Help - Corrosion On Rims - No Help From Wilde Lexus Of Sarasota-

[siestaflorida]

HELP!

Has anyone ever heard of the inside of your rims corroding? My tires have been losing air since January. The tires are brand new so a friend talked me in to having nitrogen put in them. So, I took my car to Ford, the only place in town that did it. I told them about 2 tires that kept going low. They filled the tires with nitrogen and told me there was nothing wrong with the tires but they did however change out all of the valve stems. Two days later, the tires were low again so I returned to Ford and they checked the tires again, still nothing. Again, three days later, back to Ford and they still did not find anything wrong with the tires.

One day while leaving work, one tire was so low that I did not think I would make it to Tire Kingdom. I expressed my frustration. These guys completely took all tires off the rims and checked them and found nothing. They were smart enough to look at the rims. They informed me that the rims were corroding and I needed to take them back to Lexus. Needless to say, I was totally shocked. I took my car to Lexus. I truly did not think I would have a problem either getting them repaired or replaced. First of all, I told them what the problem was and they told me I was going to have to pay $55 for them to analyze the problem. I told them there was nothing to analyze, I am telling you what the problem is. Then I get a call later in the day that it is going to cost me over $2,000 to have the rims replaced. 1) Well that would be perfectly fine if I were going to keep the car but I told them I was trading it in next year when the new body style comes out. 2) My warranty had just gone out two must prior. 3) My car has been in for all scheduled maintenance, 5,000 Miles , they Rotated the tires ,10,000 Miles , they Rotated the tires, 15,000 Miles , they Rotated the tires, 30,000 Miles, they Rotated the tires and my invoice states that they inspected the tires and adjusted tire air pressures and inspected tires for proper wear. At this time, they also replaced my brakes (01/07/08) Mileage 31,510 and then on 04/24/08 with just 33,124 miles, I had the 35,000 and again they Rotated the tires, inspected the tires, adjusted the air pressures and inspected tires for proper wear. Now wouldn’t you think with all of this rotating, inspecting and adjusting the air pressure in these tires, they would have seen the CORROSION?

I told them their offer was not acceptable. So he (the service advisor) went to his service manager and they came back with a $900 offer. They would split wholesale with me and labor costs. This is still not acceptable as I feel the rims should be covered under warranty. They had plenty of opportunity to find the corrosion and repair or replace them. This is why I take my car to them. The reasons they gave me for the corrosion were of course my fault and let me tell you what they were:

1. They asked me if I lived by the water. Everyone in Sarasota lives by the water. If this is the case then they should not sell them in an area surrounded by water.

2. They asked if I stored chlorine in my garage as that would corrode them.

3. The car wash must have left some sort of cleanser that seeped down in there and corroded them.

4. I could have hit a curb and bent the rims and that is why they are not holding the seal.

5. Do I live on Siesta Key because the sand and salt water will do it.

I cannot express how disappointed I am in WILDE LEXUS OF SARASOTA. I have been a loyal customer since they opened their dealership here. I did however speak with Lexus Corporation and they said this was not normal wear and tear and they should cover it under manufacturer’s defect. They did however try to sell me a 2009 but I want the 2010 with the new body style. Plus why would I buy new rims for a car I am trading in next year. What I don’t understand is that I have had these type of rims on every Lexus I have owned. When I did live on Siesta Key, this did not happen. In my research, I have found this has not happened to anyone except on a 10 year or older car but not a 2004 with just almost 32,000 miles on it. But I am finding out things about Lexus that I don’t like and can’t believe.

DO ANY OF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS OR SUGGESTIONS BEFORE I CONTACT AN ATTORNEY?

I am going to call Lexus Customer Satisfaction Department tomorrow and if I don’t get anywhere with them, I will call to get this issue arbitrated if directed to do so by my attorney. All the service work I give them and the new cars I buy from them, they want to bicker over $900 and risk losing a loyal customer.

I can tell you right now, since I picked up my car on Friday, I probably will never go back to WILDE LEXES OF SARASOTA unless they clean house.

I look forward to hearing from you very soon. I remain disappointed and surprised that Lexus will not stand behind their products.

SiestaFlorida

Sarasota, Florida

[Lexusfreak]

There is no harm in contacting Lexus Customer Satisfaction department & get this documented.....I'm suprised that your getting such resistance from a dealer that you have been so loyal too with the warranty expiring only a short time ago.

My only other suggestion would be to contact the Dealer Principal (owner) directly to see what he/she will do.

Needless to say......if you stay with the Lexus brand.....you won't be dealing with this dealer any longer & rightfully so. Keep us posted on how things work out & good luck.

[GDixon]

Did a search on LOC of "Sarasota" and came up with several complaints about the dealership by disgusted customers. It appears to be a trend with that dealership. Maybe the other posts will help when dealing with Lexus Customer Satisfaction.

Search:

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...ite=%2BSARASOTA

[ssphelps]

For what it's worth, I recently had a very similar problem with my 2001 LS430. One of my tires was always running low on air, so I took the car to the dealership to see what was up. I figured it was a tire problem - I never even thought the wheels would be the problem. They told me the chrome was corroding and peeling and that it was creating an unsafe condition. They even told me they would not permit me to drive the car off their lot without replacing the wheels. They quoted me a price of $2,800 to replace all four wheels, which I quickly rejected. I love the car, but this is very frustrating.

[SW03ES]

First of all you have to realize that there is no way the dealer would notice corrosion on the inside of the rims when doing routine maintenance. You'd have to dismount the tires to see the inside of the rims, and they don't do that routinely.

You also have to realize the dealer does not decide what they can cover under warranty. The vehicle is out of the waranty period, and its up to the Lexus regional rep whether or not they will cover it. The dealer gets paid whether the warranty covers something or the customer pays, if the warranty is in play Lexus pays the dealer for the work.

Now understanding this, you should not be angry with the dealer, you should try and work with the dealer to get Lexus to cover the repair (which they should and I bet they ultimately will do). You have to stay calm and professional, but very stern and unyielding in your expectation that Lexus should cover the repair. Ask to meet with the regional rep in person and make your case to him, the car is 2 months out of warranty, this is something that has never happened to you with any car you've ever owned and although you would like to remain a loyal customer of Lexus and of Lexus of Sarasota, if you're stuck with the bill for this repair you won't be able to do that.

They'll cover it.

Other option is to just buy four (or however many are leaking) RX330 wheels on eBay and replace them yourself, that'll cost a lot less than $2,000 or even $900.

For what it's worth, I recently had a very similar problem with my 2001 LS430. One of my tires was always running low on air, so I took the car to the dealership to see what was up. I figured it was a tire problem - I never even thought the wheels would be the problem. They told me the chrome was corroding and peeling and that it was creating an unsafe condition. They even told me they would not permit me to drive the car off their lot without replacing the wheels. They quoted me a price of $2,800 to replace all four wheels, which I quickly rejected. I love the car, but this is very frustrating.

This is an entirely different situation. Those must have been aftermarket chromed wheels. Thats very common, the finish starts to bubble and then they start to loose air. No reason Lexus should cover failure of aftermarket chromed rims, and your vehicle is significantly older than the OP's vehicle and longer our of warranty.