My '99 GS 300 has seen better days. The hood has numerous rock chips and the front bumper suffers from some bad pitting. Thus, I am having the cars hood and front bumper repainted, thanks to my insurance company who is covering the repairs (I pay the $100 deductible). I am taking the car to the body shop located at my Lexus dealership, but am still a bit worried about a paint mismatch. Has anyone else had similar repairs done? I am looking forward to seeing my car in "brand new" shape, but am concerned that the new paint might not match perfectly.

Anyhhow, the car will be in the shop for 5 days. When I get it back, I hope to post some good results. FYI, my GS's color is Alpine Silver.

One last thing. Has anyone had their windshield replaced yet? And if so, did you replace it w/ an OEM windshield?

 

hey fellow ucsd alumn(i assume),

silver color is the most difficult to color match. make sure the shop is reputable, and you get a long warranty.

there are only a hand-ful of wind whield mfg. sometimes the difference is the sticker that says lexus on the bottom corner, but the price vary greatly. one co that makes the glass may have one w/lexus sticker(oem) for a few more $$$ than the one w/no sticker. also make sure the installer is good because the diff can be night and day interms of noise insulation. just like any repairs.

will

 

I would not scimp on the windsheild. Especially if your insurance is covering it. My deduct. is $500 and even the OEM windsheild is that much, so I went with the Toyota original. The glass on OEMs may not be as even or well-fitting. I had mine put on in a hotel parking garage in Florida after losing to a golf ball. Aside from way too much glass in the front seats, the installer did a fine job.

Brian

 

I had my windshield replaced a while back when I went to the dealership they were asking 700 dollars for a new windshield so I just went to a windshield shop that a friend recomended and they only asked for 250 thats including labour there work is insured for life so if anything does happen to the windshield they will replace it no questions asked

 

well, i was hestitant to chime in here b/c i don't want to make you paranoid. here's the thing, i let my dealer in PA repaint my bumper to cover license plate holes and they did an extremely poor job. if you search under my name you'll find my earlier posts. end of the story was i went to a bodyshop that i searched for like you would research a good contractor/doctor/etc.
due diligence cannot be stressed enough. your dealer outsources to somebody -- find out who and how reputable they are.
a final confidence builder: i too have silver and the body shop i settled on to correct the dealer's muff did a splendid job. they did a section of my hood and a blend as i didn't want to disturb factory paint that wasn't required. the match is so good it's indistinguishable. trust me -- i'd be able to tell.
good luck.
if you're mid-atlantic, i can recommend you to them whole-heartedly. with UCSD in your name i guess the odds are low.