GaryA

While searching the Internet, I found another RX owner with the same complaint. His post was dated today - 08/08/2004 and read: I have the same problem: One day the wife complains that the A/C isn't working. I check all the obvious stuff and then decide to take it into the dealer. They report that the condensor is punctured. Unfortunately, I picked it up late at night and wasn't able to have the tech show me where. Cost of replacement = $900/part + $500/Labor = $1400.00!!!! No WAY was I paying this for a two year old car. So I mulled on it for a while and decided to make SURE there was a hole as I couldn't see exactly where it was punctured. I connected up a Recharge kit and started adding pressure until the compressor activated. As soon as that compressor kicked on, A/C refrigerant started spraying all over my leg from the condenser.... it's busted. I think I can replace the condenser myself as it's not mounted in there with but a few screws and a couple hoses. The part can be purchased online for about $260.00. You'd only have to maybe remove the front bumper. My only question is.... is there anything else that needs to be replaced such as the dryer? Once I do fix this, I will be adding a mesh guard of some type to the bottom intake vent... it's pretty huge and too low to have no protection. Sorry to hear about your problem, but you're not alone. Thankfully this summer has been mild here in upstate NJ... Now my wife WANTS to drive the "yucky car" that has working A/C though... I'll bet there are plenty more RX owners out there with the same complaint, but they just haven't posted or come forward in some other way. I wish I knew how to find out. Gary A

***************UPDATE*************** I finally received a callback from Lexus Corp Customer Satisfaction. They are sticking to their guns and saying that my problem was road hazard, not covered under warranty!! They refuse to even consider or listen to me when I try to explain that to A/C condenser is too exposed and very vulnerable to damage from road debris. So... I am appropriately filling out their customer satisfaction survey cards, responding to their "thank you for buying a Lexus" letters and making a second appointment with my consumer fraud attorney. I have also cancelled the service contract I purchased through the dealer when I bought the vehicle. All I can do is see that they don't get another dime of my service money. Good luck to the rest of you RX owners! Gary A

The dealership was in my last post, but here's the whole thing: I bought from Lexus of Tampa Bay - Tampa, FL But the same GM also runs Lexus of Clearwater - Clearwater, FL He is: Richard A. Nimphie Executive General Manager Their web sites are: www.lexusoftampabay.com and www.lexusofclearwater.com They are both part of the AutoNation network of dealers. Gary A

Thanks for the feedback! Unfortunately, July in Florida is no time to be without A/C. I pushed it all the way up to the Executive General Manager (on Monday) who oversees 2 dealerships (Lexus of Tampa Bay and Lexus of Clearwater) and he would not budge on their offer to pay for the parts and I pay for the labor. So, yesterday (Wednesday) they received the new condenser and I had them put it in. So, now I am out almost another $400. After the GM turned me down on Monday, I called Lexus Corp Cust Service and filed a complaint. They will get back to me in 3 to 5 days. I also had a consultation with a Consumer Fraud attorney, which was worth the consultation fee just to find out my options, even if most would be very costly. While I was at the dealership yesterday, I compared the front ends of the RX300 with the RX330. There are slight differences, but there is still that big open area under the front bumper that has no screening, baffles, mesh or any type of grillwork. The A/C condenser sits totally exposed just waiting for road debris to come flying in. One used 2002, RX300 had a condenser that was loaded with crap. It really showed signs of having been hit many times by debris. The previous owner was just plain lucky he didn't get a puncture. I have already told everyone at the dealership that they have lost a customer. I refuse to go back there for any service work - they are not getting one more dime of my money. I will drive however far I have to, to go to another dealership. When I get some time, I'm going to create a web site with my story and a warning to other potential buyers. I am also considering silk screened t-shirts with something like "ask me about my Lexus." I am telling anyone who will listen, how I have been treated. Gary A

Beats me - how do I tell the difference between oil & coolant? It all just looks like dripped fluid to me. Besides, we drove back at highway speeds (after the mechanic in Macon assured me that driving it would not do any further damage) which dried off most of the fluid. The mechanic in Tampa on Saturday had to add some coolant back into it just to find the hole. It ran out almost immediately. Thanks for the reply, Gary A

Has anyone else experienced a punctured A/C condenser in an RX300 or RX330 from small road debris? I purchased a new 2004, RX330 from Lexus of Tampa Bay on June 30 of this year. For the first week we did just local driving. On Friday, July 9, we headed north up I-75 on our way to Indiana. Just north of Tifton, GA, we noticed the A/C temp getting warmer. Within a few miles it was obvious that something had happened to the A/C. We stopped at a Lexus dealer in Macon, Ga. They looked at it, said it was "damage" not covered under warranty and presented us with an estimate for many hundreds of dollars. The mechanic showed me the "damage." They didn't have the parts anyway. They charged me $77.25 labor to look at the car. With the outside temp at 93, on a Friday afternoon, we turned around and drove home. Saturday morning, I took photos of the damage and have posted one of them at this location with the "damage" circled in yellow: A/C Condenser Puncture We then drove to the dealership where we bought the vehicle. They came back with basically the same response - "damage" not covered under warranty. If you look at the photo, the area of damage is less than 1/16" in size, but the object hit one of the veins and ruptured the condenser. 90% of the bare metal shown in the photo is harmless damage done to one of the cooling fins. The damage to the horizontal cooling vein that was ruptured is approximately the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen!! I view this as a possible engineering design flaw and/or condenser quality issue. I think the condenser should either have been protected with additional baffling or the condenser is not made strong enough to withstand even the slightest impact. Has anyone had a similar problem? I'll be back at the dealer Monday morning to continue my fight.:chairshot: At this point I am extremely unhappy with both dealerships - Butler Lexus in Macon for billing their labor and Tampa Bay Lexus for only making a minimal consession offer to repair the vehicle. Look at the photo for yourself and see if you wouldn't have a reasonable expectation that the vehicle should have been better designed to absorb such a tiny hit without such major damage!! Thanks, Gary A