Curious Vehicle History?

[TG1]

Hey Guys,

Would you think (as I do) that this is an odd vehicle history...?

2010 LX at 1200 miles had a bunch of body pieces (front grille, rear emblem, fog light, comb light, rear door moulding) replaced because the chrome was corroded and they were coming off the vehicle.

Then....at 5000 miles it went to auction.

Doesn't seem to be anything crazy after that up to 115k and it seems to have had regular oil changes/service.

Why would a vehicle go to auction at 5000 miles!???

 

[ceb]

Hey Guys,

Would you think (as I do) that this is an odd vehicle history...?

2010 LX at 1200 miles had a bunch of body pieces (front grille, rear emblem, fog light, comb light, rear door moulding) replaced because the chrome was corroded and they were coming off the vehicle.

Then....at 5000 miles it went to auction.

Doesn't seem to be anything crazy after that up to 115k and it seems to have had regular oil changes/service.

Why would a vehicle go to auction at 5000 miles!???

The vehicle had a problem that either the dealership couldn't resolve and bought back, or it had accident damage that precluded it from being sold as CPO.

When a dealer/manufacturer does a buyback for a problem, they are often loathe to resell it and would rather dump it at auction.

 

[Sandroad]

I wonder what the vehicle was exposed to that caused the corrosion? Flooded? Chemicals? Really bad detailing job?

 

[TG1]

The vehicle had a problem that either the dealership couldn't resolve and bought back, or it had accident damage that precluded it from being sold as CPO.

When a dealer/manufacturer does a buyback for a problem, they are often loathe to resell it and would rather dump it at auction.

Yeh I thought that as well regarding Mfr Buy-Back but the Lexus Service records only show one instance of the trim corrosion being dealt with and the auction record is listed as 'REPORTED AT AUTO AUCTION AS DEALER VEHICLE' and I'm assuming that would show as Manufacturer Vehicle if it was a buy-back typically. I typically mostly trust the Lexus dealership records and it was in on a regularly scheduled basis after the trim issues for only oil changes.

 

[TG1]

I wonder what the vehicle was exposed to that caused the corrosion? Flooded? Chemicals? Really bad detailing job?

yeh me too but it was Ft. Collins CO where it was originally purchased and lived prior to the auction so flood is a lower possibility.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

I wonder what the vehicle was exposed to that caused the corrosion? Flooded? Chemicals? Really bad detailing job?

Mag chloride (used to salt the roads) is well-known to cause spotting/pitting on the chrome trim of these vehicles. You find a lot of mag chloride in Fort Collins. Or at least you used to, since the state is moving back toward plain old salt, which is cheaper. I wouldn't be too concerned with that part of the history, and it is unlikely to be directly related to the auction at 5k miles.

I almost bought an LX570 from Denver last year and it had the same pitted chrome all over it.

 

[Sandroad]

Mag chloride (used to salt the roads) is well-known to cause spotting/pitting on the chrome trim of these vehicles. You find a lot of mag chloride in Fort Collins. Or at least you used to, since the state is moving back toward plain old salt, which is cheaper. I wouldn't be too concerned with that part of the history, and it is unlikely to be directly related to the auction at 5k miles.

I almost bought an LX570 from Denver last year and it had the same pitted chrome all over it.

But at only 1200 miles? And with trim coming off the vehicle? I've never had a problem with the chrome on my 80, 100, or 200 with the mag chloride used here in Michigan, but maybe that's because I do wash occasionally in the winter. OTOH, I do hate mag chloride for what it does to vehicles and trailers. Bad stuff.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

My guess is the original owner bought the truck, drove it in salt, didn't wash it for weeks or months, and then threw a fit when the chrome was pitted. I'd wager the part about peeling off was simply hyperbole to justify replacing the parts.