Calling Los Angeles-based car shoppers: Have you recently traded in (or plan to trade in) a car with negative equity (i.e. the amount you owe on your auto loan is greater than the car's value)? A reporter would like to speak with you; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 11/6 for details.

2013 Toyota Sienna Paint Issues

toyotafan22toyotafan22 Member Posts: 1
edited December 2013 in Toyota
We have a white, 2013 Toyota Sienna that is about five months old. There are pinhead size rust colored spots covering much of the exterior paint that we have not been able to wash off.

It appears to be rust, wondering if anyone else experienced this issue or other paint problems?

Comments

  • ronsenseironsensei Member Posts: 1
    I have a silver 2012 Sienna. I don't have any rust problems, but I do have lots of other paint problems. Seems like anytime ANYTHING rubs against the car I get a scratch. Softer items leave a small scratch, while metallic items leave HUGE scratches. It doesn't have to rub hard: just contact seems to be necessary. I wish Toyota used better paint; it's really my only complaint, but it's a major pain.
  • landsmasherlandsmasher Member Posts: 1
    I looked at a new 2014 Toyota Sequoia; dealer inventory priced at $70,000 on 10/5/13. The Black paint was terribly alligatored. It looked like an orange peel- reflection was all distorted and wavy in the sunlight. I don't know how it got through quality inspection!! Other dealer inventory was almost as bad and it appears the factory buffed the day lights out the finish to mitigate the horrible finish work. Not at all impressed...
  • topsy1topsy1 Member Posts: 2
    My partner purchased a new 2013 Toyota Camry in August. After getting it home and examining it carefully, we noticed small spots on various parts of the exterior--hood, trunk, top, sides, etc. Our salesman didn't want to see it and gave us the run-around. After I contacted Dave Fernelius the owner of Fernelius Toyota in Cheboygan, MI, I took the car back and they admitted something wasn't quite right with the paint job and called in a Toyota rep. The vehicle was microscopically examined and the verdict was the paint had crystallized. At this point, Toyota California is deciding what to do.

    We were disappointed that our salesman, although very knowledgeable about selling techniques, had very poor follow-up. If I hadn't pursued this by numerous e-mails and telephone calls, I'm sure nothing would have been done, and we eventually would be having the same "rust" problems some of you have mentioned. The first thing the sales manager said when he looked at the car was to suggest we had parked it under pine trees. The Camry had been parked in a garage and driven only twice. It had fewer than 200 miles on it.

    If you see little spots on your new Toyota vehicle, contact your dealership and don't give up until they recognize the problem and do something about it. We're still waiting to hear what the final outcome will be.
  • jwcrossjwcross Member Posts: 1
    I also have pin head size rust spots on my garage kept 2013 white sienna XLE AWD I've leased. I noticed them last fall and didn't say anything. I'm scheduled for a detail cleaning this week and I'll mention it. What ever happened in your case?
  • damikeydamikey Member Posts: 1

    What rust you are seeing on the paint is not from the vehicle rusting itself but rather from very small pieces of road debris that has embedded itself into the surface paint. What you need to do is "clay bar" your paint, which is essentially having it detailed. The clay bar pulls out the surface debris and cleans the paint.

    The surface rust you see has nothing to do with your Sienna and happens to all vehicles. It just happens to be very noticable on white paint.

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454

    Sounds like it could be rail dust to me. And yeah, a clay bar would help a lot, followed by a "neutralizing wash". We have forum posts about this problem going back to the early 2000s.

    Rail Dust

  • cobfab37xyoocobfab37xyoo Member Posts: 1
    We bought Toyota for two generations now, and we are the last in our family to do so. The quality of Toyota's automobile is not there anymore. That's a shame! I own a 2012 Sienna SE, and from day one I experienced issues of all sort and still do. When folded to sitting position, the seat of the passenger left side (second row) wiggles. The Toyota manager removed the seat and sent it to the company that supplies Toyota with this seats. Nothing could have been done to fix it. During winter time when driving at low speed, there is strange vibration underneath the car. Brought the car back to Toyota, but nothing had been done to fix it. Now the car has crack and rust issues on both front doors . Still waiting for Toyota to take a look on this last issue.
    Think twice buyers if you are about to invest your money in a Toyota!
Sign In or Register to comment.