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There is a solution and it’s to get Lexus to change the material that they’ve been using for the dashboards on the 2019-2022 ES vehicles with better quality materials and to also replace all the dashboards on all 2018-2022 ES vehicles with brand new ones that are made from better quality material.
Does this particular dashboard problem also affect the IS300 and the IS350 vehicles that are made in Japan too? Or does the dashboard problem only affect the 2019-2022 ES350, ES300h and ES250 vehicles? Which vehicles are affected by the dashboard problem?
I'd expect this to be an ES-specific problem. Every generation of every design is its own animal. There was a well-known problem in the early 2000s with some Lexus dashboards, including the ES for sure, that were disintegrating with age under exposure to sunlight—undoubtedly the result of a cheap-out in not using enough UV resistance chemicals in the plastic. The next gen, it was fixed.
I also think you can confidently expect that this issue will NOT be fixed until the next new generation of the ES. It's near the end of this generation's run, and if they intended to fix it, they'd have done so already. Besides, they undoubtedly did it to cut costs, and a scuffable dash is still cheaper than a non-scuffable one.
In general, I've given this personal opinion speech before, but I'll give it again: The cars of a decade before had generally nicer interior materials than today's. Those old cars had inferior structures, less sophisticated and powerful engines, fewer airbags, fewer electronic safety features, generally inferior stereos and fewer convenience features. Yet today's cars, at least until the pandemic, sold for prices that had barely risen at all except for inflation. That added cost had to come from somewhere. Some of it came from the style change to fewer exterior panels and decorative trim pieces. But some of it also came from inside, by cheapening the surfaces you see and touch. It's not just a Lexus thing—remember those nice velours on even cheaper cloth-upholstered cars? Today's cloth upholstery is like a lawn chair. There's a reason for that.
I also think you can confidently expect that this issue will NOT be fixed until the next new generation of the ES. It's near the end of this generation's run, and if they intended to fix it, they'd have done so already...That added cost had to come from somewhere. Some of it came from the style change to fewer exterior panels and decorative trim pieces. But some of it also came from inside, by cheapening the surfaces you see and touch.
Yeah that ship has long since sailed so no remediation until 8th gen. Each vehicle is built to a price point so there are compromises to be made. Normally the common practice is not cheapen out the areas where driver touches the most. They tend to cheapen out on the less traffic areas. Out of touch out of mind.
But how do I tell my wife not to take and hold her handbag when in the passenger side??? Her Handbag left a small scuff, but not really noticeable. She gets mad at me every time she take her large handbag-leather into my car. LOL
But how do I tell my wife not to take and hold her handbag when in the passenger side??? Her Handbag left a small scuff, but not really noticeable. She gets mad at me every time she take her large handbag-leather into my car. LOL
Women are the worst when it comes to putting scuffs and scratches on the car.
Does this particular dashboard problem also affect the IS300 and the IS350 vehicles that are made in Japan too? Or does the dashboard problem only affect the 2019-2022 ES350, ES300h and ES250 vehicles? Which vehicles are affected by the dashboard problem?
my wife has a 2021 IS300 and it does in fact suffer from the same soft dash material and she has several scratches that I have to blend out at least once a month with a good product to coat the dash.
In my case, 303 was the only product that hid any of the scuff. Tried most of the brands mentioned in the above posts such as Armor All, Chemical Guys, Adams, NextZett. . Attached are before and after with 303.
Here is what it looks like after few more dabs of 303 on the scuff @ almost gone.
That's pretty good. And 303 is a great product to use regardless, because it also contains UV inhibitors that slow sun damage—perfect for any dashtop surface.
I'll also weigh in here with a hearty dis-endorsement of ArmorAll or any other silicone-based product. My understanding is that they actually attack plastics and rubber and deteriorate them over time, even apart from the fact that their high gloss is acknowledged by car-interior engineering standards as an immediate safety hazard.
Here is what it looks like after few more dabs of 303 on the scuff @ almost gone.
Which 303 do you use for the dashboard? The one that’s only for the interior? Or the one that’s for both the interior and exterior? There are 2 different types of 303 available. Which one did you use for your dashboard?
04-14-22, 12:24 PM
