lexus vs toyota paint
#31
Pole Position
I hear a lot of complaints about paint fading and no one mentions paint maintenance. Paint needs to be maintained just like the rest of your car.
You change your oil, but when was the last time you waxed the finish?
Toyota's Whites (Super White, Super White II) are excellent paints. But they have to be maintained. I had a Celica GT-S wearing this color and while it was 17 years old with original paint, it still shined like new. See pic.
You can't abandon the paint for 5 years and complain when the paint system starts to fail. That's like never changing your oil and crying when the engine siezes.
Some finishes are higher maintenance than others, this is true. Reds need special attention as they start to turn pink if you're not on it. (I'm tired of seeing pink Corollas and Matrixes on the road) Blacks need particular car washing techniques to keep the swirls from showing.
As for the paint differences, both Toyota and Lexus are good paints. The main difference I have seen is between Japanese and US-built models. Japan paints their cars better.
My MINI (built my BMW) has one of the poorest paint jobs I've seen in a while. It's soft, chips easy, is full of orange peel, and it gets swirl marks just by looking at it. Bird bombs etch into it permanently if the sun hits it.
They don't even completely paint the panels. If you open the door and peer into the jambs on the hinge side, you can see green primer.
You change your oil, but when was the last time you waxed the finish?
Toyota's Whites (Super White, Super White II) are excellent paints. But they have to be maintained. I had a Celica GT-S wearing this color and while it was 17 years old with original paint, it still shined like new. See pic.
You can't abandon the paint for 5 years and complain when the paint system starts to fail. That's like never changing your oil and crying when the engine siezes.
Some finishes are higher maintenance than others, this is true. Reds need special attention as they start to turn pink if you're not on it. (I'm tired of seeing pink Corollas and Matrixes on the road) Blacks need particular car washing techniques to keep the swirls from showing.
As for the paint differences, both Toyota and Lexus are good paints. The main difference I have seen is between Japanese and US-built models. Japan paints their cars better.
My MINI (built my BMW) has one of the poorest paint jobs I've seen in a while. It's soft, chips easy, is full of orange peel, and it gets swirl marks just by looking at it. Bird bombs etch into it permanently if the sun hits it.
They don't even completely paint the panels. If you open the door and peer into the jambs on the hinge side, you can see green primer.
#32
Pole Position
Hand sanded alone means little without knowing how extensive the sanding went. Unless you have many many many people sanding the car at once, it takes forever to complete the job. Using a DA sander will result in a much faster and thorough job. But I guess they wanted to say it's 'hand' done for the sake of marketing . Then again, I dont have a real problem with that because some kind of sanding is better than no sanding at all. My buddy's 03 Toyota Corolla has the worse orange peel I have ever seen. You can run your hands over the lower part of the door and actually feel the orange peel.
#34
Lexus Fanatic
My GS430 has pretty bad orange peel on the rear lower areas past the rear wheel and on the sides of the trunk and actually has a noticeable drip mark in the paint at the rear end, quality control must have missed that. Higher end Mercedes and Audi have very smooth paint and have hard ceramic clear coats that are good at resisting chips and swirlmarks/light scratches but are very difficult to polish scratches/swirls out when the occur. Menzerna products are used to polish at Mercedes and other factories and I believe some Merc/Audi are also hand sanded at the factory.
One of the most disappointing paint jobs on a high end car I saw was a Bentley Continental GT coupe I saw in a parking lot after going to a auto show. The owner did not take good care of it as there were all kinds of scratches, scrapes, and touch up marks but when I was looking at it, the Bentley had horrible orange peel all over it, worse then pretty much any car I had ever seen. I love the Continental GT but for a car costing so much and with such a prestigious name it should have a much nicer paint job and finish.
#35
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (2)
Toyota and Lexus use the same paint-I have painted both. Beyond that, I do not have definite proof if Lexus does anything different as they all have a lot of orange peel. Did not check the LS though. The SC has a pretty good finish, better than most out there.
While at BMW a while back I was amazed at how much orange peel was on the M3 and 5 series. It was considerable. The RL as stated above has a very good smooth finish.
Cannot comment on the durability as every car I have owned from German to US to Asian scratched fairly easily.
While at BMW a while back I was amazed at how much orange peel was on the M3 and 5 series. It was considerable. The RL as stated above has a very good smooth finish.
Cannot comment on the durability as every car I have owned from German to US to Asian scratched fairly easily.
#36
Pole Position
Paint chemistry from one manufacturer to another is pretty similar, whether it Dupont, Sherwin-Williams or whoever. What is more important is "application", the condition of equipment used to apply it, and the vigilance and quality control of the team overseeing the whole process. So you can have a bad Lexus, MB, BMW, Jag or Audi paint job. There are so many tests before the paint hits the metal, that consistency would be the norm at that level, unless a gremlin in the line causes weird solvent to paint mix ratios, hence orange peel. I'm sure if you could ask their production line source, they would tell you they get it from reliable sources, as long as it conforms to Toyota/Lexus's specifications.
One thing though, Lexus applies two clear coats vs one for Toyota, unless someone can prove otherwise...
And... the LS is wet sanded between coats...
One thing though, Lexus applies two clear coats vs one for Toyota, unless someone can prove otherwise...
And... the LS is wet sanded between coats...
Last edited by Johnny; 10-26-08 at 05:14 PM.
#38
Lexus Fanatic
In terms of Paint Quality, both Lexus and MB paint's are shiny, and great color tone.
MB paint is much harder thus resists paint chips.
Lexus uses a much softer paint, so tends to chip more.
My 2002 LS430 had so many paint chips after nearly 1 year of ownership.
MY BMW looked nearly new from the front bumper and hood for nearly 3 years after purchase.
Thanks,
UZY
MB paint is much harder thus resists paint chips.
Lexus uses a much softer paint, so tends to chip more.
My 2002 LS430 had so many paint chips after nearly 1 year of ownership.
MY BMW looked nearly new from the front bumper and hood for nearly 3 years after purchase.
Thanks,
UZY
#42
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (2)
Take a look at the following thread on the M3 forum. Pics speak for themselves.
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97930
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