All,
I have a pretty basic understanding of the issues with this engine and watch The Car Guy's video on YouTube specifically speaking to this issue (very informative, so thank you). With that said, our 23' Lexus LX600 F-Sport has roughly 23,000 miles on it and we had complete engine failure last weekend while driving at highway speeds... not a great situation. It's worth noting, I was aware of the recall issue that came out last Summer 24' but when I input our VIN, it was not a part of the recall, so I exhaled and moved along. After hearing the initial diagnosis from my Lexus dealership, they found quite a bit of metallic material on the oil dipstick and the diagnostic technician was pretty sure this engine had the same issue as the recalled V35A's. My service rep also noted that they did some digging and our engine was produced just one month after the cutoff date with the existing recall.
I just got word today that Lexus is owning up to the issue and replacing all oil-lubricated components in the engine- short block, cam, pistons, turbos, etc... essentially a brand new engine. While that's a sigh of relief, and I'm glad Lexus/Toyota stepped up to the plate and did the right thing without putting up a fight or pushing for a band aid approach, I have a lot of concern this or similar issues are just going to spring up again down the road, especially once the vehicle is outside of warranty.
I've looked at the vehicles current trade-in value, and it still remains pretty high- low/mid 90's, and I have this gut feeling I need to get out from underneath this car while I can still get a sizeable amount for the vehicle. We had a GX previously and loved it and compromised some nice features BMW, Mercedes and Cadillac offer for the peace of mind of the Lexus/Toyota reliability when upgrading to this LX.
To all the gearheads out there, what would you do? Should I feel good about essentially getting a brand new engine or is it likely I'm going to run into this issue or something similar down the road?
Thanks in advance,
Alex.
Greetings Alex, sorry to hear about your engine failure. It's a tough call, but if I were in your shoes I would probably trade/sell the vehicle before powertrain warranty has expired and while value is high. I think this decision will depend on who you are, what type of person you are. If you are like me, I would constantly be wondering if it will leave me stranded and not want to think about that or always have it in the back of my head. On the other hand, some people might not be bugged at all in this situation.
Given the track record of this engine, I'm hoping the dust settles and we start to see longer term reliability out of them. I personally would take the money and run, but everyone has their own perspective. If you do end up keeping it out of warranty, I would consider getting an extended powertrain warranty that covers all engine components and turbos, just for piece of mind.
