Shahpor

38 minutes ago, Bounce75 said:

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. 😃

At £186 per hour labour rate and some very expensive components, it wouldn't pay for as many repairs as you would think 🙂

My latest warranty job would have been close to £5k if I didn't have my current warranty and that is less than 3 years of ownership.  My last IS racked up warranty repairs of more than the car was worth!

Lets not forget also that the 6 years of warranty cover would have included AA breakdown assistance at roughly £750's worth.

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.

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. 

1 hour ago, wharfhouse said:

Whenever I've needed new tyres I have asked Lexus to quote and much to my surprise they have always been cheaper than I could get tyres fitted at any of the local tyres places... Not had any bull about tread depths, but then I've generally asked them to change the tyres at around 3mm.

I have bought all of the tyres for my GS for Lexus Reading as they are are very competitive on price.  They told me they would even price match if I found them cheaper elsewhere.

Do you deal with Alex, Paul or Michael when you are there?  Michael is my primary contact when I go there and he has always been very helpful.

2 hours ago, wharfhouse said:

Yep, once I have had the last (minor) service in my current Essential Care plan (which will probably be around November - same time as my Extended Warranty expires) I will be asking Lexus Reading what they will be offering me if they want me to keep having the car serviced with them. 

Last time I asked, the service manager told me that the Jemca dealers (Reading, Sidcup, Edgware Road) are going to start offering their own version of the value servicing at some point.

1 hour ago, Phil xxkr said:

So you chaps are saying Lexus have committed a huge strategic error? But have they? Toyota have outsourced warranty administration worldwide to a US conglomerate this typically will have reduced internal costs dramatically so partly funding the new proposition. Firms like Kia already support a long-term warranty and have obviously tested the cost/benefit ratio. It also means a longer hands-on with an owner beyond the initial 3 years so decreasing the chances of them changing brand. Perhaps the biggest benefits will accrue to the dealer not only through increasing service revenues but more crucially to lessen the impact of less servicing needed on all-EV cars in the very near future. All cars breakdown eventually and it appears the general thrust of most complaints is, my car is over 10 years old what am I to do now? 😔. Well with all desirable vehicles someone somewhere will fill the void if indeed it will be shown to be a market opportunity. 

Whilst this is true there are a few caveats.

First, yes, there are people like me who intended to purchase another extended warranty but now my car won't be eligible for any warranty since it is going over 100k miles soon.  Even the service agent at the dealer I was at a few days ago said it was a shame that I would most likely be moving on from the current car before too long.

Since the extended warranty had the same 10 year limit, it is the reduction of 40k miles that is telling.  If I keep the car I am assuming the probability of problems occurring increases significantly since it is likely that the reduction in offered mileage cover is no doubt motivated by cost.  I know all cars have more problems as they age, but it this specific reduction that is telling.

Secondly, the new warranty is an inferior product.  So, one of the options I was considering was upgrading mine to a new GS450h.  However, not only do I now have to pay full service pricing for the duration of my ownership, but I don't get a choice of the warranty cover I can get.  I know that the new warranty doesn't technically cost anything, but I would have happily paid a few hundred pounds a year extra to increase my coverage (like BMW provide, for instance).  This is especially noticeable as some of the items I have just had replaced under warranty wouldn't be covered going forward.

Finally, the wording of the new cover - along with the fact that it is 'free' - suggests to me an attempt to provide more wiggle room to disallow claims in the future.  This could be complete nonsense on my part, but the change in the warranty administration company could very well be an influence as well. 

And if you have made it this far into the gushing of words that I have written, well done and my apologies 🙂

This website tells you how many were registered and are still around:

https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/

I can tell you the answer to number of GS's is not many.

Well, to be fair, in almost 3 years of ownership, this is actually the first time I have had any warranty work done on my GS.  I did have a few bits done when I bought it, but that was used approved sales work rather than warranty.

I did also have quite a bit done on my previous IS, so perhaps I am the reason that Lexus has removed the extended warranty 😲

I should think so.

I actually got it back today with a new TPMS valve for the NSF tyre, a new NSR shock absorber and the new transmission oil pump it needed.  They didn't have the seat heating element in stock, so it is booked in for a few weeks time to get that done.

I also had the rear discs and pads replaced, so the car should be good to go.

Since I have kept all the paperwork, the car does have an impressive file to go with it, but my understanding is that if it goes through a dealer then GDPR no longer allows them to pass it on and it is thrown away ☹️

When the time comes, it would be nice for it to go to an enthusiastic owner, but that would depend on timings I suppose.

At this point Martin, I think you will need the TechStream software to help you run some further diagnostics.  You can get a copy from eBay.

If you look at the Engine section of the manual and navigate to:

2AD-FHV STARTING - ENTRY AND START SYSTEM - HOW TO PROCEED WITH TROUBLESHOOTING

step 8 shows you a list of active tests that can be done with the TechStream software, as well as checking the ECU's.

If you are unsure how to test the pinouts on the ECU's then I am afraid you might have to consult a specialist.

Good luck.

6 hours ago, Phil xxkr said:

To get back on topic chaps I listen these days to talk radio and they have just run an advert by Lexus for lexus Relax! And, promoting it as a manufacturers warranty which I guess, technically speaking it is but could be seen as a little disingenuous? 

I do think comparing it to the new car warranty is a tad misleading.  Funnily enough, I was at the dealer today and the service guys didn't even know much about it.  Apparently, the inside info on it has been moving very slowly through the dealer network.

12 hours ago, Initial P said:

Finding a good MK4 450h isn't easy though...

I might have one for sale soon 🙂

My GS also suffered greatly from this.  It was so ear piercing that I was embarrassed to brake in front of anyone!

I don't know if it is luck or something else, but I tried using the brakes heavily for a while and it looks like it has helped.

Good luck!

10 hours ago, Marlinleg said:

My final thoughts 

After talking to Lexus Extended Warranty I am leaving my 4/5th year paid for extended warranty in place and I have declined the refund.

I rang Lexus  extended warranty team and asked 

are we being recorded they said yes I asked does my  paid 4/5th extended warranty cover provide better cover than the free after service 12 month warranty they said yes 

10 hours ago, NemesisUK said:

Of course they said yes, they want to keep your money, not refund it.

It's irrelevant, in your case, if it's true or not as I guess, you won't be changing your cover, so will not be comparing what you might have received if you have to make a claim,

They would also say yes if it were true...

4 hours ago, j8pfc said:

Having contacted Lexus warranty department they confirmed that all Extended Warranties will be honoured.

When I bought my car (used) it was still under manufacturers warranty which expires at the end of the month.  With the money I saved (against buying a new car) I purchased 2 extended warranties from 21-23 and 23-25.

They confirmed that I will receive the full benefits of the extended warranty package for the full term, MOTs and roadside assistance included.

I will not need to join the new scheme until 2025 onwards 😊

Smart thinking, wish I had done the same..

3 hours ago, rayaans said:

It does have a reduced level of cover looking at Lexus Relax but still relatively comprehensive. 

Lexus are really good with owners though. If the car has a full Lexus dealer service history they'll pretty much give goodwill on anything. The head unit on our IS went. 20k miles and 7 years old. £4k to replace. An email to Lexus UK and they reduced it as a goodwill to £500. Took the old unit away back to the factory in Japan to see what the issue was too. 

This does beg the question though; what if Lexus UK had said no?

My extended warranty would have covered it, but the new Relax one won't.

These things happen from time to time, like in your case where you wouldn't expect it to fail, and the cost is high.  Personally, not only would I not be able to afford spending £4k on the repair, but it would represent almost half the cost of the entire car!

The only alternative that I can think of is either to leave it broken (difficult to resell) or to try and find one second hand, which may have problems with encoding and parts are hardly plentiful.

The general upshot is that some of the part not covered by this new warranty are very expensive to replace and would represent a high risk for some owners.

Welcome Aaron,

I had my IS220d over 3 years before I sold it to a friend, who kept it for another 2.  In that time the only major faults it had weren't diesel related but things like calipers, drivers seat, wing mirrors, etc..

The key was that I used it quite a bit and did longer journeys, so it had the appropriate amount of time to get nice and hot and clean out the soot.  I highly recommend a good 15-20min about 2000rpm to the get the DPF above 600C, along with regular cleaning of the EGR valve, which in my case was every 5k miles or so.

As for the negatively surrounding this car, perhaps being the 'worse' Lexus still makes it better than most other cars out there? 🙂

It is really worth finding a specialist to look after your car.  For example, the pink coolant is already pre-mixed and doesn't need water added.  It is also long life, so only requires replacing every 100k miles.  You also want your mechanic to grease the slide pins of all your calipers annually unless you want them to constantly seize.

If you are going to be doing some work on the car itself, I would recommend getting a copy of TechStream from eBay.  Found mine very handy, especially when it started to smoke as I could get it to do a forced regen.

Good luck 🙂

I agree Linas that for the majority of users this is probably a good thing.

What attracted me to the brand, apart from the obvious, is that they had a superior warranty when compared to other manufacturers, which has now been removed.  I would happily pay a premium if they were to offer it again as an addition to the standard Relax warranty.

So, it is the fact that this excellent warranty has been removed that is an annoyance.  Also, lowering the mileage limit to 100k miles does exclude quite a few people, especially as these are the people that would probably benefit most from having a warranty in the first place. (Which is probably why they removed it as it was most likely not cost effective).

What this means effectively is that I have to get rid of my car much sooner than planned as it won't be covered at all and, as my recent update shows, it would have incurred significant costs to rectify the faults found.

1 hour ago, Derant said:

The booklet I received in December when I took the extended warranty out states

Lights, Bulbs and Headlight adjustment are excluded from cover.

That’s why I said headlights weren’t covered.

In this scenario, I think Lights might refer to the non-bulb type of illumination.  Colin is correct that the light unit itself is covered and there are members on here that had them replaced for things like condensation.

45 minutes ago, MNMJ said:

I was happily imagining another six years of ownership backed up by a cast-iron warranty

Now I may be looking elsewhere when my current 2-4-1 runs out in 12 months

Very much the same.

It is also worth noting the following in the press release:

"The Relax warranty covers the same parts and labour as the three-year manufacturer’s warranty provided on new Toyota and Lexus vehicles and the one-year manufacturer warranty that’s standard with approved used vehicles"

However, I am pretty sure that if my multimedia screen or headlight was faulty within the first 3 years of owning a new car then it would be covered, whereas it isn't with this new warranty.

The way I see it is that this might help Lexus attract some new 'casual' customers that were perhaps tempted by the longer warranties offered by other manufacturer, and it should help approved used sales as well.  However, the core of the 'loyal' Lexus customers will see this for what it is (a downgrade) and be potentially looking elsewhere for their new cars, as has already been expressed by some members here.

I fear this is the start of Lexus trying to become a more mainstream brand and consequently losing their USP that made them better than other manufacturers.

9 minutes ago, PRT68 said:

Well, I'm disillusioned now. My main reason for going to the Lexus brand was peace of mind. I was comfortable paying £995 for the 2 year extended warranty, as it more or less fixed costs for me. 

Now the warranty is included in the annual service, that is in effect saving me £500 p.a. However, as many have pointed out, the new warranty is nowhere as comprehensive as the original, and looks to me as if it gives Lexus too much wriggle room (just like other brands).

For example, on the 2_4_1, all electrics were covered. Now it seems that most are covered, with the exception of the multi media part. But many of the driver aids are interlinked to this, so how will they differentiate?

The £500 p.a. saving would help towards the odd shock absorbed etc, but I doubt if it would help towards a multi media repair bill.

Time to forget about Lexus and buy something for a couple of grand and change or scrap when as big bill comes along??I

Or just start leasing and hand it back?

My thoughts exactly.  In fact, I spent a few hours this afternoon looking at leasing deals.

Such a shame this has happened ☹️

9 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

That is not strictly true - extended warranty was as well for up-to 10years/100k miles... however if extended before deadlines one could have it for longer i.e. you come day before 10 years old or at 99k miles, get another 2 years warranty and it would last irrespective of mileage age for another 2 years.

That is not correct Linas.  The extended warranty was either 10 years or 140,000 miles before you couldn't renew it, so they have now shortened it by 40k miles.

3 minutes ago, -Error- said:

I'm on the same boat as yourself, I did read somewhere in one of the posts on the forum (There are now 4 threads regarding this topic) that Lexus shall refund the warranty cost on a pro-rata basis however I'd like to see how proactive they will be at doing that.

This was always the case with the extended warranty and it was possible unless you had already made a claim, in which case they wouldn't refund it.

40 minutes ago, 08ISF said:

Looks to me like Lexus have just removed their USP i.e their cast iron warranty where everything was covered except for service replacement items. As the previous poster  has noted, Multimedia systems and lights are now excluded. The costs of these items are eyewatering and the warranty has now just been reduced to the same level as all the other warranty shysters out there by introducing the words "including but not limited to" which is a get out of jail clause. I'll have to reexamine my  plans to replace my RX with another Lexus. The playing field just got levelled.

I think this has hit the nail on the head with regard to this situation.  It may sound like they are doing a good thing, but the quality of their warranty just took a nose dive.  Also, why suddenly reduce it by 40k miles unless the cost of replacement parts exceeded the value of the cover, which can make for a very expensive proposition for owners of 'higher' mileage vehicles.

From my understanding, you can either keep the extended warranty that you have or cancel it pro-rata and get a refund.  There is a caveat though - if you have already claimed on your extended warranty then I don't believe you can get a refund.

It is also worth noting that the extended warranty is a superior product that covers more components, but your mileage may vary on that one.

Lastly, @royoftherovers I have spoken to two dealers today that say it is no longer available and it has been removed from the Lexus UK website, so I think it is safe to say it has gone 🙂