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Basic Warranty Coverage


Wan Sheu

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I got a new silver RX 350 in late February. Recently someone must of scratched part my car near the front where the headlights are. There's a long scratch and even a piece of the front is just gone. This is quite upsetting to me because now I'm stuck w/ a scratched new car and they got away scot-free. My question is, is basic warranty from Lexus cover these scratches? If not, how much would it typically cost?

The scratch is about 12 inches long near the driver's side headlights. Basically, the corner of the car.

Any help on this would be great. I'm not a DIY type of person, so I more than likely will be taking it to someone to fix for me.

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I got a new silver RX 350 in late February. Recently someone must of scratched part my car near the front where the headlights are. There's a long scratch and even a piece of the front is just gone. This is quite upsetting to me because now I'm stuck w/ a scratched new car and they got away scot-free. My question is, is basic warranty from Lexus cover these scratches? If not, how much would it typically cost?

The scratch is about 12 inches long near the driver's side headlights. Basically, the corner of the car.

Any help on this would be great. I'm not a DIY type of person, so I more than likely will be taking it to someone to fix for me.

Your warranty is there to cover defects in materials and workmanship caused by Lexus. Not damage caused by you or someone else. That is why you have collision insurance. Obviously, it would have been nice if the person who scratched your RX would have left you a note, then their insurance would have covered the repair. Have your Lexus dealer give you a bid on how much it would cost to have it repaired like new. You don't have to go there, and getting two or three bids is always a good idea.

Paul

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It is wise to get a few quotes, but it might be unwise to go with the cheapest one. In particular with a brand new car which I guess you will keep for a number of years. Honestly, unless you know of a body shop that does outstanding work, you might want to stick with the reliable (dealer) when facing the unknown. And yes, the best body shops are expensive. But there is a price to pay for perfection in appearance. Sorry for your pain.

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Let us know how it turns out!

I'm going to call & get a quote from the dealership Monday morning. Do you think they'd do a scratch job for under $200? If not, there's an autoshop that fixed my brakes before on my old car that might be able to do it for cheaper. My husband said he had a super long scratch across the passenger side doors and the guy fixed it for $100 cash.

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Here's what you can do; go with the cheapest and after, if you are not satisfied with the result, then you can go to a professional body shop, maybe your dealer or someone else, and get the work done all over again. And this time, your car will look like new again.

Based on the damages described, I would think it would be a rather expensive repair, but I do not know how much they charge in your state. Good luck and please keep us up to date.

One more thing, if you need a quote, you will need to bring the car so they can have a look at it. And make sure to get everything in writing before any work is performed.

P.S. Personally, I would go with the best there is and likely among the most expensive ones. A poor job will also reduce the resale value of your vehicle. But that is just my opinion and I have been wrong before.

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So here's the verdict. Not as good as I thought.

Went to the dealer for the initial quote - $650. The scratch part they could fix and even the part where the plastic was chipped off a little. But apparently whoever hit it, hit it w/ enough force that the "hooks" that keep the front bumper in place got broken/loose on the driver side. The bumper is "on", but it sticks out a bit more than the other side when the body shop looked at it first glance. I just fear that if I dont fix it now, maybe 2-3 years down the road it'll get worse or even fall off when I'm driving. Considering I've had this car for 2 months brand new & don't plan on changing cars for 10 years... I think it is worth the fix. My last car was a 1996 and lasted me until 2010. I dont think this is something any body shop can do aside from the dealer, nor would any body shop really go to the length to tell me that the inside is broken. I had them explain it to me and I dont think they would lie about it. The quote for new bumper and paint job is $927. I asked for a discount... so we'll see how that goes. It wont be done for another 3-5 days since they ordered the part today.

This sucks a lot. After having my old car for that many years, how come noone hit it? Then when I get a new one, it doesn't last 2 months before it's in the shop! This makes me so paranoid on driving my car when I get it back. Goodness!

Do you guys think I should bargain to get them to lower the price? Obviously, I will, but by how much before it's just a ridiculous number and an insult to them.

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In your dealing with the dealer, the more you show that you are desperate about the situation, the less you can bargain. Attitude is half the negotiation.

Since you bought the car at that dealer and made them a few grands in profit, I would think that you might be able to settle for $750. It is really impossible for outsiders to say. There are too many factors affecting the sale/transaction. For example, when you bought the vehicle, how tough were you at negotiating? OTOH, the dealer might have an 'appreciation' for you since you just bought the car and gave them a few grands in profit.

Good luck.

P.S. If you do decide to offer him $750, I wouldn't just say the amount. I would also add 'this is the amount I want to pay' or something like that. Otherwise it might turn into a situation where the starting point is $750 and going up from there.

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When I bought it, I actually had a pretty good deal. The total was $49-50k and negotiated it down to $43500, which was breakeven for them. Ok, I just wanted to confirm w/ you guys to see if stuff like repairs was bargainable or if it was kinda a fixed price. I haven't had much experience w/ dealership repairs vs outside repair shops. The original quote was $650 and when they called to tell me it was actually going to be more because of the issues, I asked them if I could get a discount. The guy said that he doesn't see why not. So my post was to see what kind of price or percentage of a discount would be good. So thanks, RX350lover. I'm going to go in w/ a strong front.

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