john1968

I visited a dealership yesterday which had the Sc 430 I'm looking for - 2003 silver/ecru. But something seemed suspicious - the car had Dunlop run flats on it. I thought the Dunlops had been replaced by Bridgestone's for 2003 because the Bridgestone's were better.

Also the car had paint chip protective film on the front an on the side mirrors. I don't know what brand it was - probably armorguard. The sales manager said all the cars come that way to protect it during shipping and they would take it off. The salesman, who was not present when the sales manager said this, later said the film was specifically to prevent chips while driving and they would include it at no charge or take it off if I didn't want it.

I felt I was being fed a lot of BS. What do you guys think?

toyemp

actually, it is the other way around. The Dunlops are replacements for the Bridgestones. I have 2 2003 sc430s and both came with the Dunlop 5000s

Deanski

John1968:

What ever you do, DO NOT take off the paint protection on this car!

Look at my post under Paint and you'll see why!

The SC430 seems to have more chances of getting paint damage from rocks or other debris! More so than any other vehicle I owned or see driven as daily drivers.

Here is one site on one of the best paint protection products out on the market today:

AutoGlove

I also hear that the Dunlops ride a bit better than the Bridgestone, which I have now on mine and they do ride hard! Most people have switched to Michellin Pilot Sports instead of run flats. Much better ride from what I hear, and better handling.

Do yourself a favor, keep the paint protection product on, maybe add to it for the side mirrors, door cups and side valence and headlights too. You'll thank me later!

It will not effect the paint in color, you can polish/wax over it too!

Regards,
Deanski

dseag2

John1968, I have an '03 SC430 and it came with the Bridgestones... not the Dunlops. It is my understanding from several past threads in this forum that the Bridgestones replaced the Dunlops in the newer models, but I actually think it just depends on the dealer.

I really don't think it matters anyway since neither runflat is going to give you the optimum ride and handling that you get from a non-runflat. I know from personal experience because I made the switch. The sidewalls on the runflats are just too hard to absorb the bumps and flex in the corners. Check into some of the older threads and you'll see comments on both brands and the runflats in general.

ron36330

John;
I have the Bridgestone RF's on my 03. They seem to be a good ride but are harsh over RR tracks and deep pot-holes. Obviosly I can't compare to non-RF's but that is my opinion and at this point I don't intend to switch although many do recommend that course.
As for paint protection--Leave it on. I just paid $600.00 to have it installed on bumpers, hood,mirrors and lights. If the car you are looking at has it installed-don't remove it.
Ron

fetalsono

I have a relatively new SC430, about 4 months old. I looked into the Xpel,etc protection and looked at 4 different applications on different cars. On all of them the top seam was fairly noticeable. My car is the dark green (I think Pine). I do have a few very small rock chips, not too bad. Four questions:

1) Is there one company such as AutoGlove that is significantly better than others

2) If I were to have it done, should the front end be repainted (probably cost a fortune) before doing it?

3) Is it something that should be done professionally or can you do it yourself

4) Has anyone taken it off and does it damage the paint when you take it off?

Thanks

Peter
pwc@itsa.ucsf.edu

MLSC430

hhmmmm... john, where are you getting this car again...???

john1968

not from that dealership, that's for sure. when I make a major purchase, i do a lot of research, visit several vendors. otherwise i'm usually unhappy later after realizing i should have bought something else or from somewhere else. in this case, i have looked at 7 Lexus dealerships (not to mention the mercedes dealers when i was considering the clk). Most were good, professionally run operations. One or two, i would not do business with. at this particular dealership, i just sensed there was something not right about that car and they did not have good answers when i asked why this car had paint chip protection and dunlop's and the other SC 430's on the lot have bridgestones and no paint protection.

Caveat Emptor

Deanski

Peter,

Annswers to your questions:

1) AmorGlove is the company ArmorGlove and yes it is better, in one way, they can wrap the film around the hood sides to hide any seams and can run the film up to 26" up the hood. They can also to custom fittings (side valence, door cups etc)

2) If you ONLY have stone chipping and it's not that bad, I WOULD NOT reshoot the hood. It never comes out perfect, so I'd go with repairing the chipped areas and have the ArmorGlove applied.

3) Yes YOU COULD do it yourself, but why? This is an expensive car so leave the installation to those that have experience. If you doubt me, you can get the install instructions from 3M web site for paint protection. Not for the faint of heart! Let ArmorGlove install it. They can usually go to dealerships with a crew to do it.

4) Yes you can remove it and NO it WILL NOT damage your paint if applied as instructed or by a trained installer. It just takes 150 degrees of heat to soften the film and adhesive so you can remove it.

Also, look at my posts/replies under PAINT as mine chipped after several days! Lexus should address this paint problem.

Let us know how you do.

Regards,
Deanski