Paint

[travelinlady]

Has anyone else had a problem with the paint coming off their 2007 ES350. I purchased my vehicle in October 2009 and almost from the day I purchased it I noticed that there would be small spots of paint coming off the bumper of the car. I also have had problems with the paint scratching when I try to wash it with a soft wet rag, it almost looks like I took my ring and scratched it. My front bumper, hood and roof looks like I have white chickenpox all over it. I was talking to another lady that has the same make, model and color car and she said she hates the paint on the car and has complained.

[SW03ES]

Does the paint only flake off the bumper? What color is it?

My guess is that at some point before you bought it that bumper was repainted and the incorrect ratio of flex additive was added to the paint. Where did you buy the car from? The Lexus dealer? Lexus dealers very commonly repaint the front bumpers before they sell their CPO cars...

As for the scratching, all I can say is you shouldn't be wiping a dirty...or even a clean car with a "wet rag". I've detailed cars for many years and I can't think of a car that wouldn't scratch when wiped that way...if I were you I would have the car fully detailed by a competent detailer, or read up in the detailing section about the products, tools & techniques to do it properly yourself. That should take care of the scratching and the paint issues on the roof (probably staining).

All paint needs maintenance.

[rjt65]

what color is your car?

the Lexus Black has no clear coat on it and thus scratches in almost any car wash-- I found out the hard way -- and that led me to get informed on detailing --andnow-- my first instruction to Lexus service when I bring the car in is no WASH!

Only microfiber quality towels touch my car.. you may want to find a good detailer to fix for you and than read up on maintaining it properly yourself.

It is a pain to not be able to run it through a car wash in the winter... but my benefit is my car outshines almost all other black cars i see with the proper detailing

g luck!

Has anyone else had a problem with the paint coming off their 2007 ES350. I purchased my vehicle in October 2009 and almost from the day I purchased it I noticed that there would be small spots of paint coming off the bumper of the car. I also have had problems with the paint scratching when I try to wash it with a soft wet rag, it almost looks like I took my ring and scratched it. My front bumper, hood and roof looks like I have white chickenpox all over it. I was talking to another lady that has the same make, model and color car and she said she hates the paint on the car and has complained.

[SW03ES]

I'm betting its black too...

[jimmy2x]

It is a pain to not be able to run it through a car wash in the winter...

If you look around you should be able to find an automatic car wash where nothing touches your car but fluid/air. Go through it and take your car home - wipe off gently with a microfiber towel.

No swirl marks or dirty rag scratches.

[SW03ES]

No no. You cannot wipe the car off after a touchless wash, there is still dirt on the paint surface. It needs to be totally clean before you wipe it down with even an MF towel. Doing that will definately cause swirling.

[rjt65]

I usually ONR spray it leave it on few minutes, than ONR wash (using all mf aka Micro fiber towels) than damp dry--than a QD (quick detailer like fk 425) again with plush MF towels

cheers

No no. You cannot wipe the car off after a touchless wash, there is still dirt on the paint surface. It needs to be totally clean before you wipe it down with even an MF towel. Doing that will definately cause swirling.

[jimmy2x]

No no. You cannot wipe the car off after a touchless wash, there is still dirt on the paint surface. It needs to be totally clean before you wipe it down with even an MF towel. Doing that will definately cause swirling.

Ok - maybe I just got lucky, but didn't get any swirl marks on the last car. What do you recommend?

[SW03ES]

You got lucky, or the color of the paint was such that you couldn't tell unless you were looking for them.

I recommend exactly what rjt suggested above...

[timzter]

Hmm...so you're saying we should NOT let the Lexus service people give my car a complimentary car wash when I bring the car in for service? You would think that they would have the proper rags and skill to clean the car without scratching or causing swirls.

I think I will continue to bring my car in for a touchless wash, but everyone knows it doesn't really clean well--readily seen in the layer of dirt that still remains on the windshield where the wipers do not come into contact. On occasion, I would like to clean it myself outside my house. Is there a Car Wash 101 for do-it-yourself-ers that is guaranteed to produce showroom quality results?

[jimmy2x]

Hmm...so you're saying we should NOT let the Lexus service people give my car a complimentary car wash when I bring the car in for service? You would think that they would have the proper rags and skill to clean the car without scratching or causing swirls.

I think I will continue to bring my car in for a touchless wash, but everyone knows it doesn't really clean well--readily seen in the layer of dirt that still remains on the windshield where the wipers do not come into contact. On occasion, I would like to clean it myself outside my house. Is there a Car Wash 101 for do-it-yourself-ers that is guaranteed to produce showroom quality results?

Autopia.org

[jimmy2x]

You got lucky, or the color of the paint was such that you couldn't tell unless you were looking for them.

I recommend exactly what rjt suggested above...

I only use the car wash when it is too cold to wash myself. Am I better off to just let the water dry on the car? Have been a Klasse user for several years, and it was my understanding that the acrylic gave you at at least a somewhat harder surface. Just trying to learn here, as I really want to avoid scratching my three day old Lexus.

[SW03ES]

Hmm...so you're saying we should NOT let the Lexus service people give my car a complimentary car wash when I bring the car in for service? You would think that they would have the proper rags and skill to clean the car without scratching or causing swirls.

I never let the Lexus dealer wash my car. On the two occasions they disregarded my wishes and washed it...it had to be machine polished to remove the swirling and scratching afterwards.

When I was detailing professionally it seemed like I did one brand new car a week just removing the damage the dealer did applying one coat of wax. Dealers won't pay for a competent detailer...I've seen dealers wash cars with brooms...thats no joke.

I think I will continue to bring my car in for a touchless wash, but everyone knows it doesn't really clean well--readily seen in the layer of dirt that still remains on the windshield where the wipers do not come into contact. On occasion, I would like to clean it myself outside my house. Is there a Car Wash 101 for do-it-yourself-ers that is guaranteed to produce showroom quality results?

Autopia.org is THE resource. I have written some tutorials in the detailing forums on here and there are some other members here who are very knowledgeable.

[oguitar]

I have this problem on my wife's ES330. The bumper paint looks like it is peeling. When she pointed it out I started looking at other ES's here in my town and sure enough I saw other cars with this issue. I will post a pic up later when she comes home.

[pj8708]

A cornerstone of United States law is "Ignorance of the law is no excuse." Even though I did not have the knowledge, I plead gulity of all charges and will proceed to car wash/paint swirl jail.

However, I have not experienced any paint flakeing, peeling or severe swirling on my 05' ES 330. I wash it once a week at a commercial car wash and have it completely detailed and paint touched up every 8 months. I spoke with the local dealer and they have not seen any problems with flakeing paint. SW please forgive me.

[oguitar]

This is what is happening to my ES330.

[pj8708]

This is what is happening to my ES330.

That is really bad! I would send that photo directly to a Lexus regional office or their equivilant and ask for a resolution to the problem. I can't imagine they want one of their cars driveing around looking like that.

[oguitar]

I am not going to blame Lexus until I am sure this is happening to others. If I see any more ES's driving around with this issue I will try and take some cell phone pics. Any body else have this issue?

[SW03ES]

Did you own that car from new?

I am 95% sure thats the result of improper prep before a bumper repaint. I look at a lot of cars, and I've never seen another ES on the road with that issue...

[LEXIRX330]

Did you own that car from new?

I am 95% sure thats the result of improper prep before a bumper repaint. I look at a lot of cars, and I've never seen another ES on the road with that issue...

I don't care if he has owned it from new or not. I will bet just about anything that there was some damage to the front and that is the result of a bad paint job. I have seen quite a few cars that look like that and I think your clear is peeling and maybe even some of the paint is flaking off. Who knows someone could have hit the car on the lot and the dealer could have tried to fix it on the cheap. If the car is under warranty that should be fixed. If you had an accident then that is another story you need to go back to the bodyshop to get them to fix it not Lexus.

Good luck.

[oguitar]

I am not blaming Lexus at all. Since I did buy the car used I have no idea what happened to it before I bought it. It definitely looks like a bad paint job. I did see a few other cars with this problem though in my city. It could just be a bad paint shop. It does not look like a widespread issue so I will deal with it on my own. Thanks for all the help.

[LEXIRX330]

I am not blaming Lexus at all. Since I did buy the car used I have no idea what happened to it before I bought it. It definitely looks like a bad paint job. I did see a few other cars with this problem though in my city. It could just be a bad paint shop. It does not look like a widespread issue so I will deal with it on my own. Thanks for all the help.

Did you have a Carfax run? Even with a clean carfax there are times that there could have minor damage done to a car.

[cduluk]

woah, no doubt 100% that bumper had been (poorly) repainted. This is the classic case of a dealer doing a quick re-clear to get rid of a few scratches before putting it on the lot. Look at the orange peel at the top of the bumper in the reflection!

Looks like it was only re-cleared/blended, as the color beneath the pealing is still silver (doesn't look like primer). Most likely whoever re-painted/blended it didn't sand the surface enough before re-spray. Is this peeling only on the passengers side? Most likely, there was damage on the drivers side, and the bumper was color blended from left to right without proper prep on the right side.

That bumper will have to be sanded, primed, colored and cleared. Personally i'd just buy a new bumper and have it re-painted, as the body work to get that one prepped will cost more than the price of a new bumper.

MAKE sure the dealer you bought it from has this work done.

[SW03ES]

I agree 100%, the bumper was probably repainted poorly when it was put on the lot for sale...

[pj8708]

OGUITAR:

Have you had enough yet?

Hope all works out.

Paul