rfcbuf

Living in the Buffalo ,NY area has me concerned with the quality of my new RX 350 surviving the winter roads here. Specifically, I've noticed the wheel well liners are made with a flimsy fabric material that seem to be coated with plastic. These liners are really necessary to keep the under side of vehicles protected from road salt and other material that gets dislodged from the wheels.

My previous suv, a 2004 RX 330 had wheel well liners made of a much stronger molded plastic.
I can't imagine what would happen due to road salt corrosion if the liners in the wheel openings of the 2015 RX350 should ever tear or get punctured by stone chips.

Has anyone else addressed s this problem with their Lexus dealers? It's on my agenda.

recycled

Although my RX350 is a 2011 it came from the Toronto area and it came off lease. I believe Toronto has a reputation for using salt on the road and when I had a PPI done here I had them check for salt damage and the mechanic said it was clean. It has 74k kilometres(approx 45 k miles) with no issues.
Guy

Raoul

My 2015 RX has more plastic protection on its nether regions than any vehicle I've encountered.
I was able to determine this when I installed my hitch.
I can't speak to relative thickness of plastic with regard to previous models.
To me it appears the thickest piece on the '15 is attached to the underside of the hood.
All other plastic parts seem the same thickness on the undercarriage to include the wheel wells.
I believe the 'fabric over plastic' component in the wheel wells is a sound deadening measure.

Even plastic has weight.
Lexus may be using thinner plastic but, there is a lot more coverage going on.
A 'bang for the buck' approach.

vlad_a

It's sound deadening. I would qualify it as better quality, as it serves a purpose.
3rd winter on our RX. No issues so far.

kitlz

Five winters here and the liners are holding up well. And I've been in there a few times changing out the fog lights. No signs of damage at all. My only complaint, it's a PITA to clean over my '04.

AL13NV8D3R

Like what others have said, i would NOT buy a new lexus WITHOUT that fabric liner under the wheel wells. That fabric helps keep most road noise coming from the tires at bay. Its also very durable and it would not tear or punture even if it takes a hit by road debris. My wife ran over a large chunk of tire laying on the road and i was sure the wheel liner must be broken. When we got home i jacked up the car to inspect for damage and to my surprise there was zero damage to wheel liner or undercarriage of the car.

Other cars that have these liners on the Lexus lineup is the Lexus LX, LS and the GS.

jfelbab

That material has both good and bad traits. The good, as mentioned is that is adds sound isolation. The bad... the material absorbs water and road grime and when you park in the garage after driving in the slop it drips the grunge for a long time making your garage floor a filthy eyesore. The really bad part comes when/if you drive over fresh road paint and it splatters on the fiber. It is virtually impossible to remove that road paint. Only viable option is to spray paint it. I much prefer the former fender liners.

rfcbuf

If the material absorbs sound and also moisture, would it not also absorb road salt in snow belt areas of the country ? The long term effect of a salt impregnated material attached to a vehicle does not sound encouraging.

kitlz

rfcbuf, mine are all white at the moment from road salt with some ice. I'll take pictures before and after the 450h gets washed this weekend to give you a better idea. Fall is the worse time of year IMO with leaf bits that get caught in the felt part. But it can be removed with strong stream of water from the hose or a power washer. Like I said, five plus years and I haven't had an issue with the liners. Only the screws holding it in place in spots (most are plastic clips) have rusted a little but no damage otherwise. And nobody in this forum has mentioned having a problem with them either.

lexus114

Ha! your right about the fall leaves Anita! Hahahahaha

Clutchless

I have removed the wheel well liners to install additional paint on sound deadening. There is plenty of rust protection under those felt liners. They are quite thick and sturdy. I would not worry about rust under them or road salt penetrating them. We have much more minor surface rust on visible suspension pieces than you will ever get in the wheel wells. I doubt we would get rust through on the wheel wells like you see on old Hondas.

rayaans

As silly as it sounds, I clean mine with all purpose cleaner and a toilet brush

Works very well actually! And if im doing a full detail, i dye it with a product called Autosmart Midnight - Useful for carpets too

BertL

Not silly at all. I also use a stiff brush on a long handle as required, but use Griot's Garage Undercarriage Spray to blacken up the bits. Works great to cover up any little mess that remains and provides a decent smell at the same time that seeps through the inside vents as well.

kitlz

OK, as promised here are a few pics of the liners before and after. Missing are pics of the dirt piles left on the ground by the power washer.

NateJG

How did that go?

Any pix or suggestions?