Lexus Rx330 Front End Mask

[sirrah74]

I have a new rx330 that I got about a week ago, and I bought the Lexus front end mask for it. What should I know about the care of the paint of the car and the care of the mask? Anyone have these for a while on their vehicle? I daily wipe under the uppermost lip that makes contact with the hood to remove and debris.

Thanks!

Mark

[SW03ES]

My first question is why did you buy the mask? For looks or for protection?

The mask not only will abrade the paint surface underneath it, it will not allow sunlight in so that over time the paint underneath the mask will be a different shade than the paint on the rest of the car.

My reccomendation, return the mask and get a clear bra installed.

[sha4000]

shouldnt he be ok as long as he takes the mask off from time to time and keep several layers of wax under there

[sirrah74]

I thought about everything you said about the paint abrasion and fading before I bought the mask, but I only intend to keep it on during the winter months here in PA - they tend to cinder the roads here quite a bit. I had the car a week before I put it on and made absolutely sure the area was washed before I put it on. The mask is so well form fitting that I don't think it moves very much judging from the way it fits. Do you know of any clear "stick on" films that I could put on myself? Sort of like those window cling decorations that you can buy at all the holidays? I didn't get this mask with the intention of it being permanent. But it was the best I thought I could come up with in a hurry before some chips appeared. I've had 2 BMW 3 series and 1 5 series all of which had the type hood where the grill was integrated into the hood metal. I found that 90% of stone chips were not on the flat hood surface but on the exposed painted area around the grill in the front. I appreciate any suggestions or comments you have thanks for the input!

Mark

[LexKid630]

I haven't had any experience with the masks or clear stick on stuff, but i did have one of those bug deflectors on my 99 rx300. It worked pretty well preventing rock chips. Didn't work too well in the car wash though LOL

I don't really care for the black masks, and i don't like the looks of the clear 3M stuff. I don't like the "line" it makes on the car's hood and bumpers. I have heard of custom making the 3M stuff to cover thw WHOLE hood and bumper to remove those lines? That would be my best choice.

[SW03ES]

shouldnt he be ok as long as he takes the mask off from time to time and keep several layers of wax under there

If he uses the mask more often than not then no, paint naturally fades when its exposed to sunlight and if one section is covered you definately will be able to tell the difference.

Since the mask is only used for the winter its probably not a big deal.

As for the clear bra, you don't want to install it yourself. Its definately a professional installation required product and once its on you just leave it on.

I'm not wild about the line across the hood either, but would you rather have that or rock chips?

[sha4000]

yeah SW i hear you , i have a colgan 2 piece bra that use for the highway and sometimes i leave it on for a couple of days but i always take itoff and make sure i put a couple coats of wax underneath

[sirrah74]

thanks for the input!

I don't plan keeping this mask on all the time - just through the "cinder" months here in PA and then I think I might go for the clear film covers. Like I said I did this to get something on the car to protect it right away - so this was just a temporary measure. It has been on about 2 weeks now, and over the weekend I plan to take it off to clean underneath. I wipe the uppper edge with a soft cloth to get any debris off and it looks to me like hardly any dirt has gotten down underneath very far. Again, thanks for everyone who commented on my topic.

Mark