Are You Kidding Me! Lexus Are You Crooks?

[georgiamatt]

Ok so I have been having a problem with my 98 Ls for a little while but finally the car became undriveable. Car starts and runs fine but cel comes on, vsc disables and car won't let you come off of idle even if you floor the throttle. Had the car towed to trusty mechanic. Diagnosis ... Pedal position sensor has gone bad.. ok let's change it. Sure. This little part is 532 dollars!!!! This is ridiculous! Lexus seems like they are trying to get over on us. This thing can't cost much more than 10 to maybe 30 dollars to make. I feel like lexus is penalizing me for driving a nicer car... I'm not rich or I'd be driving an 07. What gives!!! This is aggravating me to the point of almost wanting to get rid of the car (after the starter fiasco .. good going there lexus) Can anybody out there calm me down or give me a suggestion at all?

[VMF]

why dont you try a junk yard?

also try some online lexus parts dealers?

i dont go to my local guy, he is a stealer:)

all my oem parts i get online and the difference in pricing is pretty big.

[blake918]

There are some online Lexus parts stores that are usually a lot cheaper than most dealers: www.newlexusparts.com, www.lexus-parts.com, and www.irontoad.com. Generally newlexusparts is the cheapest because they have free shipping even if you buy something for $1. Every now and then, you can find some parts from good aftermarket part suppliers at AutoZone, rockauto.com, and the others. You thought that sensor was expensive, just wait until your control arm bushings go! LOL

This is an interesting post because I've always wondered how the drive by wire system is going to age. What part went bad? Is the pedal position sensor something up under the dash, or are you referring to the throttle position sensor? Yeah, I'd love to know why they burried the starter under the intake too! Lexus does a lot of things right, but the things they do wrong are way out of left field.

[dcfish]

Ok so I have been having a problem with my 98 Ls for a little while but finally the car became undriveable. Car starts and runs fine but cel comes on, vsc disables and car won't let you come off of idle even if you floor the throttle. Had the car towed to trusty mechanic. Diagnosis ... Pedal position sensor has gone bad.. ok let's change it. Sure. This little part is 532 dollars!!!! This is ridiculous! Lexus seems like they are trying to get over on us. This thing can't cost much more than 10 to maybe 30 dollars to make. I feel like lexus is penalizing me for driving a nicer car... I'm not rich or I'd be driving an 07. What gives!!! This is aggravating me to the point of almost wanting to get rid of the car (after the starter fiasco .. good going there lexus) Can anybody out there calm me down or give me a suggestion at all?

If you are looking for used try http://www.taprecycling.com/

[nc211]

georgi..... that's a real "trusty" mechanic you got there amigo. Especially when you go to www.lexuspartsonline.com ..... select your vehichle and year.....search under the "mechanical" catelog....look under "electrical" then "powertrain control"..... and you will see your $532 throttle position sensor for $64 dollars.

time to find a new "trusty" mechanic my friend.

[dcfish]

georgi..... that's a real "trusty" mechanic you got there amigo. Especially when you go to www.lexuspartsonline.com ..... select your vehichle and year.....search under the "mechanical" catelog....look under "electrical" then "powertrain control"..... and you will see your $532 throttle position sensor for $64 dollars.

time to find a new "trusty" mechanic my friend.

For $64.00 buy new, Nice job nc How was your trip ?

[handygal]

My '98 did the same thing, needed a TPS. I don't remember the cost of the part, I know it was a few hundred dollars. They have gone up a lot in the last 2-3 years, the US dollar has terrible value now. It is also a pain to change the part. It's a pain to change any part on this car. I generally pay at least as much in labor as I do on the part.

I try to look at it as all part of the maintenance of a good vehicle. All in all, the car has needed a TPS and a starter. Over the 9 years we've had it, it turns out to not be so bad expense-wise. All in all, the car has been very good to me. One of my previous disasters needed $600 parts from the moment it came out of warranty until the day I dumped it. The car was $19K to start with but from age 3 to 4.5 years it must have gone though $3K in parts alone. I'll take my Lexus any day of the week.

[nc211]

georgi..... that's a real "trusty" mechanic you got there amigo. Especially when you go to www.lexuspartsonline.com ..... select your vehichle and year.....search under the "mechanical" catelog....look under "electrical" then "powertrain control"..... and you will see your $532 throttle position sensor for $64 dollars.

time to find a new "trusty" mechanic my friend.

For $64.00 buy new, Nice job nc How was your trip ?

That's what they pay me for around here....although still waiting for my check.. <_<

The trip was good man, had a few beers, socialized with the crew, and embarrased myself on the golf course like you can't believe. Nothing humbles a man like having to pick up his Tee shot, on the way to the lady's Tee box. Golf might be God's game, but the Devil designed the clubs.

I was able to have a little fun with the Californian's of Newport Beach though. For those of you who don't know where Newport Beach is, it is literally about 5 miles north of Laguna Beach, and the average home price is somewhere in the $1.5 - $2.0 milllion range "for an average 2,000 squarefoot home." It is very nice, but a bit snotty. So naturally, being the smartass I am, feel the need to poke fun.

So we're at Fashion Island shopping center, with the Neimen Marcus, Macy's, Bloomingdales, etc.... you get the picture. But, they have a Bose store too. And the salesmen are all just standing there, waiting for someone to pounce on. I've been in there before, and just a pair of headphones costs $500+. So, I go in this time "been several months since my last trip". I instantly get swarmed on. In my best, and I mean my best, trailor park talking, lost my dog in the truck fire accent, I blurt out "Ya'll got any Audiovox in this here store?" Heads turned....heads turned. It was GREAT! Guy said "no sir, we're a Bose store." I said "Bose?" Arent' they those fancy alarm clock radios? MY WIFE however was NOT impressed, and pulled the plug on my fun.

Anyway, Georgi, don't sweat it man, the TPS goes out on these cars at some point, we all face that repair. Luckily, it's not a frequent repair. Buy your parts online from now on, and take them to the mechanic to install. However, MAKE SURE your mechanic knows how to tune and set these parts, and not just install them. That's one of the biggest things to require from a mechanic on these cars. They have to be tuned right, and there are more than a few horror stories on this site of guys & gals who have fussed over an out of tune TPS.

[92silverls400]

:chairshot: Had the same problem, twice, 00 lexus ls400. the first time, it occurred in my garage, rolled my car out into the street. engine still running. step on gas pedal, nothing happens, vsc light was on, so i shut off engine, re start engine, and everything was okay. took it to dealership, they could not pull the code on it. told me to keep on driving it. this occurred in august of 06 In oct of 06 drove down to L.A Ca. as i was getting off the freeway, the vehicle slowed down, but the engine was steal running, and I could not accelerate when I stepped on the gas pedal. was able to row across a large intersection and pull over. I shut off the engine, and restarted it. I was now able to accelerate, and drove to my hotel. engine light and vsc light was on. The next day drove it to lexus dealership, they replaced the whole throttle body unit, I asked if it was the tps unit , they said yes, but decided to replace the whole unit. Thank god I purchase the extented warranty, took them 3 hrs to replace it. No problem now. Yes it cost me $1500 for extented warranty, dealership charged the warranty work $1295 to fix my problem. at least i was still able to go to Disneyland and not up front $1295.00 :cries:

[Threadcutter]

georgi..... that's a real "trusty" mechanic you got there amigo. Especially when you go to www.lexuspartsonline.com ..... select your vehichle and year.....search under the "mechanical" catelog....look under "electrical" then "powertrain control"..... and you will see your $532 throttle position sensor for $64 dollars.

time to find a new "trusty" mechanic my friend.

For $64.00 buy new, Nice job nc How was your trip ?

That's what they pay me for around here....although still waiting for my check.. <_<

The trip was good man, had a few beers, socialized with the crew, and embarrased myself on the golf course like you can't believe. Nothing humbles a man like having to pick up his Tee shot, on the way to the lady's Tee box. Golf might be God's game, but the Devil designed the clubs.

I was able to have a little fun with the Californian's of Newport Beach though. For those of you who don't know where Newport Beach is, it is literally about 5 miles north of Laguna Beach, and the average home price is somewhere in the $1.5 - $2.0 milllion range "for an average 2,000 squarefoot home." It is very nice, but a bit snotty. So naturally, being the smartass I am, feel the need to poke fun.

So we're at Fashion Island shopping center, with the Neimen Marcus, Macy's, Bloomingdales, etc.... you get the picture. But, they have a Bose store too. And the salesmen are all just standing there, waiting for someone to pounce on. I've been in there before, and just a pair of headphones costs $500+. So, I go in this time "been several months since my last trip". I instantly get swarmed on. In my best, and I mean my best, trailor park talking, lost my dog in the truck fire accent, I blurt out "Ya'll got any Audiovox in this here store?" Heads turned....heads turned. It was GREAT! Guy said "no sir, we're a Bose store." I said "Bose?" Arent' they those fancy alarm clock radios? MY WIFE however was NOT impressed, and pulled the plug on my fun.

Anyway, Georgi, don't sweat it man, the TPS goes out on these cars at some point, we all face that repair. Luckily, it's not a frequent repair. Buy your parts online from now on, and take them to the mechanic to install. However, MAKE SURE your mechanic knows how to tune and set these parts, and not just install them. That's one of the biggest things to require from a mechanic on these cars. They have to be tuned right, and there are more than a few horror stories on this site of guys & gals who have fussed over an out of tune TPS.

So we're at Fashion Island shopping center, with the Neimen Marcus, Macy's, Bloomingdales, etc....

Must be that's what comes with the "marriage territory"........uggghhhhh...........She's gettin' you trained real good.....I'm proud to say that I broke those shackles decades ago. However, every time I take her into a sporting goods store, she buys every piece of fishing gear or tackle in the whole damn place.........for herself.....and, she won't share!

"Ya'll got any Audiovox in this here store?"

Or, better yet, "No Highs, no Lows, must be Bose!"..........

the TPS goes out on these cars at some point,

Yep, and inside the TPS housing is a $5.00 (retail) potentiometer.........Sometimes also known as a volume pot......Rat Shack has lots of 'em.

[SW03ES]

Here we go again. I love driving a $65,000 car except for the fact that parts for it aren't free. If you don't want to pay dealer prices, then don't buy from the dealer. Don't whine about what they charge though when there are PLENTY of other options available to you.

georgi..... that's a real "trusty" mechanic you got there amigo. Especially when you go to www.lexuspartsonline.com ..... select your vehichle and year.....search under the "mechanical" catelog....look under "electrical" then "powertrain control"..... and you will see your $532 throttle position sensor for $64 dollars.

time to find a new "trusty" mechanic my friend

That doesn't mean the mechanic is crooked for sure. In my experience its entirely possible that a Lexus dealer would mark up a part like that 500-800%. If his mechanic just contacts the dealer for parts like he would a Ford he just wouldn't understand that.

[nc211]

That doesn't mean the mechanic is crooked for sure. In my experience its entirely possible that a Lexus dealer would mark up a part like that 500-800%. If his mechanic just contacts the dealer for parts like he would a Ford he just wouldn't understand that.

well that is true. but i do find it hard to believe a dealership would put that much up-charge on one single part. my experience with the dealership is usually about about a 50-75% upcharge, not 730%. If that is the case, then I would have to say Georgi is right, they "his dealership" are crooks! It's one thing to own an expensive car and complain about elevated repair bills, but it's another to blatantly get ripped off like that! We know of the other options, but to the common owner who is not in tune with the online world and soforth, they are getting SCREWED by the dealership. If it were me, and I was shafted that badly, you can bet I would be on the phone to my local better business bureau and lexus corporate. It's one thing to make a profit, it's another to price gouge to the point of making usery laws look like child's play.

[SW03ES]

well that is true. but i do find it hard to believe a dealership would put that much up-charge on one single part. my experience with the dealership is usually about about a 50-75% upcharge, not 730%. If that is the case, then I would have to say Georgi is right, they "his dealership" are crooks! It's one thing to own an expensive car and complain about elevated repair bills, but it's another to blatantly get ripped off like that! We know of the other options, but to the common owner who is not in tune with the online world and soforth, they are getting SCREWED by the dealership. If it were me, and I was shafted that badly, you can bet I would be on the phone to my local better business bureau and lexus corporate. It's one thing to make a profit, it's another to price gouge to the point of making usery laws look like child's play.

It really depends but I can think of things I've seen marked up that much at dealerships. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it either, some things are marked up that much, some things aren't.

Its not usury, and its not anything the better business bureau can do anything about. Lexus corporate can't do anything because the dealers are all independently owned and they set their own pricing. Its called a free economy. They can charge whatever they can get for anything, there's no law that says what markup is "allowed". Plenty of things people buy are marked up 700-1000%, especially in high dollar retailers. Do you think Armani suits are marked up less than 800%? How about Mark Levinson home audio components?

Caveat emptor, the buyer has to do their due dilligence when deciding what they think is a fair price for goods and services. There are PLENTY of places to purchase both OEM and aftermarket parts for these cars at significant savings from the dealership. If a buyer doesn't seek that out, then shame on them.

[nc211]

well...all i can say is...GLAD I FOUND THIS WEBSITE!

[gordonw]

I love how people jump to conclusions that the dealer is ripping them off, based on the word of a "trusted" mechanic. It doesn't take much effort to use the resources at a hand such as this forum or better yet call the the dealer and get the price from them. I've been in the business over ten years, and I do have people calling all the time to check on parts price, but then again I'm in the northeast and we're not too trusting up here.

The problem is that people assume the mechanic thay take their car to is knowledgeable. Trust me, the majority are not. If you do find a good one, grab hold for dear life, because they are worth their weight in gold, because they are a rare commodity.

If only people could hear some of the conversations we have, its like a comedy sometimes. Here's an example, last week we had a shop call for an "intake exhaust"!!! Sometimes the mechanics ask for the wrong part or don't even know what to ask for.

Best advice is use your resources. We live in the Information Age.

[nc211]

Just last night on my way home I stopped in to a Just Tires store by the house. I need to get my car aligned, rotated and balanced. I pulled in, asked them if they use the Hunter system for balancing, they said yes. I asked them how much would it cost for an alignment and balancing and rotation. His response was "what kind of car do you have?" I told him a Toyota, and he said it would be $59 for the alignment, $40 for the balancing and rotation. I then told him it was the LS400, and he said "oh, you mean a Lexus...hold a second..." and magically, the price jumped up an additional $10 dollars per service....AND I checked with Hunter...no system in that store...AND I even called the store this morning to ask a different employee what they use to balance tires, and he said some old fashion thingy they had, road master or something.

It's these kinds of experiences that make one tend to use a pestomistic approach to automobile repairs.

[Threadcutter]

Just last night on my way home I stopped in to a Just Tires store by the house. I need to get my car aligned, rotated and balanced. I pulled in, asked them if they use the Hunter system for balancing, they said yes. I asked them how much would it cost for an alignment and balancing and rotation. His response was "what kind of car do you have?" I told him a Toyota, and he said it would be $59 for the alignment, $40 for the balancing and rotation. I then told him it was the LS400, and he said "oh, you mean a Lexus...hold a second..." and magically, the price jumped up an additional $10 dollars per service....AND I checked with Hunter...no system in that store...AND I even called the store this morning to ask a different employee what they use to balance tires, and he said some old fashion thingy they had, road master or something.

It's these kinds of experiences that make one tend to use a pestomistic approach to automobile repairs.

n:

Sure it wasn't a Firestone Store?..............................

[nc211]

Actually, i was wrong..it was a Colony Tire store, not a Just Tires. Man, you couldn't pay me to take my car to a Firestone shop. Too many bad experiences for me, and from others to mess with that place! :D

[Kennyr]

This recent practice of dealers marking up their parts so much just has to push people over the edge so they lease cars and dump them in 3 years.

[akewlguy]

Guys Lexus is the Versace of cars. So they should be able to mark up parts hundreds of %'s, NOT!

Cheers to out cars!

[georgiamatt]

Ok guys I was out of town this weekend so time for an update. Firstly the Lexus dealer messed up and sent my mechanic the wrong part to begin with.... the part i really needed was more like 290 dollars. Secondly, it wasn't a throttle position sensor as someone suggested but a Pedal Position Sensor.... 2 different animals entirely (and obviously priced so by lexus) I have not had the car long and I did get my local Lexus dealer to do a pre sale inspection so I might complain to them because it had an odd acting throttle (not normal even for drive by wire) to begin with and the local lexus dealer did not put one thing in their report about it ... even after a drive (I not being lexus bred didn't know any better). Don't get me wrong I love my car and I know parts won't be cheap or free. I just don't want to feel ripped off for something that basically amounts to a 5 to 10 dollar part in truth. Thanks to all for the parts website.... it's a learning curve for me. The upshot of this whole story is that I got a steal on this car to begin with and the previous owner may have given it away due to the pedal postion sensor and the starter which was bound to go out eventually anyway ( he must have guessed wrong)... his bad!!! So no complaints at this point I was just venting the other day. I love you guys and this site , I have gotten so much good info already. Thanks to all and Merry Christmas!!!

[nc211]

Georgi, do you mind posting up the part number from your invoice ticket? I'm just curious what they sell for on the parts site, and I don't think I've ever heard of a peddle position sensor. Although it makes perfect sense, given the drive by wire set up. I must say, I think you've broke new ground here with your request. I can't recall anyone having to replace that part!!

We'll have to call you Capital Georgia, of the Star Ship...going where no man has gone before!!

Welcome to the club!

[anthonyiez]

I love how people jump to conclusions that the dealer is ripping them off, based on the word of a "trusted" mechanic. It doesn't take much effort to use the resources at a hand such as this forum or better yet call the the dealer and get the price from them. I've been in the business over ten years, and I do have people calling all the time to check on parts price, but then again I'm in the northeast and we're not too trusting up here.

The problem is that people assume the mechanic thay take their car to is knowledgeable. Trust me, the majority are not. If you do find a good one, grab hold for dear life, because they are worth their weight in gold, because they are a rare commodity.

If only people could hear some of the conversations we have, its like a comedy sometimes. Here's an example, last week we had a shop call for an "intake exhaust"!!! Sometimes the mechanics ask for the wrong part or don't even know what to ask for.

Best advice is use your resources. We live in the Information Age.

the funny thing is i have the exact oppisite problem with a lot of dealerships i buy parts from. i do the research, then order the part and hold my breathe that i get the right one. for example, i ordered to vvt-i control valves for a 99 es last month and they sent the wrong ones, even after i even gave them the part numbers i wanted. and just try ordering an air fuel ratio sensor. even when ordering parts from my local warehouse i still look all the part numbers up myself. guess i'm just different. :whistles:

Just last night on my way home I stopped in to a Just Tires store by the house. I need to get my car aligned, rotated and balanced. I pulled in, asked them if they use the Hunter system for balancing, they said yes. I asked them how much would it cost for an alignment and balancing and rotation. His response was "what kind of car do you have?" I told him a Toyota, and he said it would be $59 for the alignment, $40 for the balancing and rotation. I then told him it was the LS400, and he said "oh, you mean a Lexus...hold a second..." and magically, the price jumped up an additional $10 dollars per service....AND I checked with Hunter...no system in that store...AND I even called the store this morning to ask a different employee what they use to balance tires, and he said some old fashion thingy they had, road master or something.

It's these kinds of experiences that make one tend to use a pestomistic approach to automobile repairs.

yes the price can be different. toyota doesn't have a rwd car of that magnitude here in the states. the alignment procedure is going to be slightly different. some cars just can't be aligned properly in the time a $59.95 alignment allows.

and again, why is everyone so in love with this hunter system. i have a high end accuturn balancer that gets them perfect on the first try. a local car dealership near me has the hunter "roadforce" balancer and i have redid a few cars for people who bought tires there.

[gordonw]

Georgi, do you mind posting up the part number from your invoice ticket? I'm just curious what they sell for on the parts site, and I don't think I've ever heard of a peddle position sensor. Although it makes perfect sense, given the drive by wire set up. I must say, I think you've broke new ground here with your request. I can't recall anyone having to replace that part!!

We'll have to call you Capital Georgia, of the Star Ship...going where no man has gone before!!

Welcome to the club!

Sounds like the throttle w/sensor lever assembly as referred to in the parts catalog. Its attached to the the throttle body. It lists for under $300. Try this number 22060-50011.

the funny thing is i have the exact oppisite problem with a lot of dealerships i buy parts from. i do the research, then order the part and hold my breathe that i get the right one. for example, i ordered to vvt-i control valves for a 99 es last month and they sent the wrong ones, even after i even gave them the part numbers i wanted. and just try ordering an air fuel ratio sensor. even when ordering parts from my local warehouse i still look all the part numbers up myself. guess i'm just different.:whistles:

Looking up air fuel sensors for an ES300 does suck. Up here people use the terms air fuel and oxygen sensor interchangeably,plus the crappy catalog we use doesn't help. The worst one though I would have to give to the IS300 inline 6. Trying to figure which oxygen sensor is a nightmare if you can't read the number off the old one.

[lexrex]

Ok so I have been having a problem with my 98 Ls for a little while but finally the car became undriveable. Car starts and runs fine but cel comes on, vsc disables and car won't let you come off of idle even if you floor the throttle. Had the car towed to trusty mechanic. Diagnosis ... Pedal position sensor has gone bad.. ok let's change it. Sure. This little part is 532 dollars!!!! This is ridiculous! Lexus seems like they are trying to get over on us. This thing can't cost much more than 10 to maybe 30 dollars to make. I feel like lexus is penalizing me for driving a nicer car... I'm not rich or I'd be driving an 07. What gives!!! This is aggravating me to the point of almost wanting to get rid of the car (after the starter fiasco .. good going there lexus) Can anybody out there calm me down or give me a suggestion at all?

Here, try these. I am in the process of going with one of these too.

thepartsbin.com

Matter of fact, in anybody out there knows if the edlemann parts brand is any good, I will appreciate your input.