Hello,
My mother in SC bought her 2017 Toyota Corolla SE in Blue Crush Metallic brand new, now with 95k miles, and when I went to visit recently, I noticed it has some pretty bad paint issues! I did a quick Google search which shows many others with the same problem and almost identical peeling. It also shows that Toyota will likely not do anything!
Any suggestions, Scotty?
PS: Judging by the severity it's likely been going on for the last few years, and I wish it was caught sooner (almost 7 years is a long time and 95k miles is a lot of miles). I told her to speak with the dealer she bought it from and to submit a ticket to Toyota corporate, but judging by others who have had this problem, I doubt they'll do anything. I've always loved and stood by Toyota vehicles, but an issue like this makes me skeptical to buy one again...
the primer is still mostly intact.
Hit the affected areas with some rattle can paint. It may not look pretty, but at least it'll help keep the rust away.
If Toyota refuses to fix on their dime, any easy/affordable way to deal with it so it doesn't become a corroded mess? How long do you think it has until it becomes an actual problem?
It shouldn't rust until the paint peels down to bare metal. Paintwork is very expensive no matter how you cut it.
You might be able to get a halfway decent job done at Maaco if no body work is needed. About 10 years ago friends of mine had Maaco repaint their 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe because the factory clear coat had failed. It came out looking surprisingly good. Not quite factory of course but better than I would have expected. It is only now, a decade later, that the paint is starting to show wear in a few places. I think at the time it cost $1500 for their "premium" paint job. Probably double that now but still much less expensive than most shops. (Really good paint jobs can easily get into 5 figures.)
Other than that if you don't care about appearance you can rattle-can it to prevent rust. Or, if you search online you'll find a number of home-brew alternatives to expensive body shop paint. Here's one example:
If Toyota won't do anything about it the only real option is to either live with it or have the car repainted at your own expense ($$$$).
Thanks for the reply, I kind of figured that...
If Toyota refuses to fix on their dime, any easy/affordable way to deal with it so it doesn't become a corroded mess? How long do you think it has until it becomes an actual problem? I feel the cost of a full professional repaint is also pretty close to the value of the actual car.
My mother just finished paying it off last year (I know, not the smartest financial decision), and while she's still left with a dependable vehicle inside, the outside could rust away before it reaches potential end of life. She takes good care of it mechanically. In contrast, I own a Tesla lol, so I'm the one who's supposed to be seeing expensive paint issues🤣
It shouldn't rust until the paint peels down to bare metal.
Looks like it's already starting in some areas
I am with @imperator to hit it with some rattle can, duplicolor likely has the matching paint, and at that age it should be pretty close, even in south carolina.
Not sure where it is in south carolina, but if it is near the south east, I know a great shop that would do a good job on the car for $1500. Just an old fashioned little place, but they did a great job on my pathetic paint on my 2008 Lexus that just fell off. They gave me a 5 year warranty, and almost 3 years later it is doing great.
