.... but please tell me - am i wrong????
I have a 2001 RX300 I bought in June 2001. it was a certified-pre owned with 12,000 miles when i purchased it originally.
I had always owned toyotas in the past, which I drove for 125,000 and
155, 000 respectively, the latter (a RAV 4) I sold at 155,000 miles to be able to purchase the RX 300. It is still on the road today! Since I travel a lot for my work, I was thrilled to purchase an automobile, that, I was told; would never wear out on me. I could actually get a car paid for that would still run AFTER it was paid for! And I loved it, the drive, the interior, the ease of handling, etc...I had the vehicle serviced religiously at the dealership with no problems, unitl I took it in for a strange noise and a jerky transmission - sure enough the transmission needed to be replaced.
Granted, my Lexus SUV has 155, 000 at this point, which, for a lexus,; is not that many miles.... However, i had pointed out at 60.00 miles, while it was still in warranty, that when i put the car in reverse, it was jerking. They said the transmission fluid, which needed to be changed, would probably take care of it. It didn't, but i didn't think that much of it either,
Before my purchase of the suv, i had driven 2 toyota's, one of which we sold at 125,000 back in the late 80's; with no problems; and the other a toyota rav 4, which i sold with a total of 155,000 miles. The lady I sold the Rav 4 to is still driving the vehicle today.
So after hearing boasts of how the lexus vehicles last a lifetime, if they are cared for, I was dismayed to learn my transmission needed to be replaced at a cost of $5830.00. The lexus shop suggested I call the customer satisfaction line to see if there was any goodwill they may be able to extend, as i had a long record of service there.
Well, i never heard anything, then the local service advisor called to ask if i had indeed contacted the customer service dept; as they had not heard anything, and it was almost a week since i had brought my SUV in. i called the customer service line again, who looked up the record of the call, and said they had tried to call me back to see where the vehicle was being serviced. ( i received no call ) However i had already given the info to them, when I made the initial call.
About an hour after i went over everything again, the lexus rep (Craig) called me back to say he had called the shop, went over my record, and determined there was no goodwill action they could take to help me. he was quite abvrupt and cold about it, in my opinion.
So now my bill is $6185, $5850 for the transmission - plus some minor repairs they would do while they were in the garage.
I just feel like a transmission should not go out on a high end car like that, which has had excellent care... or if it does, the dealer should be willing to ensure a replacement at an agreeable price.
However, even though I will get the vehicle repaired..... when i get ready for a new vehicle, i will surely go back to a lower end toyota, or maybe a nissan. But, never a Lexus again.
Can anyone tell me if they have had an incident similar to this?