yumseyo

Hi All, does any of ES300h or even ES350 owners have very fine hairline scratches on the right side of the chrome/plastic trim above the license plate above the trunk release button? I am pretty sure it is from my hands touching that panel, while looking for the keyless trunk release button. Thanks !

atoyota

not on mine

alpinefun

Pictures please.

jim256

I think you gave the cause in your question. No visible scratches on mine, the button is pretty easy to find.

bc6152

If one consistently touches this area with their fingers and fingernails, fine scratches are bound to occur. If you look at your driver's door handle you may also see these scratches on the body side where your fingernails touch the paint. I saw this on my car and am now more careful when I open the door. FWIW I was able to remove almost all with a fine polish.

yumseyo

I tried to take a picture but of course the pictures wouldn't show in the photos. I looked on my door handles and couldn't see any scratches like the plastic chrome on the trunk trim. I didn't notice any. I think the clear coat of the paint protects the door handles better? What kind of fine polish did you use to get the scratches out ? and do you think it is safe to use on the plastic chrome? Thanks...

bc6152

I use Meguiar's Professional Showcar Glaze and Polish for painted surfaces. For chromed surfaces - which I don't think there are any on your Lexus - I use a chrome polish. I use the chrome polish on real chromed surfaces such as the bumpers on my '66 Corvette and the '31 Ford. I wouldn't recommend you using chrome polish on the trunk trim as it has abrasives in it as most polishes do. The piece of trim you're referring to is most likely made of plastic and maybe chrome plated or something else. In any case it is a very thin coating of
"bright trim" and could be damaged easily with an abrasive. Try the glaze and do it softly with a soft cotton towel.
I'm not optimistic...

Arty101

I use a non-abrasive polish called Klasse. It polishes and removes light scratches even on dark paint. It's sold at both the Lexus and BMW dealerships, and does pretty good on both paint and plastic trim pieces.

yumseyo

I have asked for a district rep from Lexus to see if he/she would authorize it. Service manager didn't sound very encouraging. I feel it was a poor design by Lexus. The piece should have been metal instead of "plastic painted metal". I looked up the part, and of course you can't get just the trim piece. I has to come with the rear camera. 150.00 !!

Arty101

If you look at modern vehicles, most chrome color pieces are plastic. I agree that $150 for a plastic trim piece is expensive, but I'd expect it to be even higher with the rear camera. For my money, I'd learn to live with it since this isn't going to be your only scratch.

SW17LS

I have similar scratches on the chrome trim on my GS from the same thing. Scratches in this plastic trim cannot be removed, trying to remove them is just going to cause problems.

As for the trim being metal...this is an entry level Lexus not a Rolls Royce. Nobody uses real metal trim on a car at that price point, and even at price points twice as much as your ES.

Just move on. Nobody sees them but you.