Guitarman

Thanks Mickey.

bunmango

1998 LS400 (Black Onyx I'm assuming?), no clearcoat

the paint is really soft... it's pretty hard washing it without inducing more swirls, even with a chenille washmitt

judging from the look of the pads on my Porter Cable using Meguiar's Dual Action Cleaner Polish, I think it's safe to assume that the car is has a single-stage job

Guitarman

Preliminary info suggests that 2000 was the magic year that Lexus started clearcoating their black vehicles.
So far, no one has posted on a 2000 xxxx with original paint that ISN'T cleared. If you know different, please post.

I will leave this thread sticky for a while, then unstick it if the responses dwindle to nothing. At that point, we'll have to pretty much go by the preliminary data as being solid, if there's none to the contrary.

Michifan12

iTrader: (2)

I'm assuming from this thread that all Absolutely Red IS's have a clearcoat...right?

Guitarman

Have you gotten any red pigment on your towel or pad when polishing or using a cleaner wax? That would tell you about yours. I'm gonna go ahead and guess it is clearcoated, the law of averages being in favor of it.

We'll have to get some other IS guys in here to see this and comment. Stay tuned, it may take a while.

sweetsc400

My 1995 Black SC400 does NOT have clearcoat.

Guitarman

Noted, thank you.

sc300n00b

92 SC300, same as above

TouringGS

1995 GS300 with original black paint; single-stage.

lexusk8

I want to re-edit the post I made a while ago regarding the kind of paint on my '01 ES. After this morning's wash and exterior detail, I found out from using Meguiar's Scratch-X with a white cotton towel that the entire driver's side is clearcoated, while the hood, trunk and passenger side of the ES has NO clearcoat. This tells me that my car had been repainted previously on the non-clearcoated portions (without the dealership informing me at the time of purchase unfortunately)

Also, it seems that the non-clearcoated parts of my car tend to get more fine and micro-scratches than the clearcoated sections, and I find that a little distracting. This is just a tidbit of info for those of you to remember the next time who are looking to purchase a car and would like to know the present condition of the paint.

Guitarman

Thanks for adding that info. I see a lot of mixed media paintwork in my detailing rounds, it's not surprising, though a bit disconcerting that a shop would spray clearcoat on a S/S paintjob, and also vice-versa, but they do. Usually it's adding S/S to a clearcoated car to save $$$ on supplies and labor steps.

I also think it's interesting that the single stage is showing greater marring than the clearcoated panels, because usually (on black) the clear tends to magnify swirling. That's one reason many believe Lexus stuck with single stage on the black onyx color for so long (till ~2000).

Again, good post.

Nomis

Likewise.

libra68

I have a '95 LS400 black on black. it has no clearcoat. i can get black paint on the rubbing pad, but also a few years back when a door was hit in a parking lot, the autobody shop confirmed that it was not clear-coated to make for a richer dark finish. They had to replace the entire door.

Joe Peters

I have a 2002 SC430 Black Onyx. I have polished with
several different cleaner waxes and no black on the cloth
so it must have a clear coat.
Thanks for your work on this.

southernsc

95 sc300 black onyx. no clear coat