Water Ingress Rx400H 2006

[jonathanca14]

Hi Folks, 

Sorry to re awaken an old post. My RX400h broke down last week because of the dreaded water ingress setting off the hybrid malfunction, unaware of this it went into Lexus who drained out the water and told me it would be £900 just to strip the interior out before they started to find the leak, I've followed all the advice on here so far regarding sealing the rear struts, the rear seam. Now silly question but in the photos above the bumper meats that plastic trim perfectly, mine has a gap akin to the bumper not quite sitting right, would this gap allow water into the interior? 

Also at the top of the plastic trim (the one adjacent to the light held in by one screw) should that have a gap at the top to allow water underneath? Im at the stage now where i'm happy to put sealant anywhere as long as water doesn't get back in and blow the hybrid electrics!!

 

Happy to put some pictures up if that will help 🙂 

[chrisbv]

On March 6, 2020 I purchased a 2006 Lexus RX 400h from the original owner; garage kept, 39 pages of documented service history with 150K miles.  It was a great car... until the recent spate of torrential rain.  Two days ago, after a very sever storm, the car started, but the instrumentation panel lit up like a Christmas tree; P/S, ABS, Hybrid Battery, etc were all alarming.  The car was towed to the service station.  They called today to inform me that the car appeared to be flooded and will need $3.5 to $4K in repairs! Seriously?! This car cannot be left out in the rain?..

They were blaming the sunroof, but then I told them about service bulletins 0019-09 and 0045-09 and asked that they check the body seams above the rear door strut.  They said they'd get back to me this Sunday.

Furthermore, they said I could possibly make a claim on my insurance, but that seems to penalize me for poor workmanship on Lexus' part. If it is the seam that leaked water into the floor well what are the chances that Lexus will make me whole and fix their mistake?  The car is in otherwise excellent condition and a joy to drive. 

[rich1068]

Hi Chris. Sorry to hear all that and I'll get the unpleasantness out of the way first. Unless you bought the car from Lexus there's roughly zero chance of them sorting it FOC or with any significant reduction in cost. And if it's at Lexus now I'd get it away from them because they're not that interested in cars this age. Love my local dealer but that add a few 00s and want you away. Get it to a trusted garage or back home if you're able to work on it yourself. Secondly, I like the brand and love the cars but I'm no fan boy. It's 14 years old, has 150k on the clock and you have no idea how it's been used since 2006. I don't think we can really bang on about poor workmanship.

All said with no intention of causing offence! I would love to be corrected and find out Lexus have sprung to the repairs.

There are various other threads on here regarding water ingress that seems to effect some of these earlier RXs. After a few months I had the same issue with mine and also read about the seams around the tailgate. I re-sealed those, as well as under the feet of the gas struts, under the feet of the roof rails, around the back of the rear light clusters and around the fixings for the rear bumper trim where it goes into the boot. One of them fixed it. 

Keep us posted.

[steve2006]

How times change, when the LS400 was initially sold back in 1990 it was said that Toyota made a loss on every one that was sold due to the amount of money spent on development and the quality of components used. However at the time it wasn’t about the money it was beating the likes of Mercedes and other luxury car makers to the top podium position.

Things changed with the LS430, gone was the near full stainless exhaust, delaminating windows and rust on doors appeared.

Move on again a few years and costs get cut again to maximise margins.....let’s hope we don’t return to British Leyland build quality!

 

[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. 

[rich1068]

Come on guys. 16 years old with 150k miles? Anyone care to throw in an M Class or X5 of equivalent age and mileage and see how they compare? It's an extremely unfortunate set of circumstances that seem to have LED to the electrical problems on this particular RX but I'd still choose one over the other two all day long. Nothing to do with how they drive, handle, mpg, whatever. Just where my money is safest and how likely it is that I'm going to have to throw more at it.

[Greisingel]

The French are suffering too. 

http://forum.clublexis.com/viewtopic.php?id=25355

The argument that a 15 year old vehicle should be let off the hook I don’t feel stands up. Lexus’s reputation is under question especially given that this is a hybrid with looms running along floor and a HV Battery that can kick out 600+ volts.

Not acceptable. Weld seals should never open. And if the anti corrosion is good enough they’ll never expose. I expect more from a Lexus.

Do Prius’s leak?  Didn’t Toyota let Lexus in on the secret of incredible reliability?

Anyhow it’s peeing down here in Blighty. Storm Christophe. I know what will be waiting for me in my 2006 Rx400h rear tool recess. I’ll get the space heater and dehumidifier ready  I’ll be going in with industrial sealant

 

 

[Greisingel]

I discover I, like 100s of others, am in the same boat (pun intended) and almost certainly on the receiving end of the POAA6 / 526 / 612 error. I have cleared these after pointing my car’s nose downhill and attempting a dry out. 

Now I must seal the intrusion points. I have bought a full car cover to get through the winter. 

Anyone suggest a robust untearable car cover they use and like. 

[Russell Wheeler]

Had a look at mine, as came accross this thread. Yup, same as everyone else water in the boot, although you can't see it unless you remove the rear plastic tray. Did all the mods, and still seem to have seepage, although much better. Drilled a couple of holes in the boot floor, so if water does get in, it can get back out.

[not impressed]

Has no one filed a complaint with regulators on this? In the USA it would be the NHTSA. I just filed one myself. I took over a 2006 RX400h from my late father and it is presenting all of these error. The CSR at the dealer told me what the problem likely was so it seems like Toyota should have done something about it. Owners shouldn't be on the hook for a multi-1000 dollar/pound repair for poor welds and inadequately protected electronics. 

Edited January 29, 2023 by not impressed
speling/typos

[Russell Wheeler]

On 1/29/2023 at 12:40 AM, not impressed said:

Has no one filed a complaint with regulators on this? In the USA it would be the NHTSA. I just filed one myself. I took over a 2006 RX400h from my late father and it is presenting all of these error. The CSR at the dealer told me what the problem likely was so it seems like Toyota should have done something about it. Owners shouldn't be on the hook for a multi-1000 dollar/pound repair for poor welds and inadequately protected electronics. 

2006 - It's between 16 and 17 years old, already past the design life of most cars. I wouldn't expect anything at this age.  It's getting to the end of its life. Mine has various problems. The boot won't self close, the DVD's in the headrests don't work anymore. The CD player is intermittent. The mechanism in the closing door mirrors failed and is now fixed with a hidden woodscrew. Both subframes are corroded. It's getting old.