Charcoal Canister Replacement?

[MNJack]

I did a search on relevant topics and couldn't find anything on this...

I am the original owner of a 97 es300. 118,000 trouble free miles. Car is currently at the dealer because "check engine" came on. Dealer calls me and tells me charcoal canister needs to be replaced - $699.... I am a bit shocked at the cost, but since they already had the car I told them to go ahead with the repair. Meanwhile I did some internet research (which took me to this website) and I learned that maybe there was an EPA settlement with Toyota that might include replacement of my charcoal canister under an extended warranty. See this EPA press release --------->>>

http://www.epa.gov/newsroom/headline_030703.htm

I will certainly call lexus customer service Monday morning, but I was wondering if anyone on this website has had a problem with their charcoal canister (or other emissions components) and know if they are covered under the extended 14 years or 150,000 mile warranty. Thanks! :)

[lexusk8]

I ran into the exact same situation as you did with my 2001 ES300 last year. CEL and TRAC OFF lights went on at the same time, I took the car to a Lexus dealership ASAP (the next day after I found the problem I believe, as this was sometime in the middle of last year), the service advisor scanned the codes and found out that the problem was with the charcoal canister. This affects the fuel and exhaust emissions, and could prove to be catastrophic should you keep running your car with a bad CC.

Anyway, I got that replaced for roughly half of the original quote (my extended warranty does not cover emissions-related repairs) :( I paid about $240 for the CC repair. Many months later, no problems with the CC and haven't gotten any warning lights. I'm sure if I had known about the EPA article regarding CC replacement under an extended warranty, I would've pursued the matter. But now it is over a year later on, and I already paid for the fix and have no problems, so I'm out of the radar :D

[m2pc]

I would defianely bring it up. I have a 98 and this may be the same

" the evaporative storage canister"

or "any other part or component between the fuel tank and the intake manifold (but not including the intake manifild) designed to contain or conduct fuel vapor from the fuel system"

if you paid you can mail for consideration of reimbursement to

Lexus Customer Satisfaction Department

190010 sOUTH wESTERN aVE

mAIL sTOP l202

tORRENCE, ca 90509

gOOD LUCK and let us know how it turns out

[MNJack]

story is almost over... but I have to admit I made this harder than it had to be. I just checked in my glove box and I have an undated notice from Lexus that describes exactly what is covered under the "Enhancement to your Federal Emissions Control Warranty" Not sure exactly when I received that notice... but here is what happened.

Monday morning I called Lexus customer service and with my vin they confirmed that the charcoal canister replacement was covered under the enhanced warranty. I called the dealer, and they told me my car was ready, but I could not reach the service manager to discuss the warranty issue, so I just went over to the dealer.

The service rep presented me with a bill for $900, and I told him that Lexus customer service told me the charcoal canister was covered under warranty. He checked his current warranty book, complained that Lexus changes this stuff several times a month, and told me it was NOT covered. He discussed it briefly with the service manager who confirmed it was not covered. I said, "How come Lexus customer service just told me it WAS covered??" and I proceeded to call Lexus customer service 800 number on my cell phone. Had to wait a while, cust service rep put me on hold for a while longer while he checked again, and came back and confirmed once again that charcoal canister and certain other components were covered (they also replaced vsv valve). So I am at the service desk with my cell phone in speaker mode, and the cust service rep is asking me for the name of the sales manager at the dealer and getting my contact number. At this point the service rep at the dealer tears off the top copy of my paperwork and hands it to me and tells me they will work it out.

I got another call from Lexus cust service and due to the timing, ie dealer did work before warranty coverage was approved, I may have to pay for work and apply to Lexus HQ for reimbursement. I asked them to try to work it out with the dealer if possible.

So, it looks good. I think the entire process would have been much easier if I had given the dealer the notice up front! But remember, I dropped the car off to diagnose the "check engine light" and they called me to tell me what repairs were needed. I didn't remember actually receiving the notice, but I did have it stored in the glove box with the owner's manual. (which is exactly what they tell you to do! "Simply insert this letter in your vehicle's Owner's Manual Supplement............." )

BUT, another lesson here is that owners of these cars need to know about the warranty enhancement!!!!! You don't normally expect a 7 yr old car with 119k miles to have ANY kind of warranty coverage. But this is 14 years/ 150,000 miles!! And if the owner doesn't know it is covered it looks like the dealer won't know (or tell you) either. I may scan and post the notice. :)

[Hank]

BUT, another lesson here is that owners of these cars need to know about the warranty enhancement!!!!! You don't normally expect a 7 yr old car with 119k miles to have ANY kind of warranty coverage. But this is 14 years/ 150,000 miles!! And if the owner doesn't know it is covered it looks like the dealer won't know (or tell you) either. I may scan and post the notice. :)

Hi, <--- long time lurker, 1st time poster.

I am the 2nd owner of a '97 ES300 w/ 97k miles. Is the 14 yr/150k warranty transferrable? Or does it only apply to original owners?

What documents would I need to bring to the stealership to cover my a$$?

Please post the notice if possible. TIA!

[m2pc]

Hank, in the letter, they have somethng to fill out if sold, so I would think they would honor it. I would contact them at the previously posted address and inquire about it.

[MNJack]

I will scan the document and maybe even start a new post.... full of "keywords" :) so perhaps other owners can be made aware of this. I am an original owner who still lives at the same address, and I did receive the notice from Lexus and I almost paid for the repair myself! I would guess there are many owners out there who are paying unnecessarily for these repairs.

list of eligible vehicles here:

http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/ca...ota_aff_veh.pdf

[Hank]

Hey, thanks for the info m2pc & MNJack. My car throws the P0446 (EVAP Emission Control System Vent Control Malfunction). I presume this should also be covered under the enhanced warranty, am I correct?

[MNJack]

I got the final word from the dealer today. They will get reimbursed for the almost $900 charge from Lexus HQ, and I will pay nothing. :)

I have discovered that there are other posts on this topic on this board, but I would rather risk repeating the information and perhaps save someone a lot of money!

The warranty enhancement covers some fairly high mileage/old cars, so owners may not expect their cars to be covered, especially if you are not the original owner. Your Lexus DEALER may not know about it, so unless you ask and/or insist, you can easily pay for some expensive repairs unnecessarily. The notice from Lexus uses slightly different terminology which can be confusing. The dealer refers to the "charcoal canister", while the notice from lexus calls it the "evaporative canister". (Same thing!) Other parts are also refered to by different names. This may be obvious to some, but for many non-experts, if you are told that the enhanced warranty does not cover the "charcoal canister" what are you going to say? This actually happened to me, and fortunately I told the rep that I believe the charcoal canister is the same thing as the evaporative canister. This is a bit troubling, because if you go to your dealer as I did to have a "check engine light" diagnosed, and you are told that a "doohicky" needs to be replaced, even if you have the foresight to check your enhanced warranty notice, if the "doohicky" is given a different name on your notice from lexus you will not know the item is covered.

Although I am sure Lexus genuinely cares about their customers and the environment, keep in mind that the enhanced emissions warranty was an agreement between Lexus, the EPA, and the Justice Department for settlement of the government's lawsuit against Toyota Motor Corporation for Clean Air Act violations.

Here are some helpful documents:

This is the notice I received from Lexus advising me of the enhanced warranty. As instructed, I filed the notice in my owners manual in my glovebox.... and promptly forgot about it!

http://home.comcast.net/~mnjack/lexemiss.JPG

This is the EPA press release that describes the settlement. You get a slightly different perspective from the government's point of view:

http://www.epa.gov/newsroom/headline_030703.htm

This is also from the EPA - It is a list of car models that are covered by the enhanced emissions warranty:

http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/ca...ota_aff_veh.pdf

[Hank]

Wow! Indeed this will save me a whole lotta money. Thanks again for your help MNJack.

I called up Lexus customer service and they will be mailing me the same letter. I will then take it to my dealership and hopefully they will honor it.