BrockNRoll

This is the response that I got from our local Lexus dealer. This is the last Lexus I will own. They either stand behind their cars or they don't and it doesn't appear that they do. The "goodwill gesture" line is a joke! For over $50K, I expect more than a "goodwill gesture". Air conditioning occurs by the extraction of heat from the ambient air by way of an evaporative process. In an automotive system the condensation predominately collects at the base of the evaporator core. This moisture is extracted from the evaporator case through gravity by a drain tube. Airborne oils and solid matter are filtered through a fine micron filter element. To further reduce odor, Lexus offers a charcoal impregnated air filter as an option. Regardless of the filter, some of these particles remain airborne and attach themselves to the evaporator case. In this moist environment, mildew develops which can cause an objectionable odor. To remedy this condition a number of automotive manufacturers and automotive chemical suppliers offer evaporator cleaning kits. The Lexus evaporator cleaning kit, include a disinfectant to remove mildew and slow its future growth. The frequency of this service depends on such factors as atmospheric humidity, Lexus intake settings, frequency of use and airborne dust and dander levels. For these reasons an evaporator case clean and disinfect service should be performed periodically As a measure to address the odor concern expressed by Mrs. Brock on her service visit to us on November 1, 2016, we suggested using the fresh air mode as much as possible and gave tips to reduce the amount of moisture to get caught in the evaporator. Lexus of Knoxville also offered an evaporator case cleaning service to Mrs. Brock as a onetime goodwill gesture. Which we are still happy to perform at no cost, if Mrs. Brock would allow.

We purchased a 2015 ES300h in August of last year. Early this summer, we started noticing a mildew type odor when we started the car. I brought this to the attention of our local Lexus service department who advised me that this was a "known issue" in several newer models and that they were still working to resolve the problem. They provided me with literature on how to reduce the odors like switching the A/C to fresh air before I park it and getting the A/C evaporator cleaned as frequently as biannually. I'm sorry, but I'm appalled! First, the literature that they gave me was dated in 2013 so they darn well knew about this and should have disclosed it as a potential problem when we bought the car. Second, I don't know about everyone else, but we paid a pretty penny for this car and we should not have odors a year in. We don't have kids at home, no pets in the car, we don't smoke, don't use air fresheners, the car is garaged ALWAYS and we don't have our trash cans in the garage which are all some of the contributing factors that they listed for causing additional odors. This is unacceptable and after having owned several other Lexus vehicles previously, I never expected it. I've lived it Florida where it's much hotter and more humid than Tennessee and didn't have these issues.