/www.lexusreimbursement.com

[stephenden]

i have a lexus rx 350 2007 with headlight condensation the problem has been recognised in the usa now
http://www.lexusreimbursement.com
but lexus uk will not support it any ideas

[steve2006]

Hello and welcome to the LOC.

There is a discussion on the RX forum at the moment comparing Lexus USA and Lexus GB and the facts are even if the Lexus US are replacing components or performing recalls it is not a worldwide right to the same here in the UK.

Your vehicle is out of manufacturer's warranty and all you can do is appeal to Lexus UK for a donation towards the cost of replacement but they are under no obligation to do so.

From reading the link you provided it would appear that the repairs are being carried out as a gesture of goodwill and being a cosmetic problem as opposed to a safety issue I doubt the same will be offered by Lexus GB.

[stephenden]

Hi Steve

The reason lexus USA have started this program is because

They were taken to court in the USA for the water in the light causing an rx to cut out

It was filed as a safety issue in California

[ColinBarber]

unfortunately that falls far short of the safety recall criteria in the UK. From the AA web site:

A safety related defect is a failure due to design and/or construction, which is likely to affect the safe operation of the product without prior warning to the user and may pose a significant risk to the driver, occupants and others. A defect will be common to a number of products that have been sold for use in the UK.

Such defects involve sudden and catastrophic failure with little or no warning to enable the driver to take preventative action, and cannot normally be identified by routine maintenance.

[Boxbrownie]

You'll be lucky to get an aknowledgement from Lexus UK about this............

From the Lexus US site

"This cosmetic condition is corrected by replacing the affected Headlamp Housing. Due to the high cost of these repairs, Lexus has decided to provide this Warranty Enhancement Program in the interest of customer satisfaction."

Its a pity Lexus UK thinks so little of customer satisfaction.........try ringing them, it'll be fun conversation I am sure!

[stephenden]

I phoned lexus uk first they said it was a different car in the USA , then they said they knew of the problem on cars from 2004 /2009

& if I'd taken it back when it was under warranty , they had a 15 minute water test if it didn't clear in that time they would have replaced it free of charge ! Was anybody lucky enough to get there's done!

[Boxbrownie]

Exactly, different car? Yes......LHD......same lamp housing though, just a different shield pattern in the projector.

So they knew there was a problem on our cars also? But would only do anything within warranty, which is exactly the point of your post as in the States Lexus are willing to extend the warranty as a goodwill gesture way out of warranty period but here in the UK, forget it.

Have you checked that the unit still has all the seals and bulb "plates" in place? Anyone of these loose or missing could let moisture in and cause the problem, although it sounds like there could be a generic build problem with certain lamps, maybe insufficient sealer around the lens to housing?

[digitaldecks]

Hi All,

apologies for using the old thread but couldn't find a newer.

my front driver side headlight is experiencing heavy condensation. call from lexus as car is in MOT and service right now saying that the cost will be £1000..something like that. ive asked did it fail the MOT or not. waiting for call back.

anyone recently experienced this? and what action they took. i will start to look on eBay and local breakers yards but time is very tight. anyone know how much one should pay for a new part.

this is such a disappointment to know that there is an ongoing issue for many lexus owners. over a grand for a light assembly.. what a joke

thanks if anyone can advise

[Bluesman]

Get Watchdog onto it. While there is no legal threat or lots of bad publicity they wont do a thing. Mike.

[tom123]

Hi All,

apologies for using the old thread but couldn't find a newer.

my front driver side headlight is experiencing heavy condensation. call from lexus as car is in MOT and service right now saying that the cost will be £1000..something like that. ive asked did it fail the MOT or not. waiting for call back.

anyone recently experienced this? and what action they took. i will start to look on ebay and local breakers yards but time is very tight. anyone know how much one should pay for a new part.

this is such a disappointment to know that there is an ongoing issue for many lexus owners. over a grand for a light assembly.. what a joke

thanks if anyone can advise

I managed to get Lexus to pay for a repair they tried to squirm out of paying for under their warranty by writing to one of the car magazines.

[ColinBarber]

They won't do anything full stop. An 8 year old vehicle that could have been involved in all sorts of knocks etc. Take the back off and let it dry out, shouldn't take too long in the current hot weather. Otherwise remove the lights, place in the oven, separate and then reseal. The headlight assemblies themselves are expensive because of the adaptive lighting system.

[ChrisKaye]

There was a TSB for this.

Too much moisture accumulates / pools in the Denso headlight ballast and will cause it to prematurely fail.

Lexus in the U.S. changed something with the headlamp and issued TSB guidance to dealers on how Qualify cars for whether they require the fix.

Also, vent tubes for the lights in the U.S. sites were said to get clogged really easily and are worth cleaning out (requires front bumper skin removal ~30mins) to get to the headlight and remove it. The heat from headlights should evaporate the water/condensation and it should leave headlight assembly through the tube.

Some owners made extra holes in headlight to fix the issue, too.

If you google, you'll find a write up from a chap with a shiny black RX... Sorry I don't have the link to hand!

Chris.