Paint Code for PIP Silver Trim??

Are those silver pieces painted?

 

1F7but that's a plastic that's painted, PK I'd go dark gray!

 

In the description from Toyota's ordering website, the front and rear trim pieces are called "chrome accents". Where you need touchup, does it look like metal underneath the chrome? Or have they figured out a way to chromeplate plastic like they do with model car kits and toys?

 

It's not chrome at all. It looks like metallic silver. I need this touch up paint too. I'm planning to call the dealer this morning, but I'm scared they will tell me something like my only option is to replace the whole part. I can't afford to replace a $300 trim piece every time it gets a paint chip, so hopefully they have a way to touch it up. Otherwise we'll have to hunt for just the right color from among Toyota's paint codes. I'd be surprised if they went to the expense of developing a new color for it, so hopefully it exists already.

 

Just as I feared. The Toyota dealer says Toyota doesn't supply a touch up paint for the silver trim and your only hope is to try a body shop. Good going Toyota. Let's put this trim piece in a different color right on the front bumper of the car where it can be pelted with rocks and debris and then decline to give customers a way to touch it up. I wonder if they at least got some money from the SCRS for that decision.

EDIT - Toyota of America confirms that it isn't available and there aren't any plans to release any. Even better is that the body shop reports that since it's a metallic color, they will have a very difficult time making a good match. So basically it's impossible to touch up this piece. You just have to buy a new one from Toyota each time you get a ding, or you'll have to get them painted to match the car so you can touch them up. Either way we're looking at the better part of $1,000 to fix Toyota's decision here.

 

Roger, there's two parts. On the front, there's a line of chrome between the bumper and the plastic silver trim piece. On the hatch, there's just a silver trim piece on which the logo sits. Just look at the photos on Toyota's site.
Anyway, looks like this entire discussion is moot anyway.

 

That rear trim piece is part number 768014707086 and retails for $280.69

The front trim piece looks like part number 5310247090B1 and retails for $206.27

If you do need to touch up either piece, you'd probably be better off repainting both trim pieces so they match. As an alternative, you could also cover both pieces with vinyl (like a vinyl wrap). Or if you're on a really tight budget, there's always silver Plasti-Dip.

 

I still can't figure out how it's possible for this to have escaped Toyota's notice - placing a painted body part in THE most chip-prone area of the car and then not offering a touchup paint for it - not even a color code so people can match the paint at a body shop. I'd have protected them earlier if I had known, but to be honest it had never crossed my mind that a manufacturer would do something like that. And they say bizarre decisions are the exclusive domain of government agencies.

 

It's the weight. Metal = more weight than plastic.

 

The weight makes Toyota not offer a touchup paint?

It's not chrome, it's metallic silver. They just call it "chrome". If you go look at any of the stock PiPs, and look at the plastic trim on the rear that the Toyota logo is attached to, you'll see what I mean. It's also on the lower front bumper.

 

sigh.
You cannot really touch up a plastic trim piece well. It would wash or peel right off usually.
I meant that the pieces were plastic as opposed to metal.

 

OK, went out for a closer look at my car, and Lensovet is absolutely correct. Shows how much attention I've paid while washing and waxing the front bumper area. In my defense, it's getting harder to get my aging joints to kneel or crouch to really detail the low stuff. So the area below the chrome must be painted, but from what I read, the OP is looking for a paint color to match the chrome in the rear in order to paint a sharkfin antennae. Seems to me that when I see PiPs from a distance on the road, the front strip shines like chrome rather than paint, but that may just be because I'm expecting it to be chrome.
As for the sharkfin, I agree with Dianne- go with Winter Grey so it matches the roof.

 

I think people are getting confused about which part we're talking about because it's definitely not chrome. As far as plastic and paint, the bumpers are plastic and you can touch them up with the factory touch up paint just fine.

See these two pictures:




My paint is chipped on that rear silver piece, so it's very noticeable. I'm still in disbelief that my only option is to order a new piece and emblems from Toyota just to fix a paint chip.

 

How close is the color silver for 2012? I've noticed that from a distance, it is hard to tell if a car is indeed a PiP. I wonder if they have touchup paint for the wheels. They look pretty close as well. And what shows up under the chip on the rear trim piece on yours? If it is plastic, it should hold a dab of touchup paint, just like the front plastic bumpers on these cars. I've been covering small chips for years on plastic, including a scrape from a shopping cart, and they have held up well. Now if you were going to spray paint plastic, I would guess you need to know what you're doing.

 

It's black underneath the paint. I don't know how close it is to the 2012 silver. That was my next plan, to compare the colors. I just hate to spend $12 - $15 on some paint and then have it not match. Maybe a dealer will compare it for me.

 

If this photo is accurate, then it's not going to work.

 

Yeah, I guess not. One possibility is to find a paint and body shop that mixes their own paint, or a pinstriper who mixes colors and ask about getting a small supply custom-mixed. During my career as a chauffeur, I have had several cars painted, including some with custom colors. A good old-school auto painter would certainly know how to mix paint to match that silver.

 

Car manufacturers have been chrome plating plastic for at least 50 years.