Warranty Coverage

[rwb0311]

In shopping for used SC ----- dealers and individuals claim "covered by mfg warranty". How can that fact be confirmed??

Lexus web site very disappointing ----- the 800 numbers listed for information are not even valid.

Is there any criteria other than age/mileage. If previous owner was late for oil change or any other service --- factory warranty no good, right?

Would hate to pay for a car under warranty only to find out it isn't covered.

Thanks,

Bob

[1990LS400]

It's always good to look at a car's service records before you buy it. Being late with an oil change or two is not going to invalidate the warranty. I don't know about the SC430 but the maximum recommended oil change interval is 7500 miles on my 2000 LS400.

The warranty starts on the day the car was delivered to it's first owner -- it's called the "in-service date". The month of manufacture is shown on a label on the driver's side door post. Usually the in-service date is a month or two after the month of manufacture.

The basic warranty is 4 years/50,000 miles. The drive train warranty is 6 years/70,000 miles.

Lexus dealers are usually pretty good about verifying service history when buying a car from a non-Lexus dealer or individual. And there is always Carfax although the Carfax reports can be incorrect. If serious about a car, you could have a dealer check it over -- probably would cost a few hundred $$.

If you have the VIN for a car you are interested in, you could even register as its owner on the Lexus website and look at whatever records are there for it -- a trick someone recently mentioned in a thread.

[BillyShaft]

EDIT: grr...darn you Jim...you and your fast typing fingers! Sorry for the duplicate info here.

Hey Bob,

That would be part of your research process.

You can call and get the service history on a vehicle by the VIN, or you can even set up an Owner profile at Lexus.com, add the VIN and look at the service history yourself.

The biggest blanket exclusions on warranty are when the vehicle is salvaged. Check the VIN with Carfax or Autocheck or preferably both. If the car has been issued a salvage title, they will typically have this information.

When I am buying, I typically assume that the warranty is valid, but I look for the service history and title status to confirm that there isn't a compelling reason why they would void the warranty. Remember that the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act requires a manufacturer to prove that a lack of maintenance caused the failure and hence voided the warranty.

What you want to look for is that proverbial cream-puff, owned by the lil old lady who barely drove it and took it religiously in for service at the dealer.

You are making an investment. Invest in a vehicle that has clear proof of service and preferably a single owner. These cars are out there and the pricing is better than they have been in years. Enjoy the experience!