Dull paint on fender flares - normal or ?

I have a 2011 DC in Speedway Blue. The fender flares have an obviously different level of paint sheen.

I searched (probably not very good at it) and found the following post on the topic.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/21870-tacoma-paint-orangepeel.html

The answer in the post above (for those who don't want to click) is that it's deliberately dull as a form of paint protection against rock chips on the highway. I think Toyota typically puts that clear vinyl stuff over places they think will get rock chips, and I don't think the top of a fender flare is a big risk area. So without further data I don't know if I should believe this is normal (as responded to above) or ???

I also found an old TSB (2005?) that had dealers do a light sand and re-clear.

Before I go into battle with my dealer, am I expecting too much for the fender flares to match the hood/sides (in shine, the color is perfect)? Do your fender flares (for those color-matched) differ in sheen/shine from the body?

 

Normal due to the porous plastic that's underneath.

 

One of the reasons I was glad to find one of the rare PreRunner Tacomas with a TRD OR Package with stock unpainted flares.

The painted Tupperware looks like an after market bad paint job. Have not seen an exception yet, From an asthetic standpoing and being a truck the plain jane Tupperware looks more brawny as well.

If I was buying new I would buy the Pre Runner base with the unpainted flares and build it from there...I hate the color matched everything. Looks like a "Limited" edition which is fine for 4 Runners but not on trucks for me anyway.

 

I have 2010 OR and they came unpainted. But after I hit a deer and rippedd one off. The dealer said they couldn't color match so I had them paint all the dull ones to match. Which worked out for me since I was gonna have them done sometime out of pocket.

 

Thanks all... I don't accept that they should be "dull" compared to sheet metal since bumpers have managed a decent sheen for years now, but I will forgo my 50 mile trip to the dealer to complain. I assume they would turn me down, and show me every other color-matched Tacoma on the lot as their reason why.

 

TSB (BO003-05) Hated the overspray look all trucks had in the area and found this. My fenders look great now...

 

Go in and get them painted as I did for free if your still under the 3yr/36,000mile

 

I'm in the under 2 months, 2k mile club so no danger there.

I guess I will make a trip. Toyota, and this dealer have been good to me before. I blew up a transaxle out of warranty, with help of service manager got the job done for labor only (and they threw in new clutch, throw-out, motor mounts, etc.).

 

My red one had a different shade of color and orange peel on the fender flares, my silver matches the body perfectly and no orange peel.

 

The silver does not stand out like the darker colors like red, or my green. But yours may have been painted right to begin with...

 

Yeah, the darker colors are very noticable. Mine was assembled at the new plant in Texas, not sure if that would make a difference.