Dont you think its crazy that the cars are rusting as soon as the metal is exposed? Neither one of my previous cars had any rust on painted body parts after multiple years of ownership. My guess from the responses already that there is a real problem with these cars and their paint jobs and rust..

 

2400 miles, 2 chips on the bumper, star on the windshield

i keep about 3sec distance with the car in front and avoid anything with more than 2 axels

 

around.. 40

 

The metal will rust soon after it is exposed, that is not abnormal. The abnormal part would be the paint chipping that soon.

 

The first three month I owned the car, I have 5-6 chips already. Those chips cracked open the clear coat and took the paint out. So, they appears as very visible black spots, most on the hood and fenders. So, I got my baby a bra later, while it's not as sexy as naked, the bra did its job well and I can't find any new chips. But, it's a double edge sword as the bra can scratch the paint if you're not careful. I take the bra out and wash it every month to make sure there is no debris and crap underneath the bra that can scratch the paint. Of course, a good detailing job on the paint is crucial to keep the paint in tip top condition too!

 

It would be easier to count the stars in the sky.

IMO, it is due to the changing paint specs - for ALL makers, not just Toyota, and also due to the roads we drive. They are getting busier, the money for repairs is spent to balance the budgets elsewhere or just ignored. A recent study said the conditions of roads in the Bay Area cost the average driver $600 a year in added vehicle suspension repairs and maintenance. That's gotta have an effect on the rocks and crap that breaks loose and gets tossed at my Box. Also we've had an extremely wet rainy season which tears up the roads more too.

 

In Arizona rocks are an issue, along with aluminum ladders, wheel barrels, plastic chairs, tires, cinder blocks, rubber retreads, ropes, chains and PVC pipes. A regular mine field I must say, I have one rock chip and then the Rockblocker went on. It is a 3M polyurethane clear film that covers the front, side, hood and the backside of the mirrors. I have seen marble size rocks bounce off this stuff, no damage.

It looks great on all colors from SCION, even the darker colors, you can only see/notice it if you’re looking for it. Driving with a cratered car, the possibility, and aggravation to repaint the car was well worth the cost.

www.rockblocker.com

 

I have a few but they are due to the crap being thrown up by the cars in front of me on the crappy roads down here not the paint.

Another question. Who makes touch up paint for the Scions? I looked at the Duplicolor site and didn't find any so I sent them an e-mail. They replied back that they currently don't have a timeframe as to when they are going to offer paints that match the Scion colors. I have a BCP xB and I wanted to do the emblem mod where the guy painted his tC emblems the same color as his car. It was a very cool mod but I can't find paint to match.

 

i have 3, i could care less. one of the front bumper one on the drivers door and one on the drivers side rear quarter panel below the gas door.

now what concerns me is that i scratched my paint one time with my fingernail on the front grill, i was just walking by it and it rubbed it lightly...stupid

 

I'm here to tell you that Scion does have a paint problem, indeed. It's not just bad roads or some new paint standards for the industry as a whole. Rather, it's bad paint on the Scions. I have access to three cars that are driven regularly on the same roads. One is 9 years old w/o any chips. One is six years old w/o any chips. And, one--the Scion tC--has 1300 miles on it, is 6 weeks old and has three chips on the hood.

Also, ther are at least 12 Toyotas in my building's garage, varying in age from brand new to 9 years old, and there is not one single paint chip on any of these cars--not on any hood or bumper. Meanwhile, Scion says these cars all use the same paint and same painting process. I say "BULL."

Don't get me wrong, I really like my tC. But, it's not as good a deal as advertised if you factor in the price of an additional paint job.

I have to say that those who are happy to make excuses, such as "rods are rocky" or "all new paints are bad," are really doing Scion owners a disservice. Scion knows the paint is a problem, and it wont do anything about it until the owners force it to. If you don't believe this is a Scion problem, check the hoods of all the cars in the lot the next time you go to the market or the mall. It'll make you angry (I promise).

I, for one, intend to make more noise than Scion can handle to get this addressed. In fact, I'm considering organizing a nationwide "Chip-Off" to award prizes for the worst/best example of Scion's poor paint quality. I'm thinking of getting 3M or RockBlocker to sponsor, and I know Consumer Reports and my local paper--LA Times--will pay attention. Finally, if Scion doesn't start cooperating, I might try to add Honda North America to the sponsors list.

Best,

Greg

 

tC has about 8, one of which the bare metal has rusted (but no bubbleing of the paint yet), in about 5000 miles.

xB has zero in 1500 miles.

Trade in on the tC had 120,000 miles, much of which was on the same roads the tC is driven on, and it had maybe a dozen.

Some people have theorized that SSM is particularly sensitive to rock chips, and that in fact is why the color is being reformulated for 2006.

 

SSM is not the only problem. Mine's red and is just as bad--3 chips in 1300 miles with 2/3 chipped all the way to the metal.

 

BTW, I had put five coats of Zymol wax on the car before it got its first chip. No matter what you do (short of spending 500-600 on a clear bra) is going to protect this paint.

 

i had my TMC xb for a year & 1/2 and my front lip has hella chips its in desperate need of a paint job

 

http://www.scion.com/contact/contact_us/index.html anyone tried this?

 

i had like 3 on the hood and like 6 on the front bumper...and i lose sleep every night over it, thanks for brining it up again,lol

 

That's great to hear someone else out there wants to get involved with getting this problem worked out.. I hate to say it though but I doubt it'll do any good. Scion will always have the "normal wear and tear" defense on their side. I've experienced that first-hand several times. I don't know if anyone else has gone to arbitration over this but it was a complete waste of my time and money. Scion doesn't care what we have to say about it at all. Hate to be such a downer but that's just been my experience with the brand as a whole. Check out the below posts (if you haven't already).

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...013&highlight=

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...777&highlight=

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...341&highlight=

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...133&highlight=

 

Thanks Smash. I'll keep you up to date with what I find out.

 

SO many it hurts to even count them

 

I can't stand looking at those paint chips everytime I wash the tC...I've got about 3-4 on the front hood, and 3 on the drivers sides top wheel well. And just got some damn scratches from a dog that puts its paws on the drivers side door. 16, 300 some miles in7 months.