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Car Forum / Lexus Cars / September 20072006 GS430 Automatic Trunk Lid Closer Problem
I have a 2006 GS430 which has an automatic trunk lid closer. Recently my sister slammed the trunk closed not knowing it was suppose to close automatically. Up until that time you just had to make contact between the trunk lid and the car body in order for it to close automatically. Now you have to push the lid until it makes a clicking sound (probably engaging the latch part way) and then it closes the rest of the way using the trunk's motor. I took it to the local Lexus dealer who at first said the problem was leaking struts (I saw no evidence of this) which they replaced. Before I could pick up the car, they called me and said the trunk motor was making a funny noise (I never heard any kind of abnormal noise) and they were going to replace it also. I got the car back and it is acting the same way it did before it was "fixed". Does anyone know if there is some kind of sensor that might tell the trunk motor the position of the trunk lid so that the motor knows when to engage? I'm going to take the car back to the dealer, but I'd like to be able to talk intelligently to them about this problem. Thanks for your help. David Maybe check that the motor assembly or the latch isn't knocked out of alignment or pushed back either way. Show the service writer the problem and explain the before and after, and get it fixed within the warranty period. > I have a 2006 GS430 which has an automatic trunk lid closer. Recently my > sister slammed the trunk closed not knowing it was suppose to close [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > David > Maybe check that the motor assembly or the latch isn't knocked out of > alignment or pushed back either way. [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] >> >> David I took the car back to the dealer and asked a salesman if I could use one of their floor models as a test. He wanted to know what my problem was. When I told him what had happened, he said the trunk closer was suppose to work that way...you have to push it down until it clicks and then the motor takes over to completely close the trunk. He demonstrated this on a new GS430. It appears that my trunk lid closer was not functioning properly before it was slammed shut. The salesman also said that slamming the trunk shut should not have caused a problem anyway. I had already talked to the service writer when I first brought the car in. He said he didn't know how the closer worked and that he just relayed what the mechanics told him. The work was done under warranty to the tune of over a thousand dollars, but I wonder if it was even necessary. David >> Maybe check that the motor assembly or the latch isn't knocked out of >> alignment or pushed back either way. [quoted text clipped - 47 lines] >the mechanics told him. The work was done under warranty to the tune of over >a thousand dollars, but I wonder if it was even necessary. Over a thousand dollars? You've got to be kidding! Sure glad my Lexus is on a 4-year lease with warranty coverage through the entire lease period. Guess I'd better not buy it at lease end and keep using it, unless I want to see grossly inflated charges like this when I'm responsible for them. Colour me flabbergasted!  SignatureJay (remove dashes for legal email address) Yeah, while I don't believe Toyota's Lexus line is worth the money the line is certainly a marketing success story for Toyota. Just by dolling-up the same Camry and Corolla chassis they can more than double the sale price, and then charge triple what for the same service Toyota techs do for cheap. I drove a relative's GS400/430(?) and it felt just like a larger Camry with a more powerful engine. From the boat ride you know that's thing still sports the cheap McPherson suspension geometry! > Sure glad my Lexus is on a 4-year lease with warranty coverage through > the entire lease period. Guess I'd better not buy it at lease end and [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > -- > Jay (remove dashes for legal email address) > Yeah, while I don't believe Toyota's Lexus line is worth the money the > line is certainly a marketing success story for Toyota. > > Just by dolling-up the same Camry and Corolla chassis they can more > than double the sale price, and then charge triple what for the same > service Toyota techs do for cheap. There are no Lexus models based on the Corolla chassis sold in the U.S. > I drove a relative's GS400/430(?) and it felt just like a larger Camry > with a more powerful engine. From the boat ride you know that's thing > still sports the cheap McPherson suspension geometry! The GS does not have a McPherson strut suspension. SignatureRay O (correct punctuation to reply) I didn't actually check or follow the Lexus line. It's not worth the time. It just felt like the cheesy boat ride MP suspension. Like I've long said, Toyota/Lexus suspension systems don't win awards. > The GS does not have a McPherson strut suspension. > -- > > Ray O > (correct punctuation to reply) > Over a thousand dollars? You've got to be kidding! > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Colour me flabbergasted! The trunk motor was $601 and the two struts were $123 each. I don't know what the labor charge was, but I'm sure it was enough, along with the sales tax (9.25%) to make the total over $1000. I hate to say it, but I think the dealer sometimes just replaces parts under warranty to make money off of Lexus. I had a '95 SC400 with a Nakamichi radio that had a lot of static on the AM side. The dealer replaced the whole radio trying to fix the problem (it didn't fix it because the radio was not the problem). If I still have the car after its warranty is up, I probably won't take it to the Lexus dealer for service. There are two or three good repair shops where I live including one opened by a service writer who had previously worked for the Lexus dealer here. I've owned four Lexus automobiles and I really like them, but they are expensive to maintain! David Yes, the Lexus brand is VERY expensive to maintain and service at the dealer. Much higher on a per incident basis than Mercedes is. But the Mercedes brand requires more repair items. The Mercedes dealer sucks localy, but the Lexus dealer is getting just as bad. So it comes down to a question of what will keep you on the road and that is Lexus. If you want true comfort and great engineering, then you go for Mercedes. My trunk motor did develop a squeak. They had to replace the closer motor which cost $614.53, and that is for a motor which only grabs the trunk lid when you bring the lid down to it. When you release the lid, it does not pop open, you have to lift it up. Other trunks lids with power release/close thingies pop open and close down. But those trunk lids don't let water drip into the trunk the was the LS430 does. Oh well ... at least the Japanese will finaly beat the Americans in the War of Business. The 10,000 mile check up cost $176.68, mainly for the oil change I guess. Of course they had to use some injector cleaner at each inspection so far - wonder if that is whey the mechanics say not to burn that dratted E10/Gas90 mixture? The Mercedes is having a lot of quality problems in the last several years, but now that they parted with Chrysler and can focus more maybe things will improve. They do have excellent suspension systems that are both comfortable and handle well. So IMO Mercedes' suspension system is superior to that of the BMW's firm athletic ride (now performance drivers will disagree with me here). No doubt BMWs handle very precisely and are excellent performance cars, but just a bit too firm for my taste. If you like a Porsche-designed suspension with what a magazine termed "physics defying" brake system at a low cost, try out the new generation of Audis. Like the new Q7. Impressive I must say. Talk about great suspension systems. And if you look under the beautifully dolled-up Lexus, there really isn't much engineering to rave about, compared to the real luxury brands. But 99% of the owners can't tell you what's a control arm or the difference between shock and strut to know better, unfortunately. That's why I say the Lexus line is Toyota's successful *marketing* story. However they do offer comfortable boat rides tuned for the US market!! > Yes, the Lexus brand is VERY expensive to maintain and service at the > dealer. Much higher on a per incident basis than Mercedes is. But the [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > inspection so far - wonder if that is whey the mechanics say not to > burn that dratted E10/Gas90 mixture? >And if you look under the beautifully dolled-up Lexus, there really >isn't much engineering to rave about, compared to the real luxury >brands. But 99% of the owners can't tell you what's a control arm or >the difference between shock and strut to know better, unfortunately. This from the same idiot who posted in this very thread that a GS has a McPherson strut suspension. Yeah, those Lexus owners are idiots! Toyota pays minimal for warranty related work. Sometimes barely enough. The prices printed for warranty services are more to impress the customers. The dealer doesn't even get that from Toyota, according to a master tech. If normal service time is clocked at rookie tech speed (hence the high cost), then warranty service time is clocked at master tech speed. But I agreed. The cost is still ridiculous -- paying a premium for the reliability that isn't even there. > I hate to say it, but I think the dealer sometimes just replaces parts under > warranty to make money off of Lexus. I had a '95 SC400 with a Nakamichi [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > David |
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