99alta

Interesting!
The first time I detailed my interior I used Meguiars Quick Detailer. When I sprayed it on the panel in question I immediately noticed a different feel on my micro fiber towel, like the towel was biting into the soft plastic. This area of the car was the only place I noticed the effect.
So I was a bit concerned immediately as the plastic felt a bit tacky as well. A few minutes later when it was dry the panel looked horrible, just like your picture!!
Immediately took a clean wet MF towel and wiped it down. Panel looked better but still not proper. Used a bit of Dawn detergent on the towel and it took the remainder of the whiteness off. But the panel still seemed to be tackier than the other one that had not been cleaned yet. Put some Areospace 303 on the panel and it looks as good as new with no tackiness. I used water/dawn to clean the opposite panel with no issue.

I'm still left wondering what happened? As I'm sure others here have/are using the same product without issue?

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

There is a redirect if they want to respond, but the reason I included it here is that what you asked isn't really a question for them that they'd have any visibility into.

The dealer prep is something that is handled differently at each dealership - it's often contracted out to larger companies that specialize in detailing like Metrotech. So the process, people and products are different dealer to dealer. Can't expect them to know anything about your local dealer.

LeapFrog

Thanks, but I wasn't asking about the local dealer's practices, I was asking if Lexus has a company-wide recommendation regarding which cleaners / protector solutions are to be used in the dealer delivery process. Or do they recommend that dealers use nothing at all? That's the question.

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

As I stated, there is a redirect to this question if they choose to chip in.

charlesatl

Take it back to the dealership. If they refuse to fix it to your satisfaction then you should directly contact Lexus Corp.

Zelfiris

That's a big difference between the two.

Maybe it is a product defect or possibly what they used. If you can have the dealer agree to replace the part for you before going in, I think that would be the best route. Sorry buddy

LeapFrog

After some back-and-forth with the dealer (where they tried to blame the discoloration of the door panel on "scuffing that came from either your pants or any other form of material that came across the door") they suggested wiping down the panel with a damp cloth - just water, no cleaner.

It took a few passes - letting the panel dry in between each one - but most of the white residue is now gone (pix below). This tells me that whatever they used to detail the panel is water soluble (could be 303 I suppose). I've asked them for information on the product that their in-house detailer used on the panel and if I get that I'll update this post.

In any case I'm going to let this go for now and see if the problem re-occurs. If so then I'll get them to order a new panel.

Thanks to everyone for their advice.

Update:
The dealer advised that the product used in detailing the door panels was "Lexus PermaPlate Leather Guard" -
http://permaplate.com/cms/index.php/...therguard.html

Does anyone have experience with this product?

Zelfiris

Sounds like the product is junk if you can remove it with just water and towel.

But isn't the same product applied to the other doors but you don't get that effect? Maybe, as an experiment you should try to rub your pants getting out of the passenger doors and see if it discolours. But the driver door definitely looks much better now

LeapFrog

The problem with the dealer's statement regarding my pants is that I haven't had long pants on in more than a month... it's hot here in central Florida.

I think scam is a good word for the "protection package" that some dealers market to boost their profit margins. If you search the web for information on Perma Plate you'll find that is doesn't seem to be much more than some wax for the outside and some UV protectant for the inside. Mostly what you are paying for is a warranty against finish blemishes and interior stains. From what I've read the company IS pretty good about covering those problems, so if you parked the car next to a coal-burning power plant or had a car full of kids in it every day it might be worthwhile having the warranty coverage.

In my case I didn't ask for the "protection package", and I didn't pay for it. It appears the dealer uses some of Perma Plate products in their pre-delivery detailing of the car. It could be that the detailer started to apply the package to my drivers door and then discovered that the car wasn't supposed to be "protected". That could explain the presence of the residue on just the one door.

xRYD3Rx

Wow that looks so bad... Demand to be replaced. Or just tell them to give you a brand new door

User 41924

Ridiculous. A week old car, and they tell you it's your fault and you have to fix it?!? At a MINIMUM they should have done what they told you to do.