LOC

you did say some nasty things about the service manager in question quite incorrectly, and were very uncomplimentary

of the dealership in general. I also stated quite recently on a topic on LOC that the Lexus Sicup Dealership was Bromley

re-located, making sure you knew this information. (LINKY TO POST) I did so because I knew that should you visit there, the experience

would no matter what end with you complaining about something, be it something major or something insignificant.

I knew you would be complaining should you ever use the dealership, and physically told a couple of members as much

before you had even been there.

Also Chris lets be honest, you seemed very happy with the car at the time (excerpt from another LOC Thread)

got car back, feels much better now that the sensor has been changed out...
Big thanks to christopher at lexus sidcup though.. much better than the woman i had been dealing with!

There is no mention there about the steering eh Chris. So maybe you hadn't noticed. So in fact it could be quite easliy missed.

So for you to blame the Dealer after you driving the car 200+miles later is more than a little unfair IMO.

I'm sure others might well agree.

Maybe you should re-visit your understanding of the entire situation starting with my post #37

and the points listed in it (especially 1,2, 3 oh and 4 :D).

On a much lighter note, I am however very glad to see that things are moving along....

"...I am corresponding very effectively with Christopher McTiffen, who is dealing with my requests to great satisfaction."

just has he has done for me on many occasions @ Lexus Bromley & more recently @ Lexus Sidcup.

TheDon · June 7, 2008

I'm sorry Chris but you seem to have mis-understood.
You asked the question "yes fitted with new parts... whats that gotta do with the price of fish?"

and got pertinent & correct answer. There is no goading involved. Let us just be clear on a previous thread on LOC

you did say some nasty things about the service manager in question quite incorrectly, and were very uncomplimentary

of the dealership in general. I also stated quite recently on a topic on LOC that the Lexus Sicup Dealership was Bromley

re-located, making sure you knew this information. (LINKY TO POST) I did so because I knew that should you visit there, the experience

would no matter what end with you complaining about something, be it something major or something insignificant.

I knew you would be complaining should you ever use the dealership, and physically told a couple of members as much

before you had even been there.

Also Chris lets be honest, you seemed very happy with the car at the time (excerpt from another LOC Thread)

got car back, feels much better now that the sensor has been changed out...
Big thanks to christopher at lexus sidcup though.. much better than the woman i had been dealing with!

There is no mention there about the steering eh Chris. So maybe you hadn't noticed. So in fact it could be quite easliy missed.

So for you to blame the Dealer after you driving the car 200+miles later is more than a little unfair IMO.

I'm sure others might well agree.

Maybe you should re-visit your understanding of the entire situation starting with my post #37

and the points listed in it (especially 1,2, 3 oh and 4 :D).

On a much lighter note, I am however very glad to see that things are moving along....

"...I am corresponding very effectively with Christopher McTiffen, who is dealing with my requests to great satisfaction."

just has he has done for me on many occasions @ Lexus Bromley & more recently @ Lexus Sidcup.

Fair enough with regards to the quote you used.. as it was in regards to the sensor and not the ball joints, and comparable with a car that would perpetualy go into safe mode.. it was friggin wonderful.

I also would like to point out another thing, that after meeting christopher on friday.. it appears that i was wrong with regards to making the comments i did on the previous thread (as without a photograph on the post the person that i dealt with at lexus bromley as it was.. was not christopher mctiffen.. after meeting him the person who i had met several times was not him, and for that i can but apologise greatly).

The way i see it i gave them a chance, and a chunk of money to see if things had changed, and dare i say it.. if i had only been dealing with christopher and not stacie then my experience would have been a lot less jaded. But it appears christopher is dealing with her telephone manner etc.

I do believe that things have changed at the sidcup branch compared to bromley and all for the better. Perhaps the location has re-motivated people ?

In the end, by not putting up with bad service and calling people on their faults keeps me in a job, am currently in the process of recovering near £100k in costs from a company that did "repair work" on one of our machines and caused it to break down. After paying nearly £10k labour you expect them to be able to do the job and get you up and running. So now a new machine is in order to get us up and running again.

if this had been anyone else on the forum you would not have blinked an eye, you would have said oh dear thats a shame... so it appears that although i am able to try and mend bridges with the dealership by giving them the work, you take time out of your life to gosip and inform others that i probably wont be happpy and that maybe you can feel that warm fuzzy glow of being correct.

either way with regards to the 200 miles, if put another way... withing 10 hours of driving it was confirmed that there were no "settling in" issues. i.e. the feeling after fitting brakes, fitting a new wheel and tyre etc and that after the time the problem had not subsided. as if i put it up within mins of recieving the car back you would have complained that i had not given the problem time to go away? am i not correct. For all my sins i can now do no right.

DJ Wozza · June 7, 2008

I feel my previous posts have said all that neeed saying on this subject.

I hope the issues on your car are dealt with on Monday.

I for one will still be using Lexus Sidcup in the future.

Gord · June 7, 2008

if this had been anyone else on the forum you would not have blinked an eye, you would have said oh dear thats a shame... so it appears that although i am able to try and mend bridges with the dealership by giving them the work, you take time out of your life to gosip and inform others that i probably wont be happpy and that maybe you can feel that warm fuzzy glow of being correct.

Problem with that statment Chris is..............................you might be back trying to mend bridges, but you still suffer from short term memory loss B)

Dave-Ellen · June 7, 2008

I feel my previous posts have said all that neeed saying on this subject.
I hope the issues on your car are dealt with on Monday.

I for one will still be using Lexus Sidcup in the future.

check the mileage of your car when you drop it off..............

they used 1/4 tank of fuel in my IS200 s/c once..............was in for geometry setting under warranty

TheDon · June 8, 2008

I feel my previous posts have said all that neeed saying on this subject.
I hope the issues on your car are dealt with on Monday.

I for one will still be using Lexus Sidcup in the future.

check the mileage of your car when you drop it off..............

they used 1/4 tank of fuel in my IS200 s/c once..............was in for geometry setting under warranty

I think i remeber something about this, back when it was bromley wasnt it?

Dave-Ellen · June 8, 2008

I feel my previous posts have said all that neeed saying on this subject.
I hope the issues on your car are dealt with on Monday.

I for one will still be using Lexus Sidcup in the future.

check the mileage of your car when you drop it off..............

they used 1/4 tank of fuel in my IS200 s/c once..............was in for geometry setting under warranty

I think i remeber something about this, back when it was bromley wasnt it?

yup

ColinBarber · June 8, 2008

Surely when you fit a new suspension part, to supension parts that are several years old,
("overly worn" is what you said) the car will behave differently to how it behaved when parts

have worn together over a period of time ?

Seems lots of wear for a car with only 50k on the clock :o Do GS300 or Aristo's wear the parts like this

They can show signs of wear at 40k. The GS is a big heavy car and with the sport wheels a lot of stress is put on them. They just start to get a bit of play in them, they would go on for another 50k+ before they fail.

TheDon · June 11, 2008

sorry its a bit late but havent been near my computer untill today.

Firstly i would like to say that christopher Mctiffen and i had a lengthy chat and i feel that i could now regard him as a friend, everything has been fully resolved and we have agreed to wipe all slates clean. I apologised for anything untoward and rectified any misgivings.

As a gesture of good will Lexus sidcup not only found the route of the problem but also sent the car in for another full round of checks to ensure that there were absolutely no other imperfections. They even found out the cause of a few hollow bump noises to be a loose heat shield.

Again as a gesture of good faith they completed a full car geometry setup and now the car rides as good as it did when i first took it in, if not better.

Another strange thing that they found out is that my car has run flat tyres... something that was never specified and appears to have been fitted in error. will be changing them soon as he said this will probably not be allowing the car to drive at its full potential with regards to comfort, and will also account for a degree of discomford in regards to bump harshness.

I have already placed an order with him for a few parts and he is looking into a few other bits for me.

I would like to say that my previous experiences with lexus bromley that is now lexus sidcup have been changed. And only for the better. We agreed that there were a few slight mishaps that LED to the car being returned in an unsatisfactory manor, but he more than over compensated and vows to have changed how the vehicles are checked. Which is only good for everyone involved. I for one will be booking my car in there again for its service in a few thousand miles.

Also for those that wondered if the car was "clocked" they checked via the computer and the milage is genuine and has never been tampered with.

I would also like to make it clear that there is no longer any hard feelings towards the current owners/staff at Sidcup.

DJ Wozza · June 12, 2008

Excellent news Chris, glad you car is back with you and running perfectly, & you are now happy with Lexus Sidcup :D

I am genuinely sorry to hear about the runs flats as I am under the impression the suspension needs to be

specifically desinged to work with them, and in fact can be dangerous when incorrectly fitted. :o

I hope you can maybe get some compensation from the seller towards this unforseen cost.

TheDon · June 12, 2008

that would be nice if they could, but it seems that the run flat version of my tyre is identical in look and branding as the normal version.. the only tell being a small oblong "run flat" logo that is easily missed amongst the other logos etc.

Tony said that the run flats are definately a no no, so will be looking to put some falken tyres on next, as i loved them on my IS, 451's i think they were.