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Lexus IS250 Paint Correction

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This Lexus IS250 was down visiting Orlando from South Carolina and stopped in for a visit to get the paint corrected. Simply put, it was one of the most damaged white cars I have ever seen.

The nice gentlemen who I arranged the detail with a few weeks prior, made it down to Orlando around mid day. I was not able to actually see the car till later that night, so I was having a look at the car in the evening. For light I was using the parking lot lights we parked under and the Brinkmann I brought with me. The damage to the hood, front bumper, trunk and rear passenger side door was standing out like a sour thumb. Heavy spider webbing, deep rids, circular patterns, etc. It was all there and incredibly noticeable for a white vehicle.

The next morning I picked the car up and began my process of decontaminating the paint work. Once I finished and brought the car in and under my lights, my jaw dropped. I’ve never seen a white car so badly damaged. The ridsĀ (Random Isolated Deep Scratch) I saw the night before turned in to one big rid by itself. The panels I mentioned were just that, one big deep scratch. The paint had zero visibility as far as reflection in these sections. It would appear to me that it could have been caused from a number of things. First thought, turtle wax rubbing compound by hand, second thought was scotch bright pads by hand, and third thought was. it didn’t matter anymore, just fix it!

Two different base coats of some type of “high resin based paint” cured to a very hard material is the detail at hand, aka self healing paint. These types of paints respond to heat and while being extremely thin, Japanese Lexus paint is extremely durable. This is not your cut and buff scenario for the most part. Wet sanding would not be a recommendation from myself with this detail and the damage that needs to be fixed. I feel they’re safer ways to going about such paints (Lexus, Mazda, Infiniti, Honda, Acura etc.), depending on the condition or unique situation. These paints are pretty much 2 parts, 2 base coats as mentioned. The first coat being a large flake and non-reflective layer and the second being the smaller flake reflective layer. If you have ever purposely stuck through these paint types (without hitting the base structure), you would see it looks similar to base coat clear coat, but not necessarily so.

These paints are very heat tolerant but can be burnt. Generating heat for this correction without burning the paint was achieved by Meg’s D/A cutting disc’s and Rupes D/A Polisher. I worked the paint on this car at a higher speed than usual, it could have even been dangerous for the pad at this speed. I used Megs 105 and utilized very slow passes with 5″ and 3″ disc’s. I also applied extra pressure here and there where needed.

Before I got on with cutting a 50/50, I grabbed a few shots with the Nikon D7000 on manual focus (using the tape line to better focus the camera for close ups).

Lexus IS250 Correction | aowheels

Lexus IS250 Correction | aowheels

I tossed a Q-tip on the trunk to get a better idea of size and the amount of severe scratches that consumed this area.

Lexus IS250 Correction | aowheels

Below you can see the heavy damage to the hood on the passenger side.

Lexus IS250 Correction | aowheels

Drivers side of the hood just above the headlight, which is not as bad as the passenger side, although working at the edges required some finessing. I used 3″ cutting disc’s with a Porter Cable, working at above average speeds.

Lexus IS250 Correction | aowheels

50/50 on the top portion of the hood.

Lexus IS250 Correction | aowheels

50/50 on the front bumper. You would go through the paint on this one if searching for perfection. In my opinion it was about an 80% improvement to the front bumper.

Lexus IS250 Correction | aowheels

Below is one of my favorite pics from this detail! It really shows how much clarity has been lost on the damaged side. It also shows how bad this car has been racked prior to detail. The corrected side or “partially corrected side” shows the remaining deep rids and would be found in and average type of correction.

Lexus IS250 Correction | aowheels

Handled with the best it could be. This is after compounding. with polishing and refining still remaining to be done.

Lexus IS250 Correction | aowheels

After some final attention to detail, the car started to look alive again!

I was extremely happy with the results. I was also extremely happy that it was only a few sections of the car that were really tore up. The roof, both driver side doors and front passenger side door was fine and much easier to work out. Overall it was fun! I really like the IS models and had been itching to do one for a while. Hope you enjoyed this detail with me!

Lexus IS250 Correction | aowheels

Lexus IS250 Correction | aowheels

Lexus IS250 Correction | aowheels

Clarity restored.

Lexus IS250 Correction | aowheels

Lexus IS250 Correction | aowheels

Lexus IS250 Correction | aowheels

Check out the 50/50 view on the trunk in the below YouTube video:

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Brian Guy
Brian Guy
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16 comments on Lexus IS250 Paint Correction

  1. Excellent work, Brian! I remember chatting with this person on a Lexus forum as he contacted me looking for some advice regarding detailers in his area. I was glad when he told me he would be bringing the car to you, and I’m sure he is absolutely blown away by the results. Thanks for sharing… and very nice photos!

  2. Shawn Sullivan says:

    Very nice!!!

  3. Brian Guy says:

    Thank You Guys!!! for the kind words!

  4. Shawn Perkins says:

    Hello everyone. Awesome article. I just wanted to give Brian a BIG thanks again for the great job he did on our Lexus. The proof is obviously displayed above. The car is still looking awesome and I am maintaining it with the helpful suggestions from Brian. My wife and I looked at the pictures of the process and couldn’t believe how trashed the paint really was, especially to the untrained eye. Brian was very professional and thorough during the entire process. He made it very easy to hand over the keys and enjoy our vacation at Disney World. The whole experience couldn’t have been any easier or better for us. (Sorry if it ended being a little more than expected once you saw it the next day.) Brians work is proven with his prior details and this one above. Anyone in Orlando or if you will be in the area and want your vehicle brought back to better than new…….then Brian is man to contact. I wouldn’t hesitate to drive 6 hrs back to Orlando to have any future work done. Thanks again for the unbelieveable job.

  5. Tim Louie says:

    What’s the blue tape on the spoiler for?

    • Brian Guy says:

      Tim, the tape was there so I don’t mess up the wing while polishing the deck lid. Then the wing was to be done separately after. Switching the tape to the deck lid to polish the wing. (2 sections)

  6. Moheb Hanna says:

    Excellent work Brian !

  7. Brett Hamilton says:

    True Talent at Your job!
    Looks Awesome!

  8. Roger Carlson says:

    That is a HUGE transformation! It had to be swirled really bad for them to show up on white paint like that.
    Excellent work! And it’s all the more impressive given the fact you corrected it without using a rotary.

  9. Ken says:

    Hi Brian,

    I’ve got a IS250 Metallic Silver and have detailed it myself before but could you give me some professional pointers. I’ve got Menzerna FG500, PF2500, SF 4000 laying around, as well as Lake Country Orange, White, Black and White Pads. Car has got a medium amount of swirls, but nothing close to the White IS250 you have above. 22ple and Dodo supernatural hybrid wax. How would you use a combination of these products for a detail?

    Hope to hear from you soon!

    Ken

    • Brian Guy says:

      Ken,

      Your car has a very forgiving color. Menzerna is great! I like that! What type of machine are you using???

      As far as the 22ple and Dodo Juice Wax… I would pick one or the other as your last step product. But not both.

      As far as coating vs wax… I usually base it on this. If you enjoy detailing your car with detail sprays, wax, a little polish here and there, wiping on it etc…. Keeping up with it in a more traditional manor. Go with the wax and leave the coating out.

      If your looking for easier maintenance, spending less time with it, with less fuss… Then go with the 22ple as the last step product. If you want to utilize both…. Put the 22ple on the car. Wait about 2-3 months (or Longer) then use the Dodo Juice wax. It will help keep the coating smooth and protected. (Very thin coats of wax)

      As far as the products used in prep… Yes, let me know what type of machine you are using? (if any) Then we can better narrow that down.

      Kindly,
      Brian

  10. Ken says:

    Hi Brian,

    Thanks for the fast reply! I’ve got a Sagola Pulidora 1200W. 600-3000rpm. Served me very well!

    Ken

  11. Ken says:

    Hi Brian,

    Sorry, should have added rotary to that comment!

    Ken

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