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AC blowing hot air. Condenser damagaged by road debris. Add us to the list.
Add us to the list of unhappy TX 350 owners who have lost their AC due to a condenser leak as a result of "road debris"
Lexus was quick to point out the repair would cost upwards of $2,000 and would not be covered under the warranty or extended warranty coverage purchased.
Vehicle has 12,000 miles and is 6 months old. Unhappy to say the least..
Filed a claim with NHTSA as well.
Last edited by jpuetthoff; Aug 14, 2025 at 03:52 PM.
Hey all, seems like too many people are getting condenser leaks from the wide open grill at the bottom, went searching at Lowe's and I think I found a decent solution... The mesh is a bit more fine then I think the job needed but there should be some decent air flow still since the sides are wide open.
Atlas gutter guard stainless 3' by 5". All I had to do is drill some holes in the gutter guard frame and zip tie it to the grill. You have to take off the under cover and slide out the foam bumper cushion to slide it into place.
Looks good, I wondered about that too for a screen cover! But what about the upper area of the front grill? Is it too an open area?
Ordered the 24” x 36” Lincane Aluminum black screen sheet from HD, and will post as soon as installed. TY
Last edited by SeniorNotso; Aug 14, 2025 at 01:40 PM.
Attached is the photo that was sent by the dealership (who I just say handled the discussion well but they of course did not want to cover the repair under warranty. But this photo to me does not appear to be the “puncture” that they’re saying it is but rather seems like a seam that has popped. No?
Update: Lexus has given me a "one-time good faith" repair for free. Likely because this is my 6th new Lexus in less than 12 years (all leased).
Although there is no cost me for this incident, I do anticipate this to possibly happened again during the next 2 yrs of my lease.....got the car brand new on 7/23/25.
I contacted my auto insurance agent and explained the situation, they said it would have been covered under my collision coverage - subject to my deductible, which is a fraction of the price vs. Lexus service quote.
I too will be submitting a complaint through theNHTSA.gov
Didn't like the fine mesh... Got this black abs grill from Amazon, easy to work with and looks more OEM to me. Kind of crazy how wide open the grill is..
Last edited by Biggitybakes; Aug 16, 2025 at 10:54 AM.
Thanks for the link Biggi. How did you attach the mesh to your vehicle? I plan to do the same for mine.
For the bottom mesh, I had to remove the black large under tray and the 2 side small plastic air guides for the brakes (10mm / pop clips). Once that is out there are 2 more pop clips I removed that hold the front bumper in place, this helps to slide out the foam bumper cushion. The foam cushion has 2 wedges that secure it to the bumper brace that you'll want to be gentle with it helps to reach your hand and pinch them when you slide it out. Now you should be able to slide in the mesh from the bottom. I just cut the mesh a bit bigger than the opening in the grill and tapered the top corners so it'll fit flush with the back of the grill. I then zip tied it to the grill with some black zip ties.. I didn't want to make any holes or permanent modifications.
For the top mesh I took off the plastic cover on the top where the hood rests, it's just held in with a bunch of pop clips, there are two weird clips but those pop out too with a pry tool.. then I removed the hood latch mechanism (3 - 10mm) to slide in the mesh piece and zip tied it to some wiring harnesses. I also cut out a notch on the top mesh so it can sit underneath the radar. It's not as secure as the bottom mesh but it was really hot when I did it and I couldn't find any good mounting points 😄 The mesh is pretty light and full of holes so i think its fine for now.
Removing the top shroud under the hood, it appears that you could slide in a 29”x 8" piece of abs mesh and slip it between the 2 outer plastic braces of the bottom condenser sides, like a sleeve. And possibly secure to back of Alum front bumper w/ ? It’ll be close to the condenser. Removing the hood release per Biggity instruction for an easier access. Not as good as directly behind the bottom poorly designed grill, but as an added screen protector. I, too, a little leery of attacking from underneath.
AC blowing hot air. Condenser damagaged by road debris. Add us to the list.
