lesz

[QUOTE=alpinefun;8469248]The bottom 16 inches or so of the fender/rear quarter panel are actually an extension of the bumper that raps around to the sides of the vehicle and forms the rear portion of the wheel well. You can confirm that this is the case either visually or by gently tapping on panel and hearing the sound you would expect to get from tapping on the material that the bumper cover is made of. This has become a part of the design of many, perhaps most, vehicles in recent years since the auto manufacturers stopped using chrome bumpers. In the case of many low speed rear end collisions, I believe that this design can help to limit the damage to the bumper cover and reduce the chance that there will be damage to the sheet metal on the sides of the vehicle. On the other hand, the downside of this design is that, if the bumper is damaged and a new bumper cover needs to be painted, getting a satisfactory paint match with many colors is likely to require blending the new paint into the sheet metal adjacent to the extended bumper on both sides of the vehicle.

Notice that, in a similar fashion, the front bumper cover wraps around to both sides of the vehicle and forms the front portion of the front wheel wells.

alpinefun

Thanks a lot, lesz for clarification.

sc02492

I did the same thing- the plastic patches were really bugging me. Could not get the edges clean, and as a result they didn't look good against Starfire Pearl.

I love the look now but will monitor this area and report back if problems. I know that the area is now vulnerable to road debris, but for me it's a risk worth taking...

Steve

Halfmoon

10/19/2014

Six months and 7,000 miles later and not one nick since removing the clear patches.

I washed and waxed every nook and cranny on my car yesterday getting it ready for winter and was happy to find no damage in this area.

Mike728

Yeah, that damage usually occurs during the winter months around here. They lay salt for the first few storms, then mix it with sand when they determine their salt levels are running scarce. The sand, by far, causes more damage to areas that the wheels kick debris up on. Good luck!

Fillykonk

Just curious as to whether or not the Avalon has them as well since it and the ES are car "cousins" - anyone noticed?

lesz

Feel lucky that all they are using is sand. When you get into the rural counties on the other side of the state, they use gravel chips. While those gravel chips do an excellent job of providing traction and preventing skidding on slick roads, they are horrible for vehicle finishes.

A good way to check to see which areas of the vehicle are most vulnerable to damage from stones and other debris is to see, right after washing the car, which parts of the car are the first to pick up dirt/mud from driving on slightly damp roads because small stones will likely be hit the vehicle in the same spots where dirt/mud will strike the vehicle. With the ES, I've noticed that the first areas to pick up splashes of dirt and mud after the car has been washed are, in fact, the spots in front of the rear wheel wells where the Lexus puts the protective clear film. So, I give Lexus engineers credit for figuring out that those spots on the vehicle are in need of protection.

Similarly, you can get an idea of which areas on the front of the vehicle are most vulnerable to stone nicks by seeing where bugs get smashed onto the nose and hood. The same areas where bugs are carried up onto the vehicle and splash on the body panels are the same spots where stones are more likely to be carried up to where they strike the vehicle and end up creating stone nicks.

Nelexus88

Some roads I have to travel in rural areas are not paved and have a loose gravel surface, so there is a steady stream of small rocks impacting the exposed areas. Glad Lexus added the clear protection. You can tell which vehicles are local by the sand blasted areas behind the wheels. Some bare areas aren't even rusty as the gravel keeps it clean

Halfmoon

After 12,000 miles and a winter driving through snow and salt the front mudguards are working.

I haven't had a chance to wax it this spring yet







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