Paint chips seem a little too prevalent

I have 10k miles - the hood - I have about 2 paint chips, one of them due to a rock flying from a truck that hit my hood & windshield. Aside from that, all the paint "chips" occur on the front bumper. All probably due to rocks / debris.

Not that I am denying that the paint quality could be better, but could this also be dependent on where you drive? I drive in the Chicago area, so have a lot of construction zones. I avoid them when I can now and take local highways and better-maintained roads. Still drive > 45mph most of the time however.

 

Come on! Of course there is a way unless you pay a whole lot more than most of us are willing to spend, there are various ways to tell. And the guys in the back who appraise cars for trade-ins are very familiar with all of them. The first thing they look for is overspray. Most body shops are very careful with overspray on visible locations, not so much under the hood or inside the trunk or inside the fender well. The really good shops mask off the areas that are not going to be painted and the area which is masked can sometimes be seen or felt. Sometimes it is as simple as fading differently or just looking or feeling differently than the factory job. No one can bake a paint job like the factory because there are plastic parts installed after that phase of the build that would melt or get bad if they tried that. You or I might not notice the repaint but the guys whose living depends on it can ALMOST always spot it and the question you then get is about the wreck you had that you didn't tell them about.

A friend who owned a dealership once advised me to limit repaints as much as possible because he had an inflexible rule to discount a car that had a substantial repaint because he would either wholesale the car or sell it with some reserve for potential damage repair as it might mean that a wreck had not been reported.

Do what you want, but I will only repaint when I absolutely have to and even then I will limit it to spot touchups if possible.

 

I haven't used this system
Dr.ColorChip Custom Automotive Touch-Up Paint Kit - Dr. ColorChip: Automotive Paint Chip Repair Systems
but have seen several good comments about it in other forums.

There are other systems that work better than conventional touch-up methods too.

 

Probably a waste of my time, but if you've got some extra money get venture shield installed on the front end of the car. Its like a plastic that covers the paint. I've got 21,000 miles on my car, travel 80 miles round trip to work each freaking day and have about 4 impacts that you can just barely see if you look hard and close. If the car is new GET IT DONE NOW! I saw an installer putting it on a new corvette and was amazed at the workmanship...he installed it on mine.

 

Paint thickness gauge. It will show if a body part has been painted. Guys who buy used cars for resale (used car managers at dealers, buyers at auctions, etc.) use them all the time. Also used if you have a pre-purchase inspection done on a used car.

 

5K miles and the chips in the paint are adding up. Seeing that they are all on plastic and aluminum parts (hood, bumper, mirrors) I am not too concerned. My philosophy is if it won't rust, leave it alone. Although, it does make me question the paint quality.

 

After 3 priuses, there is little doubt paint chips are much more prevalent. The aluminum skin Is softer Which allows more flexing Which is the reason why chips happen. I do understand the reason Aluminum is used And it's the only real noc i have on the prius.

Better paint is what's needed and according toa friend i have in the body shop business there are paints available so much more flexible which reduces chips.

On my 2010, we have a small dent of the back bumper that was caused by our stroller. "Someone" (not me!!) Bumped the car. I was up there So don't know how that Happened but would have to assume that the regular car made of steel would not of had such a thing. Probly only a scratch That could have been buffed out

 

I had the clear paint protector film put on the front, the mirrors (forward facing side), and along the door edges. After 15K miles and at least one hard hit (took out fog light) to the bumper area, I can't find any evidence of paint chips.

I would highly recommend new purchasers to have this done - if the dealership doesn't offer it, there are private shops that will do it. My dealer sent the car to a private shop.

RE the paint, I've got a clear abrasion mark due to one of the front mudflaps. The mark is vertical and about 4" long. That's surprising to me and suggests the paint isn't very robust.

 

I second the last post. For those who want to protect their investment I would recommend clear bra installation. Full hood, bikinni fenders, mirrors, A-pillars and full bumper and wrapped to protect the edges. This will give peace of mind when driving so you do not have to worry about chipped paint.

 

Rock chips I would expect, to a degree, on a daily driver but what about the bugs. I just got back from a 1000 mile trip over the weekend. I washed the car as usual paying more attention to the bumper and hood. Bug splats everywhere and apparently there forever. I used a nylon scrub sponge thingy to remove all the guts followed by a cleaner wax and clay bar. All bug organics were removed but a permanent replica of the splat is etched into the paint. I tried an even a more aggressive waxing over the dull, offending spots but to no avail.

Any one else notice this etching affect?

 

What's a "clear" bra, how much and where do I get one. I live in North Carolina.

tom

 

Start with either an Internet search for "3M Clear Bra" or go here:

Scotchgard

 

I have the same problem with mine, along with more rock chips than I can count at 35k miles. I think it's just a cheap paint that Toyota used. Neither my wife's 05 Pilot nor my son's 07 G5 has anywhere near the chips my Prius has. Again, I think it's either part of the Toyota quality problems or a cost-saving measure they used.

 

I have a white Prius, haven't had a problem with the bugs. I just soak the car with water, and get a nice soft terry cloth and just buff it out. Its worked so far on all the bug stains. Bug juice is pretty caustic though I hear.

 

At a restaurant I parked next to a silver Gen3 Prius (either a pkg II or III). Anyway, I noticed the front bumper was full of bug splats. I didn't look for paint chips and dings, but I did notice the wall of dead bugs.

Based on the feedback here and elsewhere, I'm probably going to invest in the clear bra option when I get my Prius (aftermarket, natch) on the bumper, hood, and mirrors.

 

The clay bar and other wax/cleaners did remove the organics but the bug juice ate into or etched the paint. I clayed-cleaned-waxed again after removal but the dull blemishs remained. My color, Blue Ribbon.

 

If you go the clear bra route, keep an eye on it. I got the top of the line 3M product (I think the pattern cutter was Invinca Shield) when my 04 TBird was brand new. Last year, after 5 years the edges were getting slightly discolored and separating slightly. Of course, the shop I bought the materials from in North Carolina was out of business and the body shop that installed it in Boca Raton said they stopped using it because of a lack of support so I was on my own. I got several bids to remove the material and ended up having to pay $300 or $400 to remove the pieces since it totally disintegrated and wouldn't come off in anything larger than a fingernail so someone had to use a heat gun and pick it off piece by piece. It also resulted in many tiny scratches where the teflon scraper they ended up having to use scratched the finish.

A totally awful experience, which I fully understand was mostly my fault for not catching it earlier, but still something to be wary of. I have considered using clear bras on my Prius since I understand they have improved a lot in the last 6 years, but still....be careful and keep an eye on it. Save your guarantee and receipts (who keeps receipts for 5 years? Not me), and if it starts to craze, take it off before it deteriorates completely.