Reading the manual can be quite tedious, but there can be a few bright spots if you look for them ... (from the 2019 Prius manual) Sec. 4-5 Radar Sensor Warnings "Do not paint the rear bumper any color other than an official Toyota color." Wait, does this mean Mary Kay Pink is out? "In the following situations, the sensors may not operate normally ... The sensor is blocked by someone's hand." Plus, it's really hard to close the rear hatch with that arm hanging out. Oh, and make sure you tell pedestrians to keep their hands down too while you're backing over them or the sensors may not work properly either. Sec. 6-4 Interior Features Coat Hooks "Do not hang coat hangers ... on the hook." Are we talking about the same hook that is only just big enough for a coat hanger? Sec. 7-3 Do-It-Yourself Maintenance Warnings "These parts are small and if swallowed by a child, they can cause choking." Not to mention it makes it really hard to put the dang thing back together with those parts missing. Sec 8-2 If You Think Something Is Wrong Operational Symptoms "If you notice any of the following symptoms, your vehicle probably needs adjustment or repair ... Engine missing ..." Yes, if the engine is missing, I'm probably going to notice.
The first one actually makes sense. It is probably to ensure that you don't accidentally use a paint with metal additives (we can assume that official Toyota colors do not). Accidentally disabling a sensor this way is not an uncommon occurrence in other radar applications. You just don't hear about it much, mainly because few lay folk have ever had the opportunity to paint over an antenna aperture. The last one is typical of technical writing. These bloopers can be a real hoot. I used to review technical documents as collateral duty, so I have seen my share of them. In one example, the parts manual for the equipment that I worked on listed a 300 lbs pulse forming network as a "microcircuit" simply because it had a "Z" designation in it's RSN (reference symbol number). I always got a kick out finding these. It made what otherwise was a very tedious editorial assignment, at least a little entertaining.
Interesting - re paint. TOYOTA advises that Emotional RED contains just about everything except the kitchen sink:
Either that or the author of "Sec. 4-5 Radar Sensor Warnings" was unaware of a potential problem with Emotional Red.
I found this. Skip to para 5.1 if you don't want to wade through all he technical stuff. http://publications.lib.chalmers.se/records/fulltext/254360/254360.pdf Apparently dielectric permittivity of paint with metal flake can be compensated if applied under controlled (factory) conditions, even when RF penetration (and max range/distance) is adversely effected. So, apparently, it can be used for some applications over short distances. The problem arises when the the bumper is repainted with aftermarket products. However, para 5.1 seems to indicate that OEM paint applied under non-factory controlled conditions might also be problematic - possibly requiring factory re-calibration of the radar sensor(s).
Yes, one of the reasons I avoid metallic paints. I guess it started with the memory from the '60s where re-painted panels on cars with metallic paint often didn't match well. Sadly - the only option with non-metallic paints these days is often white.
Yes, one of the reasons I avoid metallic paints. I guess it started with the memory from the '60s where re-painted panels on cars with metallic paint often didn't match well. Sadly - the only option with non-metallic paints these days is often white.
Yes, one of the reasons I avoid metallic paints. I guess it started with the memory from the '60s where re-painted panels on cars with metallic paint often didn't match well. Sadly - the only option with non-metallic paints these days is often white.
Yes, one of the reasons I avoid metallic paints. I guess it started with the memory from the '60s where re-painted panels on cars with metallic paint often didn't match well. Sadly - the only option with non-metallic paints these days is often white.
Yes, one of the reasons I avoid metallic paints. I guess it started with the memory from the '60s where re-painted panels on cars with metallic paint often didn't match well. Sadly - the only option with non-metallic paints these days is often white.
Ultrasound passes through metals quite easily, I suspect it's the other (less dense) ingredients in the paint that would cause problems.
I see you were having the same problem that I had earlier yesterday - i.e. connectivity issues prompting repeated attempts to post resulting in multiple copies.
At least from "legal cover your butt" standpoint I can understand most of those inclusions, however ridiculous they may sound. But I don't get why Toyota would say you should only paint your rear bumper an official Toyota color? I mean, I think we consider the color of your vehicle, personal choice, and personal expression. So I could paint my rear bumper any color I want, or have it covered in leopard spots right? Am I missing some reason, even obscurely that Toyota would say the rear bumper has to be painted an official Toyota color?
Yes, I agree. I know a few cars which had a colour change for various reasons. I had one car which mysteriously changed colour!!! OK - not mysteriously, I just put white paint in the gun when I repainted an ugly metallic dark green car after I'd repaired the rear after someone ran into the back of my daughter. OK - the other reason, I didn't want to spray metallic - seeing I'd never sprayed metallic before. Sadly I didn't get it finished before someone "killed it completely", bent the chassis:
