I am the original owner of a 2005 Lexus IS 300 Sportcross and recently moved to Florida from California. Several months ago, I noticed that the dashboard was becoming soft and sticky. The car has always been garaged, has been taken very good care of and only has 14,000 miles on it.

I brought the vehicle into a Lexus dealer in Orlando, had it inspected and a report was sent to the corporate offices.

I have since been told by a case manager, their supervisor and one of the higher ups at Lexus that they are NOT willing to assist me in replacing the dashboard because my model was not covered in the warranty extension despite the fact that the same thing is happening and that they are unwilling to take any responsibility or even stand behind their product.

I thought I was buying a Lexus for their name and customer service but boy was I wrong! So much for buying a luxury automobile. They have most definitely lost a customer and not only me, but anyone I know. The very least they could have done was to offer some assistance, but they flat out refused any help at all and really never gave me a reasonable explanation as to why not.

I have read a lot of owners in southern states have problems with the dash melting, easily scratching, or is sticky. I have a friend who lives in NY with the same car who does not have this problem, but mine has spent its life in FL and does, badly.

Only way to get rid of it is to remove the whole dash from the car and repaint it. It is a pain in the ass to remove the dash, striping off the old stuff not too bad if you use mineral spirits or paint thinner. You can respray the dash with interior vinyl spray paint (use flat colors, glossy leaves a nast reflection). 4-5 coats later you should be good to go.

There are plenty of step by step instructions on the Lexus boards with pictures on the process. Be carefuly with the passenger and side airbags.