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Toyota Prius Paint Quality?

38 messages,  Last post on May 08, 2012 at 1:37 PM

You are in the Toyota Prius Maintenance & Repair Forum.

What is this discussion about? Toyota Prius, Exterior, Hatchback, Sedan

Messages Page 3 of 4

#19 of 38 Invisible Mask by oldcoach

Jun 25, 2008 (12:00 pm)

I tried the Invisible Mask to protect the hood from little dings. I do not recommend it unless you are a pro at installing the plastic. Remember the old cling wrap thats what it is like, very hard to work with, leaves bubbles, and they are very hard to get out. FINALLY I JUST TOOK IT OFF AS IT LOOKED WORSE THAN A FEW FUTURE CHIPS. A wasted 120.00 but live and learn. If any one has a better idea please let me know.

#20 of 38 re: invisible mask by ddgc

Jun 25, 2008 (6:51 pm)

I got the one that the toyota dealer was "selling",, had a private "professional" put it on. did good job putting it on but don't know that it helped very much,,, and would need to cover the entire care to be worth the $899................

#21 of 38 more on paint problem by ggala

Aug 08, 2008 (9:08 am)

Replying to: ddgc (Jun 24, 2008 8:54 pm)
The dealership where I purchased my 2007 Prius (tan/sand) told me that the paint chips on the front bumper were from the roads I drove on, which are the same roads everyone else drives on here (Michigan). They would not do anything about it. After my husband complained (he has a Highlander Hybrid with no chips purchased at the same time and he drives his car much more than I do mine) the dealership took my car, had someone else check the chips who said they were not "normal" road wear and tear. He then promised to clean it up and put a coating on and a rear bumper sheath. Now I've got "white chips" and the back chips can be seen through the sheath. My windshield wipers were all chipped and rusted and the plastic mechanisims are gouged. They replace the wiper handles, but the rest is still gouged. Toyota Corp. in Los Angeles told me a few months ago that they agree with the "road" wear and tear story and that this is not covered under warranty; if I could find another Toyota dealership to say it was not due to normal wear and tear then they would consider fixing it. I've been driving a car for more than 35 years. Never have I had a paint chip problem, especially within eight months of purchase. I am now going to an outside collision shop recommended by my insurance agent. The guy told me today that he will do all he can to help me get Toyota to fix the problem. (By the way, when I told Toyota Corp. that a lot of people were complaining about the same thing, the guy told me that he hasn't heard of anything AND online is just "urban legend", and a place for people to complain, which they refuse to listen to.)
  If there is no success with after the collision guy's help, I plan on finding who to file complaints with aside from Better Business and the State Attorney General. The insurance agent suggested calling a "lemon law" attorney for help.
My neighbor works for the Crysler Proving Grounds, where they test all types of new gadgets, paints, etc. on cars. She said that something is terribly wrong and it could be a case of "getting away with cheap" - which is something they try to do all the time - hence the proving grounds. She also recommended an outside collision shop that was not affiliated with any dealerships.
One more thing...the Toyota dealership told me DO NOT PAINT YOUR CAR UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE because it would hurt the resale value. Dah?

#22 of 38 Strange by rick294

Aug 08, 2008 (11:11 am)

This is very odd. I have an '08 and don't have that problem. I drive 72 miles on freeway 5 days a week and don't have but a very few little rock chips. Nothing wrong with the plastic around the base of the wipers...

#23 of 38 Prius paint chips by ddgc

Sep 28, 2008 (11:43 am)

reply to ggala:
I would be more than willing to add my input to any avenue that you may find for more "witness" or whatever we can do to see if Toyota will own up to this cheap paint job. I'm tired of the runaround and non-responsibility of Toyota.
thanks
ddgc

#24 of 38 Re: Quality of paint? [bshugart] by katprius

Oct 01, 2008 (2:09 am)

Replying to: bshugart (Sep 03, 2007 9:30 am)
Yep...me too. And also having swirl marks just from routine car washings. I thought about repainting the whole thing

#25 of 38 Re: Quality of paint? [lightgear] by guildguy

Jun 20, 2009 (2:19 pm)

Replying to: lightgear (Aug 30, 2007 11:54 am)
I bought a 2007 Prius a little over 2 years ago and I'm so mad about all the marks on the front of my car. The car has dark paint and there are nicks all over the hood and bumper where white stuff shows underneath. When I bought the car I let them talk me into spending $500 to apply a coat of protectant on it but it still has the marks. I'm taking it back to the dealer this week to see if I can get any satisfaction. I've owned plenty of cars in my lifetime and have never had issues with paint like this. It's a great car for gas milage (I'm averaging 49 over 2 years) but the appearance after all the white shows up is unacceptable. They will probably try to tell me it's my fault for not cleaning bugs off quickly enough, but as I said I've never had this problem before. It's only got 23,000 miles on it mainly city interstate driving.

#26 of 38 Re: Quality of paint? [guildguy] by bshugart

Jun 20, 2009 (3:12 pm)

Replying to: guildguy (Jun 20, 2009 2:19 pm)
A month ago I went back to the dealer from whom I purchased my 2007 Prius to see about upgrading to a 2010 model. I pointed out the problem with the paint on the hood and he acted like he never heard of it before. Told him it was all over the internet and would not be surprised to see a class action over it. The 2010 models had not arrive yet, but he promised to call when they came in a couple of weeks out. Have yet to hear from him. Think demand is such, they don't give a hoot about our paint issue.

#27 of 38 Re: Quality of paint? [bshugart] by rick294

Jun 20, 2009 (6:37 pm)

Replying to: bshugart (Jun 20, 2009 3:12 pm)
You've done the first thing - contact the dealer. The dealer doesn't care. Next step: contact the district office. The procedure (without my owner's manual in front of me), should be outlined in the owner's manual. Don't give up; they are hoping you will. Don't give them the satisfaction. Time is on your side - good luck.

#28 of 38 Toyota Paint Issues by fantesia28

Jun 24, 2009 (7:04 am)

I wonder if the paint issue has been corrected in the 2010 models? I previously had a 2007 Camry and had some of the same issues with the paint quality... numerous chips + tons of scratches! I swear all you had to do was walk by the car and it got a scratch on it! I am super paranoid about this happening to my new prius now - but I am praying that the paint perhaps has been improved. I know with my honda I never had any issues with the paint scratching so easily!

Messages Page 3 of 4

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