stunt66

Were getting the Evaporator core replaced on our RX this wednesday because of the white dust it was spewing out and I never knew how bad it was until i took the RX for a weekend. I detailed the interior before i left and one night it got kinda cold so i turned the heat on, when i got in the car the next morning there was white dust particles everywhere. What i'm wondering is how bad this stuff is to breathe in? My wife and daughter have been in this car for the last 8 months(she never even noticed the dust until i broiught it up) and breathing it in on a daily basis because the heater was on pretty much every minute they were in the car.

kickin8

iTrader: (1)

have you changed the cabin filter?

stunt66

If thats the one in the glove box yes.

nwfsnake

The upper dash color is the one thing I do not like about our '07. I do not think black enhances the appearance at all, and shows every little bit of dust that lands on it.

rcy

Pollen filter (and black dash, though it shows more dust) have nothing to do with what he's talking about. This stuff is calcium carbonate, and it's from a coating Lexus put on the A/C evaporator (behind the dash) to stop mold/mildew from forming and prevent that dirty sock smell that 'most' A/C systems succumb to after a few years.

On the plus side (at least in my experience) it actually works, as I don't have any smell after six years and 160000 kilometres.

On the negative side, the coating tends to shed and you get white dust (large flaky kind, not regular dust) blowing from the vents. Some vehicles experience it more than others.

There was a TSB about this where Lexus would replace the evaporator (with one I 'assume' that didn't have the coating, or maybe a new type of coating???). A number of people that have had it done found damage to the dash (the whole thing has to be removed to get at the evaporator) afterwards, and weren't happy with the fit and finish.

I emailed Lexus about this dust and was told 'calcium carbonate' same as stuff used in antacid (like Tums) and safe to breathe. Take that with a grain of salt, as I doubt they would say, completely poisonous - dont' drive the vehicle - we'll fix it for free (including about nine hours of labour).

Here is an msds for calcium carbonate

http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927119


Potential Acute Health Effects:
Hazardous in case of eye contact (irritant). Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation.
Potential Chronic Health Effects:
CARCINOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. MUTAGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. TERATOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available.
DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY: Not available. The substance may be toxic to kidneys. Repeated or prolonged exposure to the
substance can produce target organs damage.

Precautions:
Do not ingest. Do not breathe dust. Avoid contact with eyes. Wear suitable protective clothing. If ingested, seek medical advice
immediately and show the container or the label. Keep away from incompatibles such as oxidizing agents, acids.

stunt66

I'm gonna make sure i take detailed pictures and maybe even have my SA take a look with me before I leave it there. It's a 2 day job because of the dash removal and im kinda worried about it. Our problem is extremely bad though or else i'd leave it alone too. All it took was one night of running the heat for it to literally cover the dash and seats in the white dust. I'll let you know how it went friday.

ripster

Had ours replaced, tech was very particular and I was supplied with a loaner, all is well and fit, finish and no squeaks. It was under CPO and done well. If your dealer does not rush the job, you should be fine.

lexus114

Yeah,but what are the chances of that with flat rate? If not satisfied,take it back in.

stunt66

Just dropped her off today so i'm hopin we get her back the way she was. I asked them for a quote to repair a scratch we got and the SA said he'll take care of it for free so im pretty impressed with that. We've only been in for warranty work a couple times and each time has been a pleasant trip so i'm definately not too worried.

banjo

Had the same problem and the dealer took it in for 3 days problem fixed..Been almost 2 years and have had no problem..08 rx fwd..Everything was fit back perfect.

infinirx

How much does this job cost? I kind of want this done cause I have the black dash and it's really noticeable.

redrocks

My former RX330 had this problem.

Are other Lexus models (ES, GS, LS, GX, LX and IS) having this problem too?

redrocks

Must be like dandruff on a black turtleneck shirt.

stunt66

The part itself is probably peanuts in comparison to the labor. It's a 2-3 day job and they supposedly remove the whole dash. when I dropped the car off today I meant to take pics of the dust because its was so bad in the daytime. My SA pretty much knew it was the evaporator when I talked to him the first time about it, he didn't say it was RX specific though. I've seen dandruff on a black shirt and this is way worse.

The dust on the dash isn't even the part that bothers me most, it's the fact that you're continually breathing this **** in if you have the heat or air conditioning on. Like I said before the amount of dust that accumulated in one night was insane and I could care less if Lexus says its safe(for some reason I don't fully believe that tho)

redrocks

Maybe when you go to pick up your RX, you could ask the SA if the problem is only on the RX? That would be interesting to know.