Carpet Discoloration In '04 Rx330 Flint Mica/lt. Gray Interior?

[donnalynn]

Please Help! My light gray carpet in my 2004 RX 330, is turning (cat urine) yellow in random patches on and under the mats in my car which have mats on top of them. This is the 2nd time it's happened, the carpets were replaced 2 years ago for the same problem. The car is private garaged day and night and no kids or animals are ever inside. The car looks new except for the carpets. I had them analyzed by a carpet technician who reports that the problem is not being caused by spills or cleaning agents (i have not cleaned the carpets, just vacuumed), but they're not sure what's causing the yellowing. They say it might be an over application of flourine which is a carpet stain protector. Need to know if anyone else is having this problem. Thank you!

[Rx330driver]

i own an 'o4 flint mica with a black interior cause i know that carpets can get messy. You might want to try taking them out and get your hose and jet stream them with soap and scrub it out before replacing them. Maybe you can get lexus to look at it?

[Booyah]

Funny it is happening to mine too under the mats on the drivers side I know---need to look at the passenger side?

I thought it was just me---but not really as I take EXTRA care of the car period!!! Weird. Ill have to take it to the dealer to see what he says.

Definantly not a housekeeping problem--somethings up?

[SW03ES]

Did you guys have the carpet protectant installed?

[Booyah]

Nope--I had nothing extra added to mine!

[SW03ES]

Hmmm...

And its only the carpet under the mats?

[donnalynn]

Nope--I had nothing extra added to mine!

I haven't added anything to my carpet. The carpet is yellowing on the mats, under the mats, on the sides, in the back, in random patches, not just under the mats but everywhere. I have black rubber mats over the lexus mats and it's happening under those mats, too. lexus claims that no one else is having this problem or has ever complained about this problem, so please report this to your dealer and call lexus customer sevice too, immediately. i have been talking to customer service for months. i suspect that people aren't noticing the problem. i'd love to hear if your dealer and lexus customer service person tells you the same story, that you're the only one who is having this problem. The first time it happened, i took it to a car wash detailer who cleaned the carpet but couldn't get the yellowing out. Then the carpet turned yellow everywhere, so i showed it to the dealer. they sent a lexus rep to look at it who said it was air freshener from the car washers. i got a bottle of the air freshener from the car washers and saturated the cargo mat with it. it didn't turn yellow. that's when lexus agreed to replace the carpets. when the new carpet started showing signs of yellowing, i took it in to show them. they said it was obvioulsy something i was causing, not a warranty issue! except that i'm single with no kids, and garage the car day and night. i hired a carpet technician who couldn't get the yellowing out. his report says the yellow carpet fibre is discolored from tip to toe indicating that it's not caused by spills. if you want to see my report, send me your e-mail address or fax number so i can send it to you.

[Booyah]

I have put nothing on my carpets either, no air fresher--NOTHING. I did try to get it out with some carpet cleaner the other day and it didnt budge. SO yes I will take the car to the delaer this week and talk to him about it. I will look throughout the car tomorrow and see if its cropping up anywhere else? If its all over like you--they will be replacing the carpets for sure. Ill let you know what I find out.

Luckly my dealer is SUPERB!

[OKEH1]

Nope--I had nothing extra added to mine!

I haven't added anything to my carpet. The carpet is yellowing on the mats, under the mats, on the sides, in the back, in random patches, not just under the mats but everywhere. I have black rubber mats over the lexus mats and it's happening under those mats, too. lexus claims that no one else is having this problem or has ever complained about this problem, so please report this to your dealer and call lexus customer sevice too, immediately. i have been talking to customer service for months. i suspect that people aren't noticing the problem. i'd love to hear if your dealer and lexus customer service person tells you the same story, that you're the only one who is having this problem. The first time it happened, i took it to a car wash detailer who cleaned the carpet but couldn't get the yellowing out. Then the carpet turned yellow everywhere, so i showed it to the dealer. they sent a lexus rep to look at it who said it was air freshener from the car washers. i got a bottle of the air freshener from the car washers and saturated the cargo mat with it. it didn't turn yellow. that's when lexus agreed to replace the carpets. when the new carpet started showing signs of yellowing, i took it in to show them. they said it was obvioulsy something i was causing, not a warranty issue! except that i'm single with no kids, and garage the car day and night. i hired a carpet technician who couldn't get the yellowing out. his report says the yellow carpet fibre is discolored from tip to toe indicating that it's not caused by spills. if you want to see my report, send me your e-mail address or fax number so i can send it to you.

Maybe it is the rubber mats which are causing the problem, Rubber has oils which can leach out over time.

I have the clear plastic mats bought from Lexus and the carpets under these are like the day I bought it.

One other thought, have you checked under the carpet yourself, maybe you faulty sound deadening padding, if it is you should see stains on the back of the carpet matting.

[SW03ES]

That is bizarre, I don't know what to tell you guys...

[donnalynn]

Nope--I had nothing extra added to mine!

I haven't added anything to my carpet. The carpet is yellowing on the mats, under the mats, on the sides, in the back, in random patches, not just under the mats but everywhere. I have black rubber mats over the lexus mats and it's happening under those mats, too. lexus claims that no one else is having this problem or has ever complained about this problem, so please report this to your dealer and call lexus customer sevice too, immediately. i have been talking to customer service for months. i suspect that people aren't noticing the problem. i'd love to hear if your dealer and lexus customer service person tells you the same story, that you're the only one who is having this problem. The first time it happened, i took it to a car wash detailer who cleaned the carpet but couldn't get the yellowing out. Then the carpet turned yellow everywhere, so i showed it to the dealer. they sent a lexus rep to look at it who said it was air freshener from the car washers. i got a bottle of the air freshener from the car washers and saturated the cargo mat with it. it didn't turn yellow. that's when lexus agreed to replace the carpets. when the new carpet started showing signs of yellowing, i took it in to show them. they said it was obvioulsy something i was causing, not a warranty issue! except that i'm single with no kids, and garage the car day and night. i hired a carpet technician who couldn't get the yellowing out. his report says the yellow carpet fibre is discolored from tip to toe indicating that it's not caused by spills. if you want to see my report, send me your e-mail address or fax number so i can send it to you.

Maybe it is the rubber mats which are causing the problem, Rubber has oils which can leach out over time.

I have the clear plastic mats bought from Lexus and the carpets under these are like the day I bought it.

One other thought, have you checked under the carpet yourself, maybe you faulty sound deadening padding, if it is you should see stains on the back of the carpet matting.

I had considered this, but it's yellowing where there are no rubber mats, also. I have not removed the carpet from the floorboards, is that what you are saying i should try and do?

I have put nothing on my carpets either, no air fresher--NOTHING. I did try to get it out with some carpet cleaner the other day and it didnt budge. SO yes I will take the car to the delaer this week and talk to him about it. I will look throughout the car tomorrow and see if its cropping up anywhere else? If its all over like you--they will be replacing the carpets for sure. Ill let you know what I find out.

Luckly my dealer is SUPERB!

i'm anxiously waiting to hear your report.

[katzjamr]

I think that OKEH1 is close to the answer when he mentioned the rubber backing on the mats and more importantly the padding underneath the carpet itself. It is obvious as it has been reported that this yellowing is coming from underneath the carpet mainly because it is stained entirely from bottom to the top of the fiber and it cannot be cleaned out professionally. (you may specifically go to a professional carpet cleaner and have them spray one mat with tannin for carpets, it is a safe mild acid that reverses yellowing, due to coffee, urine and most yellow dyes.) There is a known problem in wall to wall carpet installations that use carpet padding that has been recyled. These are mostly rebonded recycled rubber pads or felt pads made from recycled carpet trim and waste (the felt type pads are widely used throughout the car industry) The issue is the preservative BHT that is found in these recycled carpet cushions. Its the same BHT that is found in your breakfast cereal however when its a random component in carpet pad it OFF GASSES THROUGH THE BACKING OF THE CARPET causing yellow looking stains as it moves through the carpet fiber. Because it is unevenly dispersed in the padding below it will look like blotchy yellowing from the top of the carpet. Regardless there is some chemical coming through the back of your carpet causing your problem in my opinion. It may be that you are a victim of a bad batch of padding or some chemical that was inadvertantly present in the manufacturing process underneath your floorcovering. My family has been in the carpet sales and cleaning business for over 47 years in Seattle and these observations are a result of this experience.

[donnalynn]

I think that OKEH1 is close to the answer when he mentioned the rubber backing on the mats and more importantly the padding underneath the carpet itself. It is obvious as it has been reported that this yellowing is coming from underneath the carpet mainly because it is stained entirely from bottom to the top of the fiber and it cannot be cleaned out professionally. (you may specifically go to a professional carpet cleaner and have them spray one mat with tannin for carpets, it is a safe mild acid that reverses yellowing, due to coffee, urine and most yellow dyes.) There is a known problem in wall to wall carpet installations that use carpet padding that has been recyled. These are mostly rebonded recycled rubber pads or felt pads made from recycled carpet trim and waste (the felt type pads are widely used throughout the car industry) The issue is the preservative BHT that is found in these recycled carpet cushions. Its the same BHT that is found in your breakfast cereal however when its a random component in carpet pad it OFF GASSES THROUGH THE BACKING OF THE CARPET causing yellow looking stains as it moves through the carpet fiber. Because it is unevenly dispersed in the padding below it will look like blotchy yellowing from the top of the carpet. Regardless there is some chemical coming through the back of your carpet causing your problem in my opinion. It may be that you are a victim of a bad batch of padding or some chemical that was inadvertantly present in the manufacturing process underneath your floorcovering. My family has been in the carpet sales and cleaning business for over 47 years in Seattle and these observations are a result of this experience.

i think you're right, how do i convince lexus?

[SW03ES]

I don't know that you can, if all the carpeting has this issue then aside from redesigning the carpeting I don't know what they can do...

[eusjmp]

I have the same color combo on a 3 year old RX330. The carpet is mint .. no signs of any discoloration. Only thing I can think of is that somehow this is chemical related and possibly brought in from outside on your shoes (ie rainy days).. Maybe track your habits, where you walk, what you walk in (ie rain water etc), and if you wear the same shoes for work etc. Other than that, you seem to have a tough one to figure here.

[donnalynn]

I have the same color combo on a 3 year old RX330. The carpet is mint .. no signs of any discoloration. Only thing I can think of is that somehow this is chemical related and possibly brought in from outside on your shoes (ie rainy days).. Maybe track your habits, where you walk, what you walk in (ie rain water etc), and if you wear the same shoes for work etc. Other than that, you seem to have a tough one to figure here.

i had it tested by a certified carpet tech who found no such chemicals or any substances on or in the carpet and the car lives in the garage. my office is above it behind my home. it's happening in places like on the hump in between the 2 back seats where i've never sat and also the passenger side, but curiously it seems to be happening near the air condition vents except for patches between the doors and the seats. it's definitely not being caused by anything i'm doing.

[SW03ES]

It could also have been just some lots of carpet that have the issue.

However do know that road salt will yellow grey carpet.

[donnalynn]

It could also have been just some lots of carpet that have the issue.

However do know that road salt will yellow grey carpet.

i'm in los angeles, no road salt here.

[SW03ES]

Yeah that would stand to rule that option out...

[katzjamr]

if you walk across a long expanse of asphalt driveway and then into your home or car many carpets and light colored vinyl floors will show a yellowing that is permanent called crocking. this would only be in traffic lanes where you walk, not in other areas with no shoe contact. thats all i can think of.

[donnalynn]

if you walk across a long expanse of asphalt driveway and then into your home or car many carpets and light colored vinyl floors will show a yellowing that is permanent called crocking. this would only be in traffic lanes where you walk, not in other areas with no shoe contact. thats all i can think of.

just concrete to and from garage and inside garage. my office carpet is fine, no discoloring and it's above the garage.

I have put nothing on my carpets either, no air fresher--NOTHING. I did try to get it out with some carpet cleaner the other day and it didnt budge. SO yes I will take the car to the delaer this week and talk to him about it. I will look throughout the car tomorrow and see if its cropping up anywhere else? If its all over like you--they will be replacing the carpets for sure. Ill let you know what I find out.

Luckly my dealer is SUPERB!

any update yet Booyah?

[Booyah]

No nothing yet! I take the car in Tuesday.

No road salt in Alaska either. Also everyone saying that we are bringing in stuff from the outside---NO WAY!!

Its something to do with the Lexus carpet....I have other cars, house carpet, rugs I brush my feet off on and there is no yellowing there???

[SW03ES]

Thats true, they don't use salt in Alaska...

I'll be interested to see what your dealer says.

[Booyah]

I bet there is more yellow carpet out there, but people are thinking its just dirt and wear stains.

[donnalynn]

I bet there is more yellow carpet out there, but people are thinking its just dirt and wear stains.

yes, i think so too. i bet most people who have kids think their kids caused this, but it's actually not stains, it's carpet discoloration. i don't have any kids, and i rarely even have a passenger. did you check your car, booyah, is it all over your car too?