2000 LX470 116,500 miles, kept under cover. I have terrible paint fade on both the hood and the upper rear tailgate. Has/does anyone else had/have this problem? Thanks.

Nope, quite the opposite. My '98 LX and '99 Land Cruiser's paint still looks new. Maybe if it's under a cover a lot, you've got some oxidation? Find a good detailer and see if they can buff it out.

Thanks for the input. When I say it's under cover, I mean it's parked in a carport when it's not being driven. Not it's under A cover. Sorry for the confusion. It doesn't look like oxidization, it looks very much like paint thinning. it looks like the top layers of clear/pain have liturally worn away. No, I don't ever touch it with a buffer, I mearly wash it regularly with a good quality car wash liquid mixed in warm water.

If you've owned the car that long and haven't been keeping a good amount of wax on the paint, then I'm not surprised it's fading.

Lexus uses very good paint on their high end models but UV rays are a bitch and with all the crap in our atmposhpere these days... I'm surprised you didn't have paint fade before now.

What color is it? Colors closer to red (longer wavelength) fade faster than those near blue (shorter wavelength). Remember, the "color" you see is the wavelength(s) reflected towards your eye. Others are absorbed by the paint. So white is the best in the sense that it reflects more visible light plus some invisible wavelengths like some IR [heat] and some UV. Toyota paints are usually very good quality. I have a white '86 toyota (garaged for all but 4 yrs) that's still in good condition. Nissans are terrible.

My LX has 58k miles and experiencing similar paint fading on the upper rear tailgate. Except when parked at the office mine is kept in garage or under car port as well. I don't think this is normal for a car this young. I have an 1984 Mercedes Benz 300TD station wagon and the original paint looks better than the shade of the Lexus' tailgate. I'm not sure if the dealer can do anything about it.

[quote name='tomLX470' date='Apr 7 2006, 10:23 PM' post='188574']
[quote name='BARNEYHYPHEN' post='188357' date='Apr 6 2006, 09:22 AM']
2000 LX470 116,500 miles, kept under cover. I have terrible paint fade on both the hood and the upper rear tailgate. Has/does anyone else had/have this problem? Thanks.
[/quote]


My LX has 58k miles and experiencing similar paint fading on the upper rear tailgate. Except when parked at the office mine is kept in garage or under car port as well. I don't think this is normal for a car this young. I have an 1984 Mercedes Benz 300TD station wagon and the original paint looks better than the shade of the Lexus' tailgate. I'm not sure if the dealer can do anything about it.

TOMLX470, WE HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM, Check your HOOD. I can't believe we're the only two out there.

you guys still haven't answered how often you wax the vehicles. unwaxed paint on any vehicle will fade. like Jim said... red will go faster than other colors but paint, like leather, needs to be cared for.

Mine get waxed about every 6 to 8 months and the paint looks great.

The car is a champagne colour. Never waxed a car in 31 years of driving. Never had a car paint fade. Currently have 1976 KZ900, 1990 Isuzu Trooper, 2000 Ford Explorer and 2004 M3. NONE of these has ever been waxed. The only car I own that has faded paint is my 2000 LX470?

Is non-waxing the problem or could it be....let's see BAD PAINT? I'll bet a dime to a $ there's a problem with the paint. Wadya thank? Let's Discuss.

Paint needs to be waxed to be protected. At least twice a year. Now, most people don't wax their cars but they do need to be waxed if you want them to stay in like new condition over the years.

Have you taken the car to a professional detailer and gotten their opinion on it? Or a bodyshop? If its just oxidation it can be polished and sealed and it'll look better. I have heard some complaints about this with this color LX, but nobody who has complained has ever maintained their paint or tried to have it professionally polished to rectify the problem. Most just whine.

I'm absolutely shocked that you've never waxed any of your other cars and you don't have paint fade. That has to be just short of a miracle because Ford and Isuzu use horrible paint.

Lexus uses good paint and while I'm not trying to cause a flame war, I find it a bit odd that anyone would not follow common sense (and I'm willing to be the maintenance guide information in your owners manual) and then they feel that they have a crappy product because it does exactly what it's expected to do.

But not the roof?

Guess you are using something within arms reach on the body that is causing the problem, hence the roof is not affected.

I've only had the truck for several months and have given it a wax job myself - I plan to take it to a professional detailer for consultation. I don't think it's bad paint. But the previous owner swore she's never noticed the fade in the upper tailgate area (but then again - I doubt if she washed it herself).

Thanks again!!

Ive got a 2000 LX470 in smokey topaz. My hood and roof both faded out really weird and got all messed up.

I had a bodyshop repaint my hood last month and he mentioned something that both the primer and clear coat were defective and caused the paint to get blotchy.

The Clot Thickens,

TomLX, Pitbull & Barneyhyphen, That makes 3 already, and we haven't even really started looking yet! Starting to smell like a Class Action Lawsuit? Just kidding, I just want my faded panels resprayed.

Funny enough, my roof has NOT faded (YET). Hood & upper tailgate only at this time. Time to talk to a paint professional me thinks?

Hey TomlX & Pitbull, Did a little more digging over the last 5 minutes and have discovered "Mike" & "fDavid100". Guess what.... they've got the SAME problem. Well Well! Looks like we've got five now. Agree 50% is something but also agree, not the right offer.

Hopefully, when lexus repaint MY panels, they'll use some of that terrible old Ford or Isuzu paint.

Its worth caling 1-800-25-LEXUS and seeing what they will do, especially if you're still under warranty. Seeing that 5 of you have the issue and you all have the same color, thats probably not a coincidence. I've never heard of this on any other Lexus model or color, so maybe its something with a batch of that color.

As far as Ford using horrible paint (no experience with Isuzu) thats not been my experience. My parents have owned Fords continuously since 1978 (they've owned other cars too, but always at least one Ford) longer than I've been alive, and I've owned one that I gave to them when I bought my Lexus, and they've never had any issues with the paint on a Ford (nor any other car for that matter). Although my father always maintains his cars paint, my mother does not and she's driven the Fords mainly. Automotive paint is pretty durable. They've had a 1978 Ford LTD II, a 1987 Ford Aerostar, a 1990 Lincoln Continental, a 1993 Lincoln Continental, a 1994 Ford Explorer, a 1995 Ford Explorer, and I had a 1997 Ford Explorer I gave to them. The 1987 Aerostar they had the longest I guess (besides the 97 Explorer, but the paint was maintained by me) and no paint fade or oxidation and it never saw wax.

Now, on newer models Ford is using some really ugly paint that lacks any kind of shine at all, but thats a different story.

Not to get totally off topic here but has anyone ever seen Nissan's red??? Every now and then I'll see a red maxima and they are all the most awful dull, ugly looking cars because of nissans crappy paint. I'm on car #5 and can say that the lexus has the best pain job out of all of them. Maybe it's the 3 stage paint for the pearl, but even the paint on my 02 camry isn't that great. I went out of town for the day last weekend and some bird decided to drop a load down the side of my camry. Washed it off as soon as I saw it, but still have a permanent doodoo-print. Close inspection shows that the paint has a bunch of little cracks where the poop was...

I had a 2000, smokey topaz that had the same issue. Lexus offered to paint it under CPO. iIthink that color has some issues.

I WAS RIGHT! damn lexus dealership back during the orginal warranty didnt want to do crap to help me. ARGH i knew the paint was bad on this truck. i took one of my emblems off the otehr week, the lexus one on the tailgate. lol underneath the emblem was pure smokey topaz perfect paint and the rest of the truck was faded...looked like ghost emblems or something. check it out

Have you tried hitting that spot with something that cleans out oxidation?

I have a 95 dark green Land Cruiser in Florida. It has been garaged most of the time, but has still spent plenty of time in hot sun. I have never waxed it, but I do occationally use a polymer finish called Dry Wash on it. It looks like new - including the roof. I don't even wash the roof regularly, let alone climb up there with the polymer towel.

It is my understanding that clear coat finishes don't oxidize like older paints did, hence the practice of polishing off the surface oxidation and sealing it with wax to delay repeat oxidation is not applicable.

I may be wrong on this, but it is my understanding that most paint problems on newer cars is due to acids, etc. that fall on them from the surroundings or from errors in manufacturing.

I agree that Lexus uses great paint (the finish on my 94 SC400 is also perfect), but in all manufacturing malfunctions in equipment and quality problems with materials occationally occur. I'm betting on a manufacturing defect on this one.

Just going to say that. Maybe Poorboys SSR 2.5, 2.0? Or maybe SW#9 (Meguiar’s #9)

-I called Lexus Customer Service regarding the paint fading and they advised me to take the vehicle to the delaership for inspection.

-Before I took the car to the dealership, I took it to 2 auto body shop and 1 car detailer. They all said the same thing, the paint is defective. The clear coat is nice and glossy all over the car, but the base coat is losing color from the top of the four doors, back end of the hood, tail gate, and back of roof. The detailer tried to buff and polish but to no avail.

-The Lexus service manager took pictures and documented the fading. He verbally told me that the paint is defective, but the warranty is out. The car is a 2000 lx470 with 68K miles.

-The service mgr sent it to the regional director and they reviewed the inspection docs. They advised Lexus is not covering any or part of the cost to repair the paint defect.

-I can see their point being the warranty is out. But this is a Lexus, they need to protect their reputation by correcting any defect on their vehicles, or people will start to doubt their commitment to excellence.

Hi,

I'm new to the forum. I was wondering if you ever got any resolution from Lexus on your fading paint issue.

I have the same problem. I have a 2000 topaz color LX470 that has always been garage kept. I live in the north east and my truck has horrible paint fading issues. The clear coat is in perfect condition. It has a nice glossy look but under the surface the paint is faded and blotchy on the hood and the roof. I've owned many cars in my life and I am 100% postitive this is not a wax issue.

I haven't discussed this with a dealer yet, only because they are so far away.

Fading away in New York

I have a 99 LX470 and my paint started to fade last year on the hood. It has spread now all over the car - front to back. It looks terrible. I just took it into a paint shop and they said the paint was too thin causing the paint to fail. Their quote is for over $4000 to repaint. I'm contacting Lexus tomorrow to see what they have to say. This is an expensive automobile and I don't think we should have this kind of issue. The color is smokey topaz. Can anyone give me any advise as to who to contact????
Thank you

[quote name='bendrealestate' date='Jun 18 2007, 10:44 PM' post='247060']
I have a 99 LX470 and my paint started to fade last year on the hood. It has spread now all over the car - front to back. It looks terrible. I just took it into a paint shop and they said the paint was too thin causing the paint to fail. Their quote is for over $4000 to repaint. I'm contacting Lexus tomorrow to see what they have to say. This is an expensive automobile and I don't think we should have this kind of issue. The color is smokey topaz. Can anyone give me any advise as to who to contact????
Thank you


Hi. I am curious to know what Lexus said about your problem. I have a 2000 LX470 and I have a very similar problem....started on just the hood, spread to the roof and now is on the sides. I have had two people look at it. I was hoping to just have the roof and the hood painted, but they said it was spreading and that it was a problem with the manufacturers paint. My car has been garage kept, maintained inside and out. Seemed the problem for me crept up....very light fading and then very very quickly got very blotchy. It looks so cheap, just awful. I would very much like to know if Lexus did anyting about it. My dealer said too bad, not under warranty. This was a $70k car

Hi. I am curious to know what Lexus said about your problem. I have a 2000 LX470 and I have a very similar problem....started on just the hood, spread to the roof and now is on the sides. I have had two people look at it. I was hoping to just have the roof and the hood painted, but they said it was spreading and that it was a problem with the manufacturers paint. My car has been garage kept, maintained inside and out. Seemed the problem for me crept up....very light fading and then very very quickly got very blotchy. It looks so cheap, just awful. I would very much like to know if Lexus did anyting about it. My dealer said too bad, not under warranty. This was a $70k car

Hello LX owners -

I own a 2000 model in the same color with the same horrible paint problem - garage kept and waxed. I find it hard to believe Lexus does not know there is a problem with this paint. I just happened to take mine to a paint pro today and he said there is an issue. My Lexus dealership (actually their DOM) said they would pay for half. If they are paying for half in my mind they are admitting an issue. Has anyone seriously contacted a lawyer?

I truly think we should ban together to get this resolved.

Anticipate your comments.

Mike

i got the same problem on my 99 Lexus lx470. I always wax my car and take car of it and the paint began to fade in all different areas. I'm going to call my local dealership today and see what they say.

I called Lexus and a got a dumb blond. She was like well what do you want me to do? So i said maybe you should get a different job if u don't understand me and hung up. Second time i called got a really nice guy, listened to every word i had to say. He mad a complaint for me and they will call me back within two business days with what they will do for me. I'm praying for the best. I got Isuzu to pay for my new paint job back in the day.I'm hoping Lexus will at least pay for a part of it.

I wasn't even looking for this topic, but our 2000 LX470 (champagne color) is fading/blotchy on the rear quarter panels. We keep our vehicle waxed and the clear coat is perfect. My wife has asked the dealership about it twice while having it serviced and they always tell her to go to a paint shop, it's not there problem. She was wanting a 2009, but when a manufacturer won't stand behind a $65,000.00 vehicle when they know there is a problem, why waste the money.

For what it's worth, when we had a LX450, the transmission started making a noise. The dealership said they could change out the entire drive train for $10,000.00 and maybe that would fix it. We drove it until the tranny gave out and an independent transmission shop rebuilt it at a reasonable cost.

I love the cars, but they're dealership just talks a good talk. There's doesn't seem to be anything behind it.

Went to the dealership today and showed them the car..the guy offered to paint the entire car for free! He couldn't believe how bad the paint was on a once 65,000 dollar car. He knew i took car of my truck by the fact it doesn't have a scratch on it and looks brand new other than the paint. He told me he has to call the Lexus headquarters and get things set up with them first, then he will call me im hoping for the best.

everything is set up im taking it to get painted on the 18th....Lexus never fails to satisfy me..One of the reason i only drive toyota's

Sorry...Duplicate post

Does anyone have any photos of the bad pant that they can post...I tihnk I have the same issue with my 200 lx 470

what lexus dealership painted your car?

SO...My saga has ended...And Unfortunately it has ended poorly.

I went tothe Dealer (Lexus of Seattle)...They took one lok at the car and said UGH...you have a problem.

They gave me the Lexus number 800 25LEXUS so that I could start a case.

I did this with the customer service rep (Very Pleasant)

Received a call back from a specialist two days later who asked me some questions (His name was Jose Martinez). He told me he would investigate further...Well later that day he called me back and left a message...Tried to call him back but he was busy...He asked the Rep ont eh phone to let me know that they were not going to do anything about it.

For what it is worth...During my initial conversation with him he did not give me the sense that Lexus would do anything about this...

Factors that he said they would be taking into consideration were
Lack of service at the dealership (I usually take to toyota dealer)
I am the second owner ofthe car

Must admit that I am pretty dissapointed in the decision...they did not even see the car to know wha tthey were dealing with.

My issue is clearly a defect.

My 1998 (Brown) stayed in the garage 90% time until 2003. Was waxed on a regular basis. Once I started commuting with it - it started fading. I mentioned this to the dealer several times when in for service, and asked if there were issues with this color. They said they did not know of any. After I had to have rear bumper repaired, I asked Lexus body shop about this and they said "yes, Lexus had an issue with this color, and we repainted several of them under warantee"

After very generous help from my dealer managers, Lexus says "too late" but offered to split a $7K paint job. With a 170K miles now - not worth it. Any suggestions?

For some reason I do remember seeing a post on some other website that the smokey topaz color was recalled. I think that is the only color that is fading horribly. I have a 98 in the green color and it looks just as new as when I got it. It sits alot in the hot sun here in the Houston area. They should definatly fix it even if its not under warranty anymore. That is what a recall is for right?

In '04 I almost purchased a '00 470, Topaz color, but noticed the fading color on the hood and roof. I asked the local dealer and they said that they had lots of problems with that particular color, and if brought to them w/i the first 6 yrs warranty period they would repaint the car for free. However, based on his response, I decided to go with a different color, Mineral, which has held up well.

I too have a 99 LX470 Smoky Topaz with the same problem. I took it to the dealer for servicing and they acted like it wasn't their problem and didn't know what was wrong with the paint. About a year ago while in for servicing, I asked for a paint shop referral and the customer service rep said he would get back to me when I picked up the car. Never got a reply from him. A few weeks ago while in for 95,000 servicing, I asked again (different cust. rep) and did get the name to their authorized Lexus paint & body shop. I went in today for an estimate and the guy was in disbelief! He said in all his years he never saw a car with this bad a problem. In his opinion it is defective paint from manufacturer. His ballpark estimate was for $6000-7000. He recommended I call the Lexus Corporate office. When I got home, I immediately did a Google search and found this site. I am going to call the corporate office Monday. Thank you for all the posts.

I have been driving around with this embarrassing problem and will probably continue to do so since I can't afford to pay $6000-7000 for a paint job. It just recently rained and now the clear-coat is peeling like a bad sunburn.

I would like to post pics but can't figure out how to do it. When I click on the Insert Image icon I get asked for a URL.

This is a known problem for Lexus. I owned a 99 with the same paint color and had exactly the same problem. They repainted the car for free. It was a lot harder for them than they thought it would be. It took about six weeks to finally get it back, but they did provide a loaner. The way they described it, the pigment gave out on the paint.

I seriously agree with Jay. We need to look at getting a total head count on how many of us there are the have paint fading issues.

I have the same issue with my 2000 LX470 with the paint on the roof mostly. What is the color you ask? You guessed it Topaz Grey. Huge fading issue looks like crap for a $70,000 machine. This is my second Lexus that I have owned and after this one I am not impressed.

I read another topic in here about a paint fading problem on a 2002 I believe, and Lexus apinted it for free.

I am going to start a topic so we can get a head count.

My 2000 lx470 smokey topaz getting a complete free paint job at lexus dealer right now.

MVY, tell us how you managed to get your 2000 LX470 painted form the dealer for free. There are many of us with the same problem with the 2000 pigment in the Topaz Gray paint not holding up. What is your secret? How long did it take? Who did you talk too?

Where was your paint fading at?

My 2000 LX470 is in the shop right now for a full free paint job, as I had fading smokey topaz paint. However, please give me about two weeks and I will give you all the details. I simply don't want other forum members bugging my dealer until I get the car back. I hope you understand.

not a problem

Not sure about this, but I did hear the dealer will only give the free paint on smokey topaz, (maybe other colors?) if it is a one owner car, car was serviced at dealer regularly, and dents and other scratches are not included.