Cracked Dash on RX 300

[Ruze]

Hey all, my very first post here. I recently purchased a 2004 RX 300 and I love it so far, but I've had terrible luck with cars in the past and I'm a little pessimistic regarding it's longevity. Still, I love the car so far and I'm in the midst of looking over what it'll need to keep it going as long as possible. I noticed a fine crack on the dashboard, which I was okay with on purchase, but a little surprised by as I assumed it was mostly a US problem where climates tend to be much hotter. 

Anyway, climates in the UK aren't getting any cooler, so I wondered if anyone else had this on a Lexus over here and whether Lexus still replaced these for free. I'm pretty sure any warranty on them has long passed by now, but still curious to see if anyone has had any luck. 

[PCM]

I've not heard of this on an RX...and I very(!) much doubt Lexus would now replace it.

Things to check... underneath corrosion and when was the timing belt changed?

Enjoy.

[Ruze]

It's quite a common problem in the States. It's less common in the UK because our climates are cooler. I'm pretty sure it's not due to any corrosion they normally crack because of high heat and humidity.

In fact, my guess would be the crack appeared recently during our recent extremely hot weather a couple months back. Timing belt was changed a few years ago, my RX only has 85k on it.

[Spock66]

Plastics do age and generally become more brittle, I think the only potential warranty cover would be from the supplying dealer if that's where you sourced the vehicle from.

[PCM]

17 hours ago, Ruze said:

I'm pretty sure it's not due to any corrosion they normally crack because of high heat and humidity.

I was referring to 'corrosion' (underneath) as something to check generally, not as related to a dashboard crack...

[Ruze]

Ah, I follow you, thanks! It's due a full service soon so will ask them to have a look for me. 

[Bluemarlin]

If it's relatively corrosion free underneath, it's worth giving the underside a liberal spray with something like ACF 50 before winter. It's about £25 for a bottle, and if you decant it into a hand pump sprayer it takes less than 30 minutes to do and gives some protection against rust. In the winter I also attach a cheap lawn sprayer to a hose and give the underside a rinse every now and then to clear any salt.

As for the cracked dashboard, depending on how bad it is you can try and fix it with some kind of flexible filler. It won't be perfect but will stop it spreading. This guy did it with Sugru, which is pretty easy to work with:

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=how+to+fix+cracked+dashboard#kpvalbx=_mnoYY5-PHq-ZhbIP4auCqAk_67

For ongoing protection I use 303 protectant to wipe over the seats, dash and plastics. It's used on boats to protect against UV cracking and fading.