Paint Issues - Chipping, Scratches, Etc

I'm not sure of paint thickness, but it seems thin to me.

I got a scratch from a family member's stroller that went past my driver's door. It didn't seem to be violent but I got a 4 inch scratch from 1 to 2 mm wide. It basically took all the paint up. It wasn't just a slight scratch, more like a gouge.

 

Too bad we don't have a Toyota employee who works at a Tacoma manufacturing plant that can provide some insight on this forum.

I would have a hundred questions such as "have you noticed quality control issues?, or Is management cutting corners to save money or time?"

And of course the million dollar question: What the hell is up with the crappy paint on the 2nd Gen Tacoma's?

 

Where was your Taco built ? Mine was built in mexico and my paint is pretty tough. I know i got hit with a few rocks on the highway and I have yet to even get 1 chip ( knock on wood ) in my first 4k miles.

 

Geez folks, I am getting more and more apprehensive about my new 09' I am picking up August 10th. Between the tick, the rear leafs, the paint, and how easily the Sport seats stain, I am starting to wonder if I have chosen wrongly!

 

Natural feelings...but I love my taco...wait I'm in love with my taco

 

Your are right to be worried. I bought my new 09 Dbl Cab Taco because my old 99 Taco was tough as bullets. I would have been happier keeping my old reliable Taco. I am actually looking forward to buying an old Gen 1 Taco when I move back to Texas in about 40 days.

They just don't make them like they used to. If you don't believe me you should ask anyone else on here who has owned a Gen 1 and Gen 2 truck.
You may just be better off buying an older truck or going with a different company.

 

I actually wrecked the front end of mine a few months ago and had to get a new bumper and grille. You can really see a difference between the factory paint and the paint from a Toyota collision center. All the rad reds I have seen seem to have very weak paint on the front bumper, but my new one shines almost better than the rest of the truck!

 

I currently own a first gen Runner, tough as well, but I need more room for future babies. I'm thinking mod #1 is 3M clear bra!
There's another company other than Toyota?!?

 

Mexico as well,

I was not commenting on how tough the paint is, at least not yet. My comment was about how poorly it is applied in relation to consistency. I do a lot of work in body shops, and I have heard more than once about how much trouble they have matching the poor quality factory paint. insurance repairs require a body shop to warranty the paint for as long as you own the vehicle, that could be twenty years plus.
The factory warranties paint for what, 36-50 months
And has the ability to play the "pass the buck" game.

 

The paint on our trucks is mostly basecoat/clearcoat - regardless of color. I have a radiant red taco and have already sanded my doors and tailgate with 2000 grit, and polished back to shine. It would have made the sandpaper and water red if it was single stage.



The clearcoat did not seem 'harder' then any other fully cured basecoat/clearcoat I have ever polished. If it was harder, I would have had a more difficult time polishing back it back to full gloss. Anyone who has polished fully cured Imron paint knows what I am talking about. I am happy with the quality of the basecoat/clearcoat panels.

Now I say that our trucks are mostly basecoat/clearcoat because on mine, the front bumper, painted fender flares, and painted door handles are not basecoat/clearcoat. Notice the semi-flat color and dry texture of the paint on your vehicle? I have noticed that the other taco's at my work have the same paint on these panels; it is not just mine. Look at how the fender flare turned my buffer pad red.



In fact, these panels are a lacquer technology. Going over them with a 50% isoprophol alcohol / 50% water solution removed some of the paint! And yes, if it was a single stage enamel, or basecoat/clearcoat, this would not have happened. There is no hardener in the paint used for these panels; the paint is lacquer technology and can be 'reflowed' by exposing it to solvent, and is something I can not believe is used on our vehicles.

 

I agree 100% on your sanding the clear coat proves that it is clear.

Now on the bumpers and flares having a single stage, I agree on this being possible. On it being a lacquer, I don't know I can agree with. Lacquer is known for being very brittle, it does not flex very well at all, and flex is exactly what these flexible urethane pieces need.

 

A few here but My truck is a car door and rock magnet!

I allready got like 4 new dents in just this last month alone from car doors. Freaking careless people...

 

I have never pulled off any color while polishing my truck's fenders. My white pad always stays white. That's a pretty aggressive pad you are using. Looks like wool on a dewalt rotary perhaps. Did you have some major defects? I only use a wool pad when I really need it. And I use a 4" wool only for defect removal. My paint is in good shape where I do no need to have a 6"+ wool pad attacking my clear.

I am just a owner who details as well on the side. I am no expert in anything other than my work field lol. But taking the color off the fender would worry me, unless it is truly single stage paint. If that is the case, then we would need to use special polishes no?

 

same here. i had a 99 i wished i wouldve kept.

i have chips all over my hood, & for some reason they are all over my tailgate on the white painted part.... how they got there i have no clue

i also found chips on the hood close to the grill area that are rusting all ready.

i have an extended warranty with almost 46k miles on it now. pretty sure i aint gonna get anything covered.

i did back in feb 08 get my hood repainted and the top of the cab replaced from a tree limb falling on it. dont know if they just repainted it shitty or what

 

Everyone seems to be having paint issues mostly with the hood and tailgate. I have not had any with my tailgate, but will check in the morning.

 

Picked up my new Tacoma TRD a couple of weeks ago. Had a rock chip in the windshield, scratch/chip above the tailgate handle, what appears to be a rust spot under the 3M on the hood that I had put on before I picked it up and lots of other scratches in the clear coat.
Now it has 600 miles, 1000 kms on it and the hood and roof have some pretty good scratches from birds! So far I'm not impressed.
It goes to the dealer tomorrow for a new windshield and to buff out the tailgate..... going to see if they will rip off the 3M and fix the hood while it's there.

 

Let me know how it goes and if the dealer gives you any trouble. Did you get the Pro Pack when you bought your truck?

 

I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary for a truck that's 2 years old and has 18,000 miles. I have a few spots I've repaired quick.

When I bought the truck - they had a front license plate on it and we made them fix the holes and respray the front bumper. Well....now, I'm wondering if this was a bad idea altogether. I have 3 spots that the paint came off the bumper down to the white plastic (or whatever the bumper is made of). It almost looks like it started bubbling/flaking off.

Perhaps the respray wasn't such a good idea. I gotta call them about this.

 

My '09 is plain white, and it is obvious that the paint on the fender trim is different than the metal body. It wasn't as shiny either, and the first time I took the truck in for an oil change (~3000 miles) I had the dealer detail it and buff out those fender flairs. The guy snagged the buffer on the edge of one and blistered up a pea-sized blob of paint that felt like freakin' latex paint to me. Not like any kind of enamel or lacquer IMO.

Anyhow, they didn't charge me for the detailing, re-painted the flare for free, and gave me a free bottle of touch-up paint, so I am reasonably happy with my dealer.

But WTF is up with that paint on the flares?

(Also: there's no option on this poll for "No problems with mine"--not that I would have picked that you understand, but it's not a valid poll without it.)

 

X2 Mine has attracted a lot of door dings in the last month. I park way out in the boondocks and people still manage to find me!