I am still SC shopping - have found a 2006 Matador Red but it has a couple of door "dings." Salesman says he will fix all minor imperfections once we agree on a sales price. But I have heard that Lexus paint is extremely difficult to match and he could end up making a few minor imperfections much worse. It is a huge dealership with a body shop but it does not include Lexus.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

 

I suffered dings on my 2005 (may she rest in peace) and my 2007. Both times the paint did not need to be touched at all since it is done from inside the door / fender panel. An experienced and qualified shop can do a painless dent repair perfectly so would never know it was there. Check for references and ask to see some of their work.

 

Call your closest Lexus dealer and see who they use for their cars. I had 18 dings taken out of my 2002 and one big dent under the spoiler (looked like the trunk got shut on a shopping cart). You cannot tell there were ever any dents there. Separately, I had some bumper scrapes and chips worked on. Different guy same call to the Lexus dealer. The problem with chips is that if they get touched by a sander you are looking at a repaint of the entire affected area (hood, door, etc.). This is from a concourse quality paint man. So, although you can still see some of the chips outline, it was well worth the $$ I paid to have it done. Bumper was done flawless although he had to repaint 1/2 of it to get the paint to blend. Most places and the cheaper independents will not touch Lexus paint. My Mill. Silver actually has 5 colors in it and blending to match is an art. Especially on plastic vs. metal because they wear differently.

TOXIC

 

Gotta wonder about a dealer that wants to agree on a price before fixing dings.

 

Also might wonder why a dealer wouldn't fix dings before offering a vehicle like an SC for sale... As a practical matter the cost of fixing a couple of average dings is inconsequential for the dealer who either has an in-house technician or at least a favorable arrangement with a PDR-for-hire service. It's a different story if the paint needs to be broken to make the repair. Some dealers would leave that type of damage alone pre-sale to avoid the possible appearance of a larger repair which could diminish the value more than the original dings. If there's an offer on the table involving any repairs be sure all the details are on the sales order.

 

My thoughts exactly - why not fix ahead of time? Especially on a vehicle like this. Ultimately cost him a likely sale. I ended up buying an 05 Blk/Saddle with 31K miles that looks immaculate (I've not seen the vehicle yet). I really wanted to do an inspection but my nephew scoped it out so I took the plunge. It's in Wisconsin so we're flying up Labor Day weekend to pick it up. It's actually a gift for my bride of 37 yrs. Went to dinner at a local pub and gave her an envelope with the flight tickets, hotel and pics of the vehicle.

I did good.

Thanks for all of the input.

 

Nice gift for sure. Sounds like a LONG drive back though. You may want to change the runflats out BEFORE heading back if they arent already. Many members here really prefer the ride quality much better w/o them.

Enjoy it!