Wow! Paint Does Really Age Quickly!

[LexKid630]

This week i am baby-sitting my aunt's 2001 Lexus rx300 in our extra garage while she's on vacation (for about the 5th time since 9/00). It's indigo ink pearl on ivory, the SAME EXACT thing as my daughter's, except my aunt doesn't have the navigation, and my daughter's is a 2003.

As i look at my aun'ts and my daughter's right next to each other, it is very clear the difference in the paints finish. It's hard to explain, but our 2003 looks so much better than her 2001, even thought they're the same color combo's etc.

My aunt has 58,400 miles on it, as my daughter's only has 35,000. It's amazing to see the difference in the paint quality in only 2 years difference. The paint on my aunt's looks....not dirty, not scratched, just "dull". It looks as if the clearcoat is proactically gone (looks like there's "less" clearcoat on hers).

Also besides the exterior paint, the interior looks 10 years old! The creases and bends in the leather are black, and look horrible! The amount of ringmarks on the steering wheel bewilders me, and the scratches all over the console look terrible. The blue LCD screen has streaks over it, the center console where the buttons are is all covered in some gray "film" most likely oil from fingers etc. The floor has all junk over it, there's coffee spilled in the cupholder, it's a mess! Looks like my wife's LS430 now that she's ing it up!! LOL

I am very surprized how bad the interior looks considering my aunt is 62 years old, and a full time nurse. All the nurses i've been around for 20 years were more of germ-freaks than anything else.

I can't believe i even thought of purchasing this from her for my daughter...Before i bought the 2003 rx300 last June, i was planning on getting my aunts for $10,000 if any of you remember that...This car's in horrible condition!! She was going to sell that to me, and buy a new rx330....She still hasn't bought it yet!! Her excuse for not buying a new rx330 is that the color selections are boring. There's the "dishwater blue" or the "dirt" as she calls them LOL

By the way i checked the transmission fluid and it's perfectly clear believe it or not...AWD and almost 60,000 miles and in perfect condition! and my aunt floors it like you could never believe! she abuses everything she owns!

Well thought i would just share with you about how another Lexus is being beat up LOL

any input on why her paint looks like crap? Anything i can do to help it before my aunt gets back?

I hate seeing a Lexus looking like this, even IF it's not mine.

Also,

-the base of the rear windshield whiper (a metal piece) is missing, showing the rusting bolt attaching it to the rear tailgate. Is this a bad thing?

-can i get the black out of the bends in the leather seats any better way? I tried the woolite sol'n ratio, but it doesn't seem to take out the black :(

Thanks everyone! Any similar situations from your point of view?

[SKperformance]

I would check the paint code on the vin sticker on the door jam.

I would suspect although very similar may not be the same exact paint code and mixture.

Besides paint is very hard to perfectly match especially after a few years of making it.

[blake918]

I'd bet her RX just needs a good detail...the paint is probably oxidized from the lack of detailing. For the the dirt in the leather wear marks, try a mr. clean magic eraser. Tread lightly at first because they can take the dye off, but when used properly, it can make the seats look brand new. I also hear great things about hand cleaners with "grit" in them like fast orange.

[RX in NC]

Beyond the "abuse and neglect" issues with your aunt's vehicle, keep in mind that the darker the paint, the more it will fade over the years. That is true for every vehicle manufacturer and every paint manufacturer as well. Keeping a vehicle garaged and waxed will help, but minute paint fade occurs with only a few months' exposure to the sun. Summer exposure is the worst but the sun can and will fade your paint at any time of the year.

The easiest way to minimize paint fade is to buy only white exteriors containing non-metallic paint. White reflects more light than any other color and therefore holds up far longer with far less fade. The paint fade on my 6-year-old Dodge Ram pickup (Bright White) is imperceptible. It gets hand-washed once or twice a month and gets a hand-applied-and-buffed coat of carnauba wax perhaps twice a year. The paint fade on my wife's 5-year-old RX300 (Golden Pearl, although most people inaccurately refer to it as "white") is barely noticable by me but not by others, both because it is not a true white and it is a metallic paint. It gets hand-washed more often than my Ram and gets a hand-applied-and-buffed coat of carnauba wax two or three times a year.

If you desire the best and easiest way to minimize paint fade, always choose white, non-metallic paint. If you must have dark paint, keep it out of the sun as much as possible and keep it waxed. But understand that you will still suffer from fade over time.

[TOGWT]

Leather Cleaning- use a soft horse hair brush (Groit's Leather & Interior Brush) and/or a vacuum to remove any dust, apply a cleaning solution (Water /Woolite® or Dreft® 6:1 ratio or stronger) on to an applicator pad and apply to one area at a time (i.e. a seat back). To remove stubborn dirt or grime gently agitate the surface with a boar's hair cleaning brush (this will not harm the leather) then use a clean, damp Microfiber towel to rinse.

Maintenance cleaning- use a cleaning solution (Water /Woolite® or Dreft® 10:1 ratio) on to an applicator pad and apply to one area at a time

Stubborn stains- dependent upon the leathers condition or how dirty it is consider using a leather-cleaning product. (Leatherique's Prestine Clean, Zaino Leather in a bottle, Groit's Leather Cleaner or Autoglym Leather Cleaner)

Notes:

•With all cleaning products, always test a small, indiscrete area first to ensure it won't discolour or stain the surface, and ensure that the pH of the product is suitable for the material.

•The harsh use of chemicals actually keeps dirt trapped in the fibres of the leather. If you abuse or neglect your leather, it won't survive. Keeping leather clean is important, but conditioning is the key to preserving its useful life, flexibility, appearance and longevity.

•Do not use- Saddle soap (it's made to clean an entirely different type of leather), abrasive cleaners, furniture leather polish (they contain a wax), products that contain harsh solvent s or alcohol, as they will cause the stitching to fray and eventually break, petroleum distillate, bleach or ammonia based products, you should not use vinyl products on leather (nor vice versa as the emulsion will not penetrate).

•Do not use- Silicone or Lanolin-based conditioning products as they have trouble reaching the leathers deep fibres, also avoid using leather-conditioning creams on covered leathers as they cannot penetrate the surface finish and the residue will remain leaving a greasy surface on the leather. The silicone oil will dissolve out the leather's natural oils and tend to make the leather sticky. Use a product that contains natural penetrating oils that will nourish the fibres and restore the leather to its natural suppleness.

•Do not use- vinyl dressing on leather as it will clog the pores of the leather and not allow any essential oils to permeate to the fibre, which will cause the leather to dry out and crack

JonM

[LexKid630]

Thanks for the advice guys' i'll try some of those things when i get home today.

Well i took her rx300 to work today just to see how it "handles" after 5 years. I have to say it is extremely nice!! The ride is better than our 2003 rx300, and handles better overall!! I don't know why it feels better, it just does! It looks as if she needs new tires, maybe this could be giving it a better ride? I'll have to check the tire pressure when i get home; don't have a gauge on me LOL

The transmission is perfectly smooth and quiet, just as it should be... The engine starts up perfectly, better then our 2003 rx300 does.

The only thing i don't like is the blue information screen. Leaving for work 5:30 am in the dark, the big blue area was very distracting. I hated it on my 1999, and still don't like it. On our rx, i turn down the dimmer switch so the nav screen goes mostly black, with the lighter color streets, so it's less blinding. Even the "brightness" button doesn't help since you need to turn it back up during the day (when i "got" to work) LOL

But i have to say that even 5 years after, it's still working mechanically correct.

[SW03ES]

The reason the paint looks the way it does is because it hasn't been cared for properly.

Modern paints are EXTREMELY resistant to fading and while what RX in NC said used to be the case, really today there's no reason any color paint shouldn't look good 15 years down the line. The color coat is hidden beneath a clearcoat that has a lot of UV blocking properties. The color coat really doesn't fade.

If you wash the car once a week, and wax it twice a year, the paint really won't fade or stain, regardless of the color. If you live in a climate where it rains periodically or there is pollution nearby a car NEEDS to be washed ONCE A WEEK.

Now, in order for it to look "new" over a period of time it also needs to be polished periodically and you need to practice good washing tecnhiques to avoid introducing marring and things of that nature. Carwashes beat the hell out of cars for instance, and washing them with a sponge and dischwashing soap dries out the paint, trim, and all the seals. But, running a car through a carwash is better than not washing it at all.

Another good thing about modern paint is a lot of the damage done by neglect can be repaired by a proper detailing because of the robustness of the paint. Turn me loose on that RX and I'll bet you money I can make it look as good as your 03 in 5-6 hours. The paint fade RX is seeing is oxidation, its the roughing up and drying out of the outermost layer of the clearcoat, its actuallly not fading at all. Think of it like a cataract on an eye. A good polishing with a medium-light cut polish and an orbital buffer and it will remove that dead paint and restore the paint's original appearance.

[LexKid630]

I can say for sure her 2001 rx300 (bought in November of 2000) has been washed maybe.....three times in it's whole life. NEVER waxed, unless Lexus did it (yeah right!), and never taken care of. My aunt abuses everything she owns, and it's extremely sad if you ask me...I'd like to take hers and give it away to some poor kid, and tell my aunt it was stolen! I HATE when people abuse and neglect their cars. Especially Lexus'

When i got home from work my daughter and i applied some ScratchX to the WHOLE car. After about an hour and a half of work, the results are OUTSTANDING!!!

Just put a glob of Meguiar's ScratchX on a damp cloth and rubbed it in... Then when it dried, rubbed it off, repeated, waxed it, and the shine was unbelievable!! This scratchX stuff is excellent i would suggest anyone else who has this similar problem to use it! Haven't started on the interior though yet :(

But i can't believe how great it looks now! Thanks for the suggestions; i thought that car's finish was gone forever