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Front air dam touch up paint?

Discussion in 'Gen 5 Prius Main Forum' started by pcamen, Oct 21, 2024.

  1. pcamen

    pcamen New Member

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    Those of use with Prius' (I previously had a 2011) know they are low to the ground and nailing parking stops and curbs with the front air dam is a fact of life. My 2011 front bumper was entirely the same color as the car to the same touch up worked for the body and the air dam. My 2023 Wind Child Pearl Prius Prime has a silver and black colored air dam. Particularly, the silver at the very bottom is getting marks from, yes, bumping in to things like parking stops.

    I've tried the local Toyota dealer and called Toyota North America Corporate but neither is aware of touch up paint for the front air dam, much less a color code I might use to get a customer touch up paint color made.

    I just can't believe they didn't consider the need to touch up what is obviously the Achilles heel of owning a Prius ... damage to the air dam. Pretty lame if you ask me.

    Does anyone know where one might get touch up paint for that silver color, OR, the paint color code?
     

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  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    I agree. Ditto for painted wheels; they're regularly subject to curb rash.

    There was a similar thread here recently; I can't recall if it was 5th or 4th gen front fairing. Again, trying to determine touch-up paint name/code.

    With our 3rd gen, the body paint was Classic Silver Metallic, (1F7), and I found it a perfect match for our silver rims (OEM 17"). Perhaps 5th gen is similar: whatever the 5th gen silver is (Cutting Edge or similar?), perhaps the silver on the air dam is the same? Rims are some sorta dark satin colour??

    This other thread:

    Color names and codes | PriusChat

    might be a good repository, for any paint-related info, regardless of gen (if it doesn't get to cumbersome).

    I know that's optimistic, and would be nice if Toyota would compile this. It probably is somewhere, but not available to the public.

    Another thought: what do body shops do? Ask them? I know for household paint if you bring in a sample to a paint supply place they can scan and match it. Still, this is likely prohibitively expensive if you want a small jar of touch-up.
     
    #2 Mendel Leisk, Oct 23, 2024
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2024
  3. pcamen

    pcamen New Member

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    Yes, I cross posted to that other thread as well but those were only the body colors. If I do find it out I will post the color code I find. I just ordered some of the 1F7 and will see if it is a match. My recollection is that the air dam color is a matte and not shiny but I will try it. And thanks.
     
  4. Hammersmith

    Hammersmith Senior Member

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    There's no paint code for the trim parts. As far as Toyota is concerned, there's no need for it. Those parts get colored during the manufacturing process. As far as they're concerned, if a trim part is damaged enough to need repainting, it's damaged enough to be replaced.

    If you really want to get touchup paint, go to an auto paint store and ask to borrow their paint rings. They're typically metal rings(like the ones in a three ring binder) that have dozens of paint samples on tags. Often the stores will have at least one ring for every paint manufacturer they carry. Take the ring and hold up each color sample to the trim until you find a near-perfect match. Be sure to test the sample in both sun and shade. Then get a paint sample made up in the smallest amount they can do. It'll probably be a pint or quart, but it is what it is.
     
  5. pcamen

    pcamen New Member

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    The 1F7 classic silver is an improvement but not a perfect match. Seeing how many little nicks and chips there are in the silver part of that air dam now that I get down and look at it closely, I think I'm just gonna have a body shop repaint that for me at some point, hopefully with more durable paint than Toyota seems to have slapped on it. Surprising the poor quality of that piece versus typical Toyota quality.

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