Hailstorm damage!

Here's an update ... and I'm not happy.

As previously reported, the insurance adjuster told the PDR guy to replace the hood instead of removing the dents. I was concerned with the color matching but they assured me that everything would be fine and the body shop (which is next door to the PDR shop) has a stellar reputation.

After about 16 days it was finally "ready." It was just before 6pm and the evening sun was shining on it very brightly so I thought it looked all right. But when I got in the car and looked up, I saw that the headliner was really dirty, and worst of all, it had fuzzy patches, like it had been rubbed hard. See first picture. When I asked about this, he said he didn't know how that happened. To cut a long story short, I took the car with the understanding that I'd be back to get the headliner taken care of.

The next day, I had driven to the Metro station and parked it in the shade. Looking at it from a slight distance, I saw that the color of the hood did not quite match the body. Later, the more I looked at it, the more I realized it was really off. So I emailed my insurance adjuster and let him know that I had made a mistake by accepting the car and explained about the headliner and hood color and he agreed to let me get a rental car for the additional time. I returned the car to the PDR shop along with a written statement of what I expect ... headliner to look as new, i.e., replace if necessary since I knew they wouldn't be able to "clean" out the rough patches, hood to match exactly, spotless interior and exterior, etc.

After a few days, they told me that they can't replace the headliner because Toyota doesn't even have that part available yet but they would clean it as best they can. I said I'd need some compensation and they said yes they would discuss. They then sent the car to get the hood repainted.

When I picked it up, they did clean the liner but the fuzz was still there. After some haggling I accepted $250 in compensation but I know it will never look like a new car again. As for the hood, I still felt it looked slightly different (see photo) but he insisted that they had repainted the whole front including the hood, fender, and bumper so it had to be the same. I said that if they painted over what was already there, it is still not going to be the same, and he told me that they strip everything before repainting. Also he said my insurance guy had been working with the painter directly to make sure they did the job properly.

Well, I couldn't really argue any more so accepted it. But I still kept feeling it looks off. I asked a female colleague to take a look and she immediately said it's a different color. A male colleague didn't see any difference. So I went to the body shop myself and talked to the owner. He assured me over and over that they painted the whole front end the same color so it has to match, and any difference I see is because the surfaces are at different angles and the pearl finish makes the color look different. I said, well maybe it's because the paint underneath was different to begin with, and he said, no, the base is white, and white is white, then they spray many coats with the pearl. I asked whether they strip the original paint first, and he said no (remember, the PDR guy said they strip the paint). He acknowledged that it looked terrible the first time and I asked him how could he have returned the car to me knowing it wasn't right and he said that he was just told to replace the hood and paint it to match and wasn't directly involved in the original estimate etc. He also insisted that it only looks different because the hood is at a different angle.

I can see the color must be the same because the fender, which they also painted, matches the rest of the car. However, to me, the hood still does not match. It seems to be more opaque so doesn't reflect light the same way. It looks fairly close when looking straight on, but in the shade and from the side, the hood really sticks out. Before going to the shop, I had first gone by a Toyota dealer to see what a brand new Blizzard Pearl looks like. Unfortunately, I couldn't see one in full view because they all had paper on the hood and were facing a wall. The salesman tore off some of the paper so I was able to see part of the hood and the fender, and the colors completely blended, not like mine.

Please take a look at the picture and let me know what you think. Those of you who have a Blizzard Pearl Gen 4, does the hood reflect light completely differently from the rest of the car?

 

The problem is, even if they repaint the entire car, the hood would probably still not match. They repainted the fender and bumper along with the hood, but the hood still pops out.

 

Blizzard Pearl Prius owners - does the hood on your car look slightly different from the rest of the car? That's what they keep telling me - that it's going to look different because the pearl reflects the light differently because it's in a different plane from the sides.

When looking straight at it, especially close up, it looks more similar - but I can still see a difference. They tried to convince me I'm still seeing things.

I don't think they'll ever get it right so I'll probably have to live with it. Maybe in a couple of years I'll get it painted something completely different. I've always wanted a dark British Racing Green but I saw a Thunderbird in a very pale blue that I think would look stunning on the Prius.

 

Um... okay.

 

The headliner was pulled down to do the paintless dent repair on the roof. Of course they shouldn't have messed it up and the guy couldn't explain what happened. I also believe they tried to clean up some stains and rubbed it hard, causing the fuzzing. It's hard to believe they returned the car to me in that condition, expecting I wouldn't notice. Maybe they're not used to doing dent repair on a brand new car in pristine condition.

They couldn't replace the liner because Toyota didn't even have the part available yet, according to the shop.

The fenders and nose look all right so I assume they did what they needed to do to cover the badging.

 

I also didn't think they'd be able to match the blizzard pearl paint perfectly with the factory finish. However, when I asked them how they do it, they said it was completely computerized - they scan the current color from the car and then the computer mixes the paint accordingly. I don't think it's Toyota paint.

I believe they got the color right (on the second try) but the hood will never completely match the rest of the car unless they strip everything and start over.

 

The difference shows up more when it is in the shade so the pictures below were taken in a Target parking garage. The last picture was taken outside in the sun.

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