Just had my car washed for the first time since March. We've had a lot of rain in the SF Bay Area recently so I kept putting it off. I just noticed today that a lot of the specks that I thought were dirt actually appear to be bit of paint that have flecked off. (Absolutely Red.) When it rains, we also tend to get a lot of potholes and road surface deterioration; but I don't follow closely behind cars in front of me. This is a 2015 C 2 that I bought from the Toyota dealership last October with a Certified Pre-Owned warranty. I see a 2016 thread from Scott D on this forum which noted that his dealership was not helpful. Questions: 1. Does anyone know if I have any options for getting the dealership to help cover this? 2. How much should I expect to pay for retouching at the dealership or an independent shop, if I have to go out of pocket? 3. Should I go to a body shop, auto detailer, or some other type of business?
all you can do is try. another member just got rejected on her gen 4, only 4,000 miles over the 36,000 mile paint warranty. still, it never hurts to ask.
I agree with bisco that it never hurts to ask. But I doubt (highly) that you'll have any success. If you really want it touched up, go to a detail shop first. But if you've got this flake problem, then expect more in the future. I'm not sure if your waxing your vehicle, but doing so will help prevent this. Use a good hard wax like Turtle Wax or something similar. A "wax" at the end of the carwash is not going to help prevent anything so don't try. lol Your going to laugh at this option, but it really works. If these "flakes" are really small, go buy yourself a big box of Crayons that has a color very similar to your car. Simply use that Crayon to cover these flakes/chips. Then wax over the area. It's not perfect, but you will be surprised at just how well it does work. Of course this is temporary, because a wax doesn't last forever.
If the flakes are small, up to 1/8", you can DIY it. Get the matching color touch-up paint from the dealer or online (~$20). Use a wood toothpick, magnifying glass, and a straight-edge razor (I can write the full instructions if you're interested). They'll be practically invisible if you do a good job. Follow up with claying+waxing. That's what I do with the rock chips on my front bumper cover.
Flakes not chips? Flaking implies poor primer/ per paint surface preparation. Chips, well rocks. Yes, read your warranty in preparation and if OEM paint, then ask the dealer if warranty will cover flaking. I too would buy a paint match kit (Color Rite as example) and 00 size artist brush or tooth pick. The trick is to apply very little paint and build up over days. Depending on the color then sand with 2000 grit and polish smooth. Of your other choices, I'd go to a detail shop first. Body shop doing an entire panel repainting have costs that vary depending on the quality level (strip and repaint vs repaint over current paint, number of parts removed to avoid tape lines, etc.) Good luck.
I'm getting ready to repair some paint chips on ours, 13 months/24500 miles. It's just 4-5 little stone chips, nothing out of the ordinary for the usage we've given it. I've already got the touch-up pen, so if the weather holds I'll have it set tomorrow. Then I have to do 15+ on the old car.
