paul marsden

OFF TOPIC WARNING unless Toyota sort themselves out and quick I doubt they like many other legacy car makers will have any meaningful position in the next 10 years.

@welland water will flow through the car. What I think happened with mine was water collected in the lowest part of the car - from memory this would be the maintenance area in the boot. Once that filled up it overflows. From schematics I found ALOT of electronics are in the bottom of the car. These were unaffected by my problem and my car was soaked through. My hybrid batteries were non usable and carpets were replaced although I guess you could dry them out and anti fungicide applied. In hindsight what I noticed was:-entertainment / sat nav system shutting off intermittently (most noticeably when driving in a downpour). Windows being foggy in the morning. If you have a sun roof it is possible that this could be a cause of the leak. All the information I found indicated issues at the rear of the car around gaskets / seals and seams. The boot seam was the problem I had. I don’t have any info re removing items - sorry. Paul

Hi all. It’s been a while, I am genuinely upset that more people are innocently discovering this issue. To those people that are still having an issue please be reassured that there is a problem and one that can be resolved. I can’t confirm that the solution will be cost neutral - that will depend on your individual circumstances but there is s solution My history - I’m not a wealthy man but I do aspire to the “trappings” of that lifestyle. When I purchased a Lexus 400H - this was, at least to me, one of those trappings. I wasn’t naive enough to believe that this car was perfect,it isn’t as time has proven but we buy a belief : vision don’t we? That aside, my heart rate increases when I discover that a problem is still a) being experienced by people several years later (some of whom may have my outlook on life and who have purchased a “quality” product) several years after my own personally expensive “education”and b) being CONTINUALLY dismissed / questioned for whatever reason (Dealer / apologist?) by members(s) who have not owned the car for several years but still feel that is valid to comment and portray this as a “guess you were unlucky as it never happened to me and I’m very informed,so sorry”. LEXUS call back the UK cars and fix them - you’ll get Kudos and the respect of current and would be owners. Has this issue manifested in USA/Europe/anywhere else? If so could you let us know how that was remedied and different approaches are in operation in different plants? As an owner, if you have water in your boot or anywhere else, you have a problem with your car - it can be fixed. This forum has outlined what you need to do - SEAL EVERWHERE that water can get in. How much this costs you and how much time you must invest is down to your financial circumstances/ tenacity / circumstances/ brand reputation My resolution - I paid (via an interest feee credit card) to get it fixed (I could have bought a decent 2nd hand car for the price!) I now now drive a premium brand that isn’t a Lexus Would i buy Lexus again? Never Would I lease a Lexus - yep sure - any issues aren’t my problem Is this what the brand represents? - Need to ask Lexus / Togaota marketing but not to my mind - but it appears to be the reality. This is such a shame and a missed commercial opportunity for a company that (honestly?)!wants to do the right thing and is seemingly well placed in the electric vehicle / hybrid age My next car will be electric ( it’s the future 😀) but probably a Tesla (based on my brand perception and experience.) Lexus have lost my faith and done very little to win it back - great brand, great vision - poor realisation when things go wrong. if I can offer any additional pointers to resolve then I will - there are legal constraints on the detail I can provide with regards to my individual circumstance - as stated earlier it can be fixed - requires effort / money to get it fixed Options as I see them DIY? Dicuss with previous owner / garage/ Lexus ? Petition Lexus to do a recall? Drill a hole to let the water out? Dry it out, trade it in and make it someone else’s problem? Paul

Sorry to hear of your problems. My advice is try and prevent as much extra water getting in if at all possible. Get the car as dry as you can - lift the carpets out and thoroughly dry it out. There are a lot of electronics on the underfloor and water and electronics do not mix well. Finally do not try and find the leak with a water test until you have got the water that is in there out.

Hi Nigsy. There's a diagram one page back and a link to a website that may help - regrettably I can't as Lexus repaired mine. Paul

Got the RX back tonight. In essence regrettably nothing Lexus GB could do to help on this occasion - an indefinite warranty can't be given. Had rear seam re-sealed and packing, rr (the rear light cluster gasket?) replaced. Part number L81552-48141 and now have new hybrid battery and new interior carpet. Nice but not what i had planned to have replaced. For now this chapter is closed. Good luck all Paul

Thanks guys. Perhaps its my current mindset but things don't seem that joined up between Lexus Poole and Lexus GB. Think I'll speak to Lexus HQ on Monday and find out what is going off. Paul

Hi all. Sorry to hear about your issue Nev - is the same as you had before or did you change your car and have a new problem? I've heard back from Lexus Poole. Mine was letting in water from the rear lights - this has been resolved and car is ready for collection. Given the previous threads on this issue where rear light gaskets have been chnaged and water is still coming in - I'm a little concerned as to the completenes of the fix. I'm being pushed to hand the courtesy car back and hand over my credit card to pay for the repair and then pursue Lexus GB for a contribution. Never having had to deal with this type of problem before i'm not sure what my options are. Any input / advice or previous experience then i'd be delighted to receive it. Paul

Hi all. Firstly I'd like to offer my thanks to all those that have gone out of their way to find the cause of the problem and share that information. Really pleased to hear that, dare I day it? a solution has been found. It does sound like an unexpected but grudgingly necessary action to waterproof our 4x4's. Each time I see an RX 400 I wonder if that particular owner is aware of the potential problem they may be storing up. Mine remains in the garage being fixed and fingers crossed I will be in a more informed position later this week.

No update re fix. Disappointingly after 3 weeks I'm led to believe that no cause of the leak has been found however I'm also unsure as to the efforts that have been expended to resolve. Steps to find resolution described as:- Need to do a water test to find leak - ok. Need to do the water test outside - ok. Need to fit the parts to move the car outside - err it wasn't driving when it was dropped off and found its way inside so possible to reverse the process? I've been promised it will be looked at next week.

Thanks Simon. I'll be advising Lexus of the thread to try and fix my leak and get the car back. Paul

Should also have a usb adapter on the top of the screens. Handy for storing lots of movies rather than taking dvd's with you. Just check out the acceptable formats before ripping your dvd's. Paul

Hi Vic, I can see your point. I had a previous IS200 for 5 years and that was absolutely rock solid and what led me to maintain my loyalty to the brand. This episode has shaken my confidence and I'm watching further developments with interest. My (fixed?) car should be back this week. Paul

Hi all. Just a quick note to say sorry that so many appear to be experiencing this problem. I'm not able to provide any clues as to the cause yet as my car is currently with Lexus being investigated and they can't undertake a water test until they can move it outside. When i have more info I'll gladly share. Best wishes Paul

Great work Simon. Just as a matter of interest how did you reseal the seams and how long would you expect them (the replacements and the originals) to last? Paul

not wanting to appear ignorant but what does that mean in plain English :)

Hi Nev, I THINK the inverter is under the bonnet, the batteries are under the rear seats and the ecu is on the drivers side behind the drivers seat. Happy to defer to an expert though.

Hi Nev72, Not sure if what you've described is progress but you seem to be edging nearer a resolution. Did you happen to find out how the water got in? Paul

Nev72, not sure that my problem was with the inverter recall work. If the cause of your problem was water ingress which caused the hybrid issues then there would seem to be some similarity. I don't know how the recall work is undertaken but I wouldn't imagine it would be responsible for compromising the integrity of the bodywork - could be wrong though as not a mechanic. To give credit were it is due, I would be absolutely clueless as to this problem without Spurtys dedication to tracing the problem and posting it. Keep us informed.

Hi Nev72. I'm sorry to hear about your problems and hope you manage to get it resolved to your satisfaction. Thankfully nobody was hurt in the "shut down" process. I've read elsewhere that this has happened on motorways etc presenting all sorts of issues. Yes Lexus Poole are my local dealer and carried out the inverter recall work for me. I've never had a problem with them and always found there service really good. If you are suffering from water affecting the inverter it would be interesting to understand how this got into the vehicle. I'm staggered by how many of our cars are affected by this apparent problem - not what I'd expect from a car with the build quality reputation of Lexus.

Thanks Spurty. I'm writing to Lexus GB at the moment and copying in the dealer to see if they can do anything to help me. I'm shocked that this would happen to a bulletproof SUV. Mine is in no way mistreated and the closest it gets to any hazard is the supermarket car park! I don't want to put you in any potentially awkward position as you work for Toyota and i don't want to put words in your mouth but do you think that this is a design oversight? I did some research and understand there was a rear seam TSB issued in 2009. I wonder how many other RX owners are having similar trouble with the amount of rain we have had lately. Paul

Hi all. My story... I have a 2008 400h with 86k on the clock. On driving home on Friday night got the Check VSC and Check Hybrid warning system notification. Nursed the car home the remaining half a mile and went to have a look at it on Saturday. Long story short, drivers footwell was soaked, car wouldn't start. Tried soaking up the water on Saturday and Sunday, didn't seem to make any difference to the amount that was contained within the car. Had to have the car transported to my local Lexus garage. Have been asked if i've been driving through flood water (I haven't been flooded thankfully unlike some other poor unfortunates) the car has simply been left out in the rain i.e. not garaged overnight and not protected when in the work car park. So far my bill is sitting at £4k, need new carpets, new hybrid battery and still the cause isn't known although i'm sure it will be located eventually. Advice on next steps. Paul

Hi Teejaybee. Sorry to hear of your problems i can only sympathise and hope that i am more fortunate than you. Thanks to the other guys for replying. After thinking about this i decided to bite the bullet and go for the Lexus sensors especially as they are on special offer and with my LOC discount makes it almost bearable. Paul

Morning all, hope someone can shed some light. I'm due to collect an rx400 this coming Saturday and i'm stupidly excited about it. I have pretty much maxed out my budget and being a worry wart am a little concerned that when i come to park my new to me baby i'll scratch it! So the question is if i get some after market sensors fitted and anything subsequently goes wrong with the car will any potential warranty claim be declared void by me fitting non Lexus sensors even if done by a qualified person? I've also just read but that warranties don't cover multi media systems so i'm thinking that when i fit a grom or alternative aux enabled kit on my head be it. A little ironic to be worried about warranties given the reliability in general of Lexus - i've had nothing but rock solid reliability from my aged is200 which is getting traded in. All advice / opinions gratefully received.

Good prices. Don't suppose you have any of the rarer than rocking horse sh!t rear bearings as i need to swap out the lower hub bushes and have read that its a good idea to have the bearings replaced as well - unless i mis read it!