My black Jeep's paint on the hood started to degrade. Apparenlty, black absorbed so much heat that it broke down the paint. Not sure if that makes sense, but that's what my body guy told me.
My black Avalon looked great, if you managed to completely dry it before any water spots appeared. Of course that only lasted 15 seconds.
I chose Mag Gray since (I believe) finding dirt is like playing "Where's Waldo" (it's hidden really well!)

 

Ah, the "soft paint" problem with the TCH. I've read about that for over a year.

I have an '07 black TCH with 15k mi., with a few hand washes and several car washes after lots of ski trips on slushy, sanded mountain highways. My paint looks great.

I'll go a few weeks in winter with my TCH that's solid gray with glop, then roll through the local car wash and have a new rich black finish. I wax after every few washes, and I've buffed with a cleaner once and a polish twice.

Before this car I had a black '89 Corolla GTS bought new and sold with 200k mi. Same treatment. Same effect. Same kind of paint. Still glossy after all those years.

I guess they gave my TCH some "hard paint." Like they did with my 18 yr. old GTS.

Nice of Toyota to treat me so nicely.

 

On Edmunds.com a year or so ago I read TCH reviews like a fanatic. There was a whole string of posters who said their TCHs "lost power on hills." Well, guess I got lucky again, 'cuz my own personal TCH has power and torque like the space shuttle on hills, long hills, and I know hills, living in the Puget Sound region and skiing whenever they'll run the lifts.

So ... did a whole bunch of reviewers get weenie little TCH drive trains? 'Tis a puzzlement.

 

I certainly have not had this problem...but the paint problem I have had.

If you don't mind, could you please share some detail about your cleaner buff and polish process so I may try it on mine. The detail shop is who caused the swirls in the sun.

Thanks!

 

Daveosborne,

I never said or have heard anything about “low power” on the TCH. I live in the hills of northwest Georgia, have plenty of power and still get exceptional mileage out of my TCH.

Having said that, modern paints from most manufacturing facilities are water based to eliminate as many VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) as possible. This type of paint is still very glossy and fairly hard but is susceptible to chipping and swirling if mishandled. Whether you choose to believe that is up to you.

If you are careful when washing the car (use car wash soap, two bucket method, grit guard, sheepskin or boars hair brush) and are very careful drying the car (good micro fiber) and follow the body lines while doing both, you will rarely have scratches or swirls in your paint.

Yes, I am a bit of a nut about my cars. When needed, they are polished with either a Porter Cable or Flex random orbital or a Makita rotary polisher. And yes Dave, I do know what Menzerna, XMT, Four Star, Optimum and Poor Boy’s compounds, polishes, swirl removers, glaze, sealants, clays and waxes are, what they do and how to use them.

My favorites include Klasse sealant with a top coat of P21S or Pinnacle Souveran for black cars and Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant with a top coat of Poor Boys Natty Blue on red cars. A good cheap (less than $15.00) all-around wax would be Collinite 845 or 476S.

Just because you might know how to keep your car pristine does not mean that everyone else knows or has the time to do so. If you can not help, don’t try to make it seem like the rest of us are idiots.

Mikie,

It sounds like someone at your detail shop did not know how to use a rotary correctly and induced swirling into your paint. Don’t worry, it can be corrected by someone who knows what they are doing.

Try going to http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ and join up. They are a great group of people who will be more than willing to help you correct the car yourself or help you find someone that does know in your area. You might eventually think about buying a PC 7424 and some pads and polishes to keep your paint looking great. Claying once a year, a good polish every 12 to 18 months and some proper techniques and supplies will make your car look its best.

There is NOTHING however that will eliminate the paint chipping from even a minor impact with small rocks. The only solution is to use touchup paint and after a few years, re-paint the body panels most affected or possibly the entire car.

 

"If you don't mind, could you please share some detail about your cleaner buff and polish process so I may try it on mine. The detail shop is who caused the swirls in the sun." mikieboyblue
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My polish and waxing routine is really simple.

I use Meguiar's products, but there are many other fine waxes and polishes.

My routine with my previous Corolla and now with my TCH is to apply wax to one section (say, the hood, or the whole front quarter of the car) by hand with a soft cotton cloth, then buff it with my Craftsman buffer, and then use another cotton cloth to wipe it clean and shiny. Repeat 'til the whole car's been waxed.

If I'm noticing swirls before I begin waxing, I'll use a polish first following the same routine and then follow with wax. If it's been a year since I've used a cleaner, I'll start with that, with the same routine, and follow with the polish and then the wax.

Almost always it's just a wax application if I do anything after a wash. I don't really enjoy the whole process, and I only do about four or five waxings a year, with one session per year with a cleaner-polish-wax job.

So, even using the car wash places (and benefit car washes) I have to look carefully to see swirls, and when I do, I remind myself it's time for my polish job before waxing.

When I wash by hand, I wouldn't dream of using anything but a commercial car washing liquid soap. I think that Tide or other household liquid soaps or detergents would do nasty stuff to the clear coat and I never, never use them.

One thing I think is really important is to park in shade or in a garage. I've been lucky for decades to be able to park in shade at work and in our garage when home, but I don't worry about that when I'm shopping or traveling.

I know most people can't arrange that, and that could be the big difference in my good luck with black paint. Direct sun and high temperatures age a car's surfaces inside and out.

By the way, I came close to buying a top name buffer, but I've stuck with my old Craftsman 9" buffer/polisher - random orbital I think it's called - that cost about $60 at Sears some years ago. It's a clunky, uncomfortable thing to use, but I guess it works well enough for me. Those high quality buffers cost $150-$200, and so far I can't justify my lust for one ... but if my Craftsman would kindly die, I'll try a fancy new buffer.

I must say I'm disappointed to hear so many people complain about soft paint. I'm such a Toyota fan that complaints about them kinda jolt me. Maybe the practices I've described above are the difference, but it doesn't seem like what I do is so unusual. So, I'm mystified - 20 years now with black, clear coated Toyotas (my first Toyota was a '79 Corolla - white - did they have clear coat then?) and no paint problems.

 

Has anyone in this thread, contacted Toyota and any results from that?
I have a 2008 TCH about 4 months old. In my opinion, it was the best choice for a mid-size family car with great gas mileage.
I am disappointed on a few minor chips/scratches on the rear bumper. I know that Toyota can't control everything, but I'm pretty careful where I park etc. It seems to me that the paint should have been more resilient and not been so easily damaged.

 

Ding, ding, ding!!! Here's your answer. I just moved from an 04 Prius to an 09 TCH, both black. The Prius was already two years old when I got it, Toyota Certified with 15k miles. It was already pockmarked on the front to some degree. My TCH, though an 09, is "used" with 5k miles, and still pristine (the idiot who first bought it decided he just had to have a full-size truck...). Anyway, I'm getting the film as soon as I can. The environmental regs regarding automobile paints have seriously degraded the durability of the coatings used. It's not a Toyota problem, it's a gov't problem. All cars, from anywhere, sold in the US are going to be facing soft paint issues. This might actually be a good time to write to your congressmen and senators. Only they, with pressure from voters, can make the EPA return to reality. I'm all for a clean environment, but I fail to see how having to paint your car twice, instead of once, will lead to anything positive as far as pollution is concerned...

 

ekpolk, care to say what film your going with? I'm in the same boat with an '08 and would like to know. thanks.

 

I've had my Magnetic gray 07 since Feb of 07 and it has lots of scratches. I agree with others who said it is the worst paint for scratching of any car they've owned. I also have a 1992 Es300, which has the best paint of any car I've owned. My TCH was built in Japan. The sheet metal is soft as well. I now have at least one small ding on every panel, and scratches galore. My car has 25k miles on it, and at this rate it will soon look older than my 300k mile ES300. The Camry is garaged, while my Lexus has spent most of its life parked on a street, or in a carport.

I am extremely disatisfied with the quality of the paint work!

I rarely buy new cars, and when I do I like to keep them for a long time, so I find this particularly disheartening.