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Toyota Corolla Paint Problems

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Comments

  • raynakayraynakay Member Posts: 22
    My windshield has chips in it too.
  • raynakayraynakay Member Posts: 22
    I think the more information we share with one another the better chance we have of
    getting not only Toyota but all the car companies to realize that we are getting an undeserved poor quality paint job on our new and expensive cars. I say go ahead and share what you have with all of us.
  • raynakayraynakay Member Posts: 22
    Are there any personal property attorneys out there that think they can take this on? We as consumers are asking for your help. I know I brought my paint problem to Toyota before my factory warranty was up and they did not honor it.
  • raynakayraynakay Member Posts: 22
    I would like to know what area of the USA you and all the others are from. I purchased my Corolla in St. Louis in Jan of 07. I have owned new vehicals before and the new Chevy vehicals I've purchased in Nashville Tn within the past 10 years have never had a paint chip in one of them.
    I started noticing tiny scratches in the
    clear coat of my Toyota immediately and I noticed the first chiplike in the fender within the first month I owned the car. I then started noticing more and more paint chips on the hood as each month went by. I took my car to the dealer with several paint chips on the hood before my 36 thousand mile warranty was up. I now have chips on the hood, the fenders and doors. I have been applying touch up paint that I purchased at one of the dealerships.
  • white3white3 Member Posts: 29
    I live in Ohio.
  • grlady2908grlady2908 Member Posts: 5
    I'm in Texas. The first dealership I went to said bird droppings were causing the paint chips. Which is impossible because of some of the locations that the chips are in. I went to a different dealership and they said i must have been driving behind a truck that was hauling acid. LOL!
  • raynakayraynakay Member Posts: 22
    What Dealership and what state?
  • raynakayraynakay Member Posts: 22
    The thing is, the least little thing will take the paint off the car. You may not have any chips now, but give it a little time. It wouldn't suprise me if the wind starts taking the paint off.
  • raynakayraynakay Member Posts: 22
    I went into an attorneys office yesterday with some questions and I was advised to try contacting the attorney general so I did email the AG and I did get an email response that seems hopeful. I'm going to move forward with what they are advising and hopefully it will make a difference. Maybe you all should try the attorney general in your state.
  • terceltomterceltom Member Posts: 1,024
    I'm convinced a few of you new Corolla owners might either have a few individual cars with bad paint jobs or else you might be subjecting your cars to a harsh environment or maybe too close of driving conditions or some other road hazards. I truly doubt that this is a problem with ALL new Corollas. Otherwise this forum would be swarming with post from other owners having the same problem as well. If the paint was a manufacturing defect there would be many more complaints then what we are seeing here. Do you realize how many new 2009 Corollas have been sold and are on the road and there is only 60 posts on this problem? And most of these posts are from the same few people but multiple times. But for the few of you who are having bad luck with their paint jobs I do hope it all works out for all of you.
    I had my 2009 Barcelona Red Corolla XLE a month and the paint is still as good as new with daily city/highway driving.
  • white3white3 Member Posts: 29
    Thanks for that information.
  • slowlearner1slowlearner1 Member Posts: 35
    I have lived in the same town 35 years and have driven the same roads under simular conditions. I always get chips, but don't complain because its expected. This is different. The car had a chip before I drove it off the lot. The chips are not round like I've seen when a rock hits, but more like slivers...long narrow cracks.

    I haven't seen any more in the past month or so and if it doesn't get worse, I won't compain. I just want my car to hold up as well as all the other cars I've driven here for 35 years. I think thats reasonable.

    I own 2 other Toyotas which do not display this problem and have been on the road a total of 18 years.
  • terceltomterceltom Member Posts: 1,024
    Your not the only one but it seems like there are only about seven of you having these paint problems on your new Corollas that are posting on this forum. Out of approx. 750,000 model 2009 Corollas sold to date that's not too shabby. I would say most other car manufacturers can not boost customer satisfaction records like that on their paint.
  • raynakayraynakay Member Posts: 22
    Hi Terceltom
    What exactly is your relationship to the Toyota company and if your not having any
    problems with your paint on your Toyota vehical then why are you on this forum for consumers with Toyota paint problems?
  • raynakayraynakay Member Posts: 22
    I don't think a chip in the paint on my automobile looks great at all, not to mention that now that the cheap paint is chipping my car is more susceptible to rust.
  • grlady2908grlady2908 Member Posts: 5
    wow you took the words right out of my mouth
  • terceltomterceltom Member Posts: 1,024
    I enjoy being an informed Toyota owner and subscribe to all Toyota forums as I own four Toyotas of my own, that's why I'm on this forum. I've been a subscriber since the inception of Edmunds.com Townhall forums and most likely have been a subscriber long before you, so please don't question my entitlement.

    As I stated in a previous message I feel sorry for you Toyota owners that are having paint trouble and hope you all get it worked out to your satisfaction. I know how angry I would feel if this same situation happened to me. But I have to question unrealistic expectataions from you to Toyota to issue a recall of 2009 Corollas or settle in some class action law suit when their are so very, very few of you that are having this issue. Perhaps a new paint job might be a more reasonable and more realistic request from Toyota?
  • raynakayraynakay Member Posts: 22
    I do appreciate your response to my questions. I've asked both the dealers and the Toyota rep for my car to be repainted but they will not even take responsibility for the paint being a problem. They have blamed it on everything except their environmentally friendly paint. I did file with the Attorney General here in Missouri and I'm waiting for a reply. Their last email told me that they were going to maybe contact Toyota and ask for an explanation. The most disappointing thing for me is
    that this is my first Toyota and I bought it based on all I've heard about how
    great of a car it is but now I've experienced the car and their company first hand.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    grlady2908 - please check your email.
  • mjfpilotmjfpilot Member Posts: 9
    My white corolla is 3 months old and my daughter drove it on a recently paved road. Of course a little tar stuck to the bottom panels. I started to take it off with "goof off" but stopped after brown spots appeared under the removed tar spots. I then tried a few other tar removers all with the same result. I also used my fingernail and rubbing compound. Tried to buff the spots out with compound...no luck. The paint does not seem to be etched. Took it to my dealer and he tried to remove the tar spots with similar results. Their "body man" said all the lower panels would have to be removed, stripped, and repainted. Oh yea, this would all be on my own dime. They said the tar must not be "normal" tar because it wouldn't have stained the paint. I say B.S. !!! Has anybody else had any problems with staining of paint? The car actually looks better with the tar on it. I've owned white cars in the past and never had these problems before.

    Thanks,
    MJFPILOT
  • terceltomterceltom Member Posts: 1,024
    Cheap, simple resolution.

    If the car looks better with the tar on it, why in the world would you waste your time and money trying to remove it? Leave it on!!!!!!! You'll most likely have one of the only poka dotted cars on the road.
  • mjfpilotmjfpilot Member Posts: 9
    Wow,what a great answer...NEXT!
  • terceltomterceltom Member Posts: 1,024
    Didn't you say "the car looked much better with the tar on it"?
  • white3white3 Member Posts: 29
    See once again, Corolla's have bad paint jobs, there needs to be a repainting of corolla's this is not acceptable, we all paid alot for our cars - even if it is only a couple of cars, which I doubt! Hopefully, you have signed the petition on this web site.
  • white3white3 Member Posts: 29
    You would not say that if it was YOUR car!!
  • mjfpilotmjfpilot Member Posts: 9
    Yes, I did...but it still looks like cr@p either way. Totally unacceptable. It is normal to get a little tar on the lower panels of your car on occasion. It is also normal to be able to remove the tar without leaving the car with a bad case of the brown measles.
  • raynakayraynakay Member Posts: 22
    I didn't know there was a petition to sign. I would like to sign it. How do I find it?
  • terceltomterceltom Member Posts: 1,024
    It IS his car!
  • terceltomterceltom Member Posts: 1,024
    "Goof-Off" has the main ingredients of Xylene and 2-Ethanol, both can damage auto paint. In fact if you read the warning on the can of "Goof-Off" it clearly states "CAN DAMAGE AUTO PAINTS". I don't think I would have trusted this on my new cars paint. Also, rubbing compounds that contain abrasives, as most do, warn that they can damage the clear coat that is applied on top of your cars regular paint job. As I stated in an earlier email I would be willing to bet that most of these paint problems that are being posted here are are mostly due to abuse or an environmental concern and not the fault of the Toyota paint.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    >My white corolla is 3 months old and my daughter drove it on a recently paved road.

    Contact the political division responsible for the paved road where you may have picked up the tar splatter. Do not remove the rest of the tar. If possible get a sample of the tar used on the road paving. If responsible, there may be insurance help available from the contractor involved or the political division's paving crew may have coverage for claims.

    Start checking with local dealers or body shops in the area of the road paving to see if they've had other complaints.

    The chemical may be something in the paving material that permeats the clearcoat which Toyota has chosen to use. It's sort of like having your kid spill a Kool Aid drink in the plastic bottles with red coloring on your living room or car carpet. The color permeats the nylon fiber and does not come out. That's especially bad if not treated quickly and allowed to dry. In that case quick treatment with glycerol type product to soak up as much color as possible is the cure. In your case using kerosene or bug & tar remover by Turtle Wax or other companies quickly might have prevented the permeation and discoloration. I realize that most of us assume that tar comes off next weekend when we get time to wash the car; in your case this may have allowed it to chemically change the paint layer. That's backed up by the body shop's wanting to strip damaged paint and repaint.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • mjfpilotmjfpilot Member Posts: 9
    Terceltom wrote....

    "Goof-Off" has the main ingredients of Xylene and 2-Ethanol, both can damage auto paint. In fact if you read the warning on the can of "Goof-Off" it clearly states "CAN DAMAGE AUTO PAINTS". I don't think I would have trusted this on my new cars paint. Also, rubbing compounds that contain abrasives, as most do, warn that they can damage the clear coat that is applied on top of your cars regular paint job. As I stated in an earlier email I would be willing to bet that most of these paint problems that are being posted here are are mostly due to abuse or an environmental concern and not the fault of the Toyota paint.

    Terceltom,
    I know you believe Toyota can do no wrong and all of us owners are at fault. Needless to say, I think you're full of "fill in the blank". I tried goof off on a small portion, also gasoline,bug and tar remover,even scraped off a small piece with my fingernail,then soap and water. All with the same result. I also did this the very next day it happened, so it didn't have much time to set. The car is 3 months old so we keep it clean. I took it to the Toyota dealership and they tried to take it off with the exact same result as I had.
  • terceltomterceltom Member Posts: 1,024
    Believe me, I feel for you, but why is it Toyota's fault that your daughter accidently got tar on your new car and now you can't get it off ? I can see you using this forum as a tool to seek help with your problem to remove it, but it seems to me that many that have something unfortunate happen to their new Corolla paint come here to post looking for a scapegoat. I fully comprehend that the Toyota dealership could also not remove it, but again, does this make it their fault ? As an earlier reader posted, perhaps your automobile insurance company would be a good possibility to help with your problem. Do you have "comprehensive" coverage?
  • mjfpilotmjfpilot Member Posts: 9
    Terceltom,

    Again by your posts you don't understand the problem. If you reread my posts you will find that the tar comes off quite easily. However, underneath all those little flecks of tar is a brown stain in the paint. It is not etched in. My contention is that everyone gets tar on their car occasionally because they drive on asphalt covered roads. I have owned over a dozen cars in my lifetime with 2 of them being white. All of them got tar from freshly paved roads on them, and all of them came clean without them looking like someone spit chewing tobacco on them. This leaves me to believe that Toyota's white paint is cr@p, and therefore, it is their fault.
  • kenymkenym Member Posts: 405
    I tried goof off on a small portion, also gasoline,bug and tar remover,even scraped off a small piece with my fingernail,then soap and water. All with the same result.

    Either goof off but especially gasoline would not only damage the clear coat covering but would also remove the paint. If you told the dealer you used these products on the car. I am sure that is why he said it will be on your dime to repaint the damaged area. :sick:
  • mjfpilotmjfpilot Member Posts: 9
    Does anybody even read what I write? I've tried multiple products on several SMALL spots and none of them have taken off the tar WITHOUT leaving little brown spots. I took the car into the dealer and the paint and body guy used HIS stuff and guess what? Brown Spots!!!! He then told me..." This must be "special" tar because "normal" tar would not have done this. Oh, and by the way, we don't cover this!" By the way Kenym, have you ever gotten a few drops of "GASOLINE" on your car when you filled it up? Paint on cars should be good enough to handle a little tar because we "drive" on asphalt and should be able to handle a few drops of gasoline because...why? We fill our tanks with...you guessed it...GASOLINE!!!
  • mnfmnf Member Posts: 405
    Have you tried a car cleaner wax ?

    Good Luck

    MNF
  • mjfpilotmjfpilot Member Posts: 9
    No, but I'll try it. It can't hurt. I was hoping when I came to this web-site that someone else had a similar problem. I found another forum where someone with a new white corolla discovered some small brown stains on his car after washing it. He had no idea how they got there...he included a picture. I knew exactly what they were since they looked like mine. Unfortunately it was a pay site, so I could only read and not post. Nobody has given him any help so far and he still can't get the stains off. He's tried just about everything, too.
  • terceltomterceltom Member Posts: 1,024
    Gotcha ! Yea, sounds like a big problem. Maybe no clear coat on the lower panels? Tar would not have permeated the clear coat. Feel for ya, but still don't see Toyota paying for your daughter's unfortunate circumstance. Again I repeat, sounds like an insurance claim. If I was attracting tar like a magnet on all twelve vehicles you owned in the past like you say you do, then I would have started buying black cars along time ago. Good Luck !
  • slowlearner1slowlearner1 Member Posts: 35
    Please understand. I am not comparing my Toyota to some perfect car. I am comparing it to 35 years of car ownership. I have owned many Toyotas and own 3 right now. If I were to get tar on my 09 Corolla, I would expect it to come off in the same way it has on all the others. I expect chips, but not at a much higher rate than I expect from my experience of driving in the same town 35 years. And I wouldn't expect people to have to buy a black car when they have been able to own white ones without problems in the past.
  • mjfpilotmjfpilot Member Posts: 9
    Terceltom,
    The daughter wanted a white corolla. My vote was for the black mazda 3. It drove a lot better, had more zip, while I thought the Toyota drove like a Granny's car. In the end the wife and daughter prevailed over the ever-smart, skirt-wearing
    dad.
    King of the castle but not the home,
    Mike
  • grlady2908grlady2908 Member Posts: 5
    haha I tried on many occasions to have them simply repair (repaint) my vehicle, and they refuse. I like, almost love, the car except for this issue, and they insultingly unwilling to help.
  • kenymkenym Member Posts: 405
    Those little brown spots you keep referring to is probably the primer showing through the paint not a special type of tar. ( Try another body repair shop ) . And by the way rubbing a panel with a gasoline soaked cloth is a LOT different than spilling gas on the panel when you fill up, and if or when this does happen you are suppose to wash it off. ( use the squeegee used for the windshield ). :shades:
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    >rubbing a panel with a gasoline soaked cloth is a LOT different than spilling gas

    How? It's gasoline on clearcoat which is supposed to be exceedingly resistant to permeation.

    >use the squeegee used for the windshield

    That is not good. I quit using gas station squeegees because of people doing that. it leaves an oil smear on the windshield you clean with the water and the squeegee. It may not be apparent when doing the windshield but it will be when it starts to rain and the windshield will only smear.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • kenymkenym Member Posts: 405
    rubbing a panel with a gasoline soaked cloth is a LOT different than spilling gas
    How? It's gasoline on clearcoat which is supposed to be exceedingly resistant to permeation.


    Same way as if you get paint on your hands. Spill a little gas on your hands and it doesn't do much. However if you rub your hands with a rag with gas on it the paint is removed. Like you said it is still gasoline isn't it? I totally agree with you on not using the squeegee on your windshield. However that wasn't my point. I was just pointing out one way to get the gasoline off the paint.
  • terceltomterceltom Member Posts: 1,024
    No I wouldn't want all black cars either but you gotta admit if he's attracting tar on twelve cars he has owned black would be a great idea. Look at all of the hassle he would have saved.
  • white3white3 Member Posts: 29
    I have a corolla 09 less than 2 months now with 6 chips on it. Yes, it is ridiculous that when you go to remove tar the paint is coming off - Toyota should be giving us a new paint job. What happening to that class action suit that at least 60 people up on. That is not normal to have a new car and have paint come off - me 96 corolla white never had and still does not have that problem, and I have taken tar off of it for years. What is happening with the class action lawsuit??
  • white3white3 Member Posts: 29
    What has happened with the petition we signed on this web site???
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    I'm sorry but according to the terms of the Membership Agreement, solicitations for petition signatures cannot be supported here.

    You can post relevant material on your CarSpace page if you'd like.
  • terceltomterceltom Member Posts: 1,024
    I have a new "09" Corolla two months now and the paint is still "cherry". Wonder why some are having problems? Could it be the color? My car is Barcelona Red.
  • bee44bee44 Member Posts: 1
    Hi Everyone :)

    I have a 2007 corolla. Since I have bought it the paint chipping has been peeing me off. It has even caused fighting in the house because checking for chips has become routine and when I always find new ones it gets my blood boiling. My hubby says "are you looking for chips again" and I say, wish I wasn't. Between fixing the chips when there is the least amount of moisture in the air, wait time for another coat, and wait time to paint a clear coat, I would way rather be cleaning the toiet!!!

    I thought it was just me finding this frusterating. I even put on a hood deflector and have had a nice big chip on the hood since. It has been very upsetting spending so much on a new car, only to have it feeling old fast. Not to mention, resale value.

    Bee
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