Nospinzone

During the winter I was driving on the highway and heard this noise from the passenger side. I thought it was coming from the window, but lowering it and raising it didn't stop it. Later when I looked at this side here is what I saw.

I have a Platinum Warranty and it reads that paint is not covered. However, I'm not even sure this is paint or some type of plastic strip covering the molding. I can place my fingernail underneath the jagged edges and actually pull the red strip away from the metal.

I'm going to be taking it to the dealer in a few weeks for the fuel recall and I'll talk to them about it then. I was just curious if anyone else has experienced this.

konradl

I have not experienced this on my cars, but have worked at a body shop while in high school years ago.
Look closely and see if you can tell whether or not the trim has been repainted or if it doesn't have factory paint on it. This can be the case if a trim as such isn't primed correctly or has been painted without primer totally. The paint just won't stick and peel right off.

I can't be 100% sure from the picture, but that looks like it may be the cause.

mbarron37

No, I have never seen anything like that, almost looks like a paint defect. I live in Mass and can say my car saw a very rough winter. More scratches on my black paint than I wish to admit. The entire bottom of my car looks like it was sand blasted.

Please let me know if the dealership or Lexus will do anything about this for you (at no cost). I hope you can get that fixed and it can look good as new.

keegan500

I ran into this problem the first day I got the car. I was driving down the highway and a section lifted and started flapping in the wind. Its actually a factory wrap. Ive also heard its unpaintable. I talked to a place that wraps our company vehicles and they said they would wrap the roof as well as the trim pieces black carbon fiber for 300. I found this to be a cheaper and "cooler" route compared to paying 500+ for a new trim piece! Its kind of a silly design wrapping perfectly good chrome for water to be trapped under. Mine looks nasty and tarnished under the wrap or I would remove it all. Hopefully you can argue to the dealer that its not ACTUALLY paint but a bad design flaw. Im curious to know what they say.

Nospinzone

Konradl, I agree lack of primer is what it would appear to be. However, I custom ordered this car and waited 3 months for it to be built and shipped from Japan. I am the sole owner so I know it has never been repainted. They would have had to make the error at the factory.

Mbarron37, I will definitely update this thread once I have brought the car to the dealer. In spite of the paint exclusion in the warranty, I do not consider this a normal paint issue. It is not like I just don't like the appearance of the paint, as in an orange peel appearance. To me this is a clear defect in materials and/or workmanship.

Nospinzone

Keegan, was your car under warranty and they wouldn't cover it, or was it out of warranty anyway?

It's funny I was showing it to an independent mechanic who is a friend of mine and he suggested that I might just take it all off as the chrome would match the chrome along the window sill. However, like your car I can see the exposed metal starting to tarnish. It would probably be a nightmare to maintain.

The last couple years I've been taking the car to a different dealer than the one I purchased the car. They have been very customer oriented, so I'm not actually expecting any kind of argument from them, but we'll see.

keegan500

Nospinzone,

Unfortunately it is no longer under warranty. I know there are a few other threads with our problem on here.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...-on-ls460.html

Apparently the GS has this problem too. Let me know what you end up doing and how much things cost. I just got out of my 430 Into the 460L so there are a few other things Ill do before doing the trim. But my car is also silver so no one can notice (other than myself every time I get in)

konradl

Ah, so then it's factory as you said.

That sounds like a good idea and probably the easiest and cheapest solution. I'll have to take a look at mine to see if there are any signs of peeling.

Nospinzone

Thanks for the link. I don't know what I searched under, but now that I added the word "trim" I found another thread (in fact one you responded to just the other day, don't know how I missed it ).

keegan500

A guy in that thread BIGWALT said the dealer split the cost with him which is an ok compromise in my opinion! Maybe theyll do the same for you. Good luck.

STLLS460

ITS A WRAP! I had the exact same issue the day after I purchased my pre-owned LS460. Everything looked fine, however it rained the next day and whatever glue was used to tack it down unsealed and a strip approximately 6-8" long started flapping in the wind. I promptly contacted the dealership, they offered to split the cost, however, as I just purchased the vehicle, and in the middle roof sections, the WRAP appeared to also become unwrapped, and I INSISTED BOTH BE REPLACED AT THEIR COST, stating that it was my understanding that Lexus' motto is, "the pursuit of perfection", and this was hardly perfection!! Plus, be cautious of new railings being installed, mine unclip at roof section following car washes and need to be pressed back down into their slots.

Shibumi1

Yeah they're not painted from factory... some kind of WRAP ^^^^^^ but they can be painted... we did a self etching primer 1st then a 3stage paint.... so far so good. Careful removing the rails as the clips are designed to break off during removal.

Nospinzone

Thanks for that info guys. So it is clearly not paint that peeled. I check my Platinum warranty and it does exclude "interior and exterior trim moldings". Although technically its not the molding, its the wrap covering the molding, but it is part of the molding.

We'll see what happens when I take it to the dealer, probably in two weeks. I'll post an update.

Nospinzone

OK, here's the story. I took it to the dealer a couple weeks ago and a very young Service Advisor insisted that it was paint. Based on the info from you guys, I wanted a second opinion. We got the parts guy out to the car and he thought it was paint. The parts guy gave me a printout of the cost of the molding - $308.02 w/o sales tax. I told them that I was sure it was a wrap of some kind. So I left and sent an email to Lexus and attached the same photos in my opening post.

Lexus called me back and said since it was considered molding it was not covered under my Platinum Warranty. However, as a goodwill gesture they would cover the cost of the part if I would pay the dealer's labor charge. Deal!

This past Sunday the dealer was having an inspection clinic to thoroughly check over customer's cars. I brought it in since my extended warranty expires at the end of June. I didn't think I had any other issues, and there were none. The service manager had been contacted by Lexus about the drip molding. He suggested I leave the car that day and take a loaner while they replaced the drip molding and completed the fuel gasket recall. Everything else on the car was perfect.

I picked up the car this morning. I paid a labor charge of $64.99 for the drip molding, and they filled my gas tank!

I have to tell ya, ya just can't beat Lexus service.

enoch861

Not to derail the thread, but they fill your gas tank after a service?