I recently took my car in for recall service that went very badly. A gasket wasn't properly installed which resulted in a lot of oil ending up in the engine bay. The technician who performed the repair knew of the problem, but no one at the dealership informed me of the issue when I picked up the car. I found out about it when the cabin filled with burned oil fumes and smoke from the vents while I was driving down the interstate in heavy traffic on the way back to work. I returned the car and reported the problem, the service guys looked at it again, said they found the problem and fixed it. I left for work again, and the exact same thing happened again. I returned the car a second time and was told it would be another two days before it would be ready.
Two days later, I called he dealership to get an update on the car and was told it would be ready that afternoon. I asked to speak with the service manager when I picked up the car. When I arrived, I sat down with the service manager who assured me that this was an oversite by a senior technician that should never have happened and the dealership would do what it needed to do to make things right. My primary concerns are:
The repair was done incorrectly
No test drive was done prior to my return
A known serious problem was not brought to my attention
I had to return to the dealership for the same problem
Oil in the engine compartment and on the exhaust system was a fire hazard
Smoke and strong fumes in the cabin while I was driving could have caused a life threatening situation
I told him I would call in a couple of days to discuss my concerns once I've tested the car, and had a chance think the whole thing over. As I was leaving the dealership, I noticed there was only a half tank of gas. It's customary to receive a full tank of gas for recall repairs. So much for making things right. I'm not just disappointed and upset, I'm appalled. Is this what Lexus customer service has become?
