Silver seems to be the most recommended Colour choice. Least issues. I’d swing for silver, I’m a fan. Colour tends do look good even when dirty.
2020 Corolla SE - How was it?
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I have silver for the reasons you state. It unfortunately suffers from the same incredibly easy chipping tendency. Doesn't show as bad as the german racing silver body is similar in color.
Still waiting on someone chiming In — saying PPF PPF. I’m cheap and I complain lolI have silver for the reasons you state. It unfortunately suffers from the same incredibly easy chipping tendency. Doesn't show as bad as the german racing silver body is similar in color.
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Wrap it up! Idk, I just can't get over you spend 10's of thousands of dollars on a car and it needs to be handled like a faberge egg because it's so poor quality. If you were cheap you'd be driving a dodge. You're frugal
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I have a '99 Camry, and in so, so many ways current car quality has gone to pot. My '17 Mazda6 simply does NOT compare. Pitiful, the cheapening that is occurring. I'd rather pay more if the quality were upped...
Complains about paint chipping and thin paints are common in many car forums. May be there is more crap on the road these days, or the paint is just easier to chip, or both. Knowing this problem seems to be wide spread and it is not likely gonna change just because we complain about it, PPF is currently the best option ... there, I said it.
Yes, PPF can be expensive and can add up to a big % of the purchase price of the car. Think of it as paying for a higher quality paint job that resists chipping. The PPF products are getting better these days and they do a reasonable job of preventing chips. The bonus - PPF works for all colors. My 2019 HB has the PPF on the front end since new. The car is used daily in town and on highways year round, with winter salt and sharp rocks all over. So far, still looks new and no chips.
Yes, PPF can be expensive and can add up to a big % of the purchase price of the car. Think of it as paying for a higher quality paint job that resists chipping. The PPF products are getting better these days and they do a reasonable job of preventing chips. The bonus - PPF works for all colors. My 2019 HB has the PPF on the front end since new. The car is used daily in town and on highways year round, with winter salt and sharp rocks all over. So far, still looks new and no chips.
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The biggest reason I will never get PPF is that I have found the only way to reduce the possibility of problems effectively is to minimize buying things. If I'm lucky enough to escape the car purchasing experience on my next vehicle with a vehicle in new condition, I won't be risking that by having someone put PPF on it. You can say the risk of a screw up is low, but I'm just not willing to deal with humans anymore unless I absolutely have to! 👽Complains about paint chipping and thin paints are common in many car forums. May be there is more crap on the road these days, or the paint is just easier to chip, or both. Knowing this problem seems to be wide spread and it is not likely gonna change just because we complain about it, PPF is currently the best option ... there, I said it.
Yes, PPF can be expensive and can add up to a big % of the purchase price of the car. Think of it as paying for a higher quality paint job that resists chipping. The PPF products are getting better these days and they do a reasonable job of preventing chips. The bonus - PPF works for all colors. My 2019 HB has the PPF on the front end since new. The car is used daily in town and on highways year round, with winter salt and sharp rocks all over. So far, still looks new and no chips.
Thanks for all your feedback.
Please understand it was not my intention to bash the paint quality endlessly. But it needed to be pointed out. The only other Japanese vehicle I bought new was a Suzuki GSX many moons ago. And apart from a suspension upgrade, the paint quality bothered me the most. So I bought a Triumph and was happy.
The rattle was maybe poor motivation on a Monday morning and didn't seem consistent with you.
Noise reduction wasn't part of the book as other shortcuts due to budget.
It's unfair on my part to compare a Corolla with a BMW, Mercedes, etc., but I found myself contemplating what kind of money an A-Class goes for and if that is worth it. (Btw. I think Mercedes' core DNA lies in the E-Class with RWD; for BMW, it's the 3 Series, preferably with six cylinders.) And to a certain degree, Toyota managed to produce a budget commuter appliance that finally is some sort of "pleasing to the eye" and has some tech on board that others make you pay for (a lot).
Agreed?
Please understand it was not my intention to bash the paint quality endlessly. But it needed to be pointed out. The only other Japanese vehicle I bought new was a Suzuki GSX many moons ago. And apart from a suspension upgrade, the paint quality bothered me the most. So I bought a Triumph and was happy.
The rattle was maybe poor motivation on a Monday morning and didn't seem consistent with you.
Noise reduction wasn't part of the book as other shortcuts due to budget.
It's unfair on my part to compare a Corolla with a BMW, Mercedes, etc., but I found myself contemplating what kind of money an A-Class goes for and if that is worth it. (Btw. I think Mercedes' core DNA lies in the E-Class with RWD; for BMW, it's the 3 Series, preferably with six cylinders.) And to a certain degree, Toyota managed to produce a budget commuter appliance that finally is some sort of "pleasing to the eye" and has some tech on board that others make you pay for (a lot).
Agreed?
As sh*t as the Toyota paint is and as many chips I had on my hood, after I had hood repaired/resprayed due to a tire iron hitting/denting it last year, I had PPF put on. I couldn't be happier. This is my DD and I drive about 1600-2000 miles per month. So far, zero chips and hood looks better than new (they cut and polished at paint shop). I'm looking at having the bumper resprayed to have PPF installed as right now it doesn't match as well due to the chips all over it. Don't be scared...it was a great investment.
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Based on latest VDS, Corolla paint chips are in line with industry average...
For my HB, I have PPF on the hood. 4 years into it, there are a few chips on the unprotected bumper cover lower areas and some on the mirror caps. None are visible from 20 ft away
One thing I have found that works wonders to avoid paint chipping, is to avoid tailgating. It won't eliminate chips altogether but it will greatly reduce them. Tailgating is endemic here and it's one of the stupidest things a driver can do. I make a point of never riding someone's butt, no matter how slow they are. It's hard on paint, it's hard on brakes, it's hard on polycarbonate headlight lenses, and it's hard on insurance premiums when someone invariably runs into the car in front when a deer runs out in front of it and it brakes suddenly. My VW Golf wagon has 105k km on it and is 5 years old and the headlight lenses are still clear and there are few paint chips on the hood. There are some, but not as many as some cars I see.
Plus multiply everything above by 10 if you tailgate heavy vehicles!
The three-second rule should be everyone's friend.
Plus multiply everything above by 10 if you tailgate heavy vehicles!
The three-second rule should be everyone's friend.
The Corolla is not perfect, and like all cars, it has its short comings. Your assessment of the car is mostly consistent with my experience with my HB. As you have already pointed out, Bimmers and Benzs are for a different market with different price points, not an apple to apple comparison.
Agree with your Pro list. From your Con list: The road noise and soft paint are within my expectation for this class of cars. Would be a bonus if they are better, but I’m at peace with them as they are. The rattles is more than I would expect from a Toyota. I have not experienced the brake issue as mentioned. Since this is not meant to be a sports car, I would upgrade my brakes (and possibly other components) before doing any serious high performance driving. All in all, this generation of Corolla is a big improvement over the last few generations it replaces, I think Toyota did a good job of giving us a daily commuter with good styling, low cost to buy and operate, reasonable comfort and driving enjoyment, and hopefully the long term reliability we come to expect from Toyota. With my HB, considering the price and the targeted market, I feel I got a lot of car for the money I paid. If they continue to make them with MT, I would definitely buy one again.
That's true, but tailgate, and see chips increase by an order of magnitude. I had a '92 Civic, the first year Honda switched to water-based paints, and it was a disaster. Honda refused to own up to it, but the dealer (the owner was a personal friend of mine) went to bat for me and they resprayed it as a "good will" gesture, without admitting fault. I was a more cocky and aggressive driver back then too. Now at my age I prefer to keep what's left of my testosterone for more pleasurable activities!
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The biggest reason I don't get PPF is that the installation cost is insanely high compared to the value of what it's protecting. The paint underneath is cheap and soft, so why not just repaint it if it gets bad? If your PPF gets chipped by a rock, you still have a car with a rock chip.
But doesn’t PPF prevent dents too from said rock?
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I don't see how it would, it's a thin film like packing tape. Anything heavy enough to dent metal isn't going to be stopped by a clear film. The PPF is basically just a sacrificial layer on top of the paint; when it gets busted to hell the paint underneath is still fine, but the damage is still visible on the PPF itself, and reapplying it isn't that much cheaper than just repainting a panel with actual damaged paint. It's like if I bought a $500 phone case to protect my $600 phone.
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