spamcop

I do have good things to say about my RX400h, I promise

The A/C went out on the 06. I took it in and guess what. The condensor, that is mounted in front of the radiator just behind the bumper, took a $1,600 pebble. The condensor needs to be replaced and the Lexus dealership will happily do it for $1,600. Not covered under warranty (I understand that) because it was a "road hazard." I'll be taking it by the Toyota dealership I get it serviced at (same quality service work for a lot cheaper) and get a quote from them.

Has anyone had this happen to them on their 400h? I saw a thread from 2004 for 300/330s, but nothing recent. Seems to be a design oversight that could be easily remedied with some sort of screen.

I'll be calling Allstate to see if it would be covered under my policy. I'll let you know the outcome. Mommy suggested I trade it for a minivan. Come on Allstate!

riwyle

Seems like a lot of money to remove and replace the condenser then evacuate and refill the system. I realize many people are only comfortable with Lexus ( or Toyota) performing work on their vehicles. If that is not your case, I would get an estimate from a local auto A/C repair shop to do the job. There is nothing special about a Lexus or Hybrid A/C's. If looking to save more money, you might check with a local radiator shop to see if they could repair the leak in the condenser.
Rock puncture of A/C condensers is far from unique on a Lexus. Would be great to come up with a preventative measure. A screen in front, if of fine enough mesh to stop small rocks would decrease the needed air flow to both the A/C condenser and the engine radiator. Is the condenser in a minivan located where this couldn't happen? But, whatever it takes to keep Mommy happy.

spamcop

I have thought about the local repair guy. I even thought about finding a repair shop to just "fix it." Both good ideas and I may even try to do the local shop. I did have my father in law check and it is a dealer part only.

I thought (briefly) about the interruption of airflow as well with a screen. Dunno if it is worth finding out, but I darn sure know a small pebble shouldn't be capable of that level of damage...I'd think Lexus would look to address this as excessively vulnerable to damage. I'd bet there is an engineering solution to this.

The minivan thing is more of a convenience with the new kid on the way and less of a condenser location issue. You hit the nail right on the head though; whatever keeps mommy happy

spamcop

Insurance update: This is pretty good news. Something like this is covered under your comprehensive coverage. This is "act of god/road hazard" kind of stuff. It is, of course, subject to your deductible. My agent is very informative and helpful. A couple things to note: First, comprehensive claims do not count against you (rates won't go up). Second, you can evidently have a lower deductible for comprehensive than collision. You could theoretically have a comprehensive deductible of $100 and a collision of $1000 and save some money. I am not sure if every insurance company does this, but evidently mine does.

I just thought I would pass that along, as I also heard a windshield is about $1600 from Lexus. This could be the cure for the evil pebble