Paint Chippings

[sam2004]

There are some paint chippings due to road chips and I can see some rust at these places. Can somebody tell me the best way to fix these places? I am driving on 400 series highways every day.

Thanks.

[RX in NC]

Unfortunately, I've found the paint on my wife's previous 2000 RX300 and her current 2004 RX330 to be quite soft and very susceptible to chipping, moreso than any other make of vehicle I've ever owned in nearly 40 years of driving. I'm no detailer, but what I do is clean out the road chip with a light abrasive rubbing compound, buff it out with a dry rag, let it dry out for 30 minutes or so, then use my Lexus touch-up paint (not very good, either) in the chipped area. I let that dry for a couple of days and then put a normal coat of carnauba wax on the area, wait a week or so, and then another normal coat of wax. This process works reasonably well for me.

You can't let the chipped area get to the point where it begins to rust before you treat it. Once rust sets in, it is quite difficult to keep it at bay permanently....

[Hadyourphil]

I agree. The paint on my '01 RX300 is crappy and very susceptable to chipping. My repair procedure is much the same as RX in NC

[cduluk]

Honestly, if i were you, i'd have the hood re-painted, and maybe even have a clear bra installed.

Body shops (unlike car manufacturers) can "theoretically" adjust their clear to any density you want. Car makers are required to make the paint that soft to follow certain guidelines, but body shops aren't really restricted.

I had the hood on my old Rx300 painted by a body shop for $400, and the finish was EXTREMELY durable against chips and especially scratches and swirl marks.

It's a small price to pay, especially considering after sand and re-paint, the front end will look brand new again.

[farmerfelts]

Honestly, if i were you, i'd have the hood re-painted, and maybe even have a clear bra installed.

Body shops (unlike car manufacturers) can "theoretically" adjust their clear to any density you want. Car makers are required to make the paint that soft to follow certain guidelines, but body shops aren't really restricted.

I had the hood on my old Rx300 painted by a body shop for $400, and the finish was EXTREMELY durable against chips and especially scratches and swirl marks.

It's a small price to pay, especially considering after sand and re-paint, the front end will look brand new again.

We had the hood and plastics repainted on our 99 RX300 due to door dings and road chips. Used a harder, better quality paint on the hood and after two years there isn't any chipping even after several cross country road trips.

Well worth the price paid.

[Gibbie]

I've had good luck with the Langka product. Of course this doesn't address the problem itself but does work for repairing the chips.

http://www.langka.com/