Any long term owners park outside - how’s the paint holding up? (1 Viewer)

[04UZJ100]

Due to work I need to leave my 2020 white Cruiser in an airport parking lot for 4 weeks at a time uncovered in the southern US sun. It will be in a garage for the next 4 weeks after that. so essentially parked outside 6 months out of the year.

It has a ceramic coating, ceramic tint, and front windshield screen.

Trying to do everything I can to protect it since it sits in a hot humid environment on the coast.

Should I be worried about premature paint degradation or rust?

 

[auggafj80]

This may not be directly comparable but my 2008 has been outside its whole life in Maine. Paint Has held up extremely well, with only a small portion of the clear coat beginning to flake off on the rear hatch. No body rust at all. Frame has surface rust but nothing major. I can tell the paint has faded somewhat because it had a pinstripe that I removed And original red is a bit darker, left a ghost stripe. Overall I’m impressed with how it’s held up.

 

[auggafj80]

The thing that makes my truck look old is the yellowed headlight housing. That’d be my only concern with the southern sun. Not sure if newer cruisers come with better UV protection on them? I’m going to buy new housings ($200 a piece )to spruce mine up a bit.

 

[kevinfoutch]

@Markuson maybe can share his experience parking his 2008 outside in a southern, sunny climate pretty much 100% if I am not mistaken... Held up very well if I say so myself based on in-person sightings I've had over past LCDC's

 

[M1911]

I've only had my 2013 for a few years. I park outside in Massachusetts. Paint looks great.

A bit off topic: If you have to park at the airport for 4 weeks at a time, would it be cheaper to take a car service to and from the airport instead? That might not be an option, but just a thought.

 

[marketShark]

Mine has been parked outside for years. Texas heat and Texas sun. I have trees over my driveway now but didn’t have at the old house. As @auggafj80 has said, the headlights yellow pretty badly especially at the top. I have done it a restoration kit about once a year or every other year. One of the things I did notice is that there is a mildew buildup along the back side windows picture attached below. I have also included a picture of my roof and decklid spoiler. Looks like the spoiler has aged More than the body has. Overall, I’m very happy with the paint holding up

 

[04UZJ100]

Thanks gents I appreciate it. I want to do everything I can to protect it.

 

[LBridges]

One extra thought (without anything to back it up). Toyota is/has spent a fair amount of cash repainting a bunch of blizzard pearl vehicles (2008-2017), that included 4Ruuners, Camrys, Avalons, Corollas, Rav4s and Scions (although no LCs). I would expect, given Toyota's rep for quality control fixes, that they have a fix for that color or they would have killed it.

That said, how close to the coast are you talking? My house is less than 800 feet off salt water, at an elevation ~10 feet above sea level. Rust is a concern unless an item is well protected. If you are a mile or more from water, then not so much of an issue (here in Florida). Your ceramic finish should be good for body metal. You might consider one of the anti-rust treatments (like Fluid Film, Boeshield, CRC Corrosion Inhibiter, etc.) for the undercarriage.

 

[Markuson]

@Markuson maybe can share his experience parking his 2008 outside in a southern, sunny climate pretty much 100% if I am not mistaken... Held up very well if I say so myself based on in-person sightings I've had over past LCDC's

Unfortunately, the skyward-facing surfaces on my 13 year old, dark grey LC paint have not fared well. A few years ago, I covered the hood and roof in vinyl as a remedy...but...even that vinyl has now severely failed.

I do think color matters... Silver or white doesn’t heat up anywhere near as hot as the darker colors... My 100 series in silver never skipped a beat in the 16 years it was exposed to direct sunlight 24-7. But my 200’s dark grey...no such luck.

It may we’ll be other factors, of course, but ya....protect those upward facing surfaces.

I suspect it may also be related to the tendency to stack chemicals and crud on the flat/ ground-parallel surfaces too...like harsh chemicals on Coloradoroads kicked up after rain. Those chemicals did almost IMMEDIATE harm to my vinyl after last year’s LCDC... So...many possible causes that are difficult to evaluate after so many years...

 

[stevopike]

how far away from the airport do you live? uber? and if you live a long way maybe rent a car and turn it in to the airport and rent one when you get back to return by your house. Has to be cheaper that a month of parking at the airport.

 

[04UZJ100]

I've only had my 2013 for a few years. I park outside in Massachusetts. Paint looks great.

A bit off topic: If you have to park at the airport for 4 weeks at a time, would it be cheaper to take a car service to and from the airport instead? That might not be an option, but just a thought.

It’s a small municipal airport 1,000 miles away. I’m not interested in getting on a plane to get there due to everything going on.

One extra thought (without anything to back it up). Toyota is/has spent a fair amount of cash repainting a bunch of blizzard pearl vehicles (2008-2017), that included 4Ruuners, Camrys, Avalons, Corollas, Rav4s and Scions (although no LCs). I would expect, given Toyota's rep for quality control fixes, that they have a fix for that color or they would have killed it.

That said, how close to the coast are you talking? My house is less than 800 feet off salt water, at an elevation ~10 feet above sea level. Rust is a concern unless an item is well protected. If you are a mile or more from water, then not so much of an issue (here in Florida). Your ceramic finish should be good for body metal. You might consider one of the anti-rust treatments (like Fluid Film, Boeshield, CRC Corrosion Inhibiter, etc.) for the undercarriage.

Approximately 5-8 miles off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Fluid Film is going on in September.

 

[04UZJ100]

how far away from the airport do you live? uber? and if you live a long way maybe rent a car and turn it in to the airport and rent one when you get back to return by your house. Has to be cheaper that a month of parking at the airport.

1000 miles to the small municipal airport. Don’t want to fly commercial there.

 

[slowride]

I have a blizzard pearl 2013 it is outside a majority of the time and holding up well except the top of the headlights too.

I'm hoping since the LC & LX in blizzard pearl are made in Japan and are premium vehicles...

Toyoda puts in the extra time. labor and effort to spray them correctly and properly. I know it is a very expensive two stage paint to repair. Oops, LOL

Toyoda knows how to do good paint work ( Look at the Toyoda Century's mirror black paint jobs) it takes a lot of time and expert effort to accomplish this goal with todays environmentally friendly chemistry & painting technology.

The "failing white" vehicles listed above are mostly if not all North American manufactured.

Many of them have their materials recycling criteria and environmental footprint near the top of their product mission statements.

The plastics used are the best balance to be recycled (reclaimed)- that can pass the products functional obsolescence life span and use expectancy(s).

Paints and pigments have in general become weaker and exponentially more expensive especially for cadmiums and cobalt in the past 15 years.

Yes, an older 100 series paint could easily be more robust than a 200 series.

Bottom line though, I would not worry much about the LC or LX in the blizzard pearl, just keep the paint clean and sealed.

 

[04UZJ100]

Does the blizzard pearl have a clear coat?

 

[TLC2013]

The deck lid spoiler seems to age worse than the body. Before I bought my current silver 2013 last year i looked at a 2008 silver LC with half the miles but must have been parked outdoors in the CA sun. The spoiler was peeling/oxidizing and the window door belt moldings were weathered and dried/torn. The paint on the body looked good and held up well.

 

[Karbon]

I had a black 2004 4Runner that was outside almost all the time from about 2010 - 2018, and the black LC has been outside for a few years as well. If you ignore the countless paint issues related to a southern NY car, both of them held up very well. Currently the LC is showing its age a bit because it hasn't been detailed in the past few years, but I fully expect the paint to go right back when I take care of that eventually. The main issue, which is more noticeable with black, is the plastic trim fading like any other car. Other than that the paint looks fine other than some swirl marks in the sun.

I was smart with the LC though and before it started to sit outside I put on some XPEL headlight film. Entirely stops the yellowing and is totally worth the frustration of trying to get it on over the complicated headlight.

 

[M1911]

Does the blizzard pearl have a clear coat?

Yes it does.

 

[slowride]

The deck lid spoiler seems to age worse than the body. Before I bought my current silver 2013 last year i looked at a 2008 silver LC with half the miles but must have been parked outdoors in the CA sun. The spoiler was peeling/oxidizing and the window door belt moldings were weathered and dried/torn. The paint on the body looked good and held up well.

Yes. it is very challenging to get a durable paint that will age well and appear a similar color to the human eye on different materials... metals vs plastics...

 

[Weedhopper]

I’d cover it. That keeps the sun out and crud from trees never touch the body. Along with Fluid Film for the bottom you should be golden.

 

[bloc]

Was the GX built in America or Japan? They are included in the blizzard pearl recall.

My 13 is blizzard pearl and is holding up very well, though I have no idea what the PO did for their 105k miles. The headlights had sun damage so it must have been spending some time outside. The two years I’ve owned it have been outdoors though, complete with pollen and central Texas sun. Usually in direct sun for the first five hours of the day. I’ve started waxing it every few months to add UV protection.

For those with faded headlights.. buying a dual action sander and some disks/pads/compounds makes short work of turning them perfectly clear again, and you don’t have to run inferior aftermarket lenses. It works way better than those restoration kits. Let me know if you want more info on that.