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Hi I bought my 2012 RX 350 April 2012. I noticed that the rear mirror had like melting or warp look.then the side door panel and in back -wing of car (spooler?) had some ripples lines. I went to dealer first they said they would order parts for mirror and side panel (this was fix awhile back sept). but the have to get factory inspector to come out and inspect car for the spooler part. the day before inspector appt. the manager call and said he will not be coming and was assigned to another job? so then I dropped my car off because the manager says he needs to look car himself before determining anything. so after the manager inspect the car he states that it is not under warranty and feels that a 3rd party was involved. the reason he told me he thinks I parked my car near high efficiency windows and had reflected and caused the melting or warp or ripple on my car!.what the hell! that's bs! i plan to call to speak higher up and call lexus corp to complain but what do you think?..attached is mirror but pic for ripples on wing keep failing to upload =(
There was recently a story on "Ask This Old House" about vinyl siding warping due to reflections from high efficiency windows. Sounds like your service manager is a PBS viewer.
Seriously, who does this junior detective think he is? Seems like he's trying to find any explanation imaginable to deny your claim.
Based on your description, it does sound like your RX was subjected to extremely high heat, more than would typically be experienced parking out in the open on a hot summer day. I have heard of window reflections causing plastic to melt near glass office buildings and it seems like a reasonable possibility, if not a likely one from the point of view of a fly on the wall. It may be one of these "perfect storm" scenarios, the right time of day, the right place, and the right time of year that the sun was reflected and amplified back on an already very hot surface. It may have even been cumulative over days if parking in the same spot.
Question is, should something like this be covered under warranty? Environmental damage is typically not, but unlike driving into a lake, this type of damage is not so obvious to recognize and avoid.
My personal opinion is that it probably is not "technically" covered under warranty, but I think there is a case to be made for getting special consideration given the amount of damage and the unexpected nature of the cause. Keep hounding them, I'd like to think that Lexus would at least partially cover the repair costs if it happened to me (with a warning to find a better place to park?).
FWIW, I agree it's highly possible about extreme heat to be generated and reflected causing supposedly solid materials to melt. Anyone near downtown Los Angeles? You know the Walt Disney Concert Hall constructed with all those strange metal shapes a few years back? Even after all the testing, permits, etc that Gehry and the Music Center went through, there were nearby condos that got so hot the owners had to move out and some points in surrounding sidewalks exceeded 140-degrees at certain times of the day. It was frankly dangerous until a solution was found, effectively repolishing the sides of the building to reduce the reflective properties. A synopsis is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_Concert_Hall on Wikipedia.
All that to simply say, don't rule out the possibility of extreme heat causing the OPs problem. The question unfortunately is, when and where did it occur. The answer will help or hinder it being covered by Lexus warranty. I wish the best to the OP in resolution.
Yea but this car could had been in sun long before I got it and after I purchased it a.it might had gotten worst? Who knows but I had other cars before and weather been fair and this makes me thinks quality bad....I dont know.I dont park anywhere near high efficiency windows.majority is at work and its old bldg and parked near trees .its just that they first said they order parts and replacing it then the spooler part was not covered unless inspector checks it.and now manager said no none of these are under warranty.I waited patiently for month.and I got ugh sorry not covered. Thanks everyone for your inputs. I'll give you update on Corp
Is anyone else still having the melted/warped issue with molding on their Lexus? My daughter has a 2016 Lexus FSport 250 with this issue on the driver window molding and on the driver rear taillight molding. It looks like it melted in two spots. In addition, I just purchased a Toyota Camry 3 months ago that did the exact same thing on the same side! A Toyota rep was assigned to my case but Lexus will not assume my daughter's issue. They are saying that she must have parked near a reflective window in high heat to cause this. We live in Southern California, but not in the desert! I see on here that someone else had the same problem in 2013 and was given the same excuse. My car is parked mostly in the shade or garaged! Her's is parked in a parking garage or in front of our home. Just want to know if this is a reoccuring problem out there for other Lexus owners! This is Lexus - rear tail light trim Lexus Window Trim Toyota Window Trim Toyota Window Trim Toyota Window Trim - same side, just higher up!
I can tell you that I've parked my cars under extreme sun/heat and next to crazy hot building windows in the San Fernando Valley area of CA before - hell on earth. it's hot. No, it's really HOT over there. About as hot as AZ desert when you go to a place called Woodland Hills, CA. Plastics don't melt like that unless it was defective. No amount of reflection can bend plastic that much (if it did, it would be hazardous to humans). This whole Lexus people trying to cheat their way out of warranty repairs really bothers me.
I live about an hour outside Death Valley National Park boundaries. Our RX has seen months of 110-120°F, never garaged parked, and none of our trim looks like this yet.
This car has been garaged since we bought it but now that we bought another Lexus we have started parking this one outside on our driveway. Since we have, in the last few months the outside black siding beneath the windows has started melting on drivers side and on other side of car. WTH? We have a 1996 Ford Explorer and its siding isn’t melting and is a trillion years older than our RX330 and it’s been outside it’s whole life! This is definitely a manufacturer defect problem! Please do not ignore this. I cannot be the only one out there with this happening to their Lexus.
05-23-13, 06:55 AM
melting and moulding issues
