Hey guys, I just bought a 2008 IS250, and the trunk release button is literally melted to nothing.
Should I go with OEM, which eventually failed miserably like shown in the picture,
or has anyone found a good aftermarket part that worked well?

 

Maybe it was done intentionally. My car sits out in Texas heat, and it doesn't look like that.

 

I was thinking it could be damage from repeated contact with alcohol-based hand sanitizer. ISO alcohol can deteriorate certain kinds of rubber.

As another data point, my trunk button is two years older than CowBoE's, and is still in perfect condition.

 

The previous driver was a female college student, who drove it for over 6 years, so it could be some lotion she was using that accelerated the rubber deterioration.

 

I see many YouTube videos on Lexus Trunk release rubber button melting like this, not just on IS, but other models as well.

 

It's a common problem on many Lexus vehicles, my old LS430 had it. OEM replacement I put on did not deteriorate.

EDIT some links

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...placement.html