IMPORTANT: Check your HVAC recirculate door and answer Poll (3 Viewers)

[Mdog97]

Update: spoke to the T service manager yesterday - appointment for next week to investigate. (@jivewalker incidentally he was filling in at the Lexus dealership down the street (same ownership) due to some recent personnel changes. He said the LC work would take place at Toyota, rather than Lexus, even though both are under his dominion at the moment.)

He's hoping that there was a battery disconnection somewhere in the past (maybe to install the aftermarket remote start back in April, before I took delivery) that might have caused the servo to lose its calibration.

He also said, as a brief aside, that he's also hopeful that it's not a mouse / pack rat - chewed wire situation, as that would make it non-warranty. Seems highly unlikely, given that I do have occasional / intermittent operation of the flap.

He said that they are very reluctant to take the dash out, as that can trigger rattles and/or other problems, but that is the only way to get at the unit. The plan is to exhaust all other options before doing that. If the dash does need to come out, "I'd need to have the truck for 1-2 weeks". Yikes.

 

[jivewalker]

I talked to the warranty company directly and was told they can work with any qualified repair facility, and that it is a covered component but would need to hear that it needs to be replaced from the dealer, not me. the local lexus service here is supposed to be much, much better than the toyota, so I will give them a call.

Interestingly, mine has no problem opening the damper, it just won't close it. I know the bottom of the damper where the drive pin goes through is broken off. What stinks is that I cant put it in the down position and keep it there. The auto system opens it under certain conditions and then it won't go back closed unless I manually reach in there and close it. Just enough meat left on the broken damper for it to operate one way only. Rattles, etc. definitely a concern, but not enough to keep me from getting this fixed under warranty.

 

[linuxgod]

Interestingly, mine has no problem opening the damper, it just won't close it. I know the bottom of the damper where the drive pin goes through is broken off. What stinks is that I cant put it in the down position and keep it there. The auto system opens it under certain conditions and then it won't go back closed unless I manually reach in there and close it. Just enough meat left on the broken damper for it to operate one way only. Rattles, etc. definitely a concern, but not enough to keep me from getting this fixed under warranty.

Yep that's how mine was as well.

@Oakleyguy was testing a fairly inexpensive and simple repair for this which I think works in most cases. Every time I see this thread pop up I keep hoping he'll either produce, sell the design, or make it freely available for people with a 3D printer.

 

[jivewalker]

Yep that's how mine was as well.

@Oakleyguy was testing a fairly inexpensive and simple repair for this which I think works in most cases. Every time I see this thread pop up I keep hoping he'll either produce, sell the design, or make it freely available for people with a 3D printer.

I could fix it fairly easily, but don't want to touch it since it's under warranty. If that falls through somehow, I will drill and pin the damper arm to the shaft with a cut finish nail.

 

[Mdog97]

Update: spoke to the T service manager yesterday - appointment for next week to investigate.

Update: Took the LC in to the dealership for diagnosis at 7am this morning. I explained the problem to the service writer, and he said they would have to inspect & test it to see what is wrong. No promises about warranty coverage.

Just went back (3pm) to pick it up. Diagnosis: it's not servo calibration - apparently "someone" broke the flap mechanism at some point in the past. They have ordered a new blower motor assembly, which will take 3-5 days to arrive. I am to bring the LC back to the dealership next Tuesday (a week from today) for a repair that should take "at least a few days".

The assembly will be replaced under warranty, although the service writer said "we probably shouldn't have warrantied it, but we're doing it 'just this one time' ". I told them that this system has been broken since I took delivery from the selling dealership earlier this year. I guess I should ignore that it was sold to me as a Toyota Certified Pre Owned vehicle that had undergone "a rigorous 160-point inspection to ensure only the best vehicles receive the certified seal of approval"...with this mechanism broken. Whatever.

Apparently the various warranties (CPO and/or Toyota Extra Care Certified Plus Plan) allow for up to 5 days of vehicle loaner, so I'll be driving something else while they have the LC for the repair.

 

[NTV]

Update: Took the LC in to the dealership for diagnosis at 7am this morning. I explained the problem to the service writer, and he said they would have to inspect & test it to see what is wrong. No promises about warranty coverage.

Just went back (3pm) to pick it up. Diagnosis: it's not servo calibration - apparently "someone" broke the flap mechanism at some point in the past. They have ordered a new blower motor assembly, which will take 3-5 days to arrive. I am to bring the LC back to the dealership next Tuesday (a week from today) for a repair that should take "at least a few days".

The assembly will be replaced under warranty, although the service writer said "we probably shouldn't have warrantied it, but we're doing it 'just this one time' ". I told them that this system has been broken since I took delivery from the selling dealership earlier this year. I guess I should ignore that it was sold to me as a Toyota Certified Pre Owned vehicle that had undergone "a rigorous 160-point inspection to ensure only the best vehicles receive the certified seal of approval"...with this mechanism broken. Whatever.

Apparently the various warranties (CPO and/or Toyota Extra Care Certified Plus Plan) allow for up to 5 days of vehicle loaner, so I'll be driving something else while they have the LC for the repair.

Yeah the old words of “certified” and “warranty” don’t mean even a fraction of what they used to. Glad it is getting taken care of. Thankfully my repair went well and the new blower motor assembly is working as it should. Good luck!

 

[Sandroad]

Update: Took the LC in to the dealership for diagnosis at 7am this morning. I explained the problem to the service writer, and he said they would have to inspect & test it to see what is wrong. No promises about warranty coverage.

Just went back (3pm) to pick it up. Diagnosis: it's not servo calibration - apparently "someone" broke the flap mechanism at some point in the past. They have ordered a new blower motor assembly, which will take 3-5 days to arrive. I am to bring the LC back to the dealership next Tuesday (a week from today) for a repair that should take "at least a few days".

The assembly will be replaced under warranty, although the service writer said "we probably shouldn't have warrantied it, but we're doing it 'just this one time' ". I told them that this system has been broken since I took delivery from the selling dealership earlier this year. I guess I should ignore that it was sold to me as a Toyota Certified Pre Owned vehicle that had undergone "a rigorous 160-point inspection to ensure only the best vehicles receive the certified seal of approval"...with this mechanism broken. Whatever.

Apparently the various warranties (CPO and/or Toyota Extra Care Certified Plus Plan) allow for up to 5 days of vehicle loaner, so I'll be driving something else while they have the LC for the repair.

Thanks for the update. From your post, it seems it’s discretionary with the dealership service dept whether it’s warranty work. That explains why I was denied coverage even though I‘m the only owner and the damage was done while under factory warranty. The local dealer I used to use is awful. I’m glad yours is being fixed with a new unit.

 

[umarali]

Just checked mine today hesitantly, it has always been serviced at lexus dealer and the door in glove box does have a sticker for instructions. I guess previous owner did take care of it very well, i suppose this is normal operation as jn video i captured.
Recirc

 

[umarali]

 

[NTV]

Yeah that is correct operation of the damper. It really comes down to the knowledge of the tech who handles your oil change at your dealership. Some understand and know the nuances of the LC and LX platforms. Others don’t and that is when you end up having a broken damper. Your lucky! Which is always a good thing!

 

[jivewalker]

Update: Took the LC in to the dealership for diagnosis at 7am this morning. I explained the problem to the service writer, and he said they would have to inspect & test it to see what is wrong. No promises about warranty coverage.

Just went back (3pm) to pick it up. Diagnosis: it's not servo calibration - apparently "someone" broke the flap mechanism at some point in the past. They have ordered a new blower motor assembly, which will take 3-5 days to arrive. I am to bring the LC back to the dealership next Tuesday (a week from today) for a repair that should take "at least a few days".

The assembly will be replaced under warranty, although the service writer said "we probably shouldn't have warrantied it, but we're doing it 'just this one time' ". I told them that this system has been broken since I took delivery from the selling dealership earlier this year. I guess I should ignore that it was sold to me as a Toyota Certified Pre Owned vehicle that had undergone "a rigorous 160-point inspection to ensure only the best vehicles receive the certified seal of approval"...with this mechanism broken. Whatever.

Apparently the various warranties (CPO and/or Toyota Extra Care Certified Plus Plan) allow for up to 5 days of vehicle loaner, so I'll be driving something else while they have the LC for the repair.

Well how did it go? Any rattles/squeaks/scratches, etc.? I'm about to take mine in for assessment.

 

[04UZJ100]

Well how did it go? Any rattles/squeaks/scratches, etc.? I'm about to take mine in for assessment.

Don’t do it. Glue it back together. I fixed mine and it’s been flawless. Some simple JB Weld plastic epoxy applied with a flexible applicator (zip tie) to get in the hard to access areas. Worked like a charm.

 

[jivewalker]

Don’t do it. Glue it back together. I fixed mine and it’s been flawless. Some simple JB Weld plastic epoxy applied with a flexible applicator (zip tie) to get in the hard to access areas. Worked like a charm.

I just bought it, and it has CPO warranty, otherwise I would have already fixed it.

 

[04UZJ100]

I just bought it, and it has CPO warranty, otherwise I would have already fixed it.

You really want a Toyota dealer taking the dash out of a 200 series land cruiser? I don’t trust them to do an oil change…..

 

[jivewalker]

You really want a Toyota dealer taking the dash out of a 200 series land cruiser? I don’t trust them to do an oil change…..

Want is not a good word to use, terrified and apprehensive maybe. I do my own maintenance and most of my own work, and no I wouldn't let them do an oil change, ever. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't hand a dash removal job on a $90,000 vehicle over to a noob, I would expect a senior tech and they will know my expectations. I have the warranty and would save $500ish in parts and at least a long, long day or two of labor vs. if I did it. And, they will be held accountable for any damage or scratches. Rattles on the other hand, I would probably just fix myself rather than take back. I need the AC working right, defrost / defog was a nightmare in my trip up north last week.

 

[04UZJ100]

Want is not a good word to use, terrified and apprehensive maybe. I do my own maintenance and most of my own work, and no I wouldn't let them do an oil change, ever. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't hand a dash removal job on a $90,000 vehicle over to a noob, I would expect a senior tech and they will know my expectations. I have the warranty and would save $500ish in parts and at least a long, long day or two of labor vs. if I did it. And, they will be held accountable for any damage or scratches. Rattles on the other hand, I would probably just fix myself rather than take back. I need the AC working right, defrost / defog was a nightmare in my trip up north last week.

Like I said. Took me $5 and 5 minutes…….still wouldn’t trust them.

 

[NTV]

Want is not a good word to use, terrified and apprehensive maybe. I do my own maintenance and most of my own work, and no I wouldn't let them do an oil change, ever. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't hand a dash removal job on a $90,000 vehicle over to a noob, I would expect a senior tech and they will know my expectations. I have the warranty and would save $500ish in parts and at least a long, long day or two of labor vs. if I did it. And, they will be held accountable for any damage or scratches. Rattles on the other hand, I would probably just fix myself rather than take back. I need the AC working right, defrost / defog was a nightmare in my trip up north last week.

While you never really know for sure. They did have the most senior tech at Stevenson in Denver do my 2018 LC and I must say it’s been great and I do not hear any rattles. Mine was covered under warranty.

 

[Mdog97]

Update: just picked up the LC, one day after dropping it off (under promise, over deliver).

The recirc button now works as expected, but I haven't had a chance to remove the access panel to confirm flap operation (although I have no reason to doubt that it now functions as it's supposed to). No detectable rattles or anything like that, but it's raining heavy here today, and I only drove a few miles home, so I'll have a definitive answer tomorrow when I'll be doing 100+ miles.

The shop foreman was the one who did the work, including the oil change (using my oil & filter). ((He was reportedly impressed with the @bjowett drain plug...if only I had had the matching oil filter cap....))

The service advisor said that they were sending the dead blower motor assembly (87130-60670) back to Toyota, so I couldn't have it. I didn't get any photos of the broken one, so no way to know for sure what was causing the problem with mine. I may try to meet the shop foreman next time I'm there to thank him, and to see if he has anything to report.

I've attached a snip from the invoice below - for the blower motor assembly it was $694 for the part, $519 for labor, and some kind of $250 charge for "loaner". The invoice doesn't say anything about "warranty", but at the bottom there's a "discount" for $1,462.92, so my net cost was $24 for the oil change (again using my oil and filter). Maybe that's how their software deals with the initial CPO warranty claim, and then they fight with Toyota to get corporate to give the dealership (notably not the selling dealership) a credit? Anyway, not my problem.

I did get an automated text message from the dealership with a link to an invoice showing a $42 "rental charge" for their POS Corolla service loaner car. No hit to my credit card for that $42 so far, but I'll be disputing that if it does come through.

 

[Bendcruiser]

Thanks for the heads up on this. I just checked mine and luckily it's operating properly. But I am going to attach a label I just made with my P-Touch.

 

[bloc]

Thanks for the heads up on this. I just checked mine and luckily it's operating properly. But I am going to attach a label I just made with my P-Touch.

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They'll take a swig of their monster energy and barge right through that. Good reminder for you though.

The ONLY way to be sure things don't get broken is to lock the glove box and keep the key blade with you. This needs to be a PSA or something every user of this section sees.