Dinomon

Hi, Yesterday after I came out of the walmart store, I noticed that passenger side of the RX had some scratches (below the back door handle). Don't know which car caused this. About 12" of paint scratched out. I took it to two body shops, and they both are quoting over $900 to get it fixed. Is there anyways I can get it done myself (I know it won't be perfect)?

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

Edit: Photos attached on page 2 of this thread

mandyfig

Painting is rarely a DIY, unless you are a painter. You will have to shell some $$ for it to be touched up and blended in. Sorry for your loss.

xfirechief

We had the same thing happen to us but it wasn't at a Walmart store so don't know if this will help.
Get it fixed right, it is a LEXUS. And stay away from that walmart store, they don't see many Lexus vehicles and may have been blinded by it.

sama

Sorry for your loss, get quotes from multiple reputed bodyshops and decide where to get it done. This type of incident happened couple of years ago to my friends car. We contacted the store security and they were able to give us the information after some bystanders noted the vehicle plate# and the insurance company was able to locate the person who did it. If your insurance deductible is $500 or less file a claim and get the painting job done by a professional

It can happen anywhere.Lexus (ES/RX) is considered an entry level luxury vehicle, just because you drive a lexus does not mean you should stay away from walmart. Come to Texas, you will see Lexus vehicles all over the place including walmart.

There is a 99c store close to the my client's office in Los Angeles and it is the largest 99c store in USA in terms of sales and most of the cars parked in the lot are luxury vehicles including Jaguars,Land rovers, MB , BMW's,Lexus etc. alongside with all other cars.

DakotaRX

Sorry to hear about the damages. I had it happen once to me many years ago when I owned a Jeep Wagoneer (1978). You could see where a bumper ran all the way along one side of the vehicle. Anyway as others have pointed out, painting is not a DIY type thing unless you have lots of experience not only in painting but preping the surfaces right. Getting the paint mixed right so as to blend in and match is best left to the quality body shops.

As for parking at a Wal-Mart or any other store I park as far away in the parking lot as I need to. If the vehicles are parked halfway down the aisle I will park at least 5 or 6 spaces further still. Or even all the way to the end. So what if I have to walk a block to the store itself.

Good luck in getting your RX fixed.

2005 RX330 Thundercloud.
1998 GS300 Previous and first Lexus.

lexus114

Sama original wrote:Lexus (ES/RX) is considered an entry level luxury vehicle.Since when is the RX considered an entry level vehicle in the Lexus line up? I can understand the ES being that,but not the RX.I grant you that all of the luxury vehicles have a model they consider an entry level model i.e Mercedes Benz C-class,but their ml is certainly not an entry level vehicle.

horent135

iTrader: (10)

well, i know walmart has parking camera around my area. maybe you could ask the security if they have it on camera, and possible chance of their plate number, and then get them! That the cheapest way...

The G Man

lexus114, as much as you like your RX, it is still considered a entry level luxury SUV in the Lexus lineup.

sama

Please look at the links below:
http://www.trucktrend.com/roadtests/...ons/index.html
http://wikicars.org/en/Luxury_car#Entry-level_luxury

Entry-level luxury SUVs must feature a base MSP of approximately over $38k and offer a high degree of comfort. A vehicle may however still be considered a luxury SUV if its base MSP lies in excess of approximately $29K and it is manufactured by a luxury car manufacturer. Vehicles in this category include the Acura MDX, Acura RDX, Lexus RX, Infiniti FX, Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz MLK-Class, BMW X3, Volvo XC60, Saab 9-7X, Land Rover Freelander, Cadillac SRX, and the Lincoln MKX

lexus114

Hugh, I didn`t realize this. That is a surprise to me.

ecount00

well gee, if you want a Lexus suv, the RX is the entry into the lineup. that's where that is coming from whether the official definition or not

i was thinking about the security cameras too. you never know what the recycle time is on the recordings so do it quickly but walmart may be able to i the car that did it. won't get a license plate closeup tho. can't hurt to ask if you can find a motivated manager at the store.

Dinomon

I took it to 3 shops.. and then this body shop gave me quote to sand it down and repaint for $250. Rest of the quotes were above $1000. The scratch is around 8-10 inches. Still deciding what to do.

biff44

Like all things in life, the answer depends on your means. If you take it to a good pro shop, you will not notice the repair when it is done. If you take it to an equally priced clown pro shop, there will be ripples and an obvious color mismatch.

If you want to save $850 and are happy with a color mismatch and some small ripples...go get some bondo, sand the paint so it sticks, bondo it up and get it as level as you can, then sand it flat. Get a couple cans of matching color and one can of primer, mask off the other areas, and go at it. Wet sand in between coats so you do not get any small ridges forming. Used to do this when I was a kid and hit stuff! It comes out ok if you take your time and have a good eye.

iKon_RX

if you want it to look the way it was before than you will be spending 400+ at a quality shop.

if you just want to cover it in the meantime. get touchup paint from lexus, apply it then when its fully dry, clay bar it to smooth it out.

xfirechief

Only was a joke, we go to McDonalds with ours too.