Hello again all, After washing my Blizzard Pearl for the first time and having to get off tar/oil I also discovered brown specs in the paint in many places. One poster suggested it could be Rail Dust. After researching on the web a bit, it looks like this "Rail Dust" can be a real problem. So folks reporting premature rust at these spots. I got my camera out and switched to the closeup setting and was able to get some pretty good shots (see below). I am planning to see what my dealer has to say. If nothing I plan to use the Clay Bar cleaning method as others suggested to see if that removes them. I will keep you all posted. But I would also suggest checking out your own to see if it has these specs on it.
Looking forward to your report. Mine look less rust-like than yours, so I'm not sure if I have the same thing. It could be that mine are just a bit less progressed and will eventually look like that. But for now, mine are more like brown stains. I'm seeing a clear-bra installer tomorrow who will probably have some experience with paint-related stuff and if I find out anything more, I will report back also.
Rail dust and other surface contaminants associated with vehicle transportation are very common on new cars. Get some Clay Magic and it should take care of it. I clay my cars when I take delivery, and you'd be surprised how much stuff it removes--and then I clay every 6 months.
Timely thread. During a sequence of clay bar/Zaino Z2/CS I discovered one tiny orangish speck on the hood of my BP V. At first I thought it was just the remains of a bug splat but unfortunately it's under the paint protection film. I have an appointment in a couple weeks to have it taken care of.
That is definitely rail dust. Clay bar will take car of it. As for a defect under the paint, they will wet sand to get it out, then respray clear and blend.
Reference: Rail Dust - Troubleshooting http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Product_Code=Z-18&Screen=PROD Fortunately, clay also does the trick and is certainly less extreme. I have no connection with Zaino other than being a satisfied customer.
how long have you had it? I would bring it back to the dealer anyway.. they might just do it as a customer service issue.
If the dealer was smart, they would just clay bar it free of charge just to maintain your satisfaction. However, rail dust is considered environmental damage and is specifically excluded from the warranty (page 12 or 13 in the warranty handbook you received, under "what is not covered", second to last item). Toyota doesn't have to fix it for you, but I suspect that they might.
Well, mine turned out to be something other than rail dust. Upon closer inspection, my spots are more grey than brown and don't look rusty. They are not palpable and they also do not come off with clay bar, bug/tar remover, or bodyshop solvent (Toyota guy tried the last one). In my case, it appears that something sprayed off the front tires and somehow stained the paint or else was flung in while the clearcoat was still wet. In any case, they aren't noticeable at all unless you go looking for them, so my dealer suggested (and I agreed) that it wasn't worth wet sanding or otherwise disturbing sealed factory paint for something you could barely see. He suggested I keep an eye on the spots and if they got worse or changed I should come back in to start a warranty claim. Fingers crossed that won't be necessary.
Hi Rachael: The sad part is that even though you hope it won't be necessary, if you are like most persons' (myself included), it will always be in the back of your mind even though "you could barely see" it - you just know it is there. Edward Marystown, Newfoundland Canada
I went to the dealer today and ended up over at the body shop. The manager agreed that is was what I thought it was but it is not "Rail Dust" it is "Industrial Dust". Apparently the railroads sued. Anyway after a few laps around the car and something about it would be up to the service department to buff this stuff out he finally said hey, just bring it here tomorrow for a few hours and we will getter done. I asked what procedure they would use and he said they would use this thing called a "Clay Bar" and I said right-on. So I will update tomorrow on how it goes, Peter
Too true Even though the spots really are pretty unnoticeable, I know they are there now. And while they really don't detract from the car in any way, I do sort of feel like a $31,000 car should not have any obvious flaws. Oh well. Tune in the XM and hypermile... that's what its all about anyway
Left my car at the body shop this morning and by 9:30 they were done treating the paint. I did not get a real good look before I took it back to work and by the time I got off, it was raining. I did look in the most noticeable spots and they were gone. They said they just treated the spots where they saw problems as opposed to the entire car. The manager said to bring it back anytime if more show up. Back to be 100% satisfied. Peter
They really standout on the Blizzard White. There is a IVwNav here local that has maybe 20 or 30 spots. This one came by truck from Newark.
Totally agree. That is why owners of all the other colors should take a real close look. If left sit, the rust will likely works its way down into the metal and cause rust in the body. Peter
