F250

I have to admit that I feel like an idiot. We drove 4 hours to view, test drive, inspect, and then purchase our 2010 RX450h last week, and I did NOT notice until TWO DAYS LATER that the top of the rear spoiler is badly oxidized... to the point where the surface actually feels sort of rough. The rest of the body is spit-shined and looks almost brand new! I can only surmise that we were so astounded with the rest of the vehicle that is just did not catch our eye. Had I noticed that, I would have negotiated harder to try to cover the re-spray costs.

So my question is this... Have any of you folks noticed the same kind of what I call premature oxidation JUST on the top surface of the rear spoiler? If so, what, if anything, have you done to address the issue (i.e. buffing it back out, getting it repainted, etc.)?

With the roughness I can feel by hand, I'm not confident that it can simply be buffed and waxed into a condition which matches the rest of the vehicle. I've checked the parts supply options, and I'm looking at approx $850 for a new part through myLparts or roughly $450 from a pull-a-part location... neither of which I'm willing to pay. I expect that getting it redone at a body shop will run in the $250-$300 range, which is better, but still more than I WANT to pay. I really want to clean up this detail for my wife since it will be her DD.

MellonC00

Yes, it is. I had the same thing happen to my old RX. The top of the spoiler gets all the dust and debris from driving (more if you do highway miles). so it's gets all the little dust particles lodged in there. However, my paint didn't fade to like an entirely different color - it didn't turn white like some darker color do.

My suggestion: Try the clay first. First, do a nice wash. Then, clay with this first. https://www.amazon.com/Clay-Magic-Me.../dp/B000P72GM8 followed by this one. https://www.amazon.com/Clay-Magic-Bl...55W8M8E9P4QFQS

if the surface still feels abrasive to touch but the paint is OK, you can polish it using a mild polishing compound followed by a wax job and call it a day. But if the paint literally disappeared, you'd have to repaint.

Buzzer777

Mine is a 2013 and no oxidation that I have noticed BUT I missed an area of obvious repair on the rear bumper during my own inspection, so ****** HAPPENS SO DON'T FEEL BAD.

Before going for a more expensive option, perhaps try Mequires #1 and #2 in their 3 step polish sets. (don't forget to wax after polish, which should stop repeat oxidation). People complain about Lexus "thin" paint. Relative to Subaru and Mazda, which I have owned, Lexus paint is superb! I have used both polishes with good results on other vehicles with light oxidation and "restoring" the paint. Also Groits makes great polishes and waxes! Results will also vary depending on the car's color My RX is a Maroon color which cleaned up nicely). Light oxidation can also feel rough to the touch. I think you will be surprised with the above polish's results. You can also try clay bar which can work wonders, even though it is not supposed to help with oxidation.


Good Luck with it.

F250

Thanks guys. I should have mentioned that the body color is the Smokey Granite Mica, which is like a blackish midnight blue. Although the severe oxidation obviously makes the surface look very, very dull, it has neither been truly discolored nor appears to be missing paint.

I'll try some clay and polishing efforts, and it might just be enough to call it good. I guess there is hope after all.

Buzzer777

Don't give up... the darker colors are a bit tougher, but will really surprise you if you are successful!

F250

Give up? Naahhh.

The good news is that I'm an exceptionally hard-headed perfectionist. But that is sometimes my downfall as well!

Buzzer777

Yeah me too...Things that most people don't even see, bother me to the max! I keep forgetting that I bought a USED 3 YR old car...Let us know how you do!

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Do you have photos of the area you are talking about?

Clear coated paints do not typically oxidize in the sense that older, single stage paints did. In most cases it is a matter of a heavily contaminated surface or the beginning signs of clear coat failure, so photos would help diagnose the issue.

In any case, the previously given advice is also what I would suggest... thoroughly clean and decontaminate the surface, then proceed with machine polishing if needed.

F250

Thanks, Zach. I have not taken pictures yet, but will do so in the next day or two and will post up so you guys can see what I'm talking about. I'm planning on trying to start the treatment process this weekend.

F250

I snapped some pictures this morning as I was walking through the garage. Different angles -- some flash -- some no flash. In the bottom right picture, you can see a contrast between the top surface of the spoiler and the side of the spoiler... quite different. The picture on the lower left is a close up of the spoiler surface.

Soooo... is the situation extreme, or is it easily repairable with some elbow grease and clay bar?

Thanks,
Pete

UDel

My monitor I am using right now kind of sucks and makes darker objects look much darker but that looks like what I dealt with with my spoiler and unfortunately it was premature cc failure/crazing. When you look closer, like with a magnifying glass does it appear to be fine micro scratches causing the hazy look, does the milky surface look a little rough and matte or does it just look like some kind of film is on top. At first you likely can polish it down to a nice finish and clear it up but if it is early crazing or cc failure it will come back and come back worse especially exposed to sunlight. Some times spoilers added to cars are aftermarket and are not from the factory or factory primed/painted with the same technique/paint or to the standards the rest of the car is painted so the paint tends to degrade faster then the rest of the finish. It will likely take a couple years before a decent polish/wax won't really hide the cc failure/crazing anymore if it is just starting so I don't think there needs to be a rush to try to get it addressed right away. It may be some kind of stubborn harmless surface film though but it does look similar to my spoiler which clearly was not factory painted like the rest of the car and likely aftermarket as it had a red brake light along with a red brake light in the center trunk area.

The good news is there is a way of getting it to look factory and dealing with it without spending a arm and a leg if it is crazing/cc failure which is to sand it, prime it, use a urethane base coat, and a 2 stage clear coat. That is what I did. So far it has held up very well and it can be done for under $100.

If you can go back to where you got it you might want to ask them if they can repaint it if it is crazing/cc failure.

F250

Thanks for that feedback.

The surface is definitely micro-textured and feels rough to the touch. It is certainly not just a filmy haze by any means. From what you've described, it sounds like it's CC failure/crazing.

Going back to where I bought it is not an option... it's over 4 hours from where I live! I'm going to try buffing and polishing it this weekend to see how far I can get with it. If it ends up needing a respray, that's really outside my wheelhouse, so I'll get my local body shop to just knock it out for me and make sure that it gets a solid clear coat.

Ultimately, the car will be garage kept with minimal usage, along the lines of 8K miles per years, so it should hold up with any rework which may need to get done.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

This is how I would proceed as well.... based on how it looks, you really can't do any more harm, so might as well try to see what you can do with a machine, some cutting compound, and a cutting pad. I would bet that it does look better after this, perhaps not perfect, but better.... though if it is clear coat failure, which I agree it appears to look that way, it will turn hazy again sooner rather than later. A respray will probably be the best long term solution for you. I am not sure how easy it is to remove the spoiler, but if you can get it off on your own, it should be rather inexpensive to have someone paint it.

UDel

Sounds like premature cc failure/crazing and likely because the spoiler did not get the same paint process/treatment as the rest of the car that was painted in the factory, this is pretty common unfortunately. Bumpers that don't get enough product in the paint to deal with expansion/contraction due to heat can also prematurely craze. You may still want to contact where you got the car from and see if maybe they will give you a little money back or pay/get someone closer to take care of it closer to you, likely won't happen but maybe worth a try.

Because it is likely at the early stages you likely can get it looking pretty good with a polish and wax and it could last a while if you keep repeating that process but it unfortunately won't stay that way and will get worse and worse over time. Depends on how much sunlight it sees and other factors. You likely can remove the spoiler and it is actually pretty inexpensive and easy to paint it yourself with aerosol paints which is what I did. I removed the spoiler, sanded it, primed it, got a pre mixed color matched urethane aerosol, and a 2K aerosol clear coat and did it my self. It cost less then $100 and the finish looks better then when I originally got it. I would not pay $450-800 to replace the part, that is just too much money when painting it could be less then $100 doing it yourself or less then $200 from a shop if you remove the spoiler.

I know it sucks dealing with that on a car you buy, when I bought my Lexus I thought I checked everything too only to find out 2 weeks later that the passenger door lock actuator did not work or stopped working. I was disappointed and knew the guy who sold it to me got me on that but what could I do. I expected it to cost maybe $30 or $40 to get fixed. Took it to a Lexus dealer and they told me it was going to cost over $550 to fix a simple door lock actuator. I could not believe it and was really disappointed, they even said it was a very common problem with Lexus cars so I said forget it, after that experience I told myself I won't be using or dealing the Lexus dealership much if any when owning the car.

F250

OK... spent about an hour on the spoiler yesterday. Wet sanded with 400 grit, followed by clay bar, then machine compounding, machine polishing, and hand waxing. The surface feels 100% better, and the whiteness of the oxidation is substantially diminished. You cna actually see some of the body color now when standing off a few feet. The surface is still heavily scratched, though,

At this point, I feel better about it, but I'm not satisfied yet. I'm going to get a couple of rattle cans for the body color and clear coat, and I'll tape & mask everything and do the re-spraying and finish polish work myself in the garage, and I'm going to do it before I take it to one of my local detailers to get it gone over in extremely fine detail and let them do a professional "polish & protect" effort on the entire vehicle.