2018 RAV4 with no sunroof, colour Magnetic Grey Metallic. There are 7 rust spots (bubbling) on the roof. Looking at them carefully (magnifying glass) we noticed a chip mark at the centre. Picture attached.
The paint seems to not have any primer underneath.
What is confusing is the engine hood is perfectly fine.
Why did the chips happen on the roof and not on the hood, if caused by road debris. The hood should then have even more chips.
The paint on the roof seems not to have been painted properly to adhere?
Does anyone have any idea on the possible cause?
I tried to see if Toyota has a TSB on this problem and unable to find one.
Anyone a paint specialist out there that seen this problem before?
Ren
If you want to take care of that rust, get a jar of Loctite rust converter, not the spray version. Sand until rust is tightly adhered to the steel, then use the rust converter. It converts rust from iron oxide to iron phosphate, which is black, and it more or less stops the rusting process in its tracks. The loctite takes 24 hours to cure. Once it does, paint it.
@justin-shepherd Thank you for the information Justin.
I was doing some research and found something that may interest you all.
“Many owners note that Toyota's modern metallic finishes, including Magnetic Gray,
are quite thin and can chip relatively easily from flying rocks or pebbles.”
“Because 2018 vehicles are outside their 3-year/60,000 km paint defect warranty,
dealerships will usually classify these spots as "environmental damage"
or "outside influence" (like rock chips) rather than a manufacturing defect.”
Looking for RAV4s of my Gen with the same colour, no sunroof.
Two so far and both have the same issue!
I seen a Red and White no issue.
So the Magnetic Gray quote from above makes sense.
Any owners of Magnetic Gray having the same issue?
Could it be any Metallic shades?
Want to find one with a sunroof to see if it also has the same problem.
I’m almost certain that it’s Toyota’s paint application issue.
Toyota may know this already but they are not saying anything.
What to do, fixing these 7 spots, yes will solve it for now.
The paint is thin so more will come.
The real solution is to paint the whole roof again.
Not sure how to get Toyota to admit that it was their fault.
Going to a Body Shop tomorrow, getting a quote and opinion on what to do.
Picture attached
I don't see a picture attached. Can you make sure you have followed the instructions outlined here: READ THIS FIRST - Forum Guide
Picture attached
https://ibb.co/fz43zcVn
“Many owners note that Toyota's modern metallic finishes, including Magnetic Gray,
are quite thin and can chip relatively easily from flying rocks or pebbles.”
“Because 2018 vehicles are outside their 3-year/60,000 km paint defect warranty,
dealerships will usually classify these spots as "environmental damage"
or "outside influence" (like rock chips) rather than a manufacturing defect.”
Why did the chips happen on the roof and not on the hood, if caused by road debris. The hood should then have even more chips.
It's not out of the question that rocks can damage the roof of a car and not the vehicle's hood, even if said car's roof and hood were properly painted. If you're going highway speed and you encounter even pebbles, it's almost a guarantee they will cause some kind of cosmetic damage due to the speeds involved. If rocks are on the road, and a passing vehicle drives over one, it can very easily become a small projectile and pelt the roof of a car. My 2014 F-150 had a few rock chips on the roof that I recently repaired. A few of them gouged into the metal and the steel started rusting. My truck's hood is spotless. The car is also 8 years old, now. Toyota probably only guarantees vehicle will not perforate due to rust for so many years or miles.
The paint on the roof seems not to have been painted properly to adhere?
Your car has been a car for 8 years. If Toyota "forgot" to put on primer before painting, the car would look like my father-in-law's metal mailbox within a year or so. He told me to not mess with priming the bare metal before painting it and just paint it. Half of the paint has come off his mailbox since. He and I both got new mailboxes at the same time. I primed mine before I painted it, and my mailbox's paint job is still fully intact after 5 years. Your car is also very dark, which will accelerate "de-painting" if it were not primed, first. Given that it's on the roof of the car, it's easily under the most paint stress. The sun is constantly beating down on it. If you go through car wash in sunny, 30-degree Celsius weather, the sudden temperature changes due hot metal and cold water would cause the paint to peel almost immediately without primer.
Hi Justin,
The Body Shop no help just wants to repair the roof, sandblast and repainting $700…no way.
Talked to the shop that oil sprays the vehicle each year, Paul.
Paul said he sees this on other vehicles not only the RAV4.
Paul surprised me when he said, “is the vehicle near a train station, an airport of an industrial factory”. Even stranger Toyota said the same thing!
Yes, the RAV4 at work is near an airport and in an industrial setting.
So I looked at the roofs of 5 other vehicles nearby and all 5 have the same problem! Will check more in time.
I needed to share this with everyone.
The RAV4 was never waxed, will a layer of wax help a little with future chips?
Picture attached
Yea I see exactly what you mean. Toyota had this whole thing that it was caused by "the sun" supposedly. What I would say is sand down the area (you have to get the rust away), get some primer and then get color matched rust-oleum (or similar) paint and repaint it. If you have access to a welding machine, watch Scotty's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKyzkFglx2k. If you dont have a welding machine, this video shows you the same process without a welding machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4vusY2-rkQ
@fishingandcarsenthusiast123 You linked a video of Scotty patching a truck frame with plate steel. That isn't appropriate for this scenario at all. I would say even the second video is pretty heavy handed for a little rust bubble.
I thought Toyota blamed melting plastic parts on the sun, not rust spots.
The RAV4 was never waxed, will a layer of wax help a little with future chips?
It may, depending on the angle of impact. If the impact is closer to vertical, it's most likely going to chip. On the other hand, if a pebble strikes the car at a very oblique angle, the slippery wax coating may guide the pebble of the car without damage.