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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 2 of 4

#9 of 38 Re: Quality of paint? [lightgear] by _ray

Oct 17, 2007 (7:50 pm)

Replying to: lightgear (Aug 30, 2007 11:54 am)
I purchased a new 2006 Prius last year and quickly learned that it had essentially no clearcoat over the base paint. My car is a deep dark red (don't know the name of the color off hand, but it is a pretty color). I tried keeping it cleaned and waxed often at first but let the cleaning slide for about a month or so. When I cleaned it again I found that the dead bugs on the front of the car had permanently etched the paint.
 
I have cats which love to get on my cars. Just the cats walking on my Prius have scratched the paint to the primer.
Someone keyed one side and I took it to a reputable body shop. The owner of the shop stated that they could not paint a layer of clearcoat as thin as what Toyota does. They said the paint is so thin on some of the Toyota cars that have been brought to their shop that they could see the primer under it.
 
Unless Toyota has changed the way they paint their cars and you're committed to getting one, I suggest that you get a light colored car. The scratches in the dark ones sure stand out.
 
I had a 2003 4Runner that had poor paint like my 2006 Prius. There were chips in the paint on the mirrors from bugs. My 2001 Toyota Sequoia has a great paint job - good thick clearcoat - no problem with it.
 
I do recommend a product called Liquid Glass. It seems expensive but one pint (~$22.00) might be enough to apply 10 coatings to an average size car. It isn't a wax but acts like one. It's available at some of the auto parts stores like AutoZone. It's easy to apply and bonds to the paint like a clearcoat. Doesn't yellow or crack and provides protection to the car. It's on my Prius now and I wish I had known about it when I bought my car. The more times the paint is treated, the deeper the color gets.
 
Ray

#10 of 38 rose789clocks by rose789clocks

Oct 24, 2007 (4:15 am)

RE: Bugs on front of car. I do collect alot of bugs on the front of my car, but it isn't a problem for me because I buy a package of baby wipes, & they remove the bugs in record time with little effort.
                                 PS. Dollar store has them for a buck.

#11 of 38 Re: Quality of paint? [lightgear] by sailorman4

Oct 26, 2007 (7:29 pm)

Replying to: lightgear (Aug 30, 2007 11:54 am)
Lightgear: Bought my Prius one week ago and have put on 350 miles. I'm averaging 45.5 miles per gallon and I don't baby it. I'm told mileage will increase. Very, very happy with quality of Toyota products. Just sold my '03 Highlander to a friend. It was flawless. No reason to be afraid of gas mileage. I will be saving about $100.00 to $125.00 per month commuting 70 miles round trip per day to work. You will love the car!

#12 of 38 discolored paint by jimandbosh

Dec 29, 2007 (11:43 am)

2007 prius, silver pine.. I had a bra hood protector installed for about 3 months.. when I removed the bra the paint underneath was discolored. Apparently, under the clear coat, as there was no exterior damage.. Anyone have a similar problem I plan to contact the Toyota dealer next week.

#13 of 38 2005 Prius by lnm

Jan 06, 2008 (2:56 am)

I have a 2005 Prius, dark red, and have been totally dissatisfied with the paint chipping and scratching. There are a lot of things I love about the car, and I don't feel I'm being petty complaining about the appearance of the car. It's only 2.5 years old and I've already had the hood painted. I can scratch that car to the base coat with my fingernail! If I'd known about this problem, I would have installed 3M or similar product. Car looks aged beyond it's years due to chips, dings and scratches.

#14 of 38 Re: Quality of paint? [bshugart] by brianh2

Apr 23, 2008 (8:09 am)

Replying to: bshugart (Sep 03, 2007 9:30 am)
I have a 2006 silver Prius. I do a lot of highway driving, but, SERIOUSLY, I don't follow closely. I always leave multiple car lengths between me and the car in front of me.
 
Anyway, initially I noticed an unusual amount of dings on my hood. Then my housemate used the car to pick me up at the airport just over a year ago and hit a deer. So, the hood was replaced with a brand new hood. In the last year I must have gotten over 50 dings on my hood.
 
I had an Altima with over 200,000 miles on in and NEVER had a problem with dings. Add to that the fact that my Prius "bumper" and fenders have NO dings on them. I wonder as to the quality of hard coat on my hood.
 
I need to find out whether it's worthwhile to go to my insurer and find out if this is unusual and Toyota should repaint it for free.
 
If it is usual wear and tear, should I pay for it to be repainted? And what do I do to prevent this from continuing to happen? Some kind of plastic protection?

#15 of 38 Re: Quality of paint? [brianh2] by kduran

Jun 06, 2008 (8:22 pm)

Replying to: brianh2 (Apr 23, 2008 8:09 am)
I'd like to know if a "class action" suit is formed re: the POOR paint quality--too many paint chips (to the metal!), especially on the hood of Prius. (If such a suit exists, is there a mileage parameter the vehicle must be within?) Did you go to your (auto?) insurer? If so, the result? Thanks! If not totally repainted, what may be done to "repair" and maintain?

#16 of 38 Re: Quality of paint? [kduran] by bshugart

Jun 07, 2008 (6:41 am)

Replying to: kduran (Jun 06, 2008 8:22 pm)
I bought some touch-up paint at Auto Zone. Can't see the chips for the splattered bugs. Have not heard of any insurance carriers paying for a new paint job or Toyota for that matter. IMHO, It has to do with the aerodynamics of the car, so a new paint job is not going to fix the problem.

#17 of 38 I agree by rick294

Jun 10, 2008 (12:28 pm)

I agree with kduran. The front end of the car slopes sharply down, for aerodynamics. That's the whole point. Low air resistance. As such, it is going to attract a lot of "stuff" striking the hood. And I've had a couple or so rocks bounce off the hood and hit the windshield. I commute 72 miles round trip per weekday here in southern Oregon, about 90% freeway in my '08 package 2. I have several tiny dings in the hood. I don't blame Toyota for that.

#18 of 38 Re: I agree [rick294] by ddgc

Jun 24, 2008 (8:54 pm)

Replying to: rick294 (Jun 10, 2008 12:28 pm)
I feel that it is more the paint that is the issue. Mine is only 6 months old, has 15,000 miles on it but many places have deep scratches, inside door jams, in door handle holes, (i have keyless entry and short nails), backs of mirrors, door edges, besides the ones on the hood. I ffle for some reason the paint is poor.
I even had the extra protective coating put on after I purchased the car.

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