The brawny GX 550 looks pretty tough but don't leave it outside in the sun
The $84,249 Lexus GX 550 is a big brawny SUV that looks like something you'd take on an African safari. You'd better not, though, unless you park it under an elephant or find something else that'sshady.
Owners of these behemoths are taking to social media to bemoan the state of their mirrors -- their outside mirrors, that is. The problem is that they've melted, or at least gotten kind of soft and squishy looking.
Why would this happen? Toyota fans are saying it's symptomatic of a general decline in the quality of Toyota products. It's not just mirrors either. The plastic trim that manufacturers slap on SUVs to make them look rugged is also getting that wavy look on some of the trucks and, some say, getting pretty hot to the touch. That'sperhaps not too surprising for something that's been out in the sun but maybe $84,249 should guard against that somehow.
All goopy looking
A motoring fan named Paul Yelton is the poster boy for this crusade. He has complained that he left his GX 550 parked in hisdriveway for four days and when he came back, the mirror was all goopy looking. He was shocked to find out that Lexus didn't think it was a warranty issue.
There is one fact to take note of in Yelton's tale. He lives in Arizona.
Arizona is known for nothing if not its heat, so it's logical that if something was going to melt, Arizona would be a good place to do it. The author of this piece is embarrassed to admit that he once left a very expensive tape recorder on the white leather seat of his red sports car while he had lunch and kept a careful eye on it from his booth at Bob's Big Boy in Tucson. (It wasn't an expense account lunch).
When he returned to his car to race off to yet another news story, he discovered the tape recorder's black plastic case had melted all overhis white leather seats. Now this was back in the day when professional audio gear qualified as portable as long as it had a handle, so it was not a delicate little flower.
So, somehow, to confirmed desert dwellers, Yelton's mishap doesn't seem thatunusual. We all carry a supply of towels that can be draped over exposed parts if nonearby saguaro cactus casts its shade-giving arms over our parking spot.
Photo Credit: Consumer Affairs News Department Images
Posted: 2025-01-15 21:01:43