DelrayJay

Do you think it makes sense to add the clear bra even if there are a few rock chips already on the paint? It's by no means horrible, but it would help prevent any more... Yep. That is what I am doing on Saturday. The place I am bringing my car to to told me to bring my touch up paint and they would take care of the existing chips before installing the clear bra. I am getting the entire hood, bumper and mirrors done. I am looking forward to not worrying about this anymore.

Its not a "chiproof armor" its called Ceramiclear and its simply a harder clearcoat. It really doesn't do much to resist chipping, its designed to resist carwash scratching. Its is nonetheless very cool. If it makes you feel better Delray, I saw a black LS460 with a clear bra today and I had to look twice before I noticed it. I found a company in Boca Raton (Auto Super Shield) that has different options for the clear bra. One covers the entire hood (not just half), the front bumper and mirrors. So, there would be no line to see. It is going to cost a lot more but I think it is worth it. One cool thing that I learned from Auto Super Shield is that it can be taken off down the road. I was told that a lot of people choose to remove it prior to trading their car in. The paint underneath is like new. At least there is an up side to this whole chipping problem.

Yep, I drive on I-95. Call me crazy, but it is my feeling that you should be able to drive your car on the highway without problems like this. My wife drives on I95 with her Acura and hasn't had any problems. I would understand if I actually heard or saw a rock hit the front of the car but I get chips without ever hearing or seeing anything. From what I can tell, the new design of the LS causes any small spec to slam into the front of the car and this causes a chip. It doesn't take a big rock or piece of debris at all. Oh well, I have vented enough. I guess I will break down and pay money for this clear bra. It still bugs me that I have to do this for a new car that cost me a good bit of money. You shouldn't have to modify a brand new car so soon after purchasing it. By the way, I agree with RFeldes on his comment about bras. You shouldn't have to put one on your car. haha.

Yes, I would say that we have the same driving habits. I drive on the highway to work but work out of home 2 days out of the week. So, my car probably gets less use than theirs does. I also had a Volvo XC90 prior to my LS. It was 2 years old (as of this year) and did not have any chips on the front end. I drove it the same exact routes around town and to/from work. This is why this paint chipping problem is so frustrating to me.

Do you know if this is only a problem with Japanese cars? My friend drives a BMW and drives it hard. It is two years old. I told him about my frustrations regarding the Lexus paint and he told me that he has not had any problems like this with his car. I took a look at it and there isn't even one chip on the front end. This was kind of embarrassing after I have been giving him so much hell about how bad BMW's are with service. The problem seems to be that the paint does not stick properly to the primer. All my chips don't appear to go all the way through to metal. At some point it seems like Lexus needs to figure out a way to use low VOC paint and actually make it work. Somehow Acura has figured it out with my wife's TL (2 years old and almost a third the cost of my car).

It is my understanding that this clear coating only covers like half the front of the car. My car is black and I am really concerned that you will be able to see the line where it stops. And, like I said before, it makes me mad that I even have to worry about this. Lexus should put a thicker coat of paint on the front end to prevent excessive chipping. This is not something you expect from a "luxury car".

I have a LS 460L with about 5,000 miles on it. I love the car except for one major problem The paint on the front end chips very easily. I already have 6 or 7 chips which is more than most of my previous cars had the entire time I owned them. My wife has a 2 year old Acura and it doesn't have a single chip. I called the dealership and they said that it is due to the front end shape that the new Lexus cars have and the way the air flows over them. They tried to sell me a $700 3M plastic film coating to prevent chips. It just seems strange to me that I should have to fork over $700 to prevent the paint from chipping on a car that I already paid what I feel like is a lot of cash for. If Lexus knows this is a problem then they should put the film on for free. Is anyone else experiencing this with any of the new Lexus cars? I read something that said the new paint is water based and this is why it chips so easily.