01LSi

Hi everyone

There's a IS300 near me that I'm interested in. Probably won't last long but while I was looking at it I noticed that the side skirt / exterior lower door sill looks like it has orange peel or something like that, it's super bumpy all the way across but not the whole panel just a thin steady line running all the way across ...





I was looking it up and people are saying it's a type of paint / gravel guard but it's only has that long bumpy line on one side and not the other. In the three threads I could find for the is300, no one actually posted a picture, but the above makes me feel like it's a cover up of a bigger problem and that I should move on ...

When I look it up generally it doesn't look that severe, looks more like this but painted to match:







But on this car I'm looking at one side is way smoother than the other. I'm not referring to the underside but the visible sides where an aftermarket skirt would mount. Rust bubbling up from the inside? Some weird hack job? Former rust poorly repaired that will come back in six months with a vengeance? I've been burned by rust before on a used car and don't want to spend a good amount of money and it happen again

Here's a video from my phone, the video starts with the bade side
http://sendvid.com/bwc4srwv

01LSi

I know I'm not owed an answer on this but because of the time I have I wanted to say any feedback on whether this is normal or signs of rust bubbling or correction of rust would be very appreciated

LuxSport

01Lsi, My IS300 has the same thing and so do some of the nicer Toyota and Lexus vehicles. It is a rock guard type coating. Not like the one you showed on the orange bug. They use a smoother and thinner coating at the factory then paint it to match so it looks nice but still does the job. Many Lexus cars and trucks have Plastic cladding along the bottom of the car and doors. In our case, IS300's do not have this so they use this type of coating. I hope this helps.

LuxSport

01LSi, I just watched the video. I'm not an expert but it looks just like my car and I would be willing to bet that's the factory coating. If it is bubbling rust, you can tap on the bubbles with your fingermail and usually it feels hollow or it will chip easily or break through. Also, rust located on the rocker panel of an IS300 is not impossible but highly unlikely, I would say. Unless the car lived in a salt infested area it's whole life, but even then these cars are well sealed and coated from Lexus and you would most likely see rust starting on the inside of the door at the bottom where the drains are and the seam sealer that joins the door skin with the inner door OR on the outside of the door at the very bottom. Just my 2 cents.

01LSi

Thanks LuxSport good to know! Personal circumstances made me have to decide within 24 hours and I decided to let go of the opportunity because I was unsure. But I've been looking every once in a while at this car online for fun so I'm sure this will help in the future and I really appreciate it!