chrisexv6

My 2011 G37 came with "seal healing" paint. At least on the G it looked more like marketing than reality. Nissan had used it for a few years, dropped it for MY10, brought it back for MY11 then dropped it again after that. I guess even they didnt think it was worth it.

Maybe the stuff Lexus uses works better, but on the Nissan/infiniti forums the consensus was that it did little to nothing at all.

SW17LS

I wouldn't be too excited lets just put it that way

lesz

When I read, in the Lexus announcement of the 2016 ES, that the car was going to have the self-healing paint, my initial thought was that it would be a nice innovation and that it would be especially useful in "healing" polishing swirls on a black vehicle.

In the last couple of days, I've done quite a bit of reading about self-healing paint on Lexus, Nissan/Infiniti, and Mercedes cars, and I'm glad that I don't have it on my 2013 ES.

If you do a search and read forum posts and other internet sites, that reading indicates that there is potential for serious damage if you use traditional polishes and polishing techniques on self-healing paint. The finish can be permanently dulled or, at a minimum, it can be very expensive to repair the damage. Also, it seems that, because the finish is softer than a normal clear coat, there is greater potential for etching from bird droppings, tree sap, and other environmental contaminants even if those contaminants are only left on the finish for a very short amount of time. And, if there is ever a need to have paint work done on the vehicle, refinishing a vehicle that has the self-healing paint also comes with issues.

Considering that the self-healing paint only works on minor surface scratches and that, with normal clear coat paint, removing minor surface scratches is quite simple, I'd rather have to manually remove minor scratches with traditional paint than have to deal with the issues that might come with self-healing paint.

In any case, those who buy a 2016 ES or other Lexus vehicle with self-healing paint would be wise to read the cautions in the manual and to make themselves aware of what they need to do and what they cannot do to maintain their vehicles' finish. Failure to do so, it would appear, has the potential to lead to very expensive mistakes.

SW17LS

I looked into it when I got the LS and talked to some detailers that have polished many of them, you can still polish the paint as normal, just with the understanding that you likely will polish through that self healing coat.

I'll be interested to see the paint on the refreshed ES in person. My LS has beautiful paint. Much better than on any of the other Lexus cars I've had, including the older LS models. The paint finish is hand sanded, I'm sure it's not on the ES, but I wonder if this self healing paint may have something to do with how much nicer the paint looks and feels.

It also seems more resistant to scratching, swirling and chipping.

mspearl95

i still don't understand posting about your LS in the ES forum.

SW17LS

I'm not, we're talking about self healing paint which the LS has, and apparently now the ES has. Seeing that people had questions about the self healing paint and I have it, I thought I would share.

If you don't want to view my posts please feel free to put me on your ignore list.

ls430lover

for 20 minutes and the interior changes are really nice.
one of the nicest touches is the armrest on left its curved like the ls and very comfortable.
the left to right room is also quite comfy i am 6 foot 200 pounds
for the price point they did a beautiful job, i sat in a gs right after a 15 and the seat in gs is more comfy for larger guys but the interior in the es trumps the gs, thats a big upgrade.
the shift lever looks good, the fake leather by cup holders looks almost real its higher grade plastic than last year.
good job lexus improving on already a great value for the car,
i learned though you can replicate rear wheel drive, i won't go back to the a fwd again for handling, balance and ride there is no replica for the real deal with rwd

dchar

What GS did you sit in...I don't see any part of ES interior that trumps the GS, besides more space. The GS has more padding everywhere (especially on door, top of dash, and center console), less hard plastics, bigger screen, and better seats.

ls430lover

if you look at the 12.3 screen etc the gs is still superior
i sat in a 15 with premium nav, no luxury seats
the gs is a great interior,
when lexus upgrades a model or interior there the best at what they do they don't get enough credit for ergonomic desgine and implementations. i still think my 5 series has a more cockpit driver oriented interior plus the orange gauges and led i like.. but the gs has more comfortable seats than my 5.
getting back on topic if you look at the 16 es particulallary with upgrade leather its a nicer interior than the gs, minus the 12 inch nav screen the one in the es is still to small

SW17LS

Unless there are significant improvements in material quality in areas we don't expect, such as lower dash and door panels, etc, I don't buy that the 2016 ES interior will trump the GS.

Remember too, the GS gets refreshed for 2016 as well with interior enhancements.

ls430lover

obviously is not getting relayed properly
if you look at ergonomic design and lexus ability to be cutting edge, they put a lot of thought to the new es interior layout. the gs is still better seat comfort , screen etc.
the design of the 16 es until the 16 gs is out is a better layout with more thought than the older gs that was designed in 2011.. the steering wheel the safety controls , the non leather materials, the execution.
in the end it doesn't matter sorry i chimed in

SW17LS

They layout is exactly the same as it was in the pre refresh ES, and really it's exactly the same as it is in the GS, pretty much all the controls and such are in the same locations.

The ES interior was designed the same time as the GS interior. Both came out as 2013 models.

dchar

Not really sure what you're trying to say...the 2016 ES has an interior that is similar to the 2013 ES; layout is pretty much the same but some materials were improved.

KennyLexus

Yeah, I agree with that after checking one out several days ago. I do love the seats...nice touch with the stitching and center stripe.

Jets

Love the ES but the GS interior is much nicer especially the center console.