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Paint worn down to metal!!

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by GADGETBUNNY, Aug 31, 2015.

  1. GADGETBUNNY

    GADGETBUNNY Junior Member

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    Hello,

    My 2012 Prius Plug-in Advanced has an issue I noticed today while washing her. The rear trunk paint where the gaskets/weatherstripping make contact to the paint have rubbed so much that it has worn down enough paint that there is now metal showing.

    Does anyone else have this problem?

    Is this an easy touch up paint repair to prevent rust, or is this a real dedign flaw/defect caused by Toyota not installing a gasket on the door, as Toyota did for all the driver and passenger doors.

    TOYOTA customer service told me there are no service campaigns, recalls, warranty enhancements currently.

    I've heard of stressed out teenagers cutting themselves, but not my Lovely Jubbly June. Please help us! 20150831_140345.jpg 20150831_140401.jpg 20150831_140413.jpg
     
  2. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    That's weird.
    You make me want to run out and check the underside edge of my hatch to see if I have similar wear.

    I mean there IS a gasket around the hatch, so you'd think there wouldn't be any metal to metal contact around the edge. So that's pretty crappy paint if it's not even durable enough to withstand contact with the seal or gasket.

    Is it possible the gasket/seal was cleaned with a chemical that would of weakened the paint?
    Or is it possible your hatch lift is loose thus vibrating and causing wear?

    I will check mine, and let you know if I have any similar wear.
     
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  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    just looked at mine, don't see anything but a bit of black from the gasket here and there. i would take it by luscious garage for a look see. perhaps they can suggest a remedy and/or cause. you are fortunate to have them nearby, make use of their skills. all the best!(y)
     
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  4. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    that's just dirt, spray some simple green on it and it'll wipe right off
     
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  5. GADGETBUNNY

    GADGETBUNNY Junior Member

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    I wish that were the case. It was my first thought when I noticed what LOOKED like residue while I was wiping the trunk area dry after a car wash, but indeed it is metal showing.

    Please let me know if you find metal on your hatch everyone.
     
  6. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Have you owned this car since new? I often encounter this problem with the door/hatch seals sticking to the car. Maybe someone used a scraper on the car? Maybe someone ran a metal hanger along that sealing strip>?
     
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  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    If it is the gasket that's worn the paint off, once it's been restored silicone spray the gasket?

    Thanks for the heads up btw.

    Addendum: when applying silicone, spray a cloth and wipe it on, much more controlled.
     
    #7 Mendel Leisk, Aug 31, 2015
    Last edited: Aug 31, 2015
  8. GADGETBUNNY

    GADGETBUNNY Junior Member

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    I like where you're going with this, because I need to rule out any reason toyota might come up with. I purchased the vehicle from a Lexus dealer back in May. It was a trade in by the original owner who bought the car brand new and only has the car service at TOYOTA. Clean carfax and history report. VIN on every panel (as it's a 2012 - beginning 2013, I've noticed toyota uses only 2 VIN stickers)

    Toyota needs to reduce their shortcuts because it ultimately costs them and us as consumers more money down the line.
     
  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Nothing worn right thru on ours, but some abrasion happening. I've seen similar in door jambs, with previous cars.

    The first is actually a bit worse:

    image.jpg

    And this one (both sides of hatch) is mostly transferred rubber, looks like:

    image.jpg
     
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  10. GADGETBUNNY

    GADGETBUNNY Junior Member

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    I did just clean the underside of the hatch with Simple Green and there's definitely friction that's happened which has caused the paint to wear down to the prime and on the driver's side the printer has worn down to shiny metal. I will take it to Luscious Garage this week or next week to get their opinion and to save myself from a rusty trunk. I live near a salty aired beach in sf. Can barely afford SF, cannot afford any rust!

    I'm thinking it would be good to know what other non PIP Prius owners have encountered since 2010. I'm new to forums in general - anyone know how I post this thread on the gen III page?
     

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  11. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Well I checked my 2013 Prius, and no wear in the same area.

    I didn't realize you had purchased it used.
    Not a big deal, but the truth then becomes there's no way of knowing how the hatch and seal may or may not of been maintained. The whole vehicle may of been cleaned/detailed before you purchased it, so clean seal today, doesn't necessarily mean previous owner was diligent. Unless you can without a question remember whether it was like this or not when you bought it? Then who knows when this damaged occurred.

    I'd probably want to make sure there is nothing physically causing the damage in terms of looseness that could cause vibration. But, I think the good news is that it's in such an usually invisible area, that I probably wouldn't have a problem fixing it with touch up paint. You just need a day or time or location where you could touch up the line around your hatch, and let it dry.

    You can try, but I doubt Toyota would cover it under warranty. Since nobody can ascertain HOW it happened but it clearly is wear, and it is something that is NOT happening to the vast majority of Prius, my guess is Toyota defines it was "wear" and refuses to fix under warranty.

    And honestly, what a real body shop would probably charge you for fixing that? Wouldn't be worth the investment to me. You just don't want it to rust, and it most often doesn't show, so just a touch up paint match would be good enough to me. The hardest part would be letting it dry.
     
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  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    In the States what format of touch up paint are the dealerships selling. In Canada (locally at least) it's a touch up "pen". Anyone see the more traditional bottle with brush built into the cap?

    I think a fresh bottle of the latter would be best in this case. The pens tend to seize up after a few uses. They're not cheap either.
     
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  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    iirc, the hatch is aluminum, so, you can ignore it, unless you're losing sleep.:)
     
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  14. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I would just buy some touch up paint and go over all the areas you feel might potentially get rust issues. Since it all sits on a rubber seal, nobody will ever see it.......until you open your hatch for the 10 seconds it's normally open.
     
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  15. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    The problem isn't on the aluminum hatch. It's on the steel body.

    We have the bottle with the brush around here.
     
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  16. n5160u

    n5160u Junior Member

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    This was real common on the West Texas panhandle where I used to live.
    What has happened is that the previous owner used a soft trim preservative similer to "Armor All" to preserve the rubber gasket on the car body. He should have been using a dry silicone type lubricant. The type commonly used sprays on using a solvent based carrier which quickly vaporizes leaving the dry silicone behind. Armor All type preservatives leave an oily coating where they are applied. Apply some to an old newspaper and you will find it leaves a large oil stain soaked into the paper fiber.
    What the oily based preservative leaves on the surface of the soft trim attracts dirt and dust particles which will stick to the gasket and slowly grind into the softer paint surface due to motion of the door or hatch from normal operation or small movements from vibrations caused by running.
    The only vehicles I have seen that are unaffected by this are Mercedes vehicles built after December 2003 when they switched to a Ceramic Nano-Particle based clear coat. That stuff is so hard a normal polishing compound will have little or no effect on it.
    Soak a clean rag in isopropyl alcohol and scrub down the gasket. You should find a lot of fine grit particles on the rag after doing this.
    I would not recommend using any kind of silicone preservative on the gasket until after you have repaired or refinished the area of damaged paint. Silicone spray lubricants are difficult to remove from any surface they are applied onto and would make it almost impossible to get the new paint to adhere properly.