2010 Black prone to scratches?

I have a black 2009 and have the same problem, I have been applying various waxes/scratch removers and have really struggled to make any effect on the hairline type scratches as well as some that are more visible.

 

What color were your other cars? Were they black? I have found that black paint shows scratches much more than lighter colors.

 

All your cars were black? Except for being paint chip prone, it's not really any different from my previous black car in terms of scratching and swirl marks.

 

I have had black cars before but never had this level of difficulty...

 

Every color gets scratched equally, but dark colors (because of their reflective qualities) show them more--and black is the worst offender.

Most of the scratching (other than intentional abuse) actually takes place while washing your car.

 

One possibility - Does the Prius use a clear coat sealer over the paint?

I've had black cars before, and I would say black clearly shows the scratches more than other colors...whether I was getting more scratches than I had with other cars (but weren't black), I have no idea. I just know that black shows scratches (and car door dings) more than other cars. But black looks great when clean and shiny...

 

Comments in bold below.

 

I have a real job keeping my black Prius looking good. Generally wax it every couple of weeks or so (remember I wash the car every other day) and use the Turtle Wax Black pigment polish. This seems to get rid of the micro scratches and the car does look great for a few weeks.

 

Yes, including the black Prius.

 

Then I would know of no good reason why a black Prius would be more susceptible to scratches than any other color...they are simply more obvious with a black/dark colored car.

 

To get back to the point, this car shows scratches more than any other I have ever owned, and I have owned 2 black cars before and other dark colored cars as well. I feel that the paint has something to do with it...

 

I agree. My Girlfriend has a black 2008 Honda Civic and it doesn't scratch anywhere nearly as bad as my Prius.

 

What cracks me up, is that on every car forum I've frequented over the last 10 years (including Porsche, BMW, Mercedes AMG), owners complain that their car has the softest paint, most prone to scratches, etc. they've ever had. So how can every manufacturer have the worst paint?

The waterborne paints used today (as a result of tightened environmental regulations) are not as durable as the solvent-based paints of the past.

 

Exactly, the grass is greener on the other side. It's not really any different from other black cars, except for being more prone to rock chips (but this is across the board, not just black).

 

Well...except that's what my fellow Porsche, BMW and AMG owners also said...

My Prius is 15 months old, and actually has fewer rock chips than previous cars. Not by a lot, but less. Perhaps it's because I'm less anal about this car than previous cars.

 

I have not had more stone chips than I would expect, but way more hairline/minor scratches some of which I cannot seem to buff out. I am to the point of trading the car in and getting a different colour, as I dread to see what it is going to look like in a couple of years.

I do have some suspicion that the guy that was cleaning it for me may have been contributing to the scratching, as he did not use much water when washing it, but wow, I have never seen a car scratch like this one. Maybe the earlier poster is correct in saying that all modern black cars are the same, I have not owned a black car in some years admittedly.

 

I will attest to the Prius black being either soft or non clearcoated whatever. Just about every car I have owned has been black (300SRT8, Audi A6, S4, allroad, Grand Caravan, Excursion to name a few). I keep my cars meticulously clean, never ever been to a car wash, hand washed, garage kept, blah, blah, blah. I had a '10 black Prius for a few days. Yes it is very prone to scratching. Even something as simple as scrubbing a bug or stain using a soapy sponge with just a little extra effort results in spider webs around that area. Never had that issue with any other black car. The paint on my 2007 300 with 25,000 miles was in much better condition then the paint on my few day old Prius. For other reasons (hidden damage from carrier truck) the dealer allowed me to return the black one. I decided that with how anal I am with cars that there would be no way I could live with that paint, I got the blizzard pearl and love it.