What on earth?!

 

I have contacted Lexus, they responded saying that they are looking into it. Will keep you all posted once I receive a response.

 

WHAT THE !??!?! that looks like chocolate syrup. Ugh.. this is really strange.

 

whats the heck is going on there, it looks like theres a lexus ghost that has been bbq'n back there.

 

We're all a bit concerned about something like this happening to our cars, knowing that repairs can be expensive. While I don't expect to see the "melting" button, this has made me aware of how I use the button on the trunk. I grip the raise bar and pull upon the button,all the while continuing to exert pressure on the button. That is probably not a good thing to do. The rubber button just allow the flexibility to push an electrical button on the other side of the button. Continued hard pressure will likely cause the rubber to erode away and eventually either crack or develop a hole at the contact point (I just had this happen on a similar button on a small hearing aid box).

Consequently I am trying to learn to slide my finger off the trunk button after the electrical contact is made and the trunk is unlocked, reducing pressure and undue wear on the rubber cover while the trunk is opened further.

Just thought I'd share this.

 

My trunk button has survived 10 Louisiana summers and it still looks like new.

 

mine have actually been slowly melting off dunno wht to do

 

Well, I have good news. Lexus replaced the button and all is well. Hopefully this one can weather the heat and not melt.

 

Response to jayclapp:

Well that is true. However, the rubber didn't erode away, nor did it crack or develop a hole. I was MELTING! I hardly ever even use the button actually. I usually pop the trunk from inside the car or use the remote as I approach the car. I think they should have used a better quality rubber and hopefully they haven't used this material on some other part of the car that owners need to know about.

 

Pretty easy. Just removed the truck lid liner and unplugged/unbolted the old one. Didn't really have to remove the trunk lid liner completely. Just the right side. Plugged in the new one and bolted it back in, then reattached the trunk lid liner. Done. 30 minutes max. Nice to be able to open my trunk again without fiddling with the keys or going to the switch inside the car. Not sure what happened to my old switch, but it was a melted, gooey mess.

Got the part from sewellparts with the CL discount for only $51.74 plus shipping. Not sure what it would have cost at the dealer to have it replaced, but I'm pretty sure it would have been a lot more than that. The partnership between CL and Sewellparts is a great deal for the members here.

 

how the heck did it melt?

 

I have the same problem. It must be from the Florida heat or the previous owner's lotion on her hands.

Bob04, what is the part number? TIA.

 

Not an uncommon problem

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...n-melting.html

I located it just looking through Sewell parts breakdown on their site

Found where I ordered it, but no part number. Part was called one of the below (or maybe I ended up ordering both)


E. SWITCH, LUGGAGE ELEC
F. SUPPORT ASSEMBLY, LUGGAG

I brought the parts and local Lexus dealer covered the labor under goodwill.

 

Must be made of the same material that Toyota and Lexus made some of their dashes out of that turned into a sticky mess. My friend made the mistake of passing a cloth over the dash of her Camry to clean it and now her dash is permanently hairy.

 

The part number on sewellparts site was 8494550010. That is for a 2004-2006 model LS430. Must be different for 2001-2003.