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Paint Peeling on New Car (<2 month old)

Discussion in 'Prime Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by ItsAQuark, Jun 10, 2017.

  1. ItsAQuark

    ItsAQuark New Member

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    I bought my Prius Prime in mid April 2017. The paint in the front bumper and fender seam on the driver's side is already showing signs of peeling.

    I checked both sides of the car, and it seems like the gap on the driver's side is much tighter (basically touching) than the gap on the passenger's side (a couple mm).

    Is anyone else having similar issues?

    I also had paint protection film installed on the fender and bumper. If Toyota ends up repainting the bumper, is it unreasonable to push for Toyota to reimburse for the replacement film?

    Any thoughts on how to proceed are greatly appreciated! Thanks!
     

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  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    We had a car with paint peeling within a few months of new purchase: turned out it'd sideswiped something in transit and been quickly repainted. When I showed it to the service manager he did a little digging, got the story, and we ended up trading for a better than usual deal. Still no great shakes.

    The standard new car bill of sale in BC typically says that the car can sustain up to 20% of its retail value in repairs, without the seller needing to disclose it.

    No contract is binding though, till both parties agree to it, and a pre-printed contract does not exclude revision. In other words: you're free to cross out 20%, and revise it to $200, if the seller will sign off on it.

    Anyway, something like this might be the case, who knows. Is it one side in particular? Is the primer the same color both sides? Any evidence of overspray?
     
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  3. ItsAQuark

    ItsAQuark New Member

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    Right now it's only on the driver's side. A friend of mine suggested that maybe the bumper wasn't mounted properly, which might explain why the bumper-fender seam is so tight on the driver's side and wider on the passenger's side.

    I don't know whether or not it's oversprayed. It looks like it's the paint on the bumper side that's peeling and exposing the dark colored surface underneath. I don't think the paint on the fender side of the seam is peeling, at least not that I can see yet. I'm tying to avoid touching that area because I get it to the service department.
     
  4. stevepea

    stevepea Senior Member

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    Wow, shouldn't be like that at all. Was it somehow hit by another car or someone somewhere?
    Regardless, sounds like it's time to both call Toyota and visit your local Toyota dealer...
     
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  5. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Could the film installer have taken the bumper off, and put it back on uneven?
     
  6. ItsAQuark

    ItsAQuark New Member

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    There's no sign of physical damage at all,
    Bumper was not removed during PPF installation.
     
  7. Sam Spade

    Sam Spade Senior Member

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    I hope your paint protection was done at a dealership.

    If not, this might be a HUGE problem getting fixed under warranty.
     
  8. PT Guy

    PT Guy Senior Member

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    Is it peeling because of movement between the two parts? If so, that is your claim, in addition to the paint.
     
  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Wait a sec, that's the extent of the paint peeling?

    upload_2017-6-12_14-0-45.png

    Move along, nothing to see here, lol.
     
  10. Washingtonian

    Washingtonian Senior Member

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    It looks like that is the result of spraying a paint protection film between two adjoining surfaces. Of course it would dry like that. If it were mine, I would talk to the people who put on the paint protection stuff as I don't think your car came from the factory like that.
     
  11. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    From the picture, I'm unable to see if it is even paint, instead of plastic that was in place for shipping, or the backing to the protective film applied later, or something of that sort.
     
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  12. Kenny94945

    Kenny94945 Active Member

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    2 month old car...that has to be a warranty claim.

    Even with the picture it is difficult to diagnose on the net.

    Looks like rubbing/ movement/ tight fit between bumper and fender.
    Should be easy to fix without a re-spraying.

    Of course the owner's OCD (for lack of a better description) will determine the repair out come and whether another procedure is necessary.

    So.... separate the bmpr from fndr, repair edge with a brush touch up paint, sand smooth, polish, check mounting clips and brackets for some panel gap adjustment, reassemble.

    If a undisclosed repaint...then another ballgame.

    Good luck.
     
  13. jrodz09

    jrodz09 Junior Member

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    I have been meaning to reply to your post because same thing has happened to my car, same area too. The driver side fender and bumper section has some peeling the same way as yours and I have no paint protection film installed. What did the dealership tell you because I am about to go for my 15k service this Wednesday and wondering if its under warranty.
     
  14. ItsAQuark

    ItsAQuark New Member

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    I had the service department at my dealership take a look at my car. They gave me a rental car overnight, so the DSPM (District Service Parts Manager) could take a look at the peeling paint the next day. I was told he's the representative from Toyota that authorizes warranty repair at the dealerships. Fortunately, the repair was authorized, and the dealership will have the bumper repainted and adjusted at the body shop on-site. They're going to provide a free rental car as well while it's undergoing repair.
     
  15. jrodz09

    jrodz09 Junior Member

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    Right on! I have a service tomorrow so I will go ahead and mention the peeling to them as well. Most definitely need this taken care of because my peeling seems to be jumping to the passenger side as well. :/ Thank you for the update! Much appreciated. :)
     

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  16. INFINIT tony

    INFINIT tony Member

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    this seems to be an ongoing issue.. my prime is doing it also on the driver side only
     
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  17. jrodz09

    jrodz09 Junior Member

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    Take it to the dealership! We need to make sure they see it as an ongoing issue so they don't give any lip about us requesting warranty work done. Ended up missing my appointment for more important things, but I will be taking it soon.
     
  18. YPizza

    YPizza Junior Member

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    I checked my car today and, lo and behold, it had the same peeling on the bumper side of the fender gap, driver side only for now. Has anyone else successfully gotten this fixed?

    I'm moving out of state in a few weeks and won't have time to take it to the dealer I purchased from here in SoCal just over 5 months ago. I'll have to try a Toyota service center next month in the Seattle area, or in San Antonio TX in a few months. Does anyone have recommendations for service centers in those areas?

    IMG_2717.JPG
     
  19. Washingtonian

    Washingtonian Senior Member

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    What seems strange to me is that both your paint and the person who started this thread seems to have something like a transparent tape on the edges of the fender. My car (blizzard pearl) does not have that and the fenders seem to fit more tightly together and of course there is no chipping.
    Although I live near Seattle and have had Toyotas since 1979, I can't recommend a dealer for service as I have never had to use them. My other Toyota is a 1999 Tacoma and it has never been to the dealer for service since I bought it new.
     
  20. huskers

    huskers Senior Member

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    Mine seems to fit much tighter as well.