Getting the Runaround from Lexus Parts (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Dec 29, 2006
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A couple of years back my LandCruiser battery went bad. I did a little checking, and Lexus offered an 84 month warranty on their Group 27. So I brought my old battery in to the Parts counter of my local Lexus dealer, and picked up a new battery for $114.
Fast forward to this morning. The Lexus battery was not holding a charge, so I load tested it, and it was bad. Since the wife was going to be driving past the Lexus dealership, I asked her to take care of the exchanging the battery.
A couple of hours later she returned with a new one.
$120.
No warranty.
Since she did not have a printed receipt from two years ago, they refused to warranty the battery.
I had purchased the battery from them on a "counter ticket", and since they don't keep these in their system for more than six months, they have no record of my having purchased a battery from them.
And despite the fact that the battery is labeled "Lexus", and the date of service code is February of 2006, no credit. No exchange.
No warranty.
So I paid a visit to the parts counter, and was told I needed to be more careful with my receipts.
And "no warranty".
So I asked if my only recourse was to either contact Lexus and/or file a small claims against them.
And I was told, "do what ya gotta do".
 
So you still have the old battery, on the side or top somewhere will be a manufacturing date code, probably 4 numbers/letters, ask at a battery shop what the code stands for(or search the web) and show them that it is in the manufactured date range for warranty and you should not need a receipt.
Of course they may still knock you back, but once you have done this politely, then write the letter to Lexus corporate with all the facts and battery manufacturing date info and ask for a refund on the new battery. If the battery was manufactured in say August 2005 by the stamped date code (not just the sticker) then you should have less of a problem with the claim one would hope.
 
A few pointers:
Check with your CC company - if you paid by CC. If you don't have the slip, you can at least pull a statement on-line. Might convince Lexus do do the right thing.

But, always keep the receipts. New "carbon type" paper (the ones that are heated up when printed) also needs to be out of the sun. Or, they'll turn black. If left "out in the house", they will fade pretty quickly.
I keep all car/boat papers in binders. Receipts and credit cards slips go in envelopes. One envelope per 6 months period.

If you pay with a CC (AMEX, VISA, MC, etc) you almost always get an additional year (or up to) added to the manufacturers warranty.

Check your CC card agreement for details.
 
Maybe the sales manager of that dealership can help. Put on a tie and pretend you're interested in the new LX. That will grease the wheels a bit.
 
Maybe the sales manager of that dealership can help. Put on a tie and pretend you're interested in the new LX. That will grease the wheels a bit.


I'm sure this is the reason why my dealer never goes beyond the call of duty (i.e., what's written on paper)...'cause when I show up wearing a t-shirt & jeans and do the PM myself, they know I ain't rich!
 
I'm sure this is the reason why my dealer never goes beyond the call of duty (i.e., what's written on paper)...'cause when I show up wearing a t-shirt & jeans and do the PM myself, they know I ain't rich!

Ditto here, the dressiest I get is a button-up Hawaiian shirt. A tie requires some type of ceremony such wedding or death (or as Al-Bundy would say , two of the same thing).

This kinda forces me to be meticulous with receipts.
 
I see now I was in error mode from the get-go.
First of all, I believed in the much vaunted Lexus customer service; supposedly the best in the automotive industry. I really convinced myself that if I bought a Lexus branded battery at a Lexus dealership, with an 84 month warranty in bold letters on the top, that the warranty would be honored at any Lexus dealership without question.
How foolish of me.
And I paid cash, to boot.
Even more stupid.
Interstate honors their guarantee without a receipt.
Sears Diehard honors their guarantee without a receipt.
I have numerous personal experiences to back this up.
I contacted Lexus Customer Service Monday a.m. They asked me for the VIN of my LandCruiser. Then they asked me how many miles I had on my LandCruiser.
Then they said they would have someone get back to me within two to three days.
The dollar value of the warranty means nothing to me.
But getting treated like a carnival worker by the monkeys working in the Lexus Parts Department was mildly annoying.
I don't care much for being mildly annoyed any more. If the 7 year warranty requires that I maintain physical possession of a printed receipt for 7 years, those terms should have been disclosed to me at the time of purchase. They were not.
If Lexus Customer Service doesn't make this right, I'm going to file in Small Claims Court against the dealership.
 
These days, you really expect a solid retailer to be able to query up your receipt. That's a minimum requirement, IMHO.

I think this fails the "that sucks" test.
 
I'm sorry you're getting such a c rappy runaround, Xenon.
I would also get annoyed at such shoddy treatment, whether it was at Lexus or at a hole-in-the-wall taco stand. Whatever happened to "the customer is always right" huh? The bastards.
 
Unbelievable that they wouldn't honor a warranty written on top of the battery. What's the pro-rated wholesale cost of the battery ? and how much does bad customer satisfaction cost them?

Don't make the mistake of keeping receipts in the car, The heat sensitive receipts will not hold up to the heat.
 

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