zymurgy

Thank you for the reply. I guess the question is what should I do now? The car is essentially totalled. The cost to repair all of the damage and the mold remediation is around $7,000. The car is worth maybe $9,000. I have been told by several people that this is an issue in a small percentage of these cars and that it is a design defect. They told me that this is the responsibility of lexus and that they should replace the car. I knew there was no possible way that this unbelievable leak was coming from a tiny hole in the back of the car. I have a feeling it is something different and they are not telling me what it is.

I can really use someone's help here. I own a 2002 RX300 with 94,000 miles on it. I have really kept this car in great shape. I bought it up in NY and now live in S. Florida. About 4 months ago we had a huge rain down here and there was an inch of water on the floor of the car, both front and back, driver and passenger. I vaccumed the car and took it to my mechanic who told me that I probably left the windows open (I didn't). About a month later it happened again and I took it back to him. He "blew out the ac" something and said that there may have been a clog and the water was not sent out of the car, but was just shot back into the car. In the mean time my navigation system shorted and the engine started to "skip" a little. A few weeks later I left town for a week and when I came back the car windows were all fogged up and I could smell the mold in the car from 10 feet away. I was horrified to find hairy mold all over the interior of the car along with tons of water on the floor. I brought it back to my mechanic who checked the A/c again, the rear tail light, moon roof and all of the other common areas for leaks, but he still could not find anything. After that I took it to Lexus. First lexus told me that I had left the window open and this was my fault. I told them the above story and they continued checking but could not find any leaks. I refused to take the car back and told them to keep trying. Eventually they totally stripped the interior of the car out (seats, carpet, etc.) and ran it through the car wash and told me that there was a leak in the antenna. I told them that I find it hard to believe that the amount of water that was in the car came from such a small opening, but they are sticking to their story. Anyway, I had my insurance company come to inspect the car for a claim along with a private adjuster. The insurance company has told me that this is a design defect of lexus and that they should replace the car for me. They said that it was not safe to drive with all of the mold. Has anyone had this happen to them? Is it possible that the antenna is the culprit here and that the car has a design defect? What should I expect from lexus in return if my insurance company provides proof that this is a design defect and that lexus knew about it, considering that I am now sick from the mold? Please help