Lexus Paint Quality VS. Others
#31
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I think it differs with each model.
For example, I own an Acura RL and I know that it has one of the best and most meticulous paint jobs of any mass production car. It is hand sanded and painted at the factory. But on the other hand, the RDX for example is only hand sanded and doesn't receive a paint job with as much attention that the RL receives. It probably goes along something like that with Lexus too. I don't know the details of my SC430 and Range Rover paint jobs but visually they both are almost as good as the RL's minimal orange peal.
For example, I own an Acura RL and I know that it has one of the best and most meticulous paint jobs of any mass production car. It is hand sanded and painted at the factory. But on the other hand, the RDX for example is only hand sanded and doesn't receive a paint job with as much attention that the RL receives. It probably goes along something like that with Lexus too. I don't know the details of my SC430 and Range Rover paint jobs but visually they both are almost as good as the RL's minimal orange peal.
Yea I noticed this. My TL and RL have no Orange Peel, and its paint job is as good as my Audi was. I had a huge DOOR ding on my TL (3 inches long) and had to take it to a dent guy and he got it out, but surprisingly it didn't break the paint! Then my G35 had some bad orange peel and so did our Camrys.
#32
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Yea I noticed this. My TL and RL have no Orange Peel, and its paint job is as good as my Audi was. I had a huge DOOR ding on my TL (3 inches long) and had to take it to a dent guy and he got it out, but surprisingly it didn't break the paint! Then my G35 had some bad orange peel and so did our Camrys.
My 06 Audi (optional silver metallic) I'd say is roughly equal in terms of OP but as we have been discussing thickness - my back passenger side car door smacked into my garage door siding pretty hard one day when I forgot the door was open and pulled into the garage. The paint was scuffed badly but you still couldn't see through to the metal. I was impressed and also glad since it's not enough damage to be charged for on the lease turn-in.
My parent's 05 Camry XLE (gold also... lol) had quite a bit of OP in it... side by side my dad's 02 F-150 (red) has quite a bit less OP than their camry does. But my 99 GS400 had less OP than his F-150 did.
With all that said, the new LS460 has the least OP I've seen in any factory job to date. It also has a very strange 'feel' to it... I don't know how to describe it but I ran my finger lightly over one at the dealership and it most definitely had a different tactile feel to it than the GS450H that was right next to it.
There's a great detailer here in my area who has shown some before and after wetsanding pics and does a great job of getting rid of OP.
#33
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Here is a link to that car, btw.
http://gtaindetail.com/pics/cuda073006/m.html
You could read the newspaper at 20 feet in the reflection, it's pretty wild.
http://gtaindetail.com/pics/cuda073006/m.html
You could read the newspaper at 20 feet in the reflection, it's pretty wild.
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#34
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Well I have WDP White Diamond Pearl, and it might be done with a different process but definitely no orange peel.
I have inspected my friend's 05 TL (the gold color) up close and there's definitely a noticeable amount of orange peel there - no question. I put it side by side with my boss' Acura RL of roughly the same color (it is the last year of the older body style though) and would say the quality was about identical to my friend's TL.
My 06 Audi (optional silver metallic) I'd say is roughly equal in terms of OP but as we have been discussing thickness - my back passenger side car door smacked into my garage door siding pretty hard one day when I forgot the door was open and pulled into the garage. The paint was scuffed badly but you still couldn't see through to the metal. I was impressed and also glad since it's not enough damage to be charged for on the lease turn-in.
My parent's 05 Camry XLE (gold also... lol) had quite a bit of OP in it... side by side my dad's 02 F-150 (red) has quite a bit less OP than their camry does. But my 99 GS400 had less OP than his F-150 did.
With all that said, the new LS460 has the least OP I've seen in any factory job to date. It also has a very strange 'feel' to it... I don't know how to describe it but I ran my finger lightly over one at the dealership and it most definitely had a different tactile feel to it than the GS450H that was right next to it.
There's a great detailer here in my area who has shown some before and after wetsanding pics and does a great job of getting rid of OP.
My 06 Audi (optional silver metallic) I'd say is roughly equal in terms of OP but as we have been discussing thickness - my back passenger side car door smacked into my garage door siding pretty hard one day when I forgot the door was open and pulled into the garage. The paint was scuffed badly but you still couldn't see through to the metal. I was impressed and also glad since it's not enough damage to be charged for on the lease turn-in.
My parent's 05 Camry XLE (gold also... lol) had quite a bit of OP in it... side by side my dad's 02 F-150 (red) has quite a bit less OP than their camry does. But my 99 GS400 had less OP than his F-150 did.
With all that said, the new LS460 has the least OP I've seen in any factory job to date. It also has a very strange 'feel' to it... I don't know how to describe it but I ran my finger lightly over one at the dealership and it most definitely had a different tactile feel to it than the GS450H that was right next to it.
There's a great detailer here in my area who has shown some before and after wetsanding pics and does a great job of getting rid of OP.
#35
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Picus, as a detailer, don't you prefer cars that are near middle of the road as opposed to hard such as VW? I find VWs a pain to work on. "Hardness" I guess would benefit the average consumer who doesn't get his/her car detailed but as a non-professional detailer, I find it's much easier working with "softer" paints.
To give you an example, take an Infiniti G35 and an Audi A4, both '03 both moderate condition. Now straight away we know the G35 will be easier to correct and the A4 will likely have hard paint (in the 7/8 range on my make believe scale), so obviously we're going to take different approaches, on the A4 I would use a heavy compound + a yellow pad @1500 rpm, on the G I would use an orange pad, medium compound and less speed; now you'll have to trust me when I say I've done enough cars that they've become predictable, so I know the A4 would require one more step, 106FF or another finishing polish on a grey pad @1300, and it would be perfectly clean, no haze. The G, on the other hand *normally* requires two more steps, one to clean up the haze and then one to finish down without any micromarring. So the G, while easier to correct, will take more time, and is incidentally a lot more frustrating. To add to this, it's almost always the case that cars with harder paint are in better shape because they are easier to maintain. I see so many *mangled* Infiniti's/Acuras it's really sick. Most of the German cars I see are in good to moderate condition, since they resist scratching a bit better.
For someone with a PC, midrange paint (Toyota/Lexus/some Acuras/some BMWs) is probably the easiest to deal with.
I hope this makes sense.
FWIW, as I mentioned in 10 years I have only seen one factory finish with *no* orange peel, a Rolls Royce Phantom.
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