Yaris paint / finish looks poor - not holding up through the winter.

[chriswb]

Hey guys. My Yaris does not seem to be handling the winter well. Here's what I've noticed:

1. The paint is worn through in a few areas.
2. The car is rusting inside the flap that covers the gas tank hole.
3. There are scratches all over the side of the car from driving on the highway.
4. There are black streaks in the paint on the side of the car.

I purchased the car new five months ago and have put only 3000 miles on it. Most of those miles are highway miles. I am one of the slow, cautious drivers of the world so the car gets treated quite nicely. It's never been above 80 mph on the highway (average speed is 60-65mph). The car is parked in a private lot during the day. I try to baby the car since it's the first new car I've owned. The car was washed and waxed professionally right after I bought it.

Is this typical of the Yaris? I was visiting my family last week and every family member's car was in better shape than mine. It made me more than a little upset!

[DerFlosser]

Ironically enough...I gave mine a full detail today and it looks better now than the day I bought it. It's all about maintaining it like a fanatic. I do it to all of my cars by nature. A lot of people complain about the Yaris paint but mine has held up extremely well. I have 9,100 miles on my car and purchased it at the end of 2008 around Thanksgiving. Never bring it through car washes and only wash it by hand (often). My car could pass for being brand new if not for the mileage on the odometer.

[Kal-El]

You have environmental whack jobs to thank for that.

A main reason is that automakers must now use soft paint that is deemed cleaner for the environment.

That said, I don't find the paint that bad. Mine has 70,000 miles and still looks new in the northeast.

[tomato]

Paint is thin. Common complaint. Keep it waxed :iono:

[chriswb]

Just to be clear - the car drives fine in the snow. I'm actually comfortable taking it out in the snow, whereas I would never have driven in the snow in my old BMW.

I've been driving in the snow, sleet, and etc. so that probably has something to do with it, but I still find the appearance disappointing. The rust is what caused me to post here. Rust on a five month old car? When I take it in for the six month maintenance next month I'm going to complain about that for sure.

If it wasn't so expensive I'd get the entire car re-painted with a few coats, plus clear coats to make it nice and protected. Any paint studios in Indianapolis want to give me a nice discount?

Thanks for the comments, guys.

[cali yaris]

You have environmental whack jobs to thank for that.

You're welcome. :smile:

[devinlamothe]

You may have a crappy factory paint job. I've had my car since 2006, and gone through 3 winters with lots of salt/sand/etc and I've had no rust, streaks or anything.

[advocate]

Paint is thin. Common complaint. Keep it waxed :iono:

At the risk of saying exactly what Tomato said but with more words I'll just quote.

[Hershey]

this paint / clearcoat does chip , scratch , and get swirls in it easy . I've had to use touch up paint from TOYOTA on the YARIS we have ( '08 sedan ) . The rocker panels are very prone to chipping from gravel , road salt , etc.. Looking into use of SCOTCH GUARD film ( clear / colored ) for the rocker panels . The mud guards do help some . Only use front mud guards for L.B. and all four on sedan . Very easy install for fronts . Rears little tricky . Especially for the L.B..

[DerFlosser]

You know....I totally missed the part about the rust. That is not at all acceptable. I would actually bring it in now for that. Rust on a 5 month old car...def something not right.

[Kal-El]

The warranty covers rust. Definitely bring it the dealer.

[chriswb]

Disappointing! I guess I have to be resigned to accept that my car will look unkept even if I treat it with care.

Honestly, I wish I hadn't purchased a Toyota. The Yaris' mechanics are well-designed and the contour of the hatchback makes it visually appealing. That being said, I have had nothing but bad experiences with Toyota since buying the car.

1. The dealership was bad from the start. I should have bought the car elsewhere. My family's never been treated so poorly by a dealership.

2. The dealership lost my plates. I had to call everyone up the chain to the licensing manager (who was never there when I called) before they finally found the plates at the cashier's desk. They had been sitting there for a month.

3. The dealership wrote the wrong owner on the title. When I asked about this they said I could change it by calling Toyota Financial. I called Toyota financial and they flat out refused to change it, even if I paid off the car. Consequentially I don't get the benefit of having the loan on my credit report which was the only reason I financed the car rather than purchasing it outright. I could pay the car off and transfer the title to myself, but that seems like a waste of money since the car has 0% financing.

4. The paint. I can just imagine the hassle I'm going to have to go through at the dealership to get them to fix the rusting.

I should have bought a used Honda or even a non-Japanese car. It would be worth it to have a less reliable car if the customer service behind the car was better. My hubris caused me to purchase a new car, and I don't even get the benefit of having the car look good.

[chriswb]

You know....I totally missed the part about the rust. That is not at all acceptable. I would actually bring it in now for that. Rust on a 5 month old car...def something not right.
The warranty covers rust. Definitely bring it the dealer.
Thanks, guys. I'm going to bring it to a different Toyota dealership.

[tomato]

Disappointing! I guess I have to be resigned to accept that my car will look unkept even if I treat it with care.

Honestly, I wish I hadn't purchased a Toyota. The Yaris' mechanics are well-designed and the contour of the hatchback makes it visually appealing. That being said, I have had nothing but bad experiences with Toyota since buying the car.

1. The dealership ...

2. The dealership ...

3. The dealership ...

4. .... I can just imagine the hassle I'm going to have to go through at the dealership to get them to fix the rusting.

See, all your complaints are about the dealership. You can't honestly blame Toyota because you did business with the wrong dealership.

Honestly, I went to 2 Toyota dealerships before I bought my Yaris. The first one had the Yaris I wanted, color and all, but the guy was a a jerk and I got a bad feeling right from the get go, so I walked . I forget what was wrong with the second Toyota dealership. Attitude, I think.

Also went to a Honda dealership near me, negative experience as well, I walked. I wanted that FIT so much I could taste it, but you got be able to trust the guy you're doing business somewhat. Plus it was expensive.

Finally, I found my Yaris 50 miles from where I live, out in the country, and had a decent transaction there.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't blame Toyota. Toyota makes good cars, everyone knows that. Keep in mind that the Yaris is their entry level car, doesn't have the luxury of higher end models, yes the paint is thin, but it's a good value. :iono:



I should have bought a used Honda or even a non-Japanese car.
... It would be worth it to have a less reliable car if the customer service behind the car was better. My hubris caused me to purchase a new car, and I don't even get the benefit of having the car look good.

:eyebulge::eyebulge: perish the tought!!!

I would give the dealership a ration of you-know-what about the rust. I agree with you, a 6 months old car should NOT have rust.

[Hershey]

we had rust form on a '03 MATRIX few years into ownership . Rust developed around driver side rear door handle and on part of the hatch door .

[DerFlosser]

...The dealership wrote the wrong owner on the title. When I asked about this they said I could change it by calling Toyota Financial. I called Toyota financial and they flat out refused to change it, even if I paid off the car. Consequentially I don't get the benefit of having the loan on my credit report which was the only reason I financed the car rather than purchasing it outright. I could pay the car off and transfer the title to myself, but that seems like a waste of money since the car has 0% financing...



I would be all over somebody's ASS for this. Totally unacceptable. Have you contacted your lawyer or a lawyer?

[Hershey]

we've had spats and got attitude with many TOYOTA dealers ( salespeople ) and service centers . Not as bad as HONDA dealers . Found PONTIAC dealers to have worse attitude . May be part of reason why they're kapoot :biggrin: .

[supmet]

I know how you guys feel about winter.. these 75 degree highs all week are killer

My 3 year old paint with 80,000 miles looks new except for a shopping cart ding or two.

[chriswb]

See, all your complaints are about the dealership. You can't honestly blame Toyota because you did business with the wrong dealership.

Honestly, I went to 2 Toyota dealerships before I bought my Yaris. The first one had the Yaris I wanted, color and all, but the guy was a a jerk and I got a bad feeling right from the get go, so I walked . I forget what was wrong with the second Toyota dealership. Attitude, I think.You're right. Most of the problems were with the dealership. I should have gone to a different dealer. This was my first experience buying a new car. The blame falls clearly on my inexperience.

:eyebulge::eyebulge: perish the tought!!!

I would give the dealership a ration of you-know-what about the rust. I agree with you, a 6 months old car should NOT have rust.Darn tootin'! I want my car to look pristine.

I would be all over somebody's ASS for this. Totally unacceptable. Have you contacted your lawyer or a lawyer?The title is in my father's name. We both signed the various papers the dealership presented since he was a joint-owner on the trade-in, but the dealership decided to put him on the loan. They did this despite the fact that we live in different states, I put the downpayment on the car, and I am paying for the car. I did contact Toyota Financial and they won't help.

we had rust form on a '03 MATRIX few years into ownership . Rust developed around driver side rear door handle and on part of the hatch door .I'll check the doors, handles, and etc. for rust tomorrow morning.

[YAR1S]

Clean it regularly.... its the only way to keep it new looking... mine does look as shiny as the day I bought it but as soon as It warms up its getting the ultimate detail makeover! Should look like new again.

[Kal-El]

You're right. Most of the problems were with the dealership. I should have gone to a different dealer. This was my first experience buying a new car. The blame falls clearly on my inexperience.


Yes, please don't blame Toyota. The dealer is a separate entity. Has nothing to do with the car obviously. And believe it or not, for the most part Toyota dealers are among the best. Many other brands have horrible dealers.

The Yaris is proven to be practically the most reliable car available. Problems are extremely rare. Yeah, the paint is thin, but so isn't most low end cars these days. Of course more premium cars have more layers of paint. It's only logical that every layer costs money. If Toyota added layers, we'd complain about a higher price tag.

The paint still seems more than adequate. Like I posted earlier, 70,000+ miles on mine, and still looks new (in New England). Plus, it's a dark color. Just the normal light scratches but I'm always impressed by the depth and shine of the Flint Mica.

[YarisSedan]

Find a good detailer he should be able to bring your finish back to the same quality it was you drove it off the lot.

[41magmag41]

You have environmental whack jobs to thank for that.

A main reason is that automakers must now use soft paint that is deemed cleaner for the environment.

That said, I don't find the paint that bad. Mine has 70,000 miles and still looks new in the northeast.


Ditto, I to have over 70K on my sedan and the only way I've been able to keep it looking decent is to wash and wax it regularly. I've also put a bra on it to keep the paint dings down.

[scape]

rust on a new car? have you ever rinsed the car down?

[BuildCode]

This has nothing to do with maintaining your paint (at this point...) - your car is so new that the conditions you are describing (worn through (!!!) and rust (!!!)) are just plain and simple defective paint job. Take it to a better dealer and get it fixed!

Good luck!

-From another Chicago area resident with a brand new 2009

[chriswb]

rust on a new car? have you ever rinsed the car down?Not during the winter. It's below freezing.

This has nothing to do with maintaining your paint (at this point...) - your car is so new that the conditions you are describing (worn through (!!!) and rust (!!!)) are just plain and simple defective paint job. Take it to a better dealer and get it fixed!

Good luck!

-From another Chicago area resident with a brand new 2009
Thanks! I'm going in this week to a different dealership.

[why?]

I agree with what has been said. Find a better dealer, and tell them your story, and highlight them the problems with your paint job.

I have 50,000 miles on my car, I don't really wash it, definately don't wax it. The paint job looks fine to me. I am in florida though, and moved here before the car could take a real winter up north.

A dealer should do something. Bad paint jobs happen from the factory. you just were the unlucky one.

Oh, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to at least talk to a lawyer about the financing thing. That might cause problems for you at some problem.

[IllusionX]

in winter is best not to wash the car, first because you will scratch the paint with all the crap thats on the car and rinsing it wont take off everything. and rinsing it will just add to the rusting. the dirt on the car actually protects it a bit from the the sand/salt and other stuff. I learned this the hard way the first winter i had my Yaris.

I've always washed my car in the winter. Maybe like once or twice a month. It's usually when it's really cold and the roads are dry.

So, i'd wash it and park it in the garage to dry. My wax is doing a good job at protecting my car. I don't like keeping the dirt on it for too long as the brake dust (or whatever metal-ish particles stay in the air) stick to the car and rust. So basically have to wash it off before it bonds to the clear coat.

[taracor]

Let's see, I've had my car since last may, wash it once a week, 2 weeks if I get lazy, wax every 1 to 2 months, everyone I know says I'm obsessed, but the car looks good so I don't mind.

[DevilGirl]

The title is in my father's name. We both signed the various papers the dealership presented since he was a joint-owner on the trade-in, but the dealership decided to put him on the loan. They did this despite the fact that we live in different states, I put the downpayment on the car, and I am paying for the car. I did contact Toyota Financial and they won't help.

By law, that would be correct. (At least in PA, it can vary state to state, but for the most part, that's how it is.)

Example:

My boyfriend bought a new VW TDI under the Cash for Clunkers program. The vehicle that was traded in was his mom's Jeep Grand Cherokee (they had twins, but her's was in worse shape with a tranny going bad, and it would have cost more to fix than it was worth). Because she was owner (or even part owner) of the vehicle that was traded in, her name is also on the title of the new car (even though he is paying for the car, and she will never be driving it since it's a manual tranny, and she can't drive stick shift). The loan is in both of their names also.


In regards to your issue with this, you can check with an attorney lisenced in your state to verify your state's law, or check with your local DMV (or DOT, depending on what they like to call themselves).

[MUSKOKA800]

Disappointing! I guess I have to be resigned to accept that my car will look unkept even if I treat it with care.

Honestly, I wish I hadn't purchased a Toyota. The Yaris' mechanics are well-designed and the contour of the hatchback makes it visually appealing. That being said, I have had nothing but bad experiences with Toyota since buying the car.

1. The dealership was bad from the start. I should have bought the car elsewhere. My family's never been treated so poorly by a dealership.

2. The dealership lost my plates. I had to call everyone up the chain to the licensing manager (who was never there when I called) before they finally found the plates at the cashier's desk. They had been sitting there for a month.

3. The dealership wrote the wrong owner on the title. When I asked about this they said I could change it by calling Toyota Financial. I called Toyota financial and they flat out refused to change it, even if I paid off the car. Consequentially I don't get the benefit of having the loan on my credit report which was the only reason I financed the car rather than purchasing it outright. I could pay the car off and transfer the title to myself, but that seems like a waste of money since the car has 0% financing.

4. The paint. I can just imagine the hassle I'm going to have to go through at the dealership to get them to fix the rusting.

I should have bought a used Honda or even a non-Japanese car. It would be worth it to have a less reliable car if the customer service behind the car was better. My hubris caused me to purchase a new car, and I don't even get the benefit of having the car look good.

You are not obligated to return to your selling dealer. Find a Toyota Dealer who wants your business. That said, my resolve is to never return to the dealer unless you need warranty service. I can do all the maintenance myself.

[DandiDani]

was washing my car a couple of days ago and noticed a black spot. i thought it was dirt and when i looked closer i noticed the paint had flaked off on the front bumper!!!!! needless to say i was pretty pissed off. idk how it happened...:cry:

[DevilGirl]

was washing my car a couple of days ago and noticed a black spot. i thought it was dirt and when i looked closer i noticed the paint had flaked off on the front bumper!!!!! needless to say i was pretty pissed off. idk how it happened...:cry:

If it was on the front bumper, there's a high likelihood that it happened due to shit being kicked up from the road by a vehicle in front of your (or any other similar type senario).

[chriswb]

Just an update - I found a new dealer (Tom Wood Toyota in Indianapolis) who appears to be pretty straightforward and scheduled an appointment for tomorrow morning. That should take care of the maintenance and rust.

The paint is still a problem and the quotes I got from local body shops to fix it were ridiculously high: $4000! I'm going to have to wait until I'm back in Chicago to find a decent body shop.

[Kal-El]

Just an update - I found a new dealer (Tom Wood Toyota in Indianapolis) who appears to be pretty straightforward and scheduled an appointment for tomorrow morning. That should take care of the maintenance and rust.

The paint is still a problem and the quotes I got from local body shops to fix it were ridiculously high: $4000! I'm going to have to wait until I'm back in Chicago to find a decent body shop.

Yeah, a good paint job (whole car) is $3000-$4000. By "good", I mean factory quality level which in this case should be better than the yaris' factory job.

[chriswb]

Yeah, a good paint job (whole car) is $3000-$4000. By "good", I mean factory quality level which in this case should be better than the yaris' factory job.
My thought is that it would cost me $3000-4000 to trade my car in for a brand new Yaris. The expense is not worth it.

[Kal-El]

My thought is that it would cost me $3000-4000 to trade my car in for a brand new Yaris. The expense is not worth it.

Exactly. Just live with it as it is if Toyota doesn't do anything. Can't be that bad. Every Yaris I see looks just fine. Even if the paint isn't perfect, it is still a car that will last you for many years. If anything, get it repainted after 8-10 years if you plan on running it into the ground. That way, you'll be replacing a much more damaged paint job by then and it would be more worth it. Although I'd look for a cheaper job for around $2K.

[supmet]

I don't feel like getting in another paint argument, but it didn't cost half the price of your car to paint it originally.

You haven't posted pictures of the damage, but I'm guessing you could get away with 50-100 bucks in touch up paint and supplies.

[DerFlosser]

I don't feel like getting in another paint argument, but it didn't cost half the price of your car to paint it originally.

You haven't posted pictures of the damage, but I'm guessing you could get away with 50-100 bucks in touch up paint and supplies.

way too high....probably more like $10 or $20, no? I mean...paint and paintwork are so cheap. Actually, why not just go to Maaco and get a fantastic ambassador job for like $150 or so?

[Kal-El]

I don't feel like getting in another paint argument, but it didn't cost half the price of your car to paint it originally.

You haven't posted pictures of the damage, but I'm guessing you could get away with 50-100 bucks in touch up paint and supplies.

The factory cost of painting a car is a completely different thing and naturally costs a fraction of a shop's cost.

In the factory, the car is already in pieces and is painted by robots and it is fresh metal they're working with.

A shop needs to take body parts off, reprep the metal by removing original paint, mask off areas, ect. And do it all by hand.

[DerFlosser]

The factory cost of painting a car is a completely different thing and naturally costs a fraction of a shop's cost.

In the factory, the car is already in pieces and is painted by robots and it is fresh metal they're working with.

A shop needs to take body parts off, reprep the metal by removing original paint, mask off areas, ect. And do it all by hand.

Exactly....but supmet wants people to work for free. Good bodyshops won't touch a Yaris for less than $4K. That's just what a full repaint would cost done the right way.....period. Comparing a factory done paint job and a bodyshop is comparing zebra's and unicorns. Robots, modular units, assy line, watered down paint, computer controlled min clear etc...etc...etc.

[supmet]

way too high....probably more like $10 or $20, no? I mean...paint and paintwork are so cheap.

Actually 20 dollars is how much I plan on spending to fix my scratches, but I don't have pictures of the damages, so I can't be sure for him.

You are being a bit absurd claiming they should spend 4 grand repainting a few month old car without ever seeing the pics, but that's expected from you. Like I said, I'm not here to argue paint anymore. If you think you should spend 4 grand painting a yaris, there is nothing I can say to change your mind.

[chriswb]

I took my Yaris in for maintenance this morning. Everything is now perfect except for the hood which still has a lot of deep scratches. I'm going to have the hood repainted at a body shop.

Here's the thing: I don't know how to paint the car myself, nor do I want to learn. I'm willing to pay for a good job.

$4000 to paint the entire Yaris is too much for me to consider. It would be fun to have a different color: that's the only reason I might ever consider it. It doesn't make financial sense to pay 30% of the cost of the car just to have the paint look flawless.

[taracor]

It's a lot of money, no doubt, but if I suddenly came across a large amount, a Lambo orange paint job would definitely be on my list of things to pay for (college being at the top of said list). I mean, I got my front end scraped pretty badly by some hit and run driver, and got rear ended and cracked my bumper cover (again, hit and run) and I would have been willing to blow my paycheck on the body work if insurance hadn't covered most of it. Then again, I'm 18 and in highschool, so when I work, I'm actually able to spend my entire paycheck on my car since I don't have to support myself. I'm pretty obsessive about my car though, so my priorities are a little out of line..

[Kal-El]

Changing the original color adds a lot to the cost as well. Because now all the door jams, under the hood and trunk, ect has to be painted. Usually these areas wouldn't be touched if painting it the same color.

[daf62757]

You're welcome. :smile:

Shouldn't you be apologizing for the gross ignorance of the environmental movement?

Sort of like admitting you are severely gullible and believe anything someone tells you.