wharfhouse

Have to say that the chap I spoke to at Lexus Reading (Jemca) was very helpful and gave me all the information I have repeated on this forum without hesitation.

Yes - looks like it might be a bit more expensive for this Extended Warranty than the old 2-4-1 (which I was told would not now be offered - only a rolling one year) but not a deal breaker for me given it can take the car through to 15 years / 150K miles which if there are no major restrictions in the T&Cs seems like a fair deal for peace of mind. The chap I spoke to had the details including looking up the new Extended Warranty and Servicing prices for my car and so I think all the details are agreed (at least at Lexus Reading / Jemca - can't speak for other dealers) - he said it is all new and so hasn't been communicated broadly yet so hopefully we will either start to see more communicated, probably through the Lexus website, unless they decide to leave it down to the dealer network to put this in place on a per dealer basis - it was odd that Lexus UK told me to speak to my local dealer rather than giving me this information directly.

OK - I have now spoken to Lexus Reading (part of Jemca - they have a number of franchises around the south-east) on the phone about Extended Warranty - what I have been told is: - There is an Extended Warranty product available (details haven't been widely circulated yet) for those cars that are over 10 years old / 100k miles (and so fall outside of the new Relax scheme) - this will now be available on cars up to 15 years old or 150k miles (whichever comes first). The cost for my IS 300h will be £474 per annum (only 1 year cover can be purchased at a time and it can be paid over 12 months interest free and then renewed each year until the 15 years / 150k mile limit is reached) and it will also include the Roadside Assistance as previously - not sure of exact T&Cs for what is covered (as I was on the phone so haven't got anything in writing yet) but told it is similar to manufacturers warranty so would need to see full T&Cs as to whether it's the old Extended Warranty terms or along the lines of the Relax - I would assume that servicing will need to be done by Lexus for the Extended Warranty to be valid as previously, and so - In addition, I asked about the loss of Essential Care servicing (with Relax coming in) and was told that there is also a lower cost servicing option available for those cars that are over are over 10 years old or 100k miles (but this is NOT available for those cars between 5 and 10 years old like the old Essential Care service was previously unless they are also over the 100k miles - like my 2014 car with 103k miles is - as they will be serviced under the Relax scheme up to 10 years / 100k miles) - the cost I was given of the servicing for when the car is over 10 years or 100k miles (whichever comes first) is the same as the old Essential Care Major/Minor for my IS 300h. The above was given to me in a phone call with Lexus Reading (Jemca) following my message to Lexus UK who directed me back to the dealer network and as I have always used Lexus Reading (Jemca) I called them and was given this information. I can't therefore say whether all other dealers will be offering the above so you may have to call your own local dealer to get specific information confirmed, at least until Lexus UK add anything to the website. Personally though, what has been outlined on the phone works for me and allows me to continue running my IS 300h for the foreseeable future with an Extended Warranty in place and lower cost servicing through Lexus Reading (Jemca).

I contacted Lexus UK (by email) regarding the email from Lexus Stoke and my personal situation with a 2014 IS 300h with just over 100k miles and a current Extended Warranty due to expire in November that I had hoped to renew before Relax came out and asked for clarification and received the following reply: "Thank you for your email query regarding extended warranty cover for your Lexus IS 300. As you rightfully mentioned, the parameters for the Lexus Relax product is capped at 10 years/100,000 miles. However, you should be able to discuss extended warranty products and services with your local Lexus Centre, as they will be in a better position to provide you with information on what is on offer." So, no definitive statement and no clarification... I will ask my local Lexus Reading the same question now and see what they have to say and depending on the reply send that to Lexus UK again for comment.

Thanks - very interesting - I'll have to investigate further as I'd certainly be interested in extending my warranty as I have now done just over 100k miles in my 2014 IS 300h and have Extended Warranty at the moment until November had planned on renewing it to 140k miles.

I'd really like to know more about the 15 year 150k Extended Warranty

Certainly NOT unreliable - that's an ill considered sweeping statement - yes the 12v battery can go flat / expire but that's the same as any other car - hybrid or not - done it a few times in normal ICE cars leaving electrics like radio on while stood without the engine running! My 2014 IS 300h has done 103,000 miles and still on the original 12V battery and has never failed yet to start - even earlier this year after being left outside for a week in sub zero temperatures. Like any car I accept the 12V battery is now probably nearing the end of its life and I do carry one of the glove box jump starter packs just in case but I have always carried jumper cables in all my cars previously just in case (and used them in my other cars on occasions). I certainly have no complaints regards reliability in comparison to any other marque. Interestingly my daughter is thinking of getting a Kia Niro Hybrid and so it will be interesting to compare reliability after a few years if she goes down that route.

Agreed - new windscreen washer sensor (approx £400 fitted) and two new front wheel bearings at 80k miles (didn't ask what they would have cost) on mine - all done under Extended Warranty. I was happy paying for the Extended Warranty and feel it has been a good decision for me. Even if I hadn't claimed anything I would have been happy paying for peace of mind. My concern is whether I run the car with no warranty after November - I can probably afford repair bills as needed but do I really want to?

I had no extended warranty on the BMW or Honda - the BMW did have dealer servicing through it's life (car was bought new until I traded it on for another at that mileage) but the Honda was maintained by an independent after the first few years. I'm sure many people will be delighted with Lexus Relax, particularly lower mileage drivers, but for me I bought the Lexus IS 300h with a plan to run it to 140k miles (when it would be about 10 years old) knowing I could get the Extended Warranty until then if I wanted that peace of mind. I appreciate the Extended Warranty terms could always be changed by Lexus but to pull the rug out from under my plans leaves a bad taste. If they had continued to offer the old Extended Warranty to those like myself until we reached the 10 year / 140k miles I would have no complaints - but they clearly chose not to and to cast aside those customers who do a higher mileage than 10k miles per annum and like keeping their cars for a reasonable period of time. Anyway, decision time for me is in November when my current Extended Warranty expires and I will take a view at that time which direction I then take. This was my first Lexus (after quite a few BMWs and Mercs in the family along with a smattering of Fords and a Honda) and I purchased it for all the reasons that come out on this forum and looking forward to a long term relationship with the brand - however with no more IS saloons and now this it may be the last - time will tell...

As a standalone product the Lexus Relax looks good but there are some of us who see this differently who have been using the Extended Warranty, just gone over 100k miles and had planned on keeping the Extended Warranty in place (for peace of mind) to 140k miles and now are left in the lurch so to speak. 100k miles isn't actually that much for modern cars (in the past I've run a BMW to 210k miles and a Honda Accord to 160k miles and some company cars in the 1980s easily past 100k miles without any major issues). So Lexus have actually taken a step back from warranting cars to 140k miles to only 100k miles which one "could" interpret as their cars may be getting less reliable and they have less trust in them doing high mileages otherwise why not the old warranty 140k miles... Given the 10 year age limit a lot of people still do 12k - 15k miles a year which based on 10 years takes them to around 140k miles.

Lexus Relax does not cover breakdowns (breakdown cover is available separately from Lexus if you wish to use that). The Extended Warranty did include breakdown cover and so until your current Extended Warranty expires you will be covered for breakdowns through that. Once the Extended Warranty expires you will need to source breakdown cover separately (through Lexus or another provider) whether or not you can take advantage of Lexus Relax.

Hi @Andy B - I contacted cr@lexus.co.uk to add my missing 70K service and they have just got back to me and added it correctly into my Lexus Link car service profile - thanks for the suggestion of emailing them - fixed the small annoyance I had when it disappeared after an update to the system.

Although the blocked air con drain is a common problem I had an issue with a damp carpet on the passenger side on my IS 300h. Asked Lexus to take a look (as I thought it may be the air con drain - I've had blocked drains on other cars) and they informed me that the water was coming from the windscreen and down the A pillar - I had a new windscreen fitted some months earlier and so took it back to the fitters and they removed the windscreen and said that something hadn't been sealed correctly at the top of the windscreen - they fitted a new one and all has been well since. If you have had a new windscreen (or it had one before you got it) just a thought that it may be worth checking that too.

So the question is - once a service has been completed is a car then classed as technically fault free even if the service does not spot something that later is claimed under the warranty and the condition pre-existed the service...? Are Lexus simply betting on sorting out the difficult /grey issues on a case for care basis regardless of the T&Cs (something like goodwill) which is of course easier for them if they actually underwrite the warranty rather than a 3rd party company?

Yep - high level marketing sound bites underpinned by lots of wiggle room in the (usually unread or difficult to understand) T&Cs

This was posted on Facebook on the Lexus UK page by Lexus against an Ad it was running: "This new Lexus warranty covers the same parts and labour as the three-year manufacturer’s warranty provided on new Lexus vehicles and the one-year manufacturer warranty that’s standard with approved used vehicles. It does not include wear and tear items, bodywork, paint, interior trims and maintenance parts. A vehicle health check is part of the service package, which includes all mechanical and electronic parts, which helps potential problems to be detected at an early stage. Any existing defects present at the time of service are excluded from the warranty. Full terms and conditions are provided at lexus.co.uk/relax." Not sure how they can claim it covers same parts as 3 year manufacturer warranty as according to the T&Cs it clearly doesn't...

This was posted on Facebook on the Lexus UK page by Lexus against an Ad it was running: "This new Lexus warranty covers the same parts and labour as the three-year manufacturer’s warranty provided on new Lexus vehicles and the one-year manufacturer warranty that’s standard with approved used vehicles. It does not include wear and tear items, bodywork, paint, interior trims and maintenance parts. A vehicle health check is part of the service package, which includes all mechanical and electronic parts, which helps potential problems to be detected at an early stage. Any existing defects present at the time of service are excluded from the warranty. Full terms and conditions are provided at lexus.co.uk/relax." Not sure how they can claim it covers same parts as 3 year manufacturer warranty as according to the T&Cs it clearly doesn't...

I might try that for my missing one in that case...

They usually appear in a few days but one of mine disappeared after an update - the Hybrid check was on there but not the service! The service book was stamped and my understanding is that the "customer" viewed online system is not the same as the "Lexus" viewed system and so I didn't bother trying to rectify as I am sure I would have been tying myself in knots.

Yes I've had advisories too in the past for cracks in the tread and it can be a failure if they are really bad, especially if the cracks are in the side wall.

The maps were probably the originals with the car and so could also be a year or so older than the car. However they should still work (my car is 2014 and original maps that still work OK). The error looks like a problem with the GPS receiver - as you have just bought the car from Lexus maybe best to take it to them to investigate.

Certainly no legal or particular safety issue mixing different brands of tyres - the old, old issue used to be not mixing radial and crossply tyres on the same axle. As for the Yokohama tyres they do look past their best - the cracks are due to age of the tyres and not unusual as tyres age so my guess is that the car hasn't done much mileage in the last few years and those tyres are certainly 3+ years old. The newer Goodyear is probably due to either a puncture or possibly an alignment issue as one of those Yokohama tyres has a well worn shoulder for the amount of tread left. Whether you will now get anything out of Lexus not sure now but if not I'd just change all 4 tyres for new and enjoy the car. May be worth checking the alignment depending on those other tyres.

I think at one time or another over the past 4+ years I've spoken to all of them -all have been helpful.

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.

That will be interesting - and may go some way towards alleviating my annoyances with these changes. Could be that dealers are able to create their own servicing pricelist for once cars are beyond the scope of Relax, which would be sensible rather than asking someone to pay full price for a service with no warranty benefit (there is no free lunch, the warranty costs will be built into the service costs!). I have been happy with Lexus Reading to date and they have been fair about not undertaking unnecessary work and also sorting out the warranty claims I have made so would like to keep having the car serviced there beyond the 100k miles so long as the price reflects the lack of included warranty.