Recall Of V V T Housing & Another Problem

[jorg]

About 2 weeks ago I received a letter from Lexus stating
there was a recall of the V V T System
bolts coming lose on the housing and sprocket of the intake side V V T gear assembly. I was going to wait about a month or so to
bring it in so I would hope my local dealer would get a couple of these fixes
under their belt before I brought my car in. Then this past Sunday my car after about 10
minutes of driving started to hesitate and the idle at stop got ruff. Shortly after that the Check VSC warning appeared in the middle info. screen
and the check engine light started to flash a the yellow explanation point
light lite up and also the slip control light.

So on Monday, am I brought the car to my dealer and he
witnessed my concern first hand. He wrote in his report the customer stated
that the cars idle was ruff witch he concurred when he sat in the car to take
the mileage of the vehicle and that the check engine light was on. I said to him what about the check VSC warning
light that went on…he said that was all related but never put that in the paper
work.

In the early afternoon he said that they had the parts for
the recall so they would be able to take care of that and that my other problem
was due to a fowled spark plug that would have to be replaced. He said the car
would be ready for pick-up any time after 3:30p. I currently have the platinum extended warranty
on the car, which extends the warranty for an additional 2 years and 25k miles
past the 4 year 50K manufacture warranty.
When I purchased the warranty the person who sold it to me said that in
a nut shell that this warranty would extend the original bumper to bumper warranty by 2 years and 25K.

That being said when he called to tell me the problem I
assumed that everything was covered. Also he didn’t say it would cost anything,
would you like to proceed?? When I go to
pick the car up that night I’m hit with close to a $300 bill for 1 spark plug.
$18 for the part and over $200 in labor for diagnostics and labor plus
tax. So I was infuriated at this
point. When I got to the service dept. all
the advisors had left for the day so the lady there couldn’t really help me and
said she won’t take any payment and that someone would call me in the morning.

I know what everyone is thinking…spark plugs are a maintenance
item and won’t be covered. I totally agree
along with breaks, etc. But my though is
every part has a specified or non-specified life span. Coolant should last a certain period of time,
Tires, brakes, plugs, etc. So if I only
get 10% life out of a part, then I feel it is no longer is a maintenance item
there is a defect with the part. I get
all of that, but here’s the rub…I purchased my car brand new in mid 2009 with
60 miles on it and currently it has only 10k on it. (It’s my weekend car…as you
can tell I don’t have that much leisure time on the weekends)

My point here is has anyone ever experienced a problem like

this at such low mileage?? Are the
re-call and this related in anyway…also what about the VSC warning light is
there something more to that, that the dealer did not really want to acknowledge??
Any thoughts on any of this would be great.

[jimjim2331]

....Cam gear recall issues....How did your situation work out? I just brought my 2009 GS350 in for recall on cam shaft gear replacement...had same concerns over them taking things apart.

After job I looked under hood...on right front inside fender there is an AC hose anchor bracket. The AC hose about one and half inch below bracket was not connected to the bracket. The mechanic said that was correct, no problem. Could you please look at your car and tell me if the AC hose is fixed to the bracket. Thanks JimB

[jimjim2331]

....did you really pay $300 for a spark plug when they were going to do a cam gear recall? How did it all play out. Could you do me a favor, I just had my 2009 GS350 done on the cam gear recall. I noticed that on my right front inside wheel well that there is a AC hose connector support bracket but the AC hose right below was not attached to bracket. The dealer said it was correct not connected, very hard to believe. Would you look for me and see if the one on your car is attached to bracket. Thanks JimB

[pj8708]

Welcome to the "Twilight Zone"!!!

I believe Lexus dealers provide some of the best service in the country. But.....there are always exceptions. Unfortunately, most of us oldies on the site will almost allways recomend AGAINST buying extended warranties. Per uaual, the policies cover little of the most troublesome parts. Additionaly, its a good bet you won't need it. In your example Jorg, You say you purchased your GS with 60 miles on it, Now, at November 2013 you have a whopping 10,000 miles on it! Your situation is a perfect example of when to let your better judgement take over.

You do not need a Platinum warranty. The factory warranty is 4 years or 40,000 miles....bumper to bumper. If you are buying a pre owned Lexus you can buy one that is Certified by the Dealer and Lexus. Againn, the coverage is bumper to bumper. Length of term is 3 years I believe. Over the years, I have purchased Lexus from my dealer, using the Pre Owned Certifide Program.

Paul

[jimjim2331]

.....Thanks Steve for your reply....I did not make my question clear. I took my wife's 2009 LS350 for the cam gear recall. All went well. I just took a look under hood to be sure any obvious things were OK. First thing I notice is that hose anchor bracket on right front fender well. It has a hole in correct place to attach hose fitting. Directly under bracket (2 inchs) there is AC hose with fitting to attach to bracket. It seems obvious that hose is supposed to be attached to bracket. The mechanic says no, that bracket is used on many different models and not to be attached on LS350. Now I believe everything people tell me but if it don't make sense I check it out. All I really need is for someone with a 2009 LS350 to look and see if hose is attached to bracket. I have posted this long dull story 6 times and hope someone will help me out to put this small troublesome issue to bed.

[pj8708]

OK. Hopefully we will get somebody to chime in here who has some answers.

[jorg]

Hi-

Sorry been busy haven't had the time to write back...so do you have a GS or an LS...if you have a GS I'll look for you...don't think I can help out with the LS...not sure if the engine config. is the same in both??

[jimjim2331]

Thanks for reply Jorg the car is GS350 sorry I confused it, the car is GS....JimB

[jorg]

Jim--

You're welcome, I'll take a look for you...give me a few days...

[jorg]

Jim--

I took a look...I don't see the hose you are talking about...is it under the decorative covers??? Also if you can take a picture of it that might help me

[jimjim2331]

Thank you for taking time to look....try the right side fender well close to you as you are facing front of car...I believe you will see the bracket, the bracket is about 3 inches and in form of right angle, the one inch thick AC hose is there also...no its not under the plastic motor cover....sorry my wife has car out of town so can't send picture...thanks again JimB

[jorg]

Jim--

I took a look another look where you are saying...not sure I see any of that...I would love to help you out...if you can send a pix...as far as I see there are no empty brackets