Clear coat failing.....

Anyone else have their clear coat fail on the hoods of their truck? Mine is going and I've seen several 2nd-gen trucks with the same problem here in San Diego. I'd like to see how wide spread this is before I approach Toyota with it.

Thanks,

Ray

 

No problem with mine after 2 years here, in San Diego, but I think I've only washed it like 4 or 5 times since getting it and detailed once a year ago.

 

I have the same problem, but I am in Florida.

 

I hear about this a lot with tacomas. SC here. I have a first gen so way out of warranty or anything but mine is on my hood, passenger hood and roof

 

1st gen. But it's life was in California and Arizona. Have it on hood and roof. It's not toyotas fault, it's the owners for not taking care of it in the first place.

 

I see this on lots of cars in San Diego. Saw it when I lived in Phoenix, but not as much as here. I think that in addition to sun exposure, the dew that forms almost every night on these panels (roof and hood) helps to wear off the wax quicker and eventually the clear coat.

 

If you use a good quality sealer wax On your paint twice a year the clear coat wouldn't fail . On my 2002 Double cab I wax it frequently Plus wipe it down with detail spray and the paint looks awesome

Also using a quality clay bar product and cleaning the painted surface once a year will keep the clear coat from failing

 

I use exclusively Mothers waxes & polishes On my 02 Double cab and the paint looks brand new . I even use a Calif car duster to dust off the body panels

 

Ray, I live in Lakeside, just outside of San Diego. The sun is pretty harsh out here. My paint lasted 10 years on my 2005 Tacoma before the clear coat started to die. The roof, hood and top of the front fenders. The truck has never been garaged and I don't use any soap and water on it. I wipe it down a few times a week with Mcquires Final Touch Detailer.

 

Not my hood but it's been coming off the top of my flares. Drives me crazy to look at.

 

People can't seem to understand that you have to wax. The clear coat needs to be cared for just like anything else. I wax my '10 twice a year and it still looks new. I even live in the desert where the sun is brutal.

 

Same here my 2002 Double cab is 14 yrs old and the paint looks brand new . As I've mentioned previously in posts #7 & #8 I wax the paint and use all different detailing products

And I also live in the desert where it's parked outside and temps today are nearing 117 degrees

 

Although I do wax a couple of times a year, I truely believe that the sun bakes that shit off of there fairly quickly. Especially in this sun down here in Florida. I have an 08 in silver, and just recently noticed that my paint / clear coat on my roof right above the windshield is failing. And, it looks like it is starting at the upper portion of my hood also. Not happy, but then again, being built in 07, I'm basically sitting in a 10 year old vehicle.

 

If you care for your vehicle properly, the wax will not wear off just due to sun exposure.
Many people tend not to take care of their paint just because they don't know how. It's important to know how to wax, which wax to use, and then what to do between waxes that don't strip the wax. For example, don't take your car through automatic washes. Their detergents just strip all the wax off. Use wax safe car soap and do it by hand. Use a detail spray between washes to help maintain a good layer of wax.

If you are doing things that strip your wax and you don't wish to change those behaviors, then just wax more often. A good liquid carnuba wax is actually fairly easy to put on and won't be too much of an additional hassel to put on a few times a year. Just make sure you clay bar before waxing. Not doing so = scratches and swirls which = faster oxidation.

 

I have plain black so luckily no clear cloat, but I have seen a cpl Black Sand Pearls around my neighborhood that look atrocious. One a 1st Gen, the other a 2nd Gen. Clear coat is shot on both of them.

 

Damn I wax sun facing panels on my truck like once every two months. Is that overkill?

 

Ray, what do you think Toyota's going to do about failing clear coat on a 7 year old truck? If it was only a couple of years old and still under warranty, maybe. But I think what most responders have said is right on...sun and extreme heat are killers on paint jobs, and if we, as owners, are not proactive in taking care of our trucks you're seeing firsthand what the result will be. Toyota is no worse, and may even be better than a lot of manufacturers in the quality and longevity of their paint jobs.

 

Not exactly. It is better to be safe than sorry. Also, if you're using a natural carnuba wax, there is a good chance it doesn't last a full two months. I use a long lasting synthetic sealant every two months on the entire truck.

 

On a 2009? 7 years old?

Here's Toyota's answer.

Well, they may be nice to your face, but that will be the response after you are gone.