First Toyota - Not impressed with Paint

I almost bought an Energi. I had the deal ready and was about to sign. But it had too many scratches in the plastic piano-finishes. The cargo space was bad. Then the sinker was when I found out the battery is $8,500 to replace, not counting installation. I also see very few of them on the road in FL and am concerned resale will be horrible. The dealer is overloaded with 2013 models in Dec 2013 and Ford has said 2014 will only be a 9-month run.

I did find the Energi plenty peppy and fun to drive. I just can't stand the shiny scratch-prone finishes. I did appreciate they didn't put fabric on the doors like the Prius V - the part I hate the most about the Prius V interior, other than lack of enough accessory and USB ports, which were liberal in the Ford. Ford even had a regular 110v outlet for the rear passengers.

Great two first post's, how do you like the comfort of the seats?

 

My silver paint is very good 2 years later. I have never waxed. Some people still think it's a new car. I would complain to the dealer and then escalate to Toyota and see what they can do. It must be a one off problem at the factory in Japan.

 

I don't know if I'm not "impressed" with Toyota's paint or if I just have had horrible luck and a rather isolated issue.

I have a Sea Glass Pearl standard Prius, and unfortunately some spots appeared on it. Even though the general most popular consensus is that it was some type of substance or chemical that got on the vehicle, whatever it was soaked or worked it's way through the clear coat with relative ease.

I'm still dealing with the issue.

I have to say, I have never had a problem like this with the finish with any vehicle I have ever owned. I would of expected more defensive protection from a brand new vehicle with a brand new clear coat. Evidently that is not the case.

On a brand new factory painted vehicle? I don't think you should be seeing burrs, pits, raised spots or any of the symptoms you say it already shows.

My concern if your new Prius is painted in such a manner would be is it a factory paint job? Or for some reason was it repainted?

Given my experience, I'm beginning to wonder if Toyota's paint process isn't flawed or faltering.

I might be the victim of just bad, bad luck...but it's a little interesting that you happen to have the same color vehicle. And your paint job as you describe, seems unacceptable in what should be a factory painted vehicle.

 

.................After waxing the car 1 time, it looks a year old..............

It may have been best if you pointed out the paint issues to the dealer before you waxed the car; would not give them any excuse to blame you for the blemishes in the paint....

 

My Barcellona Red still looks shiny and new when washed - no scratches or blemishes.

 

Winter/Magnetic Grey Metallic looking great after two years!

 

Pictures?

 

I would take it to the selling dealer. They made the money on the sale, the local dealer only gets paid if they perform a warranty service.

 

A while back I was sitting outside on a beautiful day when a van pulled into a dealer's lot and the dealer's guy came out and talked to the driver. Out came a spray gun and new cars suddenly started getting paint applied to fix transit chips.

I also bought a Chevy only to discover about 9 years later when rust appeared that it had been repaired and not disclosed but sold on to me as a new demo. This had to have been a major accident, not something trivial. When delivered, cosmetically perfect.

And it isn't uncommon to have repairs done at the distributors.

So don't assume it is the factory.

 

^^THIS^^...and...

My own investigation with my own vehicle, I have been told similar stories.

I was also told, that generally factory paint jobs are absolutely the best you can get, from the standpoint that they are done by robots as the vehicle is assembled.

The paint as described by the OP....factory or otherwise, doesn't sound acceptable to me.

I can only offer opinion based on the information the OP is providing. In the original post:

" At an angle, I can see 100's of small pits in the paint, "trash" underneath the clearcoat, a few burs/raised spots, rough non-smooth paint on certain areas of the bumpers, runs of paint in certain areas. I have never had a brand new car with such a bad paintjob."

I wouldn't be happy nor would that description meet my expectations for a brand new factory painted vehicle.​

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However...​

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" I'm only noticing this issue on the hood and only one spot on the roof, not the entire car except rough patches on the bumpers (which aren't visible to the eye). "

The follow up description sounds far less "Horrible".​

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To the OP? I wish you luck getting this resolved to your satisfaction. And I don't think your waxing the vehicle should have any impact in any evaluation. Waxing a vehicle is part of ownership and actually an action of finish protection. Unless you waxed it using sandpaper and a flame thrower, it really shouldn't be an issue.​

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Hey Shawn! I have a 2005 Prius. It was sold to us with two main sales pitches to put to rest our two biggest concerns- the battery has been improved so that it rarely needs replacement and the paint is a "Toyota quality paint" and as long as I take care of it it should last. So we bought the Prius over the Volkswagen passat and the honda we were looking at. To make a long story short, we had to replace the hybrid battery ($3500) last year and the paint on my vehicle looks like a horrible disease! I am fighting with local toyota and getting nowhere! Toyota does NOT stand behind their product. I have babied this car, waxing monthly! My inside looks brand new. I am sick about how horrible paint looks. I will never buy another toyota. Horrible customer service on top of a horrible product.

 

my '04 w/ 120,000 miles still looks like new and original battery.

 

we're on our eighth toyota in 12 years, all great paint jobs with zero issues. i would say you got a lemon. it happens. then again, when you buy an 8 year old car, you accept the risk/reward.

 

What was age and mileage when the battery went out?