How Lexus keeps that shine and reliability

I did notice that, although Merc and AUDI seems to do that job well too.

Same thing cannot be said for my BMW and INFINITI.

I think that older Lexus' look as good as the newer ones. I mean, you can tell that they're older but they don't look outdated, if that makes sense. I was looking at a 1996 LS 400 and you wouldn't believe how well those cars hold up. It's a 12 year old car and the interior was kept up really nicely, the paint was still shiny, and the engine was clean (as in there wasn't dust, leaves, twigs, etc. on it). I know a lot of that has to do with the owner, but I've noticed most LS 400s are the exact same way. Lexus' build quality is definitely something to be noted.

You are correct. The LS (especially the 1998-2000 models) is a design that has aged very well. The original GS300 sedan still looks good too.

Did she buy it used? You also have to remember that the owner has to treat the car well if they want it to last.

I don't think any Lexus looks any better than any other competing brand of cars. Its how the user takes care of the paint job that really makes the difference. I wax my car at least 7 times a year (I could do with less) and handwash it as long as the weather permits and after 8 years of ownership my Audi looks like its 2~3 years old. I love that they also galvanize their body panels inside and out to protect against rust. The last car I had for that long turned into a rust bucket (and that was a 1990 Integra).

It seems that OEMs are now heading towards protective paint/coatings or even self-healing paints. That would be nice to have. I'll take that and a 4 season performance tire!

though i beleive the Lexus shine is great...it still coems down to customer care. i have had numerous vehicles (BMW MB Infiniti Volvo Honda Acura Toyota Lexus Chrysler Ford) and i can tell you that all my vehicles have been acknowledged for its exterior/interior presence.

i wax my vehicles aver 4 months and wash them weekly. i use proven products and do so with care.

lexus does a great job with their paint quality, but more so it comes down to customer appreciation of it.

Yeah, right.
I am willing to park my '98 BMW next to any '98 Lexus to see whose paint shines.

What if he has a 1998 750iL in mint condition? Would that still be funny?

bulldogz, that was rude and uncalled for. Did it occur to you that some people can't afford an '07 BMW? Or that he would rather get a used luxury car than a crappy new car? Or that he just prefers his '98 BMW to the new models?

I never seen a Lexus older than 5 years that looks decent. All of them look dated and trashed. This article is garbage.

What? You don't make any sense...but well I guess we got used to you not making any sense in your posts. Keep trolling...

lol...that is hilarious..even funnier is the fact that he doesnt get it yet

Why don't you explain it to me smarty...

Chemically speaking, its getting harder to make durable paint. 10-15 years ago, there were lots more options (including some quasi-nasty ones) to make paint compounds. Now, with all the 'green' BS, paint has to be made much less toxi.

My new BMW 328 apparently has water based paint (or so the brochure says) and after six months its riddled with lots of little scratches (and its garaged and I take very good care of it). Heck, a bumblebee lands on my car and I've got a scratch.

Pretty much all cars suck now in terms of paint.
Cars in general, scratch way too easily.

That is why I am anal about my paint work. I hate orange peel and swirls.

I usually polish and wax my car every 2 weeks.
I do the Klasse thing every 4 months. I cary a duffle bag of terry cloth towels and detailer spray. I never re-use the same towels.
I wash my car with using the 3 bucket method and the water is temperature controlled 80 degrees. I use warm water for the soap and lukewarm water for the rinse.
If I accidently drop my pad or clay bar on the ground, I instantly discard it.

I dare anyone to find a micro fine swirl mark on my car. You'll need a $100 xeon flashlight to spot it.

Most of the scratches come from the towels dragging microthin dirt. This is why I never,ever take my car to a touchless carwash with 40 illegal immigrants. The guy's corolla in front of you may have so much dirt that the same towels they use will inflict so much damage.

whats wrong with a corolla?? or with immigrants??

I park my Corolla outside and take it to a touchless carwash with 40 illegal immigrants every month or so. When seagulls fly overhead on their way to the fish processing plant dumpster behind my work, if I have time, I ask the illegal immigrants in the plant to clean the poop with their steamer. The dried-out seagull poop can stain a bit, but you'll need a $10 flashlight to spot it.

"Have you ever wondered why Lexus cars keep their shine longer than most cars?"

And I though it was because the average age of Lexus driver was well above the retirement age and that their owner had the time to shine and wax their car.

They look like crap like any other car that is old.

any of you critics actually READ the article? 11 hours spent on the exterior and appearance. only 8 hours for assembling the rest of the car itself.

and 1400 quality checks! no wonder toyota and lexus assembly plants have hardly ANY "set aside" cars compared to other makers. (look up the term, if you don't know about assembly plants.)

and it does explain those shiny, flawless cars in the SHOWROOMS.

if any really old lexus has a crappy finish, i'll guess it is because it looked SO GOOD initially, and for SO LONG, the owner must've assumed the finish didn't NEED ANY care at all!

not unlike how high reliability/low maintenance hondas and toyotas sometimes are TOTALLY NEGLECTED, and end up crappy. i've seen and heard about some of those owners. one with a 140,000 mile accord asked, "what's this whole business about oil changes anyway???" LOL!

I love Lexus's marketing department because they're simply the best. I've always said that Audi Merc and BMW can learn from these guys. They're great at packaging. Here's a little analogy. Someone builds a house and tells his friends he hired 50 painters 10 of whom were painting PHDs, and says that the painting alone more than half the time and the paint job will look superb forever, and everyone is impressed until someone asks, what kind of paint did you use, Benjamin Moore? And the response is no! I just used the gallons of free paint I got from paint-o-rama when I bought some wall paper! What do you think will happen after 10 years? Time spent is not the only factor to look at, you have to understand what the time is spent on, the quality of materials and tools used. How much of the time spent is baking the car, and how much time do competitors spend and on what? That said, at the end of the day, the proof is in the pudding. Look at the paint finish of any Lexus that's 7 years old or more and you can't even compare it to a VW that's the same age not to mention Audi and Porsche who's paint finishes seem to last forever, and are the Industry benchmark! I've seen LSs from the late 90s that are already rusting near the bumpers and have the dull (paint fade) finishes Lexus and especially Infinitys seem to suffer from. If the exterior is so well put together why does Lexus offer a 6 year corrosion warranty while Audi or Porsche have been offering a 12 year / unlimited mileage corrosion warranty for a decade. This is one area Lexus is very weak in..just go to a used car lot and compare a 90s Passat to a 90s LS. look at the wheel arches, the body, and the color of the paint, and unless you're sniffing the paint Lexus uses you'll see what I mean..

Someone down the street from me has a '98 Porsche 996 Carrera in black, and the paint is still perfect. I am baffled and amazed. It's beautiful. Not quite as good as the two 997s that are on my block, but excellent, nonetheless.

We had owned a '98 A4 1.8T quattro until January of last year... the paint was still perfect when I sold it. The rest of the car wasn't, though, mostly due to my son's stupid add-ons (coffee can exhaust, bigger rims, blow-off valve, etc.).

"Here's a little analogy. Someone builds a house and tells his friends he hired 50 painters 10 of whom were painting PHDs, and says that the painting alone more than half the time and the paint job will look superb forever, and everyone is impressed until someone asks, what kind of paint did you use, Benjamin Moore? And the response is no! ...free paint I got from paint-o-rama when I bought some wall paper! What do you think will happen after 10 years? Time spent is not the only factor to look at, you have to understand what the time is spent on, the quality of materials and tools used."


LOL! how about this analogy-- certain mfgrs spend BIG BUCKS on engineering, styling, and even paint jobs. (enuff that they CHARGE customers for certain paints).

then they skimp on the quality of mechanical PARTS, electrical wiring, and even COMPONENTS.

what happens to their cars 10 years down the road? even just FIVE years down the road? some from the SECOND YEAR!? still nice and shiny on the outside, but FRAUGHT with gremlins in the power eqpt and components!

and, this is NOT MERELY a hypothetical analogy.

ANY chart compiled by CR on long-term reliability will show ALL euro brands shamed by even entry level TOYOTAS and hondas (to say nothing of lexus) in these problem areas.