I noticed sections of clear plastic film on the 3IS on the rear door and on the hood which starts at the tip of the front headlight - almost like a clear "bra". Does anyone else have that or was this added by the dealer? I believe at least the side rear is standard (in Canada at least) as I saw this on a silver 3IS when it was first unloaded off the transport truck, but not sure about the hood "bra".

I didn't want to ruin the pictures with arrows and the like so look closely to see the fine lines.

 

The ones on the rear door are standard. Dealer probably added clear bra on the hood.

 

some toyota's have these too...wonder why its on the IS but not on other models

 

They are real clear bra (aka paint protection film) intended to prevent stone chips in the lower panels (therefore prevent rust to occur in the first place) . It used to be made by 3M and it also appears in the 2IS. In fact, if you observe every Lexus sedans including the CT, the film strip is there. The difference for 3IS is they cover a bigger area and so it is more noticeable.

So the film should stay there. Don't peel them away, . They are installed in the factory and not by dealership at all.

For the front one, it is put by third party installers, except some LS models.

 

Actually the clear bra in the lower panel I has been common for various car manufacturers, such as Subaru, Nissan, Infiniti, Toyota, etc. The clear bra strip is even larger on the lower rear door panel of the current Subaru Impresza WRX STI due to the door design.

 

Thanks AndyL. Just wasn't sure about the hood film and I didn't notice it on the other IS's so would make sense it's from a 3rd party.

 

I hate those plastic things They look like crap. Ive never had rock chips in front of my wheel wells on any other car. Not sure why they wasted money putting those there.

 

oh, i meant other lexus models.

 

They are not installed at the factory. They are installed at the port when they come off the boat. In Texas a company called Gulf States is contracted out to install basic kits when the cars come into port. They usually use cheap film and slap them on without much care as they do such a high volume. Toyota/Scion/Lexus do this but the customer does not always have the option to get the bumper installed later at the dealer. So not sure why they do this really. on a side note I have seen this done for years... and have at least 10-15 people a year bring their cars to me with this film needing it removed. If it is left on for 4-5 years in hot weather climates the film cracks... and is nearly impossible to get off. So make sure you don't leave it on too long. At the first signs of cracks in the top coat get the film off the car.

 

Interesting to know the films are not installed at the factory and rather they are installed at the port.

However, what you said does not correspond to what I experienced in my 2IS. Note I am in Canada and the cooler winter and not too hot summer (compared to TX) helps.

The strips near the lower rear door panels on my 2IS have been intact and color remains unchanged on a 06' IS for close to 8 years.

They are not cheap films in my case. The reason I know is I once requested the replacement film out of warranty as I saw the film is slightly misaligned and some tiny dirt gets trapped near the edges. The replacement film strip I got at that time seems to be made by 3M (the version with clear topcoat).

 

From my understanding, the film on the lower rear door panels is more to prevent people from scuffing the car when getting in and out of the car (at least that what my dealer told me). It made sense on the 1IS and 2IS. Not sure about the 3IS though, since the film is on the door.

 

on lighter vehicles dust collects on the edges of the film and just looks nasty. I removed all of them on my Ultra white. take a blow dryer on lowest setting and heat the entire piece for 30-60 seconds. then take a non abrasive plasctic prying tool (the ones tint shops use to smooth out the bubbles) and peel a corner up. then slowly peel the sticker off. there is no residue left behind but a wipe with ammonia free glass cleaner finishes the job...enjoy...

 

this is not true... at least for side protection, they are on every car Toyota sells in Europe, so I very much doubt they are all installed at port, in fact I know they are not, because cars come to us without PDI done off the boat, so there is no chance.

I also never saw it cracking, and we have one of the hottest climates in the Europe, our city was often rated as the hottest during the summer with often 110-115 in the shade.

now this is the first time i saw it on the front of Lexus, so it might not be factory... but sides are certainly factory.

 

Is this plastic okay to remove. On my "Snow Bunny" it collects dirt and looks real bad. I though the dealer told me it was a protective film for some sort of censor but they might of just been BS me. Does anyone know if this is true or not so i can remove.

 

its safe...did it on mine...please read my previous comment