paint quality

what??? are you sure its not a tesla?

 

Drafting gravel trucks will do that.

 

My '16 v paint (toasted walnut) quality is very good.
I have a few chips.
Yes, following trucks is a major cause of rock chips.
Only advice is to make sure your Prius is not repainted as that repaint would be a reason for your post.
(You can inspect with a paint mil gauge.)
Good luck.

 

Will, if you are an engineer could you speak like one? Some specifics, please like are you getting more rock chips than other cars, what color is the car, where are you getting these rock chips and how many miles. A picture might help, also. In my case, I paid extra for the pearl white color, have driven about 10K miles, and have no noticeable rock chips.

 

alot of high speed highway driving ? or local roads lower speeds ?
could it have been one black swan event... driving on milled highway right after it got milled ?
or you think slowly accumulated.
i got stuck once behind a truck dropping gravel for miles(accidentally), in heavy traffic, nobody could do anything, except try to pass the truck, took me 10 minutes at 50-60 to get up to the truck to pass it, the whole time all the traffic was showering my car with gravel, as was everyone elses car getting showered after that day the whole front of my car had 1000 gravel marks, bumper, fenders , hood. that was a benz.
i have a titanium 2018 since new, driving for approx 5 months. to date no chips. mostly local driving 45-50mph, but a few miles a day on highway at 70+speeds. about 5k miles so far.

 

Thanks for the pictures. It caused me to take a more careful look at the front of mine. Found a few that kind of looked like a chip, but when I ran a fingernail over them they came off and were probably tiny pieces of tar or asphalt. Did find one that was actually a small chip, though, so I stand corrected. Your first two pics look like contact with a curb or something similar. It was my understanding when I bought the car that the extra cost for the white was because there was an extra coat of paint. Not sure that is true, but it could be why yours shows chips easier.

 

Pearlescent paint is not inexpensive.

 

I looked at the window sticker. The color is Blizzard Pearl. The only charge other than delivery fee is "Special Color" $395. Much less than Tesla charges.

 

My Hypersonic Red has the same upcharge. I figured it might be because it has a clear coat layer?

 

I get that too. Clean/buff it up, get the touch up paint-pen (colour+clear coat) and forget about it.

My wife's Lexus has stone chips too even with 3M hood tape. I skipped the full tape including plastic bumper because it costs 800+ bucks more including side mirrors.

If it was a Porsche/Ferrari, I wouldn't mind to pay that extra but to a Toyota/Lexus.. nah.. after 3-4 years, lease a new one

My Prime's front bumper has a lum sum of stone chipped, I ended up getting this and look very cool

 

This is just opinion.
But seems to me the OP has gotten chips in what I would call "honest areas", that is areas where chips could be expected. Front bumper, side mirrors and hood.
That doesn't make you feel any better when you see them in only 6 months of ownership.

I also believe this problem isn't limited to Toyota, I think clear coat and automotive paint in general have become less durable than in the past. I believe it's a evolution and symptom of manufacturers using more environmentally friendly paints and chemicals.

I had an issue with the clear coat on my Prius, and my observation of The Honda Fit's paint job is that it's not what I would call incredibly durable.
If you want to add durability? I'd recommend a good clear bra solution. Which can be somewhat expensive, but also help in avoiding rock chips and other damage in exactly the areas the OP has had a problem.

Unfortunately once the damage has been done, a clear bra can do nothing to reverse that reality.

I had a Clear Bra put on my 2010 Honda Fit and I think it really helped minimize and slow rock chip damage, and other environmental damage to the hood.

I did not put a Clear Bra on my Prius. The price was prohibitive.
I also passed on having that protection put on my latest Honda Fit...
To be honest, I kind of regret not doing it.


I have touch up paint, but IMO have to use it way too often.
But really once the damage has been done?

Touch Up...or professional repainting is about all you can do.
There are some DIY touch up paint "systems" that look interesting. But for me, so far it's just a tube of the OEM touch up paint, and a quality small brush.
And the knowledge that overall it's a slow but losing battle.

 

I think the paint quality is also just mediocre I have seen better on other cars I have had.

 

Great paint, look at Gen2 paint on these older cars. Still holding up well.

Looks like you tailgate or follow others too closely. Keep 2 car lengths and it will help with rock chips. And stay away from gravel trucks.

 

Yes, but Gen 2 was a little before the time I'm thinking of...it's been about a decade.
But around Gen 3 and 2010 ish.....Is when you really heard about auto manufacturers committing more to more eco friendly total products. That's when you heard about the "Soy" based wiring casing, and got things like "Softex" instead of leather.

I think a lot of manufacturers and auto paint and clear coat has just changed. Volatile Organic Compounds VOC's are now recognized as an environmental threat, and paint manufacturers admit to a process of transitioning to different water based formulas.
It's an evolution, and we're talking 2nd, 3rd generation of more of water based paints. But I do think there is a learning curve. And IMO, right now a lot of paints just aren't as durable as paints from 10, 15 years or more ago.

That being said, I think some might be fine, I think the whole industry is learning, and it's the right thing to do.

 

My paint is 9 years old, and it looks great. It’s all about taking care of your paint. Paint will only look good if you put the effort into it to keep it protected with good quality polish and wax.

 

After seeing all the paint chips on my 2013 Prius, I had the clear protective film installed on my Prime before I took delivery from the dealer.