Jump to content

Smell In Rx350 When Heat Is On


Recommended Posts

I'm sorry this post is so long, but I wanted to include as much info as possible. I have had my rx350 since 2007, and I had other lexus's as well (the big SUV), and my husband currently has the 2 seater. This past November when it began to get cold, I started the car and heard a chirping noise and then a tar smell came into the car. When I put the heat on, along with the seat warmers, I began to experience a smell (not sulfur). It smelled like something burning. I didn't like it as I have severe chemical allergies, asthma and a lung condition. I drive 4 hours a day so it concerned me. When I press the auto button, the indicator light with the man and the arrow pointing to his feet comes on, and then the heat will blast on several minutes later on high. Until the car is warm, nothing comes out. If you try to press the figure with the arrows pointing to the head and feet together, the heat will not come on nor will the auto light. Lexus says this is normal (then why have the different figures so you can choose where you want your heat allotted).

Over the past 2 months, I have had it back and forth to lexus service twice, as the smell worsened. I was told at first I was inhaling fumes from the cars in front of me. How come when I drove my other lexus SUV or my husband's lexus 2 seater this never happened? How come it never happened with other cars I owned (except a Range Rover in 1992, and it turned out it was a leak in the exhaust system and they took the car back). I was also told it was the "brand of gas I was buying" (i.e. Mobil, Citgo, etc.). I told them I switched all the time as I was not brand loyal. Then they said perhaps "that" was the issue. They replaced the air filter (twice), and nothing changed. My symptoms got much worse. I get burning eyes, sore throat, headache, nausea, spaciness and numbness and tingling in my feet and legs like an electric current going up them. My daughter gets a headache and nausea. One day driving my daughter to school, I got on a parkway that we never use I was that spaced out. I have had a cardiological workup, and next week I am having an EMG and pulmonary function test. I have stayed out of the car for a week now, and I began to feel better. I had my husband drive my daughter to school in his lexus, and she felt better too.

Last night, I had no choice but to pick her up from a birthday party as my husband was at a business meeting. As soon as I got in and turned the heat on, the smell came and I got a burning throat and headache and became very spaced out. My fingers in my left hand started getting tingling too. No, this is not a panic attack. I am not an anxious person and my health history proves it. But I am beginning to feel like this car is taking its toll on me. Again, I barely got home not knowing how I did it. I am afraid I'm endangering not only my life and my daughter's, but possibly others, when I drive this menacing car, but others as well. By the way, I have had to make several corrections to this post, because everything wrote became inverted - my head is still foggy.

So I called lexus first thing this morning, and the woman who does the service sheets, sighed when she heard my story. No empathy whatsoever. Nope, can't get you in today. Monday yes, because there are no diagnosticians here. Well whose there then today? Repair people but not diagnosticians. Excuse me if I am ignorant. I guess it's like don't get sick on a weekend, you only get the doctor on call who doesn't know your history. I said Monday I cannot be there, as I have a respiratory test at a hospital because of this car (at this point, I think I am going to ask to be tested for heavy metals!). We went back and forth, and she said "YOU need to be here to replicate the smell and tell the diagnosticians if that is it." I said "I'm not stepping back into that car ever." This is my health we are talking about. Well, then we can't work on it without you there. I said my husband will take it in; you can pull the heating system apart, and then I will come after my testing, but I won't get in the car." That won't do she says. And then says "how come your husband doesn't smell anything?" I said because he doesn't drive my car long distances number one, and he doesn't smell anything. I'm always the one to detect problems with the furnace as most chemically sensitive people do (same thing with new furniture or varnished floors - just because some people can't smell it, doesn't mean it ISN'T a health hazard).

I asked if I could take the car today and they could keep it as long as necessary while they gave me a loaner. She says, no, I have no loaners. I said I don't think Lexus cares at all about its customers, and I will think twice before I ever buy another car from you. I'm going to find out if other people are having this problem, and I'm also going to write the chairman and complain about the lackadaiscal attitude you have in helping resolve the issue.

She says "I have to go now, there is a line of people here waiting to be helped." Yes, I guess lexus really does care.

A month before it happened, the VSC light came on while I was on a major interstate, and the car sounded like it was just going to heave. It sounded like the gear box would explode; the grinding noise was so bad (I have an automatic not a stick). I was in the middle lane with trucks all around me doing 60 at the time when this happened out of nowhere. I called service from the car, and they told me to drive it all the way back to their service dept. I told them their was a lexus dealer on the next exit, and they said you can take it there, but we are not allowed to call them for you since it is a separate franchise. I pulled off the exit into a gas station as i was petrified to drive it further. I had also asked them what the VSC light meant, and the service guy said "I'm not sure." I said "can you look it up and tell me?" He said he "thought" it might have something to do with the tires. I gave up. So I spoke to the mechanic at the gas station, and he said "turn the car off and then wait a minute and turn it back on." I did that and the light went off and the sound stopped. He said with all the new electrical wiring and devices on these cars, sometimes they have to reboot like a computer. He had no explanation as to why it suddenly happened. I had to get my daughter from school, and then headed back home. We took the car in to lexus and they had no answer as to why it happened. But the grinding noise had been awful when it first happened. I am wondering if this could have damaged something else causing all the problems I am currently having.

Has anyone had any problems with their heating systems in this car?

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I'm sorry this post is so long, but I wanted to include as much info as possible. I have had my rx350 since 2007, and I had other lexus's as well (the big SUV), and my husband currently has the 2 seater. This past November when it began to get cold, I started the car and heard a chirping noise and then a tar smell came into the car. When I put the heat on, along with the seat warmers, I began to experience a smell (not sulfur). It smelled like something burning. I didn't like it as I have severe chemical allergies, asthma and a lung condition. I drive 4 hours a day so it concerned me. When I press the auto button, the indicator light with the man and the arrow pointing to his feet comes on, and then the heat will blast on several minutes later on high. Until the car is warm, nothing comes out. If you try to press the figure with the arrows pointing to the head and feet together, the heat will not come on nor will the auto light. Lexus says this is normal (then why have the different figures so you can choose where you want your heat allotted).

Over the past 2 months, I have had it back and forth to lexus service twice, as the smell worsened. I was told at first I was inhaling fumes from the cars in front of me. How come when I drove my other lexus SUV or my husband's lexus 2 seater this never happened? How come it never happened with other cars I owned (except a Range Rover in 1992, and it turned out it was a leak in the exhaust system and they took the car back). I was also told it was the "brand of gas I was buying" (i.e. Mobil, Citgo, etc.). I told them I switched all the time as I was not brand loyal. Then they said perhaps "that" was the issue. They replaced the air filter (twice), and nothing changed. My symptoms got much worse. I get burning eyes, sore throat, headache, nausea, spaciness and numbness and tingling in my feet and legs like an electric current going up them. My daughter gets a headache and nausea. One day driving my daughter to school, I got on a parkway that we never use I was that spaced out. I have had a cardiological workup, and next week I am having an EMG and pulmonary function test. I have stayed out of the car for a week now, and I began to feel better. I had my husband drive my daughter to school in his lexus, and she felt better too.

Last night, I had no choice but to pick her up from a birthday party as my husband was at a business meeting. As soon as I got in and turned the heat on, the smell came and I got a burning throat and headache and became very spaced out. My fingers in my left hand started getting tingling too. No, this is not a panic attack. I am not an anxious person and my health history proves it. But I am beginning to feel like this car is taking its toll on me. Again, I barely got home not knowing how I did it. I am afraid I'm endangering not only my life and my daughter's, but possibly others, when I drive this menacing car, but others as well. By the way, I have had to make several corrections to this post, because everything wrote became inverted - my head is still foggy.

So I called lexus first thing this morning, and the woman who does the service sheets, sighed when she heard my story. No empathy whatsoever. Nope, can't get you in today. Monday yes, because there are no diagnosticians here. Well whose there then today? Repair people but not diagnosticians. Excuse me if I am ignorant. I guess it's like don't get sick on a weekend, you only get the doctor on call who doesn't know your history. I said Monday I cannot be there, as I have a respiratory test at a hospital because of this car (at this point, I think I am going to ask to be tested for heavy metals!). We went back and forth, and she said "YOU need to be here to replicate the smell and tell the diagnosticians if that is it." I said "I'm not stepping back into that car ever." This is my health we are talking about. Well, then we can't work on it without you there. I said my husband will take it in; you can pull the heating system apart, and then I will come after my testing, but I won't get in the car." That won't do she says. And then says "how come your husband doesn't smell anything?" I said because he doesn't drive my car long distances number one, and he doesn't smell anything. I'm always the one to detect problems with the furnace as most chemically sensitive people do (same thing with new furniture or varnished floors - just because some people can't smell it, doesn't mean it ISN'T a health hazard).

I asked if I could take the car today and they could keep it as long as necessary while they gave me a loaner. She says, no, I have no loaners. I said I don't think Lexus cares at all about its customers, and I will think twice before I ever buy another car from you. I'm going to find out if other people are having this problem, and I'm also going to write the chairman and complain about the lackadaiscal attitude you have in helping resolve the issue.

She says "I have to go now, there is a line of people here waiting to be helped." Yes, I guess lexus really does care.

A month before it happened, the VSC light came on while I was on a major interstate, and the car sounded like it was just going to heave. It sounded like the gear box would explode; the grinding noise was so bad (I have an automatic not a stick). I was in the middle lane with trucks all around me doing 60 at the time when this happened out of nowhere. I called service from the car, and they told me to drive it all the way back to their service dept. I told them their was a lexus dealer on the next exit, and they said you can take it there, but we are not allowed to call them for you since it is a separate franchise. I pulled off the exit into a gas station as i was petrified to drive it further. I had also asked them what the VSC light meant, and the service guy said "I'm not sure." I said "can you look it up and tell me?" He said he "thought" it might have something to do with the tires. I gave up. So I spoke to the mechanic at the gas station, and he said "turn the car off and then wait a minute and turn it back on." I did that and the light went off and the sound stopped. He said with all the new electrical wiring and devices on these cars, sometimes they have to reboot like a computer. He had no explanation as to why it suddenly happened. I had to get my daughter from school, and then headed back home. We took the car in to lexus and they had no answer as to why it happened. But the grinding noise had been awful when it first happened. I am wondering if this could have damaged something else causing all the problems I am currently having.

Has anyone had any problems with their heating systems in this car?

Thanks!

Welcome to the bad evaporator core club. Have you seen any white particles on the dash?? It seems to be a prevalent problem with te2007's where the anti microbe coating on the evap core chips off and some "stuff" grows on the core and stinks up the car when the heat is on. Tell the dealer you want the evap core replaced UNDER WARRANTEE!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome to the bad evaporator core club. Have you seen any white particles on the dash?? It seems to be a prevalent problem with te2007's where the anti microbe coating on the evap core chips off and some "stuff" grows on the core and stinks up the car when the heat is on. Tell the dealer you want the evap core replaced UNDER WARRANTEE!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH! We are taking the car in at 1pm today - They DEMANDED I be there or they wouldn't even look at! What nerve. I will post an update!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...

Forums


News


Membership