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2003 Tacoma Paint Chips

rlafaverrlafaver Member Posts: 70
edited March 2014 in Toyota
My 2003 Tacoma is about 3 months old. Chips are starting to appear in the paint, particularly along the driver side both high and low. There are no dents, and I have not heard gravel or sand hitting the side. Several have shown up in the past week, and I have not been on the highway during that time. Look at the picture http://www.rslafaver.com/chips.jpg
In all there are perhaps 10 or 12 of these little chip areas, and at least 3 are new in the past week. How poor is this paint? I invite comments and suggestions. As of now I am planning to take a day off without pay next week so I can get it to a dealer.
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Comments

  • sonjaabsonjaab Member Posts: 1,057
    You are not the only one with paint problems on
    a Toyota. Check out http://tundrasolutions.com
    Lots of unhappy folks in the same boat over there.
    Complain to dealer !! Print out some the other
    owners complaints to show the dealer if they think
    your nuts!....Good luck..............geo
  • saddaddysaddaddy Member Posts: 566
    What color is your truck?
  • rlafaverrlafaver Member Posts: 70
    Check the link in my first post for a small picture. The truck is red metalic.
  • moparbadmoparbad Member Posts: 3,870
    I have a 2003 Tacoma with no paint problems.
    Also I know that the durability of paint on Toyota vehicles has been very good in the past. Not sure how good the current paint is, but I don't have any problems yet.
  • buffalonickelbuffalonickel Member Posts: 113
    When I took delivery of my '03 Tacoma in January my green paint had chips out around the front of the rear wheel wells on both sides. It looks like it was sandblasted. Those chips are down to the grey primer, and mine are more dense than yours. It really looks like someone went down to the beach and "floored" it in reverse. My concern is that if it were left, the paint will continue flake off.

    The dealer apologized profusely and asked what I wanted to do. We agreed to turn it over to a body shop and have them repaint it. I will even get a free loaner while it's in the shop. The bill will go to Toyota.

    Tell your dealer that one dealer is already repainting a truck and if you want to, I can e-mail the guy myself. Hey, neither one of us paid for this.

    B
  • rlafaverrlafaver Member Posts: 70
    The dealer offered to pay to repaint mine if the body shop will swear the paint is defective. Even though there are a couple of perfectly round chips in the bunch, the body shop guy wants to see more damage before he will do that, so I have to wait. I'm afraid to touch up the chips because I need them for evidence, but if I don't, water will get under the paint. Then if they never make good on repainting, where am I?
    They tell me there is no primer on new vehicles. The metal is treated and the paint goes right on top. I know one thing. Paint jumps off my Tacoma like water off hot grease. I have yet to hear anything strike the body while driving, yet the chips just keep on coming. Tomorrow is wash day, and I dread it.
  • buffalonickelbuffalonickel Member Posts: 113
    How much more is "more?" And what kind of a dealer did you end up with? This sounds like a put off. And maybe they don't call the stuff primer...fine. Whatever it is IT ain't supposed to let the paint fail. Mine shipped that way.

    I wouldn't paint over it.
    Just wax it and watch it. But I think these guys are playing games. That's a good way to lose customers. I didn' realize business was THAT good!

    B
  • rlafaverrlafaver Member Posts: 70
    I don't know. However, I think I will take it back often. The dealer didn't give me anything to verify I was there, but I called the 800 number and got a case number on record. I will just keep it up until the matter is resolved. Apparently you have to have the same skepticism with Toyota that you would have with any other brand dealer.
  • sonjaabsonjaab Member Posts: 1,057
    Did you check tundrasolutions? Have that dealer
    put it on a repair invoice ASAP ! The dealer
     seems to have a denial problem. Bummer.......
  • buffalonickelbuffalonickel Member Posts: 113
    To add to the Taco paint chips being repainted this month, mothernature decided that I shouldn't have a 2003 Taco without some new dents. Hail.

    $1500 damage. Good news: they are going to massage the bumps out. The adjuster stated that all of them should be gone. Body shop stated the paint chips are no problem....So maybe after owning this truck for 5 months, I might finally get what I paid for? What a pain.

    B
  • rlafaverrlafaver Member Posts: 70
    That might be the solution. Maybe I should spend a vacation in tornado alley.
  • buffalonickelbuffalonickel Member Posts: 113
    The body shop is going to lightly sand the bed where the paint chips are and then paint over the green paint. This way they don't sand the original factory paint off the truck. Then the entire outside left and right side of the bed gets a clearcoat. Bedliner comes out, tail lamp removed, and the bumper is off. Toyota gets the bill.

    Hail bumps are massaged out.

    Cool.

    B
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