New Car New Problems Guys Beware

[Ultra400H]

Hey guys i just recently took over a lease on a 2006 rx400H (black on black) great car. Flew out to Detroit to pick it up drove it back to NYC like the car diff but i liked it most importantly the car is for my future wife and she loves it. but as soon as i got back problems began. first it was the front plate that lexus was charging me to put on front plate bracket. as we got to the stealership they told us out tires need to be changed i agreed and 4 new Michelins and apparently 4 wheel alignment ( not covered under warranty) cost me 1200.00 so all well since snow fell down the next day. but thats where things turned for the worst. in the morning i started the car and i thought my lexus turned in to a nascar. as we found out later that day at the stealership some low life stole our catalytic converter and guess what its not covered under warranty. Lexus dealership is charging me 2400 for the work and parts not to mention those slime balls try to hit me up for another 150 to lubricate my bushings. funny that they didn’t notice that the day before when they were putting my tires on an doing wheel alignment. and guess what again its not covered under warranty (i asked why not and was told that if the bushing break than it will be covered so i am a bit *BLEEP*ed off now and i just told the guy you know what i guess i will just wait till it breaks so you can fix it and he had enough nerve to tell me well unless we prove it that you didn’t properly maintain it...WTF) So anyways i got this lexus to save some money on gas and now what ever i would save and more has been paid by me upfront.

I needed to vent a bit. i like the quality of lexus not my first choice but makes my girl happy and the crappy service is expected from NY dealers since these fat pigs ( and yes they are fat pigs in a since of having so many clients that customer service is being totally neglected). But my problem is not the poor customer service or the fact that i had some bad luck with the car in the first week of owning it or the fact that there are low lives that will steal my catalytic converter and sell it for $100 for precious metal that’s is in side and will cost me over 2gs but the fact that today when i pick up my car and park it by my house, by a super market or at the movies i will be once again a sitting duck for these low lives to just come and steal my catalytic over and over again. and guess what lexus is aware of this and they don’t care to do anything about ( at least i didn’t find a person in lexus who cares) and when i asked a service manager what am i suppose to do he told me there is nothing i can do, thieves will continue stealing them for as long as its profitable and it is 100 for 60 seconds of work. look below guys i posted some links regarding this issue. unfortunately nothing can be done. once my insurance ( keeping my fingers crossed) pays for the part and labor minus a grand in my deductible i will be lowering my deductible to 0 and i suggest you do the same fellas cause in this day and age we cant own anything nice or expensive for if you don’t get your stuff taken away at knife or gun point they will saw your catalytic converters in the shadow of the night right in front of your house. these thieves are getting bolder and bolder. i wish i saw that low life so that i can kick him in the head while he is working on feeding his meth addiction at my expense. i feel like i should just leave 100 dollar bill under my car so that they will take money and leave my car alone.

Here is the only solution i found

http://catclamp.com/catclamp.asp

here some news

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0707/4381...l?ref=newsstory

here is why and how they do it ( under 60 seconds)

http://www.heatreward.com/downloads/Cataly...ef1-revised.doc

some people with similar experiences

http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/1gen...ers-in-tundras/

some more stuff

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/c...ll=chi_home_top

http://www.automoblog.net/2007/08/15/bewar...e-cat-burglars/

[jrober]

Sorry to hear about your trouble. I don't see how you can blame a stolen cat converter on Lexus though. Any car you own will carry the same risk. What could Lexus do to prevent this (other than to sell replacement parts a little cheaper)?

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

Looking at the 'Cat Clamp' as a solution to theft, it seems to me all it would serve to do is that it would force the thief to saw the exhaust tube back a few extra inches farther back. I'd opt for a motion sensor under the 400h and once activated, a black momba drops onto the bad guy, so there's no repeat crime, no cost for a court trial, & no wasted tax dollars hiring more cops. Hopefully the ants will devoure the remains. :P

Anyway, welcome to the forum & sorry it couldn't be under happier circumstances. I'm probably a little jaded as when one's first post involves a product promo, my silly red flag goes up ... tho probably unwarranted here.

[Ultra400H]

Sorry to hear about your trouble. I don't see how you can blame a stolen cat converter on Lexus though. Any car you own will carry the same risk. What could Lexus do to prevent this (other than to sell replacement parts a little cheaper)?

well many other manufacturers doing something to prevent this like not using preciouse mettals in cats and putting a cat next to the engine. thats serves 2 function elimintes easy theft and makes aftermarket products a harder installed ( such as exhausts)

[NeoN]

anyone know how much the cat clamp costs? I can't believe thieves are stealing cats, what will they take next our hybrid badge?

[RX400h]

I would venture to say that a well-placed sound sensor that is activated in parallel with the vehicle alarm (but having its own battery and siren) would at least urge the potential thief to move on. A partially cut pipe can be welded - a much less costly alternative to buying a new cat.

This may be a good business opportunity for car alarm shops.

[Jim Clark]

That's some bad luck, especially the cat. I assume you looked at the tires and confirmed they needed to be replaced. I'm sure you could have done better on price than the stealership. The required front plate bracket isn't their fault. They didn't steal the cat and OEM cats are wicked expensive. There are aftermarket cats that are WAY less expensive but I don't know if there's a suitable replacement for the 400h. The $150 to lube the bushings seems excessive.

When you find out the cost for carrying a $0 deductible, you might change your mind.