I have the dreaded white dust coming onto my dash and the dealer told me I need to have my heater core replaced. Has anyone had this done? I am scared that I'll start getting rattling and other dashboard noises once they fix this. Yet, I really don't want to breathe in white dust either!

 

One is a maybe and the other is for sure. Which one is more or less annoying. Talk to the dealer about possible rattle and I am sure they will work on it till you are satisfied [or willing to live with the noise].

Salim

 

The white dust is the result of a bad heater core? Did Lexus say the dust was hazardous? How many mile do you have on the RX?

 

No, Lexus didn't say it was hazardous but it's a real pain to clean off. It just settles in on the dash and doesn't wipe off easily. Apparently, the heater cores didn't go through the final sanding process in manufacturing and that's where the dust comes from. Personally, I feel that any kind of dust is a lung irritant so I want to fix it ASAP!

 

There was a TSB on the white dust. They will replace your evaporator if it is under warranty (48 mos/50K).

Otherwise, no warranty, it is very costly.

Replacing the evaoprator means the whole dash is torn down.

Are you still covered?

 

Are you sure that you didn't park where some dust got in the fresh air vent? Or that some idiot didn't dump some flour or the like on your fresh air vent. I recall where someone dumped red pepper on someone's fresh air vent and it took a long time for it to go away. I do not think it is your heater core.

 

Mandyfig,

Wouldn't this be covered until CPO vehicles too since a/c and heating is covered under CPO warranty?

 

Good question. Only one way to find out. Ask Lexus.

See this is not a mechanical failure. So it is hard to know.

 

CPO does not mean that the TSB's covered by the warranty is essentially extended, JM2C.

 

Very true, not a mechanical failure. And since it poses no health risk, it's would be a minor inconvenience (to clean the dash every week/day)

 

It is looking like it. This would have qualified in the TSB as long as you showed proof that the white dust was prevalent. There was a long thread on this a while back.

The dealers tried to stay away from it because it was such a big job and things can go wrong and they end up re-working their repair (which Lexus did not pay for the re-work).

The ones who had it so bad, like in a day the dash would be all white, got it done. The ones who had a minor white deposit had a heck of time.

There's always the Lexus 800 #.

At least try.

 

So has anyone seen some sort of certification that this dust is not hazardous? Sure, Lexus can say it's not but what exactly is this dust made of? Asbestos? But seriously, what could drivers be potentially breathing into their lungs?

 

From what I have read (and there are serious threads on this) the dust is actually a coating on the evaporator coils that are peeling off. Nothing hazardous.

The TSB says the whole evaporator had to be changed.

It is more of a nuisance and an emotional thing, when your dash turns white in a day or so, you will be pissed!

 

Yes, I found the other thread. It's a anti-bacterial coating. Well, not sure if I have this problem, but had noticed white flakes on the dashboard and attributed to "dust". I'll have to clean the dashboard and see how long it takes for the "Lexus dust" to form.

Thanks you the info.

 

I wonder how much the evaporator costs? Might to it myself.