Paint quality

i can't answer your questions, but i agree on the paint. my 04, 08 and '12 all look like new!

 

I was worried about how well my paint will hold up. I wash it frequently but sadly my car is always outside.... Hopefully it will last a long time.

 

I have owned a number of Toyotas. Paint quality always looks great when new, but can't hold up. The paint chips extremely easily whenever encountering road salt, rocks, and debris. I plan on keeping my vehicle a long time, so I opted to get "Xpel Ultimate" on half the hood, part of the front fender, front bumper, rocker panels, and side view mirrors.

 

I had a Honda Civic made in Ohio and an Acura RSX made in Japan. The paint quality of the RSX was markedly better. So was the glass. Japanese glass is very smooth compared to the rough, porous glass fitted to North American Hondas. Overall fit and finish was much better for the Japanese car, so now I buy Japanese.

 

I've been told that the Lexus paint procedure is in line with other high end paint services, but above many econo-box painting methods. All of the Lexus RX vehicles we have had, and the GS's friends have had look spectacular. They are all built in Japan, not in NA. Perhaps since Toyota already has factories setup that way to produce the Lexus, they just copy/pasted the paint rooms into their Toyota plants? Who knows.

Here is a blurb on Lexus painting, from Lexus:

Painting
The unparalleled surface quality of the Lexus multi-coat painting process is underpinned by meticulous cleanliness in the paint application, particularly in the top-coating booths during the latter half of the process. The eradication of airborne particles is fundamental to the successful application of paint.

TMK has introduced a system such as those used in semi-conductor factories, employing a number of small, one way air outlets to pressurize the area prior to the top coat booth, thus forcing air away from the booth.

This approach has resulted in a significant reduction in the infiltration of airborne particles, achieving a degree of air quality approximately halfway between Class 1,000 and Class 10,000 under the FED (U.S. Federal) standards for cleanrooms. The number 5,000 refers to the number of 0.5 micron dust particles in one cubic foot of air, here corresponding to the cleanliness of air in the earth’s stratosphere.

To ensure the outstanding surface quality is maintained throughout the finishing process, the production line combines the latest generation of robotized paint coating technology with the master craftsmanship of hand polishing techniques. The vertical surfaces of the new full hybrid are water polished with a plane sander after the intermediate coat application, and checked by eye as well as digitally to ensure both a physically and visually unparalleled quality of finish.

 

Hm. My 2004 Civic Hybrid seemed to hold up better as far a chipping. My Mom's 2007 Avalon still looks like it's new...at least when she decides to wash it.

I will say, at least Toyotas and Hondas do not have the excessive orange peel that is all too common on Fords and Chevys.

 

My 2001 Saturns paint held up much better as far as front end chipping... The rest of the paint looks great still... stupid rocks.