I have recently put a coat of polish on my new 09 Camry, I have been dissapointed with the paint. I have found many chips on the nose and on the front fenders. You would think that paint would hold up better and not be subject to chipping. Wonder if any others have observed similar paint chipping or did I get a poor paint job.

 

I've been unhappy with the paint quality of my 2007 Japan built TCH also, but I doubt it is any worse than any other current manufacturer's paint.

 

You just need to re-arrange the letters for CHEAP to CHEPA.

Camry Hybrid Environmental Protection Agency paint.

The EPA requires the use of water born, low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) content paint. That is a fancy way of saying no (or low) solvent-based paint. It has a nice gloss but the paint is soft and chips easily. Get used to it, as I doubt the paint companies get the hardness better anytime soon.

 

I don't think any auto paint past or present can resist being chipped by rocks. I covered my entire hood and front bumper with 3M paint protection film and have no chips. I don't think any paint alone could stand up as well to rocks.

 

Agreed, if you live in an area that gets ice/snow in the winter, and they spread cinders/gravel/sand on the roads, you're almost guaranteed to see your beautiful paint disappearing one small chip at a time! Bought my 08 TCH in November 07, did a lot of highway driving for my job, and low and behold, my black TCH was now black with white polka dots! I got a bra (though the 3m clear stuff is the best) that'll be an ok cover up for now...someday I'll get her repainted, then 3m it!

 

I installed a bra on my 2007 TCH when I bought it in 2007. Here in Montana the Montana DOT and most all municipalities love to use salt, sand, and gravel on the roads during the winters. It takes well into spring to finially get rid of this residue on the streets and roads. I cant imagine what the front end of my car would look like now if I hadn't installed the bra.

 

Paint durability can vary. I've found our Honda's to be fairly good, but my son had a Nisan Maxima that seemed especially prone to small chips. Paint type might be an issue too. I favour solid colour over metallic flake, just for ease of touch-up.

 

Mendel,

The 01 Accord and 05 Pilot Honda's that we own still have nice paint. Easy to polish out the swirls once a year and very few chips in the paint despite having 3 times the miles of the 07 Civic of my youngest or the 08 TCH that I have. Both of the newer cars look like they are driven in a gravel pit after 18 months. The paint is a pain to polish out (too soft) and has chipped with nothing more than the impact from a rather large bug (June bug to be exact).

I will admit that some of the newer water born paint from PPG and others is getting better but they still have a way to go to match the finish hardness and durability of the older paints. I understand that the environmental advantages outweigh the disadvantages of water born paint but, as a car nut, I still long for harder finishes.

Another issue in newer cars is the factory finish thickness. With robotic painting systems and computer monitoring of all aspects of the paint, the thickness of the finish is considerably less than what we had just a few years ago. This translates to a LARGE savings in paint costs to the auto companies each year. If you have checked paint prices lately you will understand why they are so “skimpy” on the paint. Some premium types are approaching $400.00 to $800.00 a gallon.

I do agree that the solids are easier to hide a touch up but I still like my metallics….

 

Yeah, I live in an area where they use gravel and sand. There are also quarries around here so there are trucks (often without covers) hauling rocks and leaving a trail of bouncing gravel behind them.

Some people shot a low powered pellet gun at the 3M stuff without damaging the paint beneath. No automotive paint alone can do that.

http://www.automotivearticles.com/Clear_Bra_3M.shtml

 

i too am disappointed by the paint, it scratches way too easy. the reason might be the EPA but my previous two vehicles did not have this issue - bmw & jeep.