paintwork Owners of gold LS400s - help please!

smallredball · March 5, 2021

My LS400 (SORNed but about to be recommissioned) has some very faded paintwork. It was originally gold over darker bronzish, but the roof and bonnet (but not bootlid) have both faded to almost silver. I'm weighing up the cost and sense of getting it resprayed.

Just wondering if other gold LS owners could add photos or links that best represent the colour of their cars? I know that colours on computer screens all vary, plus there's the colour of the light/sun, but if you see a photo that looks closest to your own car, it would be useful for me to see to come to a decision.

I'm still undecided on the gold, and if I'm going to respray, I could go for a colour change...? A complication is that the interior is cream+brown, and that might not work with my preferred colour of solid black! Bet it would work well with something like Mercedes' 'Nutria'. But who wants a brown car...?

Not sure. Seems a lot of £££s for vanity. But I've got to do something! 🙂

runsgrateasanut · March 5, 2021

That to me looks like "Smoke Silver" which I had on a Mercedes 500SEL. Rather liked the colour and my beige LS400 was the nearest for the year '93.

You could match to Smoke Silver possibly?

Its all a matter of taste.

smallredball · March 5, 2021

Mercedes' Smoke Silver - one of the 4 colours available for the old 190E 2.3-16V, if I remember right. A possibility.

I'll try to take better photos next week, because seeing those three photos together, they all have a different colour cast and that doesn't help explain the issue! 🧐

Of course, there's the small matter of an MOT to pass before I should be worrying about paintwork...

runsgrateasanut · March 5, 2021

Your paint code is on the VIN Plate. You can find the Toyota Paint code data online. I imagine that the Boot has been re-sprayed if the Bonnet and Roof are the same colour. Lacquer lifting in the past, perhaps.

Don't trust eBay sellers of paint they claim will match. It won't. Here's a reliable seller who you can touch base with and discuss as they may produce a varient of the original paint to make allowance for fading. Autopaint (St Helens)

01744 818102. They produced paint for my Car which has the code 4K9 which is Toyota Chromatic Beige. Bit like Smoke Silver to look at.

Howplum · March 5, 2021

How does the bonnet compare with the tops of the wings? It might be worth speaking to a detailer to see if the problem can be rectified without resorting to new paint.

Apparently clear coat can effectively darken the base coat, so this is a long shot, but is it possible there is no clear coat on the bonnet and roof?

smallredball · March 6, 2021

Bonnet has clear fading (i.e. a little darker at the edges compared to the near-horizontal areas), and it's in locations like that it's clearest. A photo from 10 feet away hardly shows anything, or perhaps it's better to say that our eyes are used to seeing different shades due to natural lighting, so the fading doesn't stand out. Not sure if the bonnet+roof lack the clearcoat. I can't see how that would have happened at the factory?

Colour-wise, I think this photo is the closest to what should be standard for this 'cashmere':

From this page: https://www.clublexus.com/how-tos/slideshows/lexus-ls400-with-34k-miles-sets-the-gold-standard-603533#lifetime-reputation

After a bit of research, it seems a respray would cost far more than the value of the car. So that's out of the question. A wrap would be more viable, especially for a colour change.

runsgrateasanut · March 6, 2021

As you say, concentrate on getting it through the MOT. I spent a lot on my LS comparatively speaking to what I paid for it. Things can mount up. When was the Cam belt / Water pump changed? Has it had the Radiator replaced. Control Arms do they need replacing. Brakes OK or what? Oh so many things.

smallredball · March 6, 2021

33 minutes ago, runsgrateasanut said:

As you say, concentrate on getting it through the MOT. I spent a lot on my LS comparatively speaking to what I paid for it. Things can mount up. When was the Cam belt / Water pump changed? Has it had the Radiator replaced. Control Arms do they need replacing. Brakes OK or what? Oh so many things.

Yes, MOT first - I'm just looking at the trickiest issue first. 🙂

It's been very well looked after. Full Lexus SH until the previous owner, an aircraft engineer at Heathrow who did the cambelt and pump in 2017, also fitted a stainless Y-pipe in the exhaust, etc. Brakes will almost certainly need attention after the SORNing. Will get the suspension checked over, too.

smallredball · March 6, 2021

Also, on colour, this bronze looks far better than the gold, I think.

Never seen one like that in the flesh, though.

rich1068 · March 6, 2021

A friend of mine has this one.

Malc · March 6, 2021

3 hours ago, smallredball said:

Yes, MOT first

WOOPS ........... I just saw this Post after my other one which mentioned no MOT :yes:

Malc

smallredball · March 6, 2021

3 hours ago, rich1068 said:

A friend of mine has this one.

See - that really looks the business. 🙂

Does he happen to have any interior photos? Looks like it might be the same cream leather, but interestingly (to a nerd like me), the dashtop plastic looks lighter than mine, which is the grey/brown shown above.

rich1068 · March 6, 2021

Ask at you shall receive...

smallredball · March 6, 2021

Aha - thanks muchly.

It is clearly the same colour inside as mine. The lighter colour must have been a reflection. The purist in me says to keep to the original colour, but this is an excellent alternative, if/when I get that far.

👍

runsgrateasanut · March 8, 2021

So, what are your colour codes?

smallredball · March 8, 2021

Drizzly wet today - I will get out there and check the codes ASAP.

Edited to add: Service booklet just says "Cashmere" for Colour Code and "Suffolk" for Trim Code.

rich1068 · March 9, 2021

This is the site I mentioned the other day http://ls400data.com/1998.html

smallredball · March 9, 2021

7 minutes ago, rich1068 said:

This is the site I mentioned the other day http://ls400data.com/1998.html

Excellent - thanks.

So, your friend's car's code is "ANTIQUE BRONZE MICA, 4P1" and mine is "CASHMERE BEIGE METALLIC, 4M9".

rich1068 · March 9, 2021

Pretty sure his is Cashmere Beige too.

Matt1986 · March 26, 2021

I also have the same issue with my cashmere gold 98 reg. Bonnet roof and boot faded. Pretty sure it's a respray or live with it as you say.

Mines now just a project car really as I have a company car for daily use.

Should get rid, but everytime I drive it I remember how good these are, even compared to a 2 year old 5 series!

runsgrateasanut · April 26, 2021

My GS is colour code 3P2 which strangely appears to have two named colours. Bordeaux Mica Metallic or Black Cherry Pearl. Not sure which came first or if exactly the same colour?

Why is it that this colour seems to suffer lacquer peel? Admittedly it is mainly on the Bonnet. Perhaps an over enthusiastic polisher or maybe its been resprayed? My 7 year old LS400 had no lacquer peel even with the Hail dents that occured in 2018. I rarely washed it as Beige seems to not show the dirt as clearly as darker colours. The answer perhaps?

On a different subject or three!! , is there a bleed screw for the coolent system on the GS? Couldn't undo the expansion tank cap - feared breaking it. Need a Workshop manual and wonder if the download is a good idea as Haynes don't do one?