lexusk8

I just noticed the other day that the driver's side B-pillar (door pillar between the front and rear doors) is start to peel at the top portion. It seems that the clearcoat material is starting to come off, but only from the first 2 inches of the top part. I'm not exactly sure what has caused this problem (is this common in most Lexus?), but I like to get this fixed soon. What are my options besides full replacement of the pillar (as I don't see myself laying down $700 for a brand new one)?

Guitarman

I'm not very familiar with the ES B pillers, but from your description, it sounds as though it would just need to be repainted. You can even DIY if you're so inclined.

You would have to get any of the flaking clear off first, degrease it and then block sand ( using 400 to 600 or higher grit) the bad area until your fingers can't feel any transition from the 2 layers of paint (base/clear). Once you get it flat, wetsand the whole B piller with 800 grit and repaint with shaker cans of base/clear ( DuPlicolor etc.) You can also spray a high build primer on the bad area before you paint, if you wind up breaking through all the paint when you block down the paint edges (you probably will) just block the primer with 600 to 800 grit and you're ready to spray. Should cost you less than $20 for everything.

The shaker can paint won't be as glossy or durable as catylyzed body shop paint, but for just a B piller it should hold up fine for a few years.

If you prefer a shop do it, I'd say it would be around $60-$75 for them to repaint it, or around ~$100 for both sides. That would be considered reasonable anyway.

Hope this helps.

lexusk8

Here's what I mean about the peeling problem with the door pillar in my ES. You can clearly see it along the first 5-6 inches from the top-right side. I've heard from other 2nd-gen ES owners that this is a relatively common problem with their cars ('97-'01 ES).

Any experienced body shop should be able to re-apply the clearcoat and fix the pillar problem?

Guitarman

Yessir. Whether it's metal or plastic it can be sanded and repainted with base/clear or single stage if you like. Body shops should be able to do that for a pretty resonable cost. Actually, if you're so inclined , you can DIY for even less. Let us know and we'll guide you through the steps.