How's the spoiler holding up?

Got it. If in a few years, it becomes a faint white you can always have it painted 202 Black or your paint color. A number of people did this on their RX330/350/400 black gloss plastic spoiler to make it color-coded.

That said, the high gloss plastic spoiler on my 2007 RX350 still looks new and I haven't done anything special to it.

 

I take mine through the car was because....wait for it
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It's a Car!

 

I think you are wrong... it appears to be painted black... that's why the finish has an orange peel look to it.

 

Then you have a different spoiler than me. Mine is clearly black plastic--very high gloss and no orange peel.

 

I was noticing yesterday that while it seems like the spoiler is black plastic, under the right lighting conditions I did see a big swath of the orange peel effect.

 

Hmm, mine has the orange peel effect and looks exactly the same as the rest of the car, which is why I thought it's painted 202 Black.

 

I don't understand taking a Smart to a car wash either. Seems like you could hand wash a Smart in no time, and avoid the possibiltiy of it getting caught in one of the brusses and swept into wash mechanical system.

 

To keep your fingerprints off the spoiler, here is how to close the back hatch correctly:

Pick a grip to use, right or left. Pull down with a little enthusiasm, and release the grip. With either the same hand (if you are quick), or the other hand (if it is free), press your fingertips firmly against the Toyoto Logo on the back hatch. With a quick push, the hatch will close securely.

No fingerprints appear on your paint or the spoiler, and you are not risking damage to the spoiler.

 

I wonder if some are painted black and some are high gloss black plastic (making some of us Toyota's guinea pigs).

 

And what's your opinion of what it is? Painted black (do you see the orange peel effect) or high gloss plastic (no orange peel)?

 

Agreed--as I commented in my post a few months ago after spending some "quality time" detailing my Prius for the first time, I was very impressed with the fit and finish, and in particular the minimal amount of orange peel. I've owned many fine automobiles in my time, and this is the most orange peel-free paint job I've had.

 

At first, I thought the spoiler was painted gloss black as it appeared to have a bit of orange peel to it. But now looking closer I'm not sure. I did wax mine when I did the entire car and it did seem as it was paint. But inspecting very closely it appears as if there are extremely fine scratches on my spoiler from wiping. So it may very well be plastic... It will take a finer eye than mine to determine that.

Personally I'd feel better if it was painted rather than virgin plastic as it would hold up better to the elements especially UV. This said, I'd think Toyota would want durablity for this part to limit potential warranty claims.

I looked at mine quite closely, and quite impressed with the quality of materials and assembly. Along the side/edge of the vertical back window and spoiler - there's a thin layer of foam where these pieces are attached to the hatch. Nice detail.

 

European cars have a smoother finish than Toyotas... I had a VW Passat and there was absolutely no orange peel. They used a water based paint that evens out smoother than normal paints.

My Prius definitely has an orange peel surface. Reflections are not perfectly mirror like. You don't feel any orange peel but the reflections shows it.

 

I wonder if the stealership damaged it and painted it?

Would be cool to wrap it in carbon fiber when it does get damaged. I have a short roll I need to use for a project.

 

That makes at least two of us in this thread alone with painted black spoiler with noticeable orange peel effect, highly unlikely if that's the case.

 

I think I'm one of the guys that mentioned the "orange peel" effect on the rear spoiler. And why initially I was quite sure it was actually painted. Plastic just can't be molded with that specific look. But I looked closer -again- and now question myself. The surface does have extremely fine scratches as a plastic finish would incur after some wiping.

SOMEONE here must know the answer. Or perhaps bring the car to a Toyota body/paint shop for their pro opinion. Mystery, to me at least.

 

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