Peeling Paint On Bumper Again

[Trumpeter]

I purchased my 2005 CPO LS430 last month. After one month, the paint on the bumper began to peel and bubble. I took it back to the Lexus dealer and they "fixed it". About one week later, it started to peel in other places. I took it to a shop that deals with Lexus vehicles. They told me that the only way to solve the problem would be to replace the front bumper. The original paint job was not done correctly and each time they fix one area, a new area will peel. The shop stated that it would take more time and money to clean and repaint the bumper rather than replace.

They also said that whoever fixed the problem last month did a lousy job since the paint used has dust particles in the paint (from painting it in the car lot) and they even left the tape under the bumper. The sliver strip on the front bumper has paint on the bottom and top where they used tape but did a terrible job.

I will be going to the dealer later this week but wanted to know how to handle this? If it is a CPO, would they be responsible for this? There are a few other "defects" in the paint from the previous owner. I have to say that it is not my fault that they Lexus dealer did not check out the car before certifying it. I did an overview inspection of the paint but after one month, their touchups are not holding and the defects are coming through.

Just want to make sure I am not asking for too much.

Thanks for the help.

P

[1990LS400]

Whether your car is CPO or not, you have a right to expect the Lexus dealer to fix your bumpers. It sounds like the person who painted your bumpers may have left out the additive that allows the paint to flex.

It is standard procedure for Lexus and other dealers to repaint the front and rear bumpers on most used cars they sell. Probably 95+% of CPO cars have their bumpers repainted before resale. I know a guy who made a darned good living repainting bumpers for Lexus and other higher end car dealers -- his company is even named "Picasso's". I have had him touch up the bumpers on our cars in our driveway serveral times. Yes, most of the bumper painting is done in dealer parking lots so it is not unusual to have some dust particles showing.

Yes, it may be cheaper for the dealer to replace the bumper cover. Shortly after I bought my first LS400 over 18 years ago, the front bumper paint was ruined by lawn service chemicals in the company parking lot. The lawn service owner had the Lexus dealer - where I had just bought the car - repaint the bumper but the paint would not stick to the areas damaged by the chemicals. The bumper cover had to be replaced. Funny thing was that this led the lawn service owner to immediately buy two new Lexus cars -- an LS400 and an SC400 -- both black.

When I bought a used 2000 LS400 in 2003, it was obvious that the bumpers had recently been repainted by the dealer -- they were flawless. Like I said, it's standard operating procedure.