Man - I'm so frustrated with my 2001 gs430's paint. I love everything about the car - and the quality is the best of any car I've owned - with the exception of the paint. The paint seems so thin and delicate - hardly a day goes by that I don't get home with a new scratch or chip in the paint. I would think that Lexus could have used some better quality paint. My Chevy Camaro (also black) was a hell of a lot harder to scratch or chip - although the quality everywhere else sucked. Too bad - the lex would look so nice - and with me being unable to find a quality paint job for less than $3000 - I think I'm out of luck.

 

Sorry to hear about this issue. I've never heard of this problem with any of the Toyota products
My 99 barely has a scratch on it. Has the vehicle been repainted?

 

search paint chips+ rock chips .......

 

same with my Factory paint. Hood was chipping, door was chipping because somebody gave me an ugly door ding.


I just got a full paint job for $2000 w/ dupont paint.

 

[I have read a number of the posts in the past, but figured them to be normal wear and tear and CL members Passionate Pursuit of Perfection. The way this thread began, made it sounds as if this is out of the normal spectrum of concerns. I have had cars which would chip if you looked at them hard I don't have the same feeling about my GS' paint at all. Perhaps the summer temperatures here in Phoenix keeps the paint soft and pliable

 

my 95 ES seems to have a more durable finish than my 01 GS. The GS is a sucker for rock chips. I think it also has to do with the blunt shape of the GS front end.

 

the paint on toyota is a lot better already, you should see that on the acura, talk about thin

in general paint nowadays aren't as good as before coz' of regulations, they are all water base rather than oil base, which is a lot stronger

 

I too have the same issue with the paint job on my GS for a factory product. I have the 03 GS430, and it has only 10,880k on the odo, and already she has a few chips, and scratch from road depris. I recently purchause a RX330, and i had them put on the clear bra, and man thats worth every penny. I should've had that done with the GS, but it's okay I love my baby very much even if she has a few minor problems so i'm going to keep her until she rust, and maybe in a couple of years repaint the hood, bumper then do the clear bra.

 

My Burnished Gold 1999 GS400 also has a lot of paint chips on the hood area. I purchased it last summer from Scottsdale Arizona, and have been seeing little chips on my hood appear lately. I travel a lot from San Diego to San Franscisco Bay Area, and it is beginning to take it's toll.


Looks like a paint job is in my future..... soon!

 

I think you are right with the EPA thing. My old early mid 90s Acura cars had excellent paint to this day. It used to be 4 coat base 4 coat clar for a total of 8 coats. After 98 or so the paint aside from the RL the paint became crappy. Even on the Lexus. My brand new at the time 04 RX330 had rock chips on the front hood area within the fist week. I also noticed that bird crap seems to etch the clear coat much faster. Before I could wipe it off at the end of the day and nothing would be damaged. Now, if I get crap in the parking lot, by the time I wash it off it has already left and etch line in the clear. Fortunately a little scratch X takes care of it, but still. Either that or the birds are eating some toxic stuff nowdays.

 

true - i've noticed a spot on my car where the clear coat is peeling off.

 

A guy detailing my car that used to paint cars told me that in the last 5 years or so, Lexus has been putting much less/thinner clear coat on their cars than they used to.

 

yeah, even the paint on my old 92 camry, it's strong as hell!

 

I just dropped off my car for service. I was given a sparkling clean greenish ES, which I parked in my same spot as always. When I left work, I noticed elephant sized bird poop all over the hood, splashing onto the windshield and mirrors I didn't want to return the car in this condition, so I washed it and sure enough poop etchings everywhere. I had no idea paint had changed so much in the past few years. This is a real bummer

 

dont forget blk color on toyota has no clear coat!