HELP! 2014 RX 350 Paint Peeling
01-07-15, 04:08 PM
#1
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HELP! 2014 RX 350 Paint Peeling
Hi All,
Help!!! My wife bought a 2014 Lexus RX 350 a few months ago from Watertown Lexus here in MA. A couple of weeks ago, we noticed paint peeling off the very top edge of the rear bumper cover (the black plastic part that is painted the color of the car).
The dealer inspected the car carefully, and said that Lexus Corp would only pay to strip the paint off the plastic part and re-paint it. We're furious that first of all this could pass through quality control, but that Lexus would not replace the bumper cover. It can't be cheaper to strip the paint off than just replace the plastic, as far as man hours go. And we're scared that the paint just won't hold in the long run.
Has anyone else had problem like this? We've never heard of this before on a brand new car, much less a Lexus. We thought they had very good quality. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.
Help!!! My wife bought a 2014 Lexus RX 350 a few months ago from Watertown Lexus here in MA. A couple of weeks ago, we noticed paint peeling off the very top edge of the rear bumper cover (the black plastic part that is painted the color of the car).
The dealer inspected the car carefully, and said that Lexus Corp would only pay to strip the paint off the plastic part and re-paint it. We're furious that first of all this could pass through quality control, but that Lexus would not replace the bumper cover. It can't be cheaper to strip the paint off than just replace the plastic, as far as man hours go. And we're scared that the paint just won't hold in the long run.
Has anyone else had problem like this? We've never heard of this before on a brand new car, much less a Lexus. We thought they had very good quality. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.
01-07-15, 05:04 PM
#2
Moderator
Very sorry to hear of your problem. I've never had a paint peeling issue on any of my Lexi since 1994. It isnt a common problem from my ownership perspective or having watched many of these threads for a very long time. I personally consider the paint on my Lexi to surpass the quality in any of my German cars, without a second thought. Unfortunately, that does not help your situation. I'm glad though Lexus has taken ownership to resolve your problem.
A quick side story, and I promise it will tie back to your situation... On one of my German vehicles, I did have paint and body issues... The first problem, I believe because their PDC likely touched-up a nick perhaps that occurred during shipping, before the dealer even got it and within a few months, the color variation was clearly noticeable as a hazy patch on the side. The dealer fixed that whole panel after having their Regional person authorize it. The other was when that same dealer drilled holes in the front bumper for a license plate frame prior to my taking delivery, despite my having specified on their original special order comments to not do that. After delivery, their body shop did what I will call a "fill the holes and paint in-place" job on it unbeknownst to me at the time. When I figured out what they had done, was when I had a clear bra installed on my bumper 2 months after delivery... The installer had to remove it a few days after initial installation due a defect in the material, and when he did, it pulled all that patched spray paint off... Now, to your point... I then went to a body shop and had my whole front bumper removed, sanded, repainted, and baked like a professional shop would do at my cost... It was a perfect match and I couldn't have been happier except for the $1K it cost me to do it right. I asked the body shop's owner I went to that specializes in Ferrari, Lamborghini, and only major German brands if I should have replaced the bumper to correct the paint problem, and their comment was I would be wasting a whole lot of money -- stripping the paint, sanding and doing the complete paint job on that panel (or bumper in my case) was the right approach in their opinion. His comment to me was, if I was not happy with their work, they would redo it on a new bumper if I wanted them to. Well, I saved a lot of money by using my existing "plastic" bumper and just having it repaired correctly. He was right.
Net is, I agree there is a quality problem on your RX... Unfortunately problems do happen, and that's when I expect the brand to make it right, which Lexus seems to be trying to do. Given what I've been through, I personally would be OK with Lexus taking ownership and repainting that entire section/panel if it were my RX... Frankly, replacing it may seem best to you, but you asked for opinions, so there is mine. You're going to get lots of opinions from folks. Only you can decide what you think is right for your situation. Good luck, and I hope it all works out to your and your wife's satisfaction, so you can get back to enjoying that RX.
A quick side story, and I promise it will tie back to your situation... On one of my German vehicles, I did have paint and body issues... The first problem, I believe because their PDC likely touched-up a nick perhaps that occurred during shipping, before the dealer even got it and within a few months, the color variation was clearly noticeable as a hazy patch on the side. The dealer fixed that whole panel after having their Regional person authorize it. The other was when that same dealer drilled holes in the front bumper for a license plate frame prior to my taking delivery, despite my having specified on their original special order comments to not do that. After delivery, their body shop did what I will call a "fill the holes and paint in-place" job on it unbeknownst to me at the time. When I figured out what they had done, was when I had a clear bra installed on my bumper 2 months after delivery... The installer had to remove it a few days after initial installation due a defect in the material, and when he did, it pulled all that patched spray paint off... Now, to your point... I then went to a body shop and had my whole front bumper removed, sanded, repainted, and baked like a professional shop would do at my cost... It was a perfect match and I couldn't have been happier except for the $1K it cost me to do it right. I asked the body shop's owner I went to that specializes in Ferrari, Lamborghini, and only major German brands if I should have replaced the bumper to correct the paint problem, and their comment was I would be wasting a whole lot of money -- stripping the paint, sanding and doing the complete paint job on that panel (or bumper in my case) was the right approach in their opinion. His comment to me was, if I was not happy with their work, they would redo it on a new bumper if I wanted them to. Well, I saved a lot of money by using my existing "plastic" bumper and just having it repaired correctly. He was right.
Net is, I agree there is a quality problem on your RX... Unfortunately problems do happen, and that's when I expect the brand to make it right, which Lexus seems to be trying to do. Given what I've been through, I personally would be OK with Lexus taking ownership and repainting that entire section/panel if it were my RX... Frankly, replacing it may seem best to you, but you asked for opinions, so there is mine. You're going to get lots of opinions from folks. Only you can decide what you think is right for your situation. Good luck, and I hope it all works out to your and your wife's satisfaction, so you can get back to enjoying that RX.
Last edited by BertL; 01-07-15 at 05:11 PM.
01-07-15, 05:27 PM
#3
I understand your concerns with the peeling paint. they will strip the paint/sand the bumper down and respray it. when done the right way, it will match spot on. unfortunately, in the car business, dealerships respray panels and bumpers all the time to remove deep scratches and of course they will not disclose that to buyers. personally, I believe your bumper was previously resprayed hence why the paint is peeling. I highly doubt factory Lexus paint will ever peel. it only peels if its repainted with poor prep work. theres really no reason for getting a new bumper cover. either way it will have to be sprayed and if your existing bumper is prepped properly, it will not peel (granted the body shop completely sands down your bumper to remove the old finish)
01-07-15, 06:30 PM
#5
I had an accident with a 2000 RX the lower body door cladding was damaged. The Lexus approved body shop ordered a painted part from Lexus. I almost drove off when I noticed the color was slightly different than the other door! The body shop repainted it and it matched perfectly.
01-07-15, 07:35 PM
#6
I totally agree with what Bert posted and his analysis was spot on. Even if you had a new bumper cover, it would come unpainted and would have to be prepped and sprayed. If Lexus is going to paint it then it's the right thing to do and they'll stand behind it.
Sorry your 1st posts are about an issue, hope it gets solved. You have a great car. Please stay in touch and tell us how it went.
Sorry your 1st posts are about an issue, hope it gets solved. You have a great car. Please stay in touch and tell us how it went.
Hi All,
Help!!! My wife bought a 2014 Lexus RX 350 a few months ago from Watertown Lexus here in MA. A couple of weeks ago, we noticed paint peeling off the very top edge of the rear bumper cover (the black plastic part that is painted the color of the car).
The dealer inspected the car carefully, and said that Lexus Corp would only pay to strip the paint off the plastic part and re-paint it. We're furious that first of all this could pass through quality control, but that Lexus would not replace the bumper cover. It can't be cheaper to strip the paint off than just replace the plastic, as far as man hours go. And we're scared that the paint just won't hold in the long run.
Has anyone else had problem like this? We've never heard of this before on a brand new car, much less a Lexus. We thought they had very good quality. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.
Help!!! My wife bought a 2014 Lexus RX 350 a few months ago from Watertown Lexus here in MA. A couple of weeks ago, we noticed paint peeling off the very top edge of the rear bumper cover (the black plastic part that is painted the color of the car).
The dealer inspected the car carefully, and said that Lexus Corp would only pay to strip the paint off the plastic part and re-paint it. We're furious that first of all this could pass through quality control, but that Lexus would not replace the bumper cover. It can't be cheaper to strip the paint off than just replace the plastic, as far as man hours go. And we're scared that the paint just won't hold in the long run.
Has anyone else had problem like this? We've never heard of this before on a brand new car, much less a Lexus. We thought they had very good quality. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.
01-22-15, 08:06 PM
#7
Lead Lap
If that picture is of just behind the driver's rear wheel well...
...it looks exactly like my 2013 RXh's.
I discovered it last winter - only I decided that the surgery would be worse than the disease - so I'm letting it go.
I did get some touch up paint from the dealer - and had considered it (for about two seconds) when I had things apart while putting on my Kurt Hitch. I thought that I could simply unhook the bumper cover from the body, add a bit of touch-up paint, and then not have to worry about all the broken clips, stripped fasteners, and painted fingerprints that I envisioned would occur if I let the dealership try to fix it.
In my opinion, having 99% of the bumper paint perfectly applied by the factory is better than having 100% of the bumper paint questionably applied by a well-intentioned paid amateur.
Oh, I didn't do the repair as intended since I was pooped from changing the trailer hitch by myself on my back (no lift) by braille (Senior Citizen eyes and progressive lenses) without knocking out my teeth by dropping anything -- and at that point I counted my blessings.
I discovered it last winter - only I decided that the surgery would be worse than the disease - so I'm letting it go.
I did get some touch up paint from the dealer - and had considered it (for about two seconds) when I had things apart while putting on my Kurt Hitch. I thought that I could simply unhook the bumper cover from the body, add a bit of touch-up paint, and then not have to worry about all the broken clips, stripped fasteners, and painted fingerprints that I envisioned would occur if I let the dealership try to fix it.
In my opinion, having 99% of the bumper paint perfectly applied by the factory is better than having 100% of the bumper paint questionably applied by a well-intentioned paid amateur.
Oh, I didn't do the repair as intended since I was pooped from changing the trailer hitch by myself on my back (no lift) by braille (Senior Citizen eyes and progressive lenses) without knocking out my teeth by dropping anything -- and at that point I counted my blessings.
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01-24-15, 05:10 AM
#8
...it looks exactly like my 2013 RXh's.
I discovered it last winter - only I decided that the surgery would be worse than the disease - so I'm letting it go.
I did get some touch up paint from the dealer - and had considered it (for about two seconds) when I had things apart while putting on my Kurt Hitch. I thought that I could simply unhook the bumper cover from the body, add a bit of touch-up paint, and then not have to worry about all the broken clips, stripped fasteners, and painted fingerprints that I envisioned would occur if I let the dealership try to fix it.
In my opinion, having 99% of the bumper paint perfectly applied by the factory is better than having 100% of the bumper paint questionably applied by a well-intentioned paid amateur.
Oh, I didn't do the repair as intended since I was pooped from changing the trailer hitch by myself on my back (no lift) by braille (Senior Citizen eyes and progressive lenses) without knocking out my teeth by dropping anything -- and at that point I counted my blessings.
I discovered it last winter - only I decided that the surgery would be worse than the disease - so I'm letting it go.
I did get some touch up paint from the dealer - and had considered it (for about two seconds) when I had things apart while putting on my Kurt Hitch. I thought that I could simply unhook the bumper cover from the body, add a bit of touch-up paint, and then not have to worry about all the broken clips, stripped fasteners, and painted fingerprints that I envisioned would occur if I let the dealership try to fix it.
In my opinion, having 99% of the bumper paint perfectly applied by the factory is better than having 100% of the bumper paint questionably applied by a well-intentioned paid amateur.
Oh, I didn't do the repair as intended since I was pooped from changing the trailer hitch by myself on my back (no lift) by braille (Senior Citizen eyes and progressive lenses) without knocking out my teeth by dropping anything -- and at that point I counted my blessings.
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