LEXUS IS250 AWD Posted January 22, 2009 Posted January 22, 2009 I started noticing some vibration from the steering wheel, floor & seat the past few weeks. I brought my IS250 AWD to a Toyota mechanic I know personally and he found that there was a bulge on the side of my front driver's side tire. I took the car back to the dealership & had to fight to get them to cover the cost to replace it. They said, "it's wear & tear & it's not covered under warranty, you must've hit a pothole". Of course I denied it (even though I did during the Xmas holidays, a real deep one, salt kills the roads during the winter). Anyway I got them to cover half the cost of the replacement tire & labour. They also told me that the IS series has low-profile tires for better handling but they are more sensitive to damage. So now every time I drive I am paranoid of going over another big bump or pothole that might damage my tires. Are they really that sensitive? Oh & thankfully there was no rim damage...
BillyShaft Posted January 22, 2009 Posted January 22, 2009 They said, "it's wear & tear & it's not covered under warranty, you must've hit a pothole". Of course I denied it (even though I did during the Xmas holidays, a real deep one, salt kills the roads during the winter). GASP! :o You fibbed? We have a company here called Discount Tire and they can sell road hazard warranties for about $20 per tire. Depending on the price of your tires and how new they are, you may want to look into this. I have torn the sidewalls out of my mud terrain tires in my Jeep on occasion while 4 wheeling and they replaced them under warranty without a problem.
BillyShaft Posted January 22, 2009 Posted January 22, 2009 Additional random thought: I am not a huge advocate of extended warranties in general and I certainly wouldn't cover a $20 tire with a $20 warranty, but some of these low-profile beasts are expensive and let's face it, they do roll on the ground amongst the gravel, debris and potholes...
Rocco B. Posted January 22, 2009 Posted January 22, 2009 Yes, the low profile tires are sensitive to damage and they are bad in the snow which is probably not so good for someone that lives in Canada like yourself but at least you have AWD. The reason that the tires are so sensitive is that... think of your tire as like another shock to your suspension, a "high profile" tire will absorb much more shock than a low profile so if you hit something like well, a pothole, then they will suffer. The reason that Lexus put these on our cars is because they will make the car handle much better because they are like having a stiffer suspension, and they increase the feel you get of the road from behind the wheel. I agree with BillyShaft the tire warranty is probably the best way to go especially for someone who again lives in Canada where the salt just eats the road and creates potholes like it does there.
bartkat Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 A bulge or bubble on a sidewall is a sign of ply separation. This could be the result of damage or a manufacturing defect. It's often hard to tell.
LEXUS IS250 AWD Posted January 23, 2009 Author Posted January 23, 2009 Come on now, if you could get your dealership to cover the cost of a repair i'm sure you guys'd try to :whistles: Besides, it always amazes me how much they treat you like family when you buy the vehicle, then treat you like you're that long lost uncle they want nothing to do with when it comes to issues of what is not covered under warranty. Okay okay 2% of me feels bad for lying, now my nose grew 2 inches
eatingupblacktop Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 If you're going to lie, you should do it well, you need to learn from the master Henry Rollins: :chairshot:
bxsvx Posted February 22, 2009 Posted February 22, 2009 The NYC potholes are horrible!! 1 tire blow out, 1 bent rim and another bulge!!!
LEXUS IS250 AWD Posted February 23, 2009 Author Posted February 23, 2009 I guess it's all the salting of the roads due to the snow fall. Roads are in terrible condition here too, & city is always crying 'we have no money to keep up with maintainance'. Mind you I have heard of a few cases where people took action & got the city to reimburse them for the cost of replacing damaged tires/rims. Should've done this myself. HATE WINTER. I can't imagine how good you guys have it down south. Do you even know what rustproofing is? :) I would've totally got an IS350 if it wasn't for this darn winter.
eatingupblacktop Posted February 24, 2009 Posted February 24, 2009 If you're going to lie, you should do it well, you need to learn from the master Henry Rollins: http://video.google.ca/videosearch?q=liar&...l=en&emb=0# :chairshot: Hey eating.. where do you get all these clips!!!??? Love it!! Ya jst gotsta kno yr toons an ya gotsta kno yr ppl! Rollins is definitely one of my ppl.
SW03ES Posted February 24, 2009 Posted February 24, 2009 Come on now, if you could get your dealership to cover the cost of a repair i'm sure you guys'd try to :whistles: I absolutely would not. Besides, it always amazes me how much they treat you like family when you buy the vehicle, then treat you like you're that long lost uncle they want nothing to do with when it comes to issues of what is not covered under warranty. If you treat the dealership fairly, and be reasonable about what you expect them to cover under warranty...they will treat you like family when they're servicing your car too. They have always treated me like family, but then again I don't try and rip them off the way you did here. Here is what you have to understand, certain things on the vehicle are covered under warranty, certain things are not. If you hit a pothole and ruin a tire...thats not covered. Thats your fault. You could actually submit an insurance claim for that if you wanted to. The dealer LIKES doing warranty work...Lexus pays them to do it. They can get a lot accomplished for you when they want to, like they did here. They got Lexus to pay for a tire replacement when Lexus doesn't even manufacture or warranty tires. Even the tire company doesn't warranty OEM tires. They did that to take good care of you because they value your business...and you lied to them to get them to do it. People say dealerships are crooked... Getting good and fair service is a two way street, you have to treat the dealership and Lexus fairly too.
LEXUS IS250 AWD Posted February 25, 2009 Author Posted February 25, 2009 Oh how i'm itching to respond to this, but since you're a gold management member i'll keep my words to myself ;) No wait, I atleast have to say I have been promised offers of coverage out of warranty by sales people only to find out later that the sales man was just trying to make a quick buck & provide me with faulty information. & Of course if you don't have anything in writing it's your word against theirs. Just a few weeks ago I went to my local Lexus dealership & inquired about having all doors programmed to open upon touching just the driver's side door handle, the service manager said, "that'll be $60 to program". I decided to pass of course. Then I went to another Lexus dealership out in the burbs and inquired, they said, "no problem sir, we'll look after it". Cost? $0 I just don't like being lied to, getting inconsistant service or being treated like less than family after completion of a sale. Your experience is yours, mine is mine. Every dealership operates differently. & Yes, I only bring my IS for service to that dealer in the suburbs now because of their outstanding service.
SW03ES Posted March 2, 2009 Posted March 2, 2009 You don't have to keep your words to yourself. As long as you don't flame me or anyone else respond away. No wait, I atleast have to say I have been promised offers of coverage out of warranty by sales people only to find out later that the sales man was just trying to make a quick buck & provide me with faulty information. & Of course if you don't have anything in writing it's your word against theirs. Coverage out of warranty is a fact, provided you're a good service customer. I know...because I've had stuff covered out of warranty as have others here. If you aren't a good regular service customer its a lot harder. I've had them cover things without me even asking. Just a few weeks ago I went to my local Lexus dealership & inquired about having all doors programmed to open upon touching just the driver's side door handle, the service manager said, "that'll be $60 to program". I decided to pass of course. Then I went to another Lexus dealership out in the burbs and inquired, they said, "no problem sir, we'll look after it". Cost? $0 All the dealer's are independently owned and service and business philosophy varies from dealer to dealer. The dealer in the burbs was smart, they earned your business and all it cost them was 15 minutes of a tech's time.
LEXUS IS250 AWD Posted March 12, 2009 Author Posted March 12, 2009 Adding more truth to my reasoning / experience >>> I went to an independant tire shop this morning. Wanted them to inspect the vibration I have been getting at hwy speeds. They pulled off the very same tire (driver/front) that I had replaced by the Lexus dealership a few months back. Removed the tire from the rim & determined that the rim was badly damaged, even brought me into the service centre & showed me how messed up it really is. *I clearly asked the Lexus dealership a few months ago upon them changing the tire to check & see if there was any rim damage. The service advisor assured me there was none. Not too convinced with his answer I approached the Lexus mechanic himself and he also said there was no damage, rim is fine. I'm pi**ed, now I have to fork out more money to get a new rim. Haven't had too much 'positive' experience with dealerships in my lifetime. I definately know i'm not alone
SW03ES Posted March 13, 2009 Posted March 13, 2009 And that justifies lying and stealing from the dealership how? "They're incompetent so its okay to screw them" Doesn't work.
bartkat Posted March 13, 2009 Posted March 13, 2009 Adding more truth to my reasoning / experience >>>I went to an independant tire shop this morning. Wanted them to inspect the vibration I have been getting at hwy speeds. They pulled off the very same tire (driver/front) that I had replaced by the Lexus dealership a few months back. Removed the tire from the rim & determined that the rim was badly damaged, even brought me into the service centre & showed me how messed up it really is. *I clearly asked the Lexus dealership a few months ago upon them changing the tire to check & see if there was any rim damage. The service advisor assured me there was none. Not too convinced with his answer I approached the Lexus mechanic himself and he also said there was no damage, rim is fine. I'm pi**ed, now I have to fork out more money to get a new rim. Haven't had too much 'positive' experience with dealerships in my lifetime. I definately know i'm not alone A lot can happen in a few months. You can bend a rim or throw off a wheel weight most any time.
tex2670 Posted March 13, 2009 Posted March 13, 2009 Just a few weeks ago I went to my local Lexus dealership & inquired about having all doors programmed to open upon touching just the driver's side door handle, the service manager said, "that'll be $60 to program". I decided to pass of course. Then I went to another Lexus dealership out in the burbs and inquired, they said, "no problem sir, we'll look after it". Cost? $0 All the dealer's are independently owned and service and business philosophy varies from dealer to dealer. The dealer in the burbs was smart, they earned your business and all it cost them was 15 minutes of a tech's time. I have to side with the OP here--$60 for changing a setting that you can do your self in 10 seconds??? That's a major rip off. If I give the dealer the benefit of the doubt, maybe they thought it was to change the setting for pressing the unlock button on the remote, which is an LPS and a legit per hour charge if it's not the initial free adjustment.
tex2670 Posted March 13, 2009 Posted March 13, 2009 Adding more truth to my reasoning / experience >>>I went to an independant tire shop this morning. Wanted them to inspect the vibration I have been getting at hwy speeds. They pulled off the very same tire (driver/front) that I had replaced by the Lexus dealership a few months back. Removed the tire from the rim & determined that the rim was badly damaged, even brought me into the service centre & showed me how messed up it really is. *I clearly asked the Lexus dealership a few months ago upon them changing the tire to check & see if there was any rim damage. The service advisor assured me there was none. Not too convinced with his answer I approached the Lexus mechanic himself and he also said there was no damage, rim is fine. I'm pi**ed, now I have to fork out more money to get a new rim. Haven't had too much 'positive' experience with dealerships in my lifetime. I definately know i'm not alone This makes no sense--if your rim was bent, why would the try an hide it from you. Under your theory, wouldn't they want to sell you a new rim???
SW03ES Posted March 13, 2009 Posted March 13, 2009 I have to side with the OP here--$60 for changing a setting that you can do your self in 10 seconds??? That's a major rip off. If I give the dealer the benefit of the doubt, maybe they thought it was to change the setting for pressing the unlock button on the remote, which is an LPS and a legit per hour charge if it's not the initial free adjustment. Then don't pay them to do the job, find another dealer who will do it for less or for free or live with the LPS settings the way they are. I'm sure the dealer assumed it was an LPS setting. In any event it doesn't justify lying to get the dealer to cover something under warranty, thats fraud.
LEXUS IS250 AWD Posted March 14, 2009 Author Posted March 14, 2009 Just used this forum to vent over my frustration, everyone's got an opinion based on their own experiences. Someone told me rims are repairable depending on how severe the damage is. Gonna look into the cost of repairing vs. replacing
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