If it seems like new car parts companies are popping up constantly, that’s because they are. The automotive aftermarket is more competitive than ever in some ways, which should be good for everyone. Competition often breeds innovation. But it can also breed schemes that newcomers devise to keep up with established players in the space. That’s what seems to be going on with Lexland, a name that’s being talked about more in the Toyota off-road community despite its true identity as a Chinese copycat.
Nothing seems too fishy about Lexland at first glance. Its website shows parts for third- and fourth-gen Tacomas; second- and third-gen Tundras; fifth- and sixth-gen 4Runners; and the new Land Cruiser. Whether you’re looking for seat covers and dashboard organizers or hood struts, tow hooks, and bed steps, you can find them there. It’s enough to pass the initial sniff test for a lot of truck owners.
However, the veneer loses its shine once you go looking for customer opinions. Lexland’s site showcases some five-star reviews, even though it’s tough to parse what’s real and what’s not. Where you start to see serious concerns is on Reddit, Facebook groups, and owner forums. People who have purchased from Lexland found out pretty quickly that it’s actually a front for a Chinese company.
Take this exchange on 4Runner6G for example. When someone started a thread, asking for others’ experience with Lexland, another user responded by saying it’s tied to a Chinese company—Hansshow—whose reputation was burned so badly that they had to rebrand:
“Lexland is Hannshow [sic] rebranded. They closed Hannshow [sic]. I’d stay away as they are not a reputable company. Cheap products and bad customer service. I know this because I was an affiliate of theirs and I stopped doing so a couple months ago.”
Actually, it appears that Hansshow just shifted focus. These days, it’s hawking Tesla parts, and its website design is nearly identical to Lexland’s. You can read plenty of complaints about Hansshow, too, if you’d like.
Others in the 4th Generation Toyota Tacoma Owners Group on Facebook have similar experiences with Lexland. Several reported Chinese characters in their shipping information, while others said their Christmas orders were pushed back to February, as the company was supposedly closed for Chinese New Year. Meanwhile, others mentioned poor customer service, with one complaining of back-and-forth emails after Lexland told him to rewire a light bar that had worked for two months and quit.
Not content with secondhand experiences, we called Lexland directly. The brand’s website lists (949) 358-4793 as the contact number, and when we rang it, the answering machine was all that picked up. Later, a man with a thick accent returned our call, explaining that we had reached the “installation center.”
We inquired about Lexland’s Toyota Tacoma intake system. The man then replied, “We do not have this in stock in Santa Ana. It must ship by package.”
The reason we chose this part is that it’s clearly a copy of SXTH Element’s Tacoma intake. Even Google’s AI functionality confuses the two. SXTH Element’s is one of the platform’s biggest sellers, so it’s no surprise to see a Chinese company try to duplicate it for less money. We see it all the time.
So, we asked frankly: “I see that it’s the same as the SXTH Element intake system. Which one came first? I want to buy the best one.”
The man avoided the question altogether, again telling us, “You order on website. It arrives in package.”
Compare the two side-by-side, and you’ll notice the similarities must be more than coincidental.
You’ll have a hard time finding a Tacoma intake on Lexland’s site these days. All existing links for the product now redirect to Lexland’s homepage, indicating that it must have been removed just recently. Obviously, that’s good news for SXTH Element since it designed the part.
Multiple aftermarket companies we’ve spoken to say they are taking action against Lexland with online marketplaces like Shopify. Still, the responses have been slow, and Lexland has consistently gotten away with selling parts it didn’t develop.
You could discard all this info and still buy from Lexland. It might even go well… the first time. But you’re almost guaranteed to run into the same problems as others when a shipment goes awry, or a part doesn’t fit. Trying to get your money back is always a hassle, and so is securing a new part from the same company that shipped you a bad one to start with.
So, we recommend you heed the warning and avoid Lexland altogether.