Black Exterior Paint

I had a black Honda before the Prius - Toyota paint is definitely softer. I would highly recommend getting the super white. Highly.
Black is a nightmare.

 

A note...Be careful what you wish for...

I took my mother and younger sis out today to go shopping at some LA mall-ish place. I allowed my sister to talk me into valet parking.

We come back a coupla hours later. One valet is returning an '05 Lexus sedan and the other has my '06 Pri. The Lexus bumper whacks my bumper. With the valets driving. I think this is the order of the whack, since there's barely anything noticeable on the Lexus, whereas the Pri bumper looks like it got hit with a steel basketball. However, the damage doesn't extend to the hood. Damn. Now I just have to drive around for a coupla weeks, with a car that looks like *I* am an idiot, until the valet parking insurance people get around to authorizing the repair. And, to add insult to injury, *I* have to write a letter and snail mail it (since they don't supply a fax number), and sit around and wait for them to tell me what to do next, and where I am allowed to do it. The Lexus guy was WAY bent out of shape--and there was virtually NO visible damage to his car. I'm trying to be mellow about it, but...27k miles in 16.5 months and no damage to the car other than from road crap...it's tough!

Mom and I figure that this is what we get for driving/shopping/eating on Yom Kippur...

Rufaro is now taking lots of deep breaths...

What REALLY gets me is that if I don't write and mail this letter, nothing happens. NOTHING. And there's no guarantee that anything will happen even if I write and send the letter. The address on the form is a PO box, and there's no phone or fax number, although I got a phone number from Google--which led me to a voice mail hell wot said leave your message and we may get back to you. By the time we got out of the garage and to a computer, all the post offices were closed for the weekend, so I just had to write my letter and hope it'd get where it was supposed to go, without being able to certify it or anything. There's no phone or fax number or email address on the form, and the phone number Google coughs up goes to voicemailhell. So, here I sit, in LoCal, with a car that looks like its parental unit doesn't give a s**t and getting more and more upset about it.

It sucks. Doesn't matter WHAT color the car is. It just plain SUCKS!

 

aww, sorry Rufaro

we put a few weeks and a few k miles on ours with a big key scratch across 3 panels. don't feel bad, you know it's not your fault. i'd talk to your insurance about it, and see if they won't pay and then go after the valet company on your behalf.

oh and you wouldn't believe how hard i had to hold my tongue to get out of the earshot of minors first when DH called and told me what happened.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(apriusfan @ Sep 21 2007, 09:31 AM) [snapback]515831[/snapback]</div>

Those water blades are a great way to scratch the paint of your car. No competent auto detailer uses them.

As I've written many times before, if you know how to rinse your car, you can dry it with a single 12" x 18" microfiber towel without having to wring it out even once.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusenvy @ Sep 22 2007, 09:54 PM) [snapback]516433[/snapback]</div>

Maybe I am lucky, but so far my luck has held (across 3 cars that I have owned since I started using the blade). I use the one that has the surgical silicone blade material. If my luck fails and I scratch the Prius, then maybe I will look into using a wet/dry vacuum to dry the car with. I have always wondered how well a wet/dry vacuum would work.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Sep 22 2007, 08:07 PM) [snapback]516398[/snapback]</div>

A key scratch...others KNOW you didn't do it. A caved bumper, plus dirty icky tree and road emissions--you be a BAD PriParent! I know I didn't do it--but THEY don't (unlike a key scratch, which is more obvious...). My parental units say to not tell MY insurance co. unless I have to...which, sadly, makes sense. I just spoke with DH in NoCal, and he agrees I should wait until I get the Pri home so I can go to the body shop that's done...ummm...LOTS OF...other stuff for us (no...not for me--DH's bambi and DS's stuff, none of which was his fault, of course).

Can we tell I am a tad upset?

I REALLY will be fine if they decide to fix the hood as well...

And, of course, this is NOTHING to do with it being a black car as such--it could happen to ANY fool wot uses valet parking...

 

Good and bad gnus here, for them wot be interested...

My parents said (sorry Galaxee!), why tell MY insurance company anything? So, okay, I started out that way because of long years of conditioning.

Then, I took the car to two places. As per the letter I received, saying something along the lines of, ok, we have your letter [which we didn't really need, since we got the damage report from our employee], now send us two repair estimates so we can evaluate your claim.

I first took the car to the dealership where I bought it, since I reckoned they'd bill high and I knew where I really wanted to go, here in town (NOT twenty miles away). The person at the dealership told me that, in California, I do NOT have to get two estimates--I can take it anywhere I like, as long as MY insurance policy does not say otherwise...never mind that, once I had the report from the valets, I could have just gotten the damn thing fixed wherever the hell I wanted to...

Ok, so I was leaning towards the dealership (20 miles away from home, but they'd rent me a Prius, and I could get the 30k mile service done at the same time...)...but...the second place I took it, which was where I wanted in the first place, as it is HERE, and we've had other work done--on OTHER cars--also pointed out they are affiliated with our insurance company (AAA--and AAA makes a biggish deal about their approved dealers, as it turns out--and, oddly, the place I bought the car is NOT a AAA dealer...go figure...). This became somewhat important in the ensuing discussions...

On my way home, I stopped and called--cautiously--AAA claims, to ensure that I wouldn't get whacked for the claim. I spent about 45 minutes on the phone. During that time, I was assured it was not my fault, I had sufficient information about the circumstances, nothing would rebound on my rates. BUT I had to talk to a specific claims adjuster the next day (it was already past 5pm by now).

By 6pm, I'd had calls from the body shop here in town (that IS AAA approved, but couldn't rent me a Prius ) AND the car rental company, saying they'd heard from AAA and could we go ahead?

Cool.

That evening, I had to say no, as I had not yet spoken with my OFFICIAL AAA claims adjuster, whose name, phone & fax numbers I DID have, and to whom I did fax ALL the relevant info. First thing the next morning, the adjuster called me. She read back to me the bit of the letter from the other company's claims person, the bit that said "send us two estimates so we can evalute your claim." Her response was, more or less, "evaluate my nice person." Get the car fixed and we'll take care of them.

She DID caution me that, by giving my key to them, I had given them permission to drive under my policy, so there MIGHT be some rebound on my rates, depending on which of the valets driving the two cars had been at fault...

So, to make a long story longer...Galaxee...Yeah, I should have just listened to you and called my insurance people, regardless of what my parents said! There MAY be some rebound, but it is GETTING TAKEN CARE OF NOW, and the would-be bullies are getting whacked. (I am only waiting for the body shop to get in the replacement bumper and fender. )

(We won't talk about how long it'll take me to get replacements for my car pool lane stickers. Or whether or not I should, morally, have them.)

CALIFORNIANS: YOU HAVE THE LEGAL RIGHT TO TAKE YOUR CAR TO THE BODY SHOP OF YOUR CHOICE UNLESS *YOUR* INSURANCE COMPANY SAYS OTHERWISE!!! (Okay, yes, there MAY BE SOME exceptions--but CHECK!)

 

Don't you use a chamois over there to dry a car after a wash?

 

Husker4theSpurs,

I decided to get the Spectra Blue color which will probably be as hard to keep clean as the black. If you want an option to the Black, why don't you try the Spectra Blue....it is a beautiful color...and still manish.

Attached some pictures.

[attachmentid=11851]
[attachmentid=11850]

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rufaro @ Oct 5 2007, 06:28 AM) [snapback]521634[/snapback]</div>

sounds familiar. i had to have mine looked at by an adjuster, who proceeded to tell me to take it wherever i wanted. i just had to bring a copy of their evaluation/estimate.

but i had to drive a non-prius for a few days because the rental company didn't have one!

unfortunately, the thing is, insurance companies have far more weight to throw around than regular folks and that is what scares the bullies :blink: i'm glad they aren't faulting you (er, hopefully aren't faulting you at all) though with an in-motion accident one never knows.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Oct 6 2007, 09:15 PM) [snapback]522354[/snapback]</div>

Sad, yes, that it's getting the bullies involved that works. Okay, so I'm still cranky because I can't get a Pri as a rental (they'll only match the size of the car, which leaves me a tad concerned, because I think the Pri lists as smaller as anything else INSIDE...OTOH, I doubt there's much else out there that's as big inside and not a total land yacht OUTSIDE--I think I'm more worried about remembering how to use a flippin' ignition key!). Since the place I really wanted to take it anyway is in the AAA network, I don't have to wait for an adjuster's ok. I wouldn't have to anyway, really--CA law DOES say I have my choice. It just streamlines things. Whereas, otherwise, I'd have had to wait for A CHECK from the valet's insurance co before the dealer would have started doing the work...and then fuss later if it came up higher--which makes me wonder about the dealership...Oh well...I'll just have to get the 30k done later instead of during the 3-4 days the work'll take. I'm taking it in this morning. And sending off to DMV for the new HOV stickers, which may or may not ever turn up. And hope/believe the body shop will be able to take off the old sticky stuff from the places of the 3 other stickers that aren't on parts of the car being replaced...

I'm just getting more and more irritated with the valet company's insurance people, and WILL write to the California Insurance Commissioner about these SOBs, Maarco & Associates in Woodland Hills, CA to complain. I doubt it'll change anything, but it'll sure make ME feel better!

Oh yeah--and I PROBABLY won't be dinged by my insurance company...the SLIGHT caveat the adjuster pointed out is that, by giving over my keys, I gave implied permission, and therefore coverage, to other drivers...They are waiving my deductible, but she wouldn't promise me anything. I THINK we're clear, but I reckon it won't be until renewal time in July that we'll be in any way sure, and probably not even then, since we can never tell how much they raise/lower stuff from year to year, other than whatever is normal for older cars (except in the case of our 19 year old son, which is a WHOLE other story...).

 

Good/bad gnus (department of glass half full or half empty)...

GOOD: The rental is a 2007 Prius!!!! And AAA insurance adjuster assures me that they WILL smack Maarco for every possible penny--including the $8 DMV fee to get my HOV stickers replaced. They agree with me that it probably will cost all of us more than $8, but the cheating, lying f**kers DESERVE to pay for it ALL.

BAD: It's a base model, so I actually have to take the key out of my pocket... And there's no back-up camera. And, in all conscience, I can't disable the backup beep...which, in this case, is probably part of the GOOD, since, apart from having spent MANY years driving stick shift cars, which give you NO cues to what gear you are in (other than the exact position of the shifter), I've got very used to the pic on the MFD (in combination with the regular Pri "gear" pattern display) to be SURE--NOW I DO need reminding. Yes, I DO know where I am generally speaking, but, in the Pri, after 17 months, if the MFD isn't showing the camera, I can see how I MIGHT get confused...I admittedly also had problems recently when driving DH's 5 speed Beemer, with reverse up to the left of 1st, when all other manuals (except for the 3-on-the-tree van, whose pattern I don't recall, and DH's '76 Triumph Spitfire, which NOBODY but DH has ever been able to find reverse for without MUCH coaching, and I could hardly reach the clutch on that puppy in any case) I've ever driven had reverse off to the right of 4th or 5th...well, 4th--the current Beemer's the first 5speed I've driven.

Also...my '06 has, as a very easy MFD choice, BEEP OFF for all selections on the MFD. This seems to be lacking on the '07. Yeah, I can choose from four different background colors, thanks, but I can't easily make it stop telling me when I touch the screen.

Obviously, these are VERY minor matters in a car I'll be driving for three days...it's just interesting (to me) to note.

Overall, it is VERY good that I have a Pri to drive!!!

Oh yes--and that new blue color IS very nice--but I STILL love my black shark!

 

I've had black cars and I've had white cars. Black wins hands down! Obviously, a black car requires some commitment because, if it's not garaged, it starts to show dirt days after washing. But, are they ever beautiful right after a good wash. I found that using a "quick and dirty" wax product like Mo's Gold will allow you to just dust the car with a micro cloth or an old Tee shirt between washings.

On the other hand white cars start out looking bland and still look bland whether they are clean or dirty. I also found that no matter how often you wash a white car, the finish takes on a grayish foggy look ( here in the northeast, anyway). The only way to get rid of the gray film is to use a solvent based cleaner - No Fun.

 

I took my prius for a wash yesterday.. and let the guy talk me into getting another wax, sigh. he said next time i should consider doing more stuff next time because the water spots were getting bad. I've had my poor baby since May/June..

I also noticed on the driver's side handle, there's a ton of tiny little scratches under and around the handle. I have NO idea how they got there! I usually never have my keys in hand since it's smartkey. It might be from my thumb ring.

 

My black Acura is so full of rock chips it's not even funny; it needs repainting badly. Car is only 3 years old and looks as if it's been shot at (though no dents), and has been this way since the second year of ownership. :angry: Unprotected black cars FTL. <_<

My black Prius is only a few months old, but I got the full clear 3M film put all over the front bumper/hood/headlights/mirrors, all door edges, and inside the door handle cups. Already, the film has saved my paint from bugs and rocks. That stuff is a god send!

If you get the black Prius, invest in the full clear 3M film package. Otherwise, go with a lighter color car. Black is hugely high maintnance. After I get my Acura repainted, I'm going to have the dealer install the 3M film onto it too. I'm hoping the heavy-duty wax (renewable once a year) the dealer put onto my Prius will keep swirlies and water mineral deposits at bay as the car ages, so we'll see later down the road. This is my experiment for future reference next time I buy a car.

Oh, and those rubbery shammy things work great at drying a car without leaving waterspots! Especially if you keep the car waxed.

Final verdict: yes I would have another black car, but I'd deffinately apply protection to it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Starbug @ Oct 9 2007, 05:00 PM) [snapback]523350[/snapback]</div>

I WISH I'd known about the 3M film package LONG ago (like, before the Pri & I took our first cross country trip last winter). NOW, I'd have to pay to get the body shop to fix all the OTHER dings the valets didn't do...OTOH, maybe now is EXACTLY the right time to ask about that...

OTOOH, I just remembered another thing on my BAD list: the CRAPPY OEM tires that are on my rental (I bought Michelin HydroEdges before last year's road trip and have been VERY happy with them). I'm sitting looking out my windows and seeing a sky that looks like the NoCal rainy season is HERE...

(And my Pri is called "Bruce," after the shark in Jaws...which isn't black, but still, it's a GOOD name for a shark, which is what the family unanimously decided the car looked like, even before I added the sharkfin antenna. We're still considering having the horn sound changed to the Jaws Bruce music...DA dum DA dum...Oh yeah...and the shark was Bruce because that was the name of one of Spielberg's lawyer's...)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rufaro @ Oct 9 2007, 06:03 PM) [snapback]523364[/snapback]</div>

LOL, awesome name for your Prius! :lol: With all the rain we've had this Fall, your Bruce would fit right in around here. It's downpouring right now. You could "swim" through traffic, playing your Jaws music, and everybody would run in fear! Hahahaha!

I'm sooo sorry to hear about all that valet damage! I'd be so pissed.

The dealer told me about the 3M film when I was purchasing my Prius (called the Chip Protectant package). I had them do it right away because of what I knew was in store for a black car living in WA. I highly recomend that you have it done right after the rapaint. Get the full package (front bumper, hood, headlights, mirrors, door edges, door handle cups). Worth every penny! I will never again have a black car without it, and would probably put it on any other color car as well because of how well it works.

Funny story: the dealer told me that one guy came in and tried to convince them to wrap his entire vehicle in 3M film. I don't know if he had a large SUV or what, but the dealer talked him out of it, saying that it would have cost him $4k to do it. Too bad, because I had been about to ask the dealer to do exactly that to my Prius (and my Acura after I got it repainted)....and then he told the story. Dang. LOL.