Quick question does Lexus make the OEM touch-up paint bottle for the Launch Edition color?

 

Yes it is paint code 1L8. Buy it from the dealership. Don't even waste time with ebay/amazon.

 

dr color chip makes one too. I ordered it, it’s excellent quality and very comparable to OEM.

 

Here is how mine looked while still at the dealership after getting ‘fixed’ … so now on third service visit for this issue. Guessing it couldn’t take its own weight and/or mid 90 degree heat after the bumper was removed & reinstalled earlier today.

 

what I find wild is, how does the service department hand that back to an owner and call it “fixed”

 

This is so upsetting to see, out of all the brands out there, Lexus is the LAST company I would ever peg as unable to have body panels hold together! This is embarrassing. I wonder if we would have been given a vented hood that some of teh heat issue would have been resolved and prevent the corners where the separation happens get so hot?! That being said, the passenger side gets equally hot and no separation there. Surely someone will eventually find the root cause of the issue.

Jororo - Have you tried using duct tape? Maybe that would be good PR for Lexus?!

I should list mine and get rid of it too before the problem develops

 

As we both are in the same boat with our dealership this is what I have done and also believe it might help the other IS500 owners with this issue.

• Open a case with Lexus corporate so that your case reaches your Lexus regional manager "cases are specific to region".
• Update the dealer about your open case with Lexus, So that the dealer can create a case file to track the history of the fix done so far for the vehicle and also communicate with Lexus to get the best possible solution.

As you guys know the history of my bumper issue getting fixed at multiple dealerships for multiple times with no permanent resolution. This was the third time they took off the whole bumper to find the cause.
I just picked up my car few hours ago for the third time and this is the latest update that I got from them.

• As per the body shop manager they checked every possible location to find the cause and also took images to update Lexus on their findings. They couldn't find the specific cause even after multiple tries.
• At this point Lexus has no available solution for this issue and the corporate left the repair decision to the dealer body shop experts.
• The respective bumper pins are glued to the bracket that is close to the fender as a temp solution.
• If the issues arises in future, the best possible solution will be a bumper replacement "having a case history can expedite this process but expect delays with part shortage" or reapply adhesive glue .

I attached a Facebook group response where an IS500 owner is already working on getting the new bumper .

I just drove 25miles @80mph to test the adhesive and so far its holding on good. I will update if I come across the issue again.
I know it requires time and effort to put up with this issue but I personally feel its worth it for this V8 sedan .
Also kudos to the dealership for being proactive to find the cause and fix to make an IS500 owner happy.
Hope this was helpful.

 

How long do we have a warranty that should fix this? I want to wait as long as I can before actually letting them attempt to fix it. Will just make the dealer record what's going on with it in the meantime

 

They are probably using the 350 bumper hoping it would stretch and attach to the widened 500's fenders

 

The bumper is actually a different part number for the IS500. I will say this though I took a look at my IS350 and maybe it's just a thing in my head, but I did notice that the specific corner of the drivers side is a bit more "open" than the side closer to the fender well. I wonder if this is actually a problem on all the refreshed IS, and the extra weight of the IS500 bumper was just enough to exacerbate it to this point.

Having said that, I did some investigative work you folks. There are 4 part numbers for this bumper based off the options that you have (Base model vs Premium model, even though I don't think any base models were actually built) and based off the region (do you have headlight washers or not). So here they are:
For comparison sake, these part numbers, except for the last one, are all different than the IS350 bumper part numbers. So they are definitely a different part. Having said that, all of these parts state: "USE30 PAINT REQ." meaning you will have to paint these parts and this is where you run the risk of a paint mismatch.

As far as the bumper bracket:
Both of these part numbers are the same for the IS300, 350, and 500. Therefore, and this is pure speculation, I suspect that the "solution" will be a redesigned bracket just for the IS500, to make it unique to the car and the characteristics of the bigger and heavier bumper. Alternatively they may work around this and try and create some sort of support bracket similar to the one that is found on the LX with its giant bumper.

 

great post @TipsyTonio I think you’re spot on

 

Our supportive investigator!!! Always coming through for us!!

 

Of course! Anything for the fam. I need to make sure you guys take good care of these cars so I can buy one of these used 10 years down the line

 

^^ 10 years?!?! People trade at 10 days now - I guess 10 days is the new 10 years (LOL) - Call me in 10 years buddy, she'll be pristine and ready for ya. Now what could I get in return?!?! Hummm (lol)

 

Well it goes without saying that you will definitely receive a free OnlyLegs subscription!