We bought our fourth Lexus, second RX vehicle, expecting Michelin tires. We changed the vehicle color on the pickup date, and did not test drive the vehicle. That was our bad, although the vehicle we had reserved had Michelin tires on it. We did not know then that Lexus uses several tire manufacturers for their OEM tires. From the moment we left the dealership, the ride and feel were different from that which we had experienced over the past ten years of Lexus ownership. Bouncy, firm,/hard, resulting in less control over the vehicle when you hit a bump or turn, it truly fells like you are driving a base-line Jeep, not an expensive Lexus product. I might expect such a ride on a vehicle designed for off-roading, but not for a Lexus RX. Given we had had no ride problems in the past, and the fact that the loaner RX350 they gave me for the day had Michelin's, and rode smoothly and in full control, this is a factory initiated problem, for which the dealership accepts no responsibility. We brought the car into the dealership back in June of 2015 when the vehicle had 700 miles on it, and mentioned the problem to the salesman. Today, February 11th of 2016, I am still working with the dealership (Stevinson) to fix the problem they sold us. Back in October of 2015, the dealership agreed to trade out the tires with Michelin tires on an incoming lease vehicle, and even though we would sacrifice part of the tire life (most lease turn-ins have 12-15,000 miles on them), we agreed that was our best option. Today the dealership says they can't replace the tires due to liability reasons, and that their only offer/solution is to sell us four new Michelin tires, offering us a free mount and balance. So, from my vantage point, they are ok with taking their profits on the front end, but unwilling to support their brand when problems arise. That's another $ 1,000. bucks out of our pocket to solve a Lexus design problem. Lexus used to be a premium brand, now you get what you get, and pity you, if you expect them to stand behind their product.Other issues we have had to deal with or noticed are the radio has skipping problems (check the internet for details), there are sever blind spots in the rear, and a recent problem we encountered when driving on slushy roads, the proximity sensors when covered with frozen water, do not function.
My advice to any future buyer of a Lexus RX350, is to first reconsider your decision, and second, to insist on Michelin's or walk out. It's not worth the loss of value, quality, ride and safety quality you paid $ 51K for. Our next move is to look at Audi's and Infinity's, and check the tires offered before any future purchases.
We bought our fourth Lexus, second RX vehicle, expecting Michelin tires. We changed the vehicle color on the pickup date, and did not test drive the vehicle. That was our bad, although the vehicle we had reserved had Michelin tires on it. We did not know then that Lexus uses several tire manufacturers for their OEM tires. From the moment we left the dealership, the ride and feel were different from that which we had experienced over the past ten years of Lexus ownership. Bouncy, firm,/hard, resulting in less control over the vehicle when you hit a bump or turn, it truly fells like you are driving a base-line Jeep, not an expensive Lexus product. I might expect such a ride on a vehicle designed for off-roading, but not for a Lexus RX. Given we had had no ride problems in the past, and the fact that the loaner RX350 they gave me for the day had Michelin's, and rode smoothly and in full control, this is a factory initiated problem, for which the dealership accepts no responsibility. We brought the car into the dealership back in June of 2015 when the vehicle had 700 miles on it, and mentioned the problem to the salesman. Today, February 11th of 2016, I am still working with the dealership (Stevinson) to fix the problem they sold us. Back in October of 2015, the dealership agreed to trade out the tires with Michelin tires on an incoming lease vehicle, and even though we would sacrifice part of the tire life (most lease turn-ins have 12-15,000 miles on them), we agreed that was our best option. Today the dealership says they can't replace the tires due to liability reasons, and that their only offer/solution is to sell us four new Michelin tires, offering us a free mount and balance. So, from my vantage point, they are ok with taking their profits on the front end, but unwilling to support their brand when problems arise. That's another $ 1,000. bucks out of our pocket to solve a Lexus design problem. Lexus used to be a premium brand, now you get what you get, and pity you, if you expect them to stand behind their product.Other issues we have had to deal with or noticed are the radio has skipping problems (check the internet for details), there are sever blind spots in the rear, and a recent problem we encountered when driving on slushy roads, the proximity sensors when covered with frozen water, do not function.
My advice to any future buyer of a Lexus RX350, is to first reconsider your decision, and second, to insist on Michelin's or walk out. It's not worth the loss of value, quality, ride and safety quality you paid $ 51K for. Our next move is to look at Audi's and Infinity's, and check the tires offered before any future purchases.
- Keith M., Littleton, US