'11 w/ weak paint? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

sixsix · 06-26-2011, 08:10 PM

Any one else find that the paint on their 2011 camry to be very weak? It seems like everytime I wash the car I find a new spot where the paint is peeling off. Esp in the front bumper. I'm sure some of them are from rocks and what not, but it just seems like it chips/scuffs very eaisly. I only have 3k miles on the car and the front end is already beat to hell. Kinda regretting that I got white.

AML · 06-26-2011, 10:28 PM

Very weak. Most Camry's and Avalon's I've seen, with their flat/upright front end, have been full of rock chips, including mine. Wishing I installed ClearBra on my car.

Joe B · 06-27-2011, 08:07 AM

Just about all auto manufacturers paint is weak.
You can thank the EPA for that.

11LE · 06-27-2011, 09:54 AM

I'm in the same boat. Paint started to peel off within 800 miles of my front bumper inlet corner, I'll take pictures. After their crappy repaint, the same general area started to peel off in pieces that looked like clear, but were foggy. This particular area has water marks and a dirty appearance that just won't wash or wax out.

***arabianobsession*** · 06-27-2011, 11:10 AM

Mine has been holding up pretty well, but it's black so it won't show as much. Been getting a lot of swirl marks, but a good buffing will take care of that. It's just too bad automotive paint has to be water-based now, so it's not as "tough" as it was before.

AML · 06-27-2011, 01:46 PM

The paint may be water-based and may not be as durable, but we're also talking about the clearcoat here. The clear on Toyotas is extremely soft, iirc. If you look at the plastic bumpers you'll notice a lot of the time there are merely indentations of the rocks hitting it (with clear and paint still intact).

The clearcoat on my Mercedes was rock solid. It would take several hours longer to complete a detail in order to get rid of swirls and scratches.

CTB727 · 06-27-2011, 01:50 PM

Like others have said, the EPA is to blame for the cheap water based paint. Also with newer technologies, auto makers have been able to spray on the thinnest layers of paint and clear coat as possible so to save manufacturing costs. When purchasing a new car, it's best to add a ClearBra ASAP, or have Opti-Coat professionally applied to the paint.

Also, German cars tend to have harder clear coats then many Japanese cars do. Subaru has even softer clear than Toyota does.

***arabianobsession*** · 06-27-2011, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AML

The paint may be water-based and may not be as durable, but we're also talking about the clearcoat here. The clear on Toyotas is extremely soft, iirc. If you look at the plastic bumpers you'll notice a lot of the time there are merely indentations of the rocks hitting it (with clear and paint still intact).

The clearcoat on my Mercedes was rock solid. It would take several hours longer to complete a detail in order to get rid of swirls and scratches.

I would hope that the clearcoat on an expensive luxury car was rock solid, cause if it wasn't, why spend that kind of money on it?

But anyway, the clearcoat on the 95 Mustang needs another layer, it's almost gone now (never being stored in a garage will kill that), but the paint is nearly perfect. A few chips, but it's weathering 100x times better than most newer cars.

RICO8458 · 06-27-2011, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe B

Just about all auto manufacturers paint is weak.
You can thank the EPA for that.

I agree.

Snomax · 06-27-2011, 04:31 PM

What are the ClearBra's running price wise?

My tint guy quoted me $500.00 for the entire front end plus mirrors.

My Black LE is catchin hell....bugs mainly!

ebumdude · 06-27-2011, 05:13 PM

You can find a kit on ebay for around $150 and do it yourself. It is the same as window tinting. If you dont have any experience with tint, do alot of research on the do's and don'ts before you attempt.

GT-R · 06-27-2011, 07:06 PM

I've got hairline scratches everywhere (I don't know where that came from

), as well as chips.

***nhcycle*** · 06-27-2011, 07:14 PM

EPA-mandated no-lead water-soluable paint, TOyota removing one step from the KY paint process and thinner remainer coat application = BIG problems...... CLear 3M film protection on all leading edges is the only means of protection....I learned that on my Avalon. Ever wonder why you can now order a factory-installed 3M shield now?

Cost to install widely - so does quality of install........

11LE · 06-27-2011, 07:50 PM

I don't know if this is sealant or clear coat, because the dealership has had to respray a bottom portion of my bumper because of paint flaking off (you could see the black bumper). Whatever it is, doesn't seem normal to me.. any insight would be wonderful.

***nhcycle*** · 06-27-2011, 10:06 PM

something to consider - some cars/trucks/vans sustain damage at the depots and are "repaired" with qick paint jobs tat don't always include proper cleaing and surface prep. clear coat isn't always included.

There was a few venza's repaired at a depot and when one of the 3M installers was repositioning the film during an install, they pulled the paint off a few bumpers.....so you may be experiencing a poor depot repair job.....