Prius paint Quality, Rock chips

No, the paint is one of the weak points of the Prius. Been like that since the 04's. The paint is too soft it scratched easily and chips too easily. From previous posts it's because the paint formulation is enviromental friendly LOL

 

Unfortunately, black is the worst exterior color to have if you are a fanatic, since it is easy to see every flaw in the paint, no matter how minor.

 

I used to have a black 1990 4Runner, since new. I was fanatical about how I looked after it, but after 5 years it looked as if I had dropped out of warp speed right in the middle of an asteroid field

 

I just bought a 2008 used Black Prius, and have noticed that the paint has really taken a beating too. I drive gravel roads occasionally (rural area) and can see it on the car...

 

I had 87k on my 04 and it looked very Dukes of Hazzard.

I put the 3m clear bra material, from ebay, on the bumper front-face, headlights and lower spoiler area. After 2 years and 124k it has not yellowed (car is outside 100% in North. CA central valley, hot!). I wish I did the entire front.

Next time I'll put the 3M clear bra material over the entire front of the car, below the hood. Wrap half way around to the front wheels. Use a 6 inch tall piece across the bottom of the hood.

 

I was told at the NY event that the paint on the 2010's has not changed. IMO the car needs to be shrink-wrapped. The car's 1st trip should be to get as much VentureShield film applied as possible.

 

The paint on my FJ isn't clearcoat, but it does appear to hold up better. I have a rockchip on the hood, the paint appears thicker than on my Prius

I was under the assumption that Toyota used the same paint process on all their vehicles

 

I think the Prius suffers from a few issues when it comes to rock chips:

1. The new low VOC paints that are hard on all cars right now

2. The low and bullnosed nature of the front end

3. The fact that the hood is aluminum. Ours has a lot of chips too, even one chip that is actually a little dent. The chipping appears worse on the hood than the bumper which is the reverse of my Lexus which has a steel hood. I think the aluminum is a little elastic, it definately dents easier, and maybe the paint doesn't adhere as well.

 

Steve

Oh right, the Prius hood is aluminum.

 

My wife drives the Prius and I drive the Jetta. The Prius gets better mileage but the Jetta has a much tougher paint job. There have been times when we were together in the Jetta, catch one flying from a truck in front of us and it doesn't do anything - we both remark had it been the Prius, it would have left a mark. You can bash a Jetta all day long when comparing it to the Prius but when it comes down to it, the one thing Jetta's have going for them is their paint job massing rust warranty.

By the way, I neglected to mention when I first posted: our Prius is black too.

 

I have no complaints about the paint on my white 06 Prius after >37K miles. I missed the OP's statement that his car was black but I guessed black from the description.

The worst car I've had in terms of getting rock chips easily was my former silver (Sterling Mist) 02 Nissan Maxima. I got 9 chips on the front of the hood within the 1st few months (by around ~3K miles) so I had to get a clear bra applied to it. Its hood wasn't aluminum.

 

As for paint I have always thought that if I had any problems I would go out west, wait for a sandstorm, turn the car around to have the other side sanded. Then go to Mako.

Just kidding, my 04 paint has held up well enough in the Chicago area. Not much highway driving and no gravel roads around here.

 

Those Nissans are notorious for very easily chipping paint...

 

the Japanese manufacturers are all using a "speedy paint" process that is fragile and brittle. make sure to touchup before you install the Clearbra if thats what you decide on.

 

My 04 350Z on the other hand seems to have paint that doesn't chip too easily. But it's different color, car and has an aluminum hood vs. the steel hood of my Maxima.

 

It seems that when people buy new cars and begin to accumulate rock chips, they tend to get the impression that the paint is poor. Unfortunately, it's just a characteristic that happens to most all new cars and the only thing you can do about it is do the Clear Bra stuff. I can't personally rate the Prius any better or worse than other cars in terms of paint quality.