This is a follow-up on my 2015 LS 600hL dashboard issues. I contacted Lexus corp headquarters directly first with a written letters then emails to Scott Thompson, Dejuan Ross and others along with getting an estimate with Stevenson Lexus in Lakewood CO. Only Dejuan Ross (his secretary) answered my email and to make a long story short they determined - after speaking with the dealership - that the reason my dashboard (see pic - that is not a car that has been garaged since purchased) came apart and has air bubbles is that it was parked in the sun for an extended period of time. Their assumption in wrong as the car has been garaged with 51K miles. The replacement cost for a new dashboard is $16,000 plus $2,606.20 for installation (attached). I am a long time Lexus owner and the LS is the second high priced car in their lineup but, they chose to do NOTHING to help with the costs or admit it was faulty dashboard. I go to many Cars and Coffee and Car show throughout the Denver area - I am not going to repair the dashboard and I will show it as is and tell Lexus owners my story. I am done with companies that will not stand behind their products. Yes, I know it is out of warranty but, this has never happened to any other cars I have owned.

 

The reality of this is....this is what happens to leather dashboards over time with exposure to the sun. This happens on Mercedes, Ferraris, everything. The car is 9 years old, manufacturers aren't going to cover this...

Many posts about this on the Mercedes forums as well, MB doesn't cover it either.

 

Are there any recommendations on what to clean our dashes with so they don't look like this? On my other Lexus, I use a damp microfiber cloth, and that's it; but the ES has the sticky dash issues. They fixed the worst of it by my model year. My dash is black and I live in the South. I'm not sure about putting any chemicals or cleaners on it that could cause damage.

 

Is your dash leather? Its only leather in the LS600h, and 13-17 LS460L executive models

 

Oh, I guess it isn't then. 14 SWB base; so I guess the same as I use on the other car--damp microfiber cloth.

 

I would use a protectant like perhaps Koch Chemie Top Star

https://www.detailedimage.com/Koch-C...xoCkuoQAvD_BwE

For the leather dash I would use their Leather Star

 

Yes, it is leather and as you can see with the bubbling effect - it is defective. My beef is that Lexus is unwilling to acknowledge its defective and the replacement costs are ridiculous. $16,000.00 for the dashboard and $2,606.00 for installation. I was asking for help with the costs not total coverage. I have been a loyal Lexus customer for many years and unfortunately now I will be selling it and moving on.

 

The reality is.... I don't own a MB or Ferrari. The real numbers are car has 51K miles - basic math is 51,000 divided by 9 years = 5,666 miles driver per year. I bought the car in late 2019 with 30K miles. That is approx to 4K miles a year - I drive the car and it has been always garaged in Colorado. The reason I contacted Lexus directly are the replacement costs - $16,000.00 dashboard and another $2,606.20 for installation - I think anyone reading the comment would feel the same way - those number are ridiculous or approx. a little less than half the resale value of the entire car - which by the way the retail price was $120K. I was looking for help, not total replacement costs from Lexus and they did neither. A warranty clerk called me and all she said it is out of warrant and she referenced the car as a LS 600hE - she does not know the model number. A 2015 LS 600hL is a rare car - you will see more Ferrari's on the road than my car - so in my mind Lexus should have offered some type of relief for their defective dashboard. I noticed the dashboard in 2021 but, I had more pressing issues to worry about than a dashboard during COVID however, it could have have happened sooner - from the drivers seat perspective you cant really notice the bubbling. I did get a PPI inspection in late 2019 when I purchased the car from a Lexus dealership plus I had my son look over the inside and outside before the purchase - nothing was mentioned. Sadly, I am done with Lexus after many years of ownership - such as yourself. It is embarrassing that I have to write this comment on a Lexus website but, those are the facts and I will continue to tell me story and if 2-3 people have doubts about purchasing a Lexus - that would have paid for my new dashboard from Lexus. My son was going to by a 2023 LC 500 - not anymore. Thank you for you comment.

 

Whether you own an MB or Ferrari doesn't matter. Leather is a natural material and this commonly happens to leather dashes. Its not defective, it just hasn't been cared for and its old. This is one of the reasons why I am happy my S560 does't have the upgraded leather option that makes the dash real leather. Here is a picture of one of them, about the same age and the same problem:



This is a Porsche, same problem:



This is a Jeep, same problem:



BMW, same problem:



The sad reality, 10 years or so it is just not uncommon for leather dashes to have shrunk and for this to happen, Lexus isn't going to cover this, and none of those other manufacturers cover this either.

You don't have to pay the dealer. I would take it to an upholstery shop and see what they say. You can also buy a used dash. This is one for $450, its not the leather one but that might be preferable:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/14535705011...Bk9SR5DNvP7aYw

Refusing to buy another Lexus makes no sense, because no other manufacturer covers this either, but if it makes you feel better thats your perogative.

 

There is a very slim chance that a dash replacement on that car will not have an actual or perceived noise that will drive you and some installer nuts, I would get a cover for it and save yourself any more aggravations.

 

I think the only answer for a problem like this is prevention, knowing all the while I am master of the obvious, we need to cover up preferably the entire car of course but just the dash if that's all you have time for. I realize this does no good for people with cars already damaged, but obviously no one in their right mind is paying $20K to fix it. Dashboard cover is probably what most people are going to do, before and after dash damage.

 

Have your windshield tinted with a ceramic clear tint, and use a sunshade when parked out in the sun

 

I need to reach out to Lexus Corporate about a problem. Could you share Scott Thompson and Dejuan Ross's email?
Thank you