justinco

Curious if anyone has seen this kind of paint discoloration before.

I recently removed some old clear-bra from the front 1/3rd of my hood and front quarter panels. I was planning to get the whole front clip re-wrapped with fresh clear-bra.

However, when I removed the clear-bra I noticed the paint underneath was a much cleaner pure starfire pearl white than the rest of the paint on the hood and 1/4 panels. I planned to buff/polish out the whole car (I am a professional detailer) and didn't think much of the discoloration as I have seen it before on many other cars, which was easily polished out.

I have spent the last 24 hours using various polishing processes, including my most abrasive pads and cutting polishes, and the discolored paint is not clearing up. I even carefully wet sanded the "seam" area where the clear-bra ended with 1000 to 3000 grit sand papers (followed by more polishing). I still have the discoloration in the paint. I am beginning to think the top/clear coat is somewhat defective and has discolored over time. The crappy part is the car is practically brand new, I bought it with 16500 miles on it just a few months ago (it is a 2011 IS-F).

I am taking it to Lexus on Monday to see what they say as it is still under paint warranty. Curious if any other Starfire Pearl white owners have experienced anything similar? Really discouraged and frustrated by this, I paid top dollar for this car and can't believe the paint is doing this

I tried to snap some photos but it is difficult to picture...if you look at the photo at the right angle you can see the discoloration line from where the old clear-bra was.

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

Yep, totally normal...unfortunately. But the good thing is it is hardly noticeable to the average joe; but to you in your profession I'm sure it breaks your heard.

Perhaps the UV protection the clear bra offered helped the paint under not lighten; that's my only guess on the cause.

justinco

Normal? Ugh...yea it is not noticeable when standing in front of the car. But, you can easily see it standing on the side of the car or looking toward the front from the back. Driving me crazy...yes, the UV protection from the clear-bra is what keeps it clean underneath.

The original owner (like many car owners) obviously did not care for the paint one bit. Still, I am surprised it changed color this much in just a few years. I usually see this kind of paint fade/dulling on cars much older...and even then, I've always been able to polish it out

adam2104

UV fading. Totally normal, which is why I've never had a bra or any other covering on my cars. I'm not sure there's anything you can do about it, unfortunately.

Mike_1GO

iTrader: (2)

unfortunately that's normal. My father replaced a 2006 Avalon in Blizzard Pearl (white pearl) with a 2013 in the same color code 070 blizzard pearl and when parked side by side in the garage, the 2006 is noticeably less bright. Clearly, it yellowed over time. Also, we removed PPF from the outside rear view mirrors and it showed the same difference in color as you are seeing.

justinco

Hmm, well thanks for the replies. What bothers me about this is one, the car is really expensive, and two it is only 17k miles old. Seems odd that it would discolor this much so soon.

VTsuckah

iTrader: (1)

Next time, cover the entire hood. That's what I did, as well as full bumper and fenders.

justinco

Yea, that is what I was preparing to do. The original owner put the partial coverage on...probably from the dealership. Still can't believe the paint faded this much in just a few years.