2Phast

But also thinking about the passenger side airbag. I know they have a ton of force, should I worry about a fabric/leather cover on the dash (and therefore over the bag)?

Kendig

If any of you fellow floridians got your cars at JM Lexus, they may be the greasy culprit. When we bought our cpo 2008, the dash was slimy with something like armorall. Driving home the sunlight reflections off it were terrible. We tried to clean it without a lot of success, and eventually got JM to clean it all off -- we'd had to make the trip back there to have them correct a few other things anyway.

pauljcl

I bought my car, new in 2009, at Lexus of Kendall. the problem only developed four to five years later. It is not a wax or a coating, it is the vinyl itself that is at fault....

pauljcl

I have been waring people riding in my RX not to touch the dashtop (... great PR for Lexus, which has still not replied to my problem!), and he told me he had an Infinity on which the same thing happened (.. Hey! we are not alone!) and Infinity promptly replaced the dashboard at no cost to him.
Just saying.....

NVAKeith

iTrader: (1)

Out of curiosity, is this happening with all three interior colors?

pauljcl

Isn't the top of the dash black in all interior colors?

NVAKeith

iTrader: (1)

My wife's 350 has the ivory interior which has a tan/brown dash pad. Do all the hybrids a black dash pad?

RuninRoach

its not a florida problem...its a sun problem. This happens to 80 % (5 of my friends have rx300 between 2003 and 2005....4 have this issue and the 5th i feel will have it in a year as his is the newest car) of them. We are in Hong Kong and the only thing i guess is that Lexus cannot sell these cars where the sun shines.....

pauljcl

I agree. It hardly 'oozes' in the heat, but does so liberally when the sun hits it, even when the A/C is on. Inferior materials and inferior testing.

RuninRoach

sucks that its fixed in models a year or two on...and then they refuse to acknowledge it and give a recall.

pauljcl

1. Yes, it does 'suck', and 2. my model is 2009 - you would think they would have fixed it by then. Hasn't happened with my other (German) cars....

2Phast

My dash is Black...

Aron9000

I am going to scold you a bit here for this . . .

NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER USE WINDEX OR ANY PRODUCT WITH AMMONIA IN IT ON A PLASTIC PART!!!!!

I have friend who works in the plastics industry, making plastic interior trim parts/dash parts for Ford, Nissan, Toyota, GM, etc. He says using windex or other ammonia based cleaners will cause the plastic on dash tops and other trim to fade/discolor/take on a whitish hue. He has constantly advised manufacturers to deny warranty claims if the owner admitted using windex on plastic parts.


Not saying that is what caused your problem, because it clearly looks like a quality control problem from Lexus. Just saying it might have exacerbated the problem, ie your dash looks cruddy in 3-4 years instead of 5-6 years.

jfelbab

I've detailed several vehicles that had a sticky or gummy dash. I think this is caused by the vinyl plasticizers degrading and leaching out in the sun and heat. These plasticizers are the substance that makes the vinyl flexible and avoids cracking as it expands and contracts with temperature changes. Remember the dash temp can be sub zero or as high as 180 F.

I've personally seen this issue on Toyotas, Nissans and Chryslers. I've never seen it in a mid-west vehicle so the higher angle of the sun and heat of the south are likely triggers. I'd encourage those living in the south to use sun shields or park in a shaded or covered area whenever you can. May help, can't hurt and dash replacement is quite expensive.

There are a number of people reporting this issue and I hope Toyota/Lexus will put some effort into determining the cause and stand behind the issue as I believe this to be a materials problem. Perhaps if everyone affected contacted Lexus corporate, it might trigger further analysis and examination of their warranty policy.

I doubt this issue arises often while the vehicle is still under warranty so the dealers are likely not anxious to do much about it other than cleaning it. The cleaning is removing the very substance that is preventing cracking so it is not a satisfactory long term solution, IMO.

I see this as a materials problem and I encourage everyone who has this issue this to report it to both your dealer and to Lexus Corporate. Get a case number from corporate. (1-800-255-3987)

pauljcl

I used Windex (without ammonia) because the dash was oozy greasy. The ooziness and grease pre-dated the use of Windex by months. If you read through these posts, it seems obvious that Lexus has an inferior material problem. Whether they will own up to it is another matter.