Just wanted to check in with everyone, I broke down and detailed my car myself this weekend and found more %#$%!-in paint chips on this car then the last 4 I have owned combined....

I know my driving habits have not changed and I have not been off roading lately but there are chips all over the front.

I filled them in with some touch up which helped but is anyone else seeing this and is it something I sould bring up to the dealer? I had a 1999 GS before this and do not recall having this many prob's with the paint!

I thought I read/heard that new Gov regulations made paint on new cars less reliable than older cars but this is a bit over the top.

My car - 06' 430 purchased May of 2006

Thanks for any feedback

 

gotta agree, never had a car that chips etc this easy

 

Clear bra. you gotta have it with these cars!!

 

I have alot of rock chips as well. I should have clear bra'd it when I had a chance.

 

My wife's GS looks like it has the measles and chicken pox combined. My GS is light colored but I still don't think I have any rock chips. I watch carefully what's on the road surface and avoid debris where possible. I will pull off the highway when I'm not comfortable with road conditions.
I will not drive behind cement or construction vehicles.
Seems silly but I hate road rash. I used to paint my front every year. I'd rather do what I'm doing now.

 

It is not an issue with Lexus only. It is across the board with all the cars makes. Thanks to our friends at EPA who changed the paint components regs in mid 90's to be more environmental friendly. This reg went into effect starting model year 2001. It will take a while for the paint manufactures to come up with a new formula that will keep Uncle Sam and the customers happy at the same time.

 

i'm not concerned as much about rock chips as i am about rust.

you can buy clear film yourself and apply it to just the metal hood.

 

Lots of paint chips here. There seems to be a new one every day. Sadly, I owned a BMW, Toyota, and Nissan before I never remembered any of them chipping paint so easily.

 

No car I have ever owned has chipped like this and this is my 20th or so car. I just so happens I have a black Lexus now so it shows everything. The front of my car looks terrible, of course the hood being the worst.

 

amen, after looking at all the cars i detail, they are all the same

 

but the black car is the easiest to touch-up paint.

 

Joining the misery loves company club, the front of my car looks like it was in a gravel storm. I contacted Colgan at the time I bought it, but they didn't make a bra for the GS350. I had them on two previous BMW's, and the front of those cars looked new until the end. Although I considered Lexus' clear bra, I just didn't like it, and still don't. Fortunately there isn't rust in my area, so I'll probably get the affected area painted when I can no longer tolerate it.

 

invest in a clear bra. I didnt have it on my prev red g35 and the hood looked like a starry night. Its worth the money. Its exspensive intially but will keep you happy in the future

 

What color is the primer on the GS?

 

Like others have said, you have to get a clear bra - at least partway up the hood and on the side mirrors like I did. Others get the whole hood, etc done which would be the best solution, but is also quite a bit more money. So far, I've only had two chips in a non-protected area, which I consider pretty good as easily as this paint chips.