Nx200T "orange Peel" Effect On Paint

[chalie]

Hi all,

After washing the NX a few times I finally had a chance to look closely at the paint in my garage under bright lights. I noticed my shiny Atomic Silver paint job was not glass smooth. There is only one way to describe it..."orange peel". Top and sides, everywhere.

I called the 800 customer service number. Karen was nice but said I should take it back to the dealership and see what the service shop had to say, or perhaps the "field rep" could have a look. About 5 minutes after the call (coincidence?) my sales guy calls. We talk about a different question and then I mention the paint. He says (basically) to deal with it as all the new cars look like that....even the BMWs the dealership.

My 4runner did not have this orange peel effect, so what gives? Does the 2nd coat of clear cause this? Or is this just the way it is and I should lower my standards?

This is my 1st premium car and I'm trying to manage my expectations. Is this crummy paint job the standard with Lexus? I'm sure I am missing something here. Could someone please help?

I think I'll make the drive in a couple days to the dealership. I'll update this post as necessary.

[13IS250C]

BS!!!!!!! My paint on my IS is smooth as silk. I would take it to the dealership and have the bodyshop manager look at it. If your dealership is like mine and doesn't have a bodyshop, I would find a good one and get their opinion.

I saw a brand new GT-R on a showroom floor and it had the worst orange peel I have ever seen on a new car. I couldn't beleive it.

[13IS250C]

I just noticed that you are from Arkansas. You didn't buy that from Lexus of Memphis did you? They are the king of saying it is supposed to be like that.

[1990LS400]

How does the paint on your NX compare to others when you park beside them? Is it similar or much worse? All you can expect is for the paint on your NX to be similar in quality to others. Did you inspect your NX before taking delivery?

I've found there to be substantial differences between material and finish quality between Lexus models with there being very direct correlations between quality and vehicle price as well as differences between different models of similar prices. The NX would best be described as an "entry level" Lexus so I would not expect the same quality level as in more expensive Lexus models. I had several conversations about these quality variations among models over the years with Lexus dealer employees and they were very familiar with the variations. All of these conversations were when I was returning an ES or RX loaner while my LS was in for service. The quality differences between the loaners and my LS cars were always a shock.

Your sales guy is certainly right about BMW's. Yikes! It would be an insult to oranges to call paint on some BMW's "orange peal".

Heck, I bought a brand new Volvo sedan in 1978 that had a paint "drip" on the left front fender down near the rocker panel. It was a cute drip and I enjoyed showing it off.

[13IS250C]

I don't think any Lexus should have orange peel in the paint. I don't care how much it cost. Adjust the robot settings.

[chalie]

Hi All,

Beckie, no, I purchased the NX in Mo.

Thanks to all for your comments. I looked at other NX's on the lot and they all had similar "orange peel"...the BMW's were indeed quite noticeable. I had a good conversation with the collision repair manager. He did not see a difference in paint between an entry and high level Lexus. He also noted the difficulty of trying to match the poor paint finish with the BMW's. They intentionally have to apply a bad coat of paint to match the rest of the body. As far as my NX, the service manager took some pics to send off to the regional guy. No one said the paint on my NX was atypical.

I am not trying to spread hate and discontent between brands...this is what I've seen and have been told. Both brands are very high quality.

My last new car purchase was 9 yrs ago and the paint was glass smooth. How auto manufactures now feel the current quality of paint is acceptable is beyond me. I am opting not to drink their cool-aid. I just traded the NX in with less than 2k miles for a completely different make and model. My decision to do this was not based solely on the paint. I had other concerns as well. I may look again at Lexus down the road, but you can be sure I'll have a good look at the paint first.

Thanks again for your help.

[13IS250C]

That is really sad. I hope you didn't take too bad of a beating trading so soon. What did you buy?

[Perfectionist]

You COULD polish the paint to smooth it but you would be removing some protective clearcoat.  I would agree that I would FIRST run it through warranty before taking action physically on the paint.  Did you compare your gloss and depth in paint to other NXs on the lot?