Innovation

[Chicago_grl]

Hello ! I work for a Lexus Dealership and I am in charge of a fantastic project Lexus is working on called the Innovation Project. It is all about elevating the expereinces of our customers. It is our goal to provide our customers with Unprecidented and unmatched customer service, to impliment a visionary business idea to serve you (our customer) to the highest degree and more important than anything else we want to create something within our dealership that is a value to you and therefore other Lexus dealerships will follow suit.

Why am I on the blogs asking you for your advice on what we should do? Easy ! What knows better than you about what will make you completely WOWed! We want you to be thrilled and we want to know how to do it ! Please feel free to share with me all of your ideas, you can even complain about what you dislike as long as you are kind enough to give me an idea of how to make it better. Please keep in mind we are doing this for YOU and I care very much about making this project a success. All ideas are welcome and I will respond to all posts. Be kind though I'm knew to this! Memebers of my sales, service, parts, accessories, management and even a customer panel meet on a weekly basis to toss around ideas to improve your experience, not just from the sales side but from all aspects. Please help us help you !

So...what would wow you ?

Thank you for all of your help !

[RXREY]

Hello, this is Rey in L.A....I have never been happier with a dealership that I have been with Lexus of Glendale. The fact that you are on this site is one of the reasons that I am so happy with Lexus. I have a 2006 RX400h and I have been very happy with it. I was sad to see that it could never get the mileage that I was promised, I get around 25 overall, but now they have adjusted the numbers...lucky me. I would have opted for something else, maybe. Anyway, I aim to have this great car for another ten years so I really take care of it. I was very irritated by all of the rattles. I have never had a car that rattled so much. I found out that it was from three different sources and being the clever cleaver that I am, I fixed them all and posted the info on this site. You can click on my name here and see the posts yourself. I simply could not live with rattles especially after spending 50K! I know this has been a sore spot with many owners and I hope that they have taken my suggestions and fixed the problem without having to drop the car off at Lexus and having the people there not put the same tenacity that I put in in taking care of the "little" things. One of the main problems was the elaborate seat belt adjustment area by your ear. It simply has too many moving parts and they all create rattles and at various frequencies. Anyway, thanks for being on here and lets keep trying to make owning a Lexus the great experience that it should be for the price. Happy trails,

Rey , happy Lexus owner in L.A.

[RXREY]

One thing that I am going to do and it would be nifty to see Lexus do it also to its non black RXes , is to paint the roof jet black. I got the idea when I had an ES350 as a loaner and it made the moon roof blend in. It's a beautiful strip from windshield to windshield and in between the roof rack. As you can see, I took that silly thing off anyway and now that I will have that area painted, it'll be great!

[RXREY]

...just one more thing (said in Columbo voice...) The one thing that makes me so sad about seeing all other SUVs is that ours is so tall and silly. Can't Lexus design it so it is lower and less wheel well space? It looks like a baby elephant and I want to eventually see about lowering mine if I don't lose the ride comfort. Can a dealership do this? OK, that's it...for now...Rey

[RX400h]

Hello, Chicago girl,

Just to clarify - you are not asking us what Lexus should do as far as future model upgrades; rather, you are inquiring as to what a dealership such as yours can do to make our ownership experience even better. Is this correct?

I have had good experiences with my dealership, but here's a couple of things I would like to see:

1. The availabity of computers and access to the internet, primarily for short stays (tire rotations, oil changes and the like). There is a Mazda dealership in my area that offers this and it really comes in handy.

2. Picking up customers' (at least while the warranty is active) vehicles and then dropping them off when they are done. I've heard of one or two people mentioning the availability of this courtesy service, but as far as I know, it's not available in my area. Now THAT would wow me! Of course, #1 would be a moot point if #2 were available!

Thanks,

Dave

[RXREY]

Dave's right, I misread the post as usual and added a post that doesn't have anything to do with the original question.

BTW Dave,that's brilliant, the internet while you wait! Great suggestion. But it would be even better if number two were available. As a matter of fact, they told me that it was when I bought the car and then somehow forgot once I had the car home. I guess even Lexus salespeople have to lie. I was used to that at Chrysler but I didn't expect that to happen at Lexus. I was also assured that I would get at least 30MPG and the sticker did say 28-32...oh well.....live and learn.....

Anyway,

I'll leave my posts up as an example of what not to do! I will admit though, the salesman that I told the rattle problems to and how I fixed them, really appreciated what I told him because he did in fact come across irate customers and he looked like a genius being able to help them so easily and have the service people fix the problem. After all, we know this car better than they do unless they own one themselves.

OK, I stand corrected now and will quietly hide now. Rey

[RX400h]

Rey,

Your first post was very informative - thanks! I had to reread Chicago Girl's post before I replied, since initially, I thought she was looking for design-related issues.

Dave

[gryphix]

I'm very impressed with my local Lexus dealership. The waiting area is comfortable and always well stocked with snacks, coffee and even Lexus of Las Vegas brand water bottles. They also have free Wi-Fi internet access so I bring my laptop with me if I'm going to wait for my vehicle.

Among other things, these features are important to me and are what I expect from a Lexus dealership.

As far as the wow factor, however, I have to say that customer service is number one. All the little BS amenities mean nothing to me unless I'm being treated the way I expect to be treated when buying a vehicle of this caliber. I purchased a vehicle and an experience. You need to focus on customer service and pay attention to their needs. My sales person knows my name and says hello to me no matter how busy he is. His assistant also takes the time to ask if I'm having any problems or need any help with features. THAT is what wows me and will keep me coming back.

One thing I'd like to see added would be an option to check out what goes on behind the curtain. I would love it if I were able to somehow watch the service guy working on my vehicle. Maybe a camera or a one way glass window in the bay area. I think it would be neat to see how the process works. I'd sit out there with them asking questions and helping out if it were allowed!

[mrc88dal]

Overall I'm wowed by my dealership but would like to see a couple of improvements. Namely:

1. Lexus Loaners. My dealership has some Lexus loaners but the rest are Camrys and Avalons. These are OK but to date I've never had a Lexus loaner. Ideally, I'd like to have a choice of Lexus loaners so that I could try out different models with a mind toward a future purchase.

2. Service Check-In Time. Checking in takes far too long and if people are ahead of you, even longer. I believe I've told them what to do and I just want the service advisor to quickly confirm that and hand me the keys to my loaner. If I can rent a car and simply pick out the one I want and drive it off the lot, why do I have to do all of this rental paperwork at my dealership? Lexus should pre-load my license#, credit card etc. into their computer so the process is expedited.

Thanks for your inquiry!

[wwest0]

Hello ! I work for a Lexus Dealership and I am in charge of a fantastic project Lexus is working on called the Innovation Project.

Lexus corporate or your dealer...??

It is all about elevating the expereinces of our customers. It is our goal to provide our customers with Unprecidented and unmatched customer service, to impliment a visionary business idea to serve you (our customer) to the highest degree and more important than anything else we want to create something within our dealership that is a value to you and therefore other Lexus dealerships will follow suit.

Why am I on the blogs asking you for your advice on what we should do? Easy ! What knows better than you about what will make you completely WOWed! We want you to be thrilled and we want to know how to do it !

A:Please feel free to share with me all of your ideas,

B:you can even complain about what you dislike as long as you are kind enough to give me an idea of how to make it better.

But you will need to check with the forum moderators to find out their "special" rules in this regard.

If one of them happens to own the Lexus vehicle of which you have complaints you might be openly critisized for "bashing" and threatened with being BANNED

Please keep in mind we are doing this for YOU and I care very much about making this project a success. All ideas are welcome and I will respond to all posts. Be kind though I'm knew to this! Memebers of my sales, service, parts, accessories, management and even a customer panel meet on a weekly basis to toss around ideas to improve your experience, not just from the sales side but from all aspects. Please help us help you !

So...what would wow you ?

Thank you for all of your help !

Just search for wwest for LOTS of complaints, VALID and marque comparitive complaints, about the early gen LS400, the 1st gen RX, and the RXh, as ALWAYS, along with suggested fixes.

Apparently since I don't actually OWN an RXh you should not consider those complaints valid, sorry.

[wwest0]

Rey,

Your first post was very informative - thanks! I had to reread Chicago Girl's post before I replied, since initially, I thought she was looking for design-related issues.

Dave

Since we haven't yet seen Chicago Girl's response to your previous question for clarification why would you now assume the "door" is not fully open...??

A bit of browsing on the internet via google inducates that "Lexus Pursuit of Innovation" is a Lexus corporate level effort being implemented via signing up dealers for customer information input/"gathering". Seemingly UNLIMITED input.

[Gryphon]

Rey, I agree that a black roof would be attractive, but be aware that it will also increase the thermal load on sunny days. I would expect that the excellent climate control would more than handle it however.

Tom

[wwest0]

Rey, I agree that a black roof would be attractive, but be aware that it will also increase the thermal load on sunny days. I would expect that the excellent climate control would more than handle it however.

Tom

yes, the climate control would most likely "handle it", abet at the cost of even less FE.

But what about an RXh without a sunroof, that would certainly "blend in".

My sunroof shade stays closed most of the time anyway. If it had airflow vents like the MB it would probably stay closed even more of the time.

[wwest0]

...

[RXREY]

Thermal load? That's so interesting! It sure is great to have all of you there to bring up something that I hadn't thought of. So the black version of the 400h has a different "thermal load" right off the bat? Black cars get Less MPGs? I do live in L.A. and now that it's summer, it's so hot, I wouldn't want to add to the problem. I still might do it just because I can see it in my head as looking really nice. Since my car got dowsed with acid last year I know that the shop that did the work to repair my car does great work. I'll see how much it would cost and his thoughts on the thermal question as well. Thanks a million! Rey

[Gryphon]

Hey Rey.

Many years ago I was a heat transfer engineer and designed missiles and satellites. In outer space, a very inhospitable environment, controlling temperature variations is hugely important.

I once went out into a parking lot in the middle of an Arizona summer and measures surface temperatures of vehicles of various colors. White was clearly cooler, most intermediate colors were warmer but very similar, and black was clearly hotter.

As to how much this actually affects the interior temperature of your Lexus, it would be very slight, but at least theoretically it would increase the amount of heat transferred through the (insulated) roof which would require a bit more cooling.

If the appearance of a black roof pleases you, I would do it and enjoy the car. I don't think you could measure a difference in fuel economy.

Tom

[RX400h]

Way back in the early 80s, I performed the same type of experiment on temperature transmitters at Bristol Babcock. As you determined, white was the coolest color and black, the hottest. I think the interior color of a car with untinted windows makes the biggest difference when it comes to interior temps. I once had a 68 Corvette convertible that would fry my skin, had I been absent-minded enough to not cover the interior when the top was down on a sunny day!

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

Chicago glr,

The foo foo coffee, pick up & drop off etc service is fine, for the service department. But 'sales' folks often know squat about their product. That needs work. Lastly, the interface between dealership & manufacturing / design is dismal. When your customers tell you what we want, you have no ability to transfer that input to corporate. That too, would be great.

Good luck!

[LexRexBlue]

Interesting. I did Google it. I wonder if my dealership is applying for the award!

They have a new facility which is incredible, check in is fast, waiting areas are with flat screen tvs, there's a separate child's room, upstairs (elevator) is a wireless internet library, etc. In addition to the coffee there is a refrig stocked with cold drinks, a caterer provides lunches daily, and of course there are incredible cookies and brownies, too! Yes, they pick up and drop off and give Lexus loaners. They're tops in my book and couldn't be more accommodating. If the customers got to vote, I'd vote for them.

[lu1de]

Interesting. I did Google it. I wonder if my dealership is applying for the award!

They have a new facility which is incredible, check in is fast, waiting areas are with flat screen tvs, there's a separate child's room, upstairs (elevator) is a wireless internet library, etc. In addition to the coffee there is a refrig stocked with cold drinks, a caterer provides lunches daily, and of course there are incredible cookies and brownies, too! Yes, they pick up and drop off and give Lexus loaners. They're tops in my book and couldn't be more accommodating. If the customers got to vote, I'd vote for them.

whaa?

is that in real life?

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

whaa?

is that in real life?

LU1DE ... just curious ~ what is the conection between Estonia, and Argentina ?

[lu1de]

whaa?

is that in real life?

LU1DE ... just curious ~ what is the conection between Estonia, and Argentina ?

I have no idea. What do you mean? :)

Where is Argentina anyway? :P

[rgray]

I was wowed by the Santa Clara Lexus Service Center. WiFi, computers, desks, food, drink, large screen tv, Sirius radio and headphones, lounge, cubicles to work in while you wait, full view of shop that is clean enough to perform surgery in, delivery to work, lexus loaners, etc. etc. and did I mention a great support staff?

Yeah I was wowed.

[s10]

Here my experience at Jim Falk in Beverly Hills:

- They could update the dealership showroom a bit... it is all very 80's design and not very attractive...

- Sales personell should have more knowledge about the cars they are selling. For example, the one I had didn't know the visual differences between the non -hybrid and the hybrid RX when looking at the various cars on the lot. He also said that the blue Lexus logo on the rear meant that the car had laser guided cruise control... and so on...

- The waiting area could be more interesting, free WiFi would be a great feature fro those wanting to work on their laptop while waiting. Some separate waiting boots would be een better for those who need privacy.

A waiting area like an airport business class lounge would be great!

- Instead of an envelope with all the paperwork, maybe a little map with brochure? ( I had this in europe with my previous Lexus, which btw came with a personalised name tag in the glove compartment) maybe an unnecessary but nicer exclusive touch.

[SKperformance]

Please keep threads to one per topic.

This thread is closed , the applicable thread is in general discussions.