Paint Problems On Ls460 And Rx350

[merdos]

On both of my 2007s I have noticed small cracks in the paint.

Also, th epaint seems to be very brittle and chips easily with a stone ding. (esp. on the LS)

Both care are garaged and have always been had washed.

Has anyone else had issues?

[FourSixOh]

Has anyone else had issues?

I bought one of the first cars in the US; it was delivered early by Lexus to show at a charity event, and the dealer delivered it to me a week before the official release. Not saying that for bragging rights, just establishing where my car falls in the "timeline", since (I hope) Lexus may have dealt with this problem.

The first thing I do with every car I own is to take it to a shop where they do very superb paint protection film installs. I carefully drove the car the thirty miles to the shop, where the owner pointed out to me three or four small chips that were just from the drive down. I know that because I gave the car my usual "over the top" (read: anal-retentive) examination of every square inch, to make sure there was nothing the dealer needed to fix.

So, I've owned BMW, Mercedes, and the predecessor to our LS460L was a VW Phaeton. The Phaeton has the best paint I've ever seen on a car; no orange peel, gorgeous clear coat, superb visual "depth", and tough as nails. Over two years I had very few chips, and when they occurred you could see the depth of the total color coats. The Lexus, by comparison, appears to have very thin paint that is, by my read, insanely fragile.

Which is a complete shame, because the only other paint I've seen that is as smooth was a Mercedes S-Class -- but this was after I found a guy (who worked at Junior's House of Kolor) who did the most amazing color-sanding I've ever seen. When he was done the standard M-B orange-peel was gone, and the paint was spectacular. The robots at Lexus do almost as good a job, but what's the point if the paint durability and longevity is so poor?

My $.02

[merdos]

I figured other people were having problems. It seemed odd to me that it was on both cars. I haven't shown the dealer yet but I'll post after I get their response

[jlawr]

I have heard the EPA is requiring ALL auto manufacturers to switch from oil based paint to water based paints. Therefore, they'll be more paint flaking on all cars soon.

Don't you just love environmentalists?

I wonder what they'll say when their Prius paint starts to flake?

[RFeldes]

Well guys i am not sure but at your "close" you should have been offered the five year interior/ exterior protection. $500 plus..I took it as I have a lease and insured against such angst. They took two hours to put it on. Was it offered to you? Hopefuly I covered my a*&. Did you also know the 460 is the only production car to be hand sanded twice? What a mirror.

[merdos]

Yeah - I was offered the protection but I have owned many cars and this is the first ones that the paint is chipping off. Also, there are cracks that are appearing. This is not the pursuit of perfection.

Agreed the paint looks nice now but how will it look in 3 years? I have only 8,000 miles on the LS car, it is garaged and hand washed and ALWAYS parked away from other cars. Frankly, I do not see the need for added protection. I expect paint to stay on the car.

I could sort of understand that if it was a Ford but it's a freaking Lexus. And, it's on both of them. And, their 2007's.

This is BS.

[SW03ES]

This has to do with the new environmental regulations regarding the composition of paint.

A clear bra is a MUST HAVE on one of these cars nowadays. I'd have the chips you do have touched up and have clearbras installed on both vehicles immediately.

[texagun]

I have heard the EPA is requiring ALL auto manufacturers to switch from oil based paint to water based paints. Therefore, they'll be more paint flaking on all cars soon.

Water based auto paint has been mandated for several years now. The problem exists with Mercedes, BMW, and all other cars as well as Lexus and has for several years. The water based paints are softer and less durable. Thank the Tree-Huggers for that one.

[merdos]

Water based paint or not - the issue is now bigger than I thought. Upon closer inspection of both cars (2007 RX350 and 2007 LS460) I have cracks in the paint - yes - you read that right - cracks in the paint.

The RX has cracks on both mirrors and the driver's door. The LS has a crack in the front bumper. The cracks are oval and as I run my finger tips over them, I can feel the change in surface level. Both cars have always been hand washed and garaged.

I somewhat expect the occasional stone ding but the cracks are alarming.

Anyone else seeing this?

[SW03ES]

Can you post a picture?

[Mare350]

I am experiencing paint chips and peeling on my 2014 starfire white RX350. Shocked that this is happening even more shocked that Lexus isn't covering repair