Prius Roof Refinish

The Critic

The Critic

Joined
Aug 30, 2004
Messages
31,976
Location
CA
The paint on the roof of my Prius has been peeling. Thanks to @JeffKeryk - I finally have a reasonable quote to have this addressed.

In preparation for the body shop visit, I thoroughly washed the vehicle, removed the radio antenna, removed the rear liftgate washer fluid nozzle and removed both drip mouldings. Since the quoted price was low, I am not sure if removal of those items is included.

I am surprised by how much the paint has faded over the last 12 years - take a look at the area underneath the antenna.

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There are two specific areas of weakness in modern automotive production that "should" be easy for manufacturers to resolve with today's technology. Wouldn't we all be willing to pay a few hundred extra dollars to have: (1) Paint that has clearcoat that doesn't peel after 10-15 years stored outdoors, and (2) Headlights that don't cloud up and turn yellow after 10 years of U.V. exposure?

Come to think of it, neither problem existed until the '80's when more stringent EPA regs. and cost cutting impacted the global auto industry.
 
Nukeman7 said:
There are two specific areas of weakness in modern automotive production that "should" be easy for manufacturers to resolve with today's technology. Wouldn't we all be willing to pay a few hundred extra dollars to have: (1) Paint that has clearcoat that doesn't peel after 10-15 years stored outdoors, and (2) Headlights that don't cloud up and turn yellow after 10 years of U.V. exposure?

Come to think of it, neither problem existed until the '80's when more stringent EPA regs. and cost cutting impacted the global auto industry.
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I’m sorry, are you suggesting that paint was better “back in the day?” Clear coat didn’t peel because it wasn’t there.

Headlights were junk before the 90’s. You can go back to sealed beams if you want, but I’ll take polishing the lenses once a decade.

My favorite part about “back in the day” headlights was how they weren’t relayed, so all the juice went through the headlight switched and burned it out.
 
RooflessVW said:
I’m sorry, are you suggesting that paint was better “back in the day?” Clear coat didn’t peel because it wasn’t there.

Headlights were junk before the 90’s. You can go back to sealed beams if you want, but I’ll take polishing the lenses once a decade.

My favorite part about “back in the day” headlights was how they weren’t relayed, so all the juice went through the headlight switched and burned it out.
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I agree that modern paint finishes typically look much nicer upon delivery on new vehicles, but "old school" (e.g., single stage enamels, lacquers, catalyzed polyurethane, etc.) auto paints were generally more durable when left outdoors. Obviously, the results are drastically impacted by the degree of paint maintenance performed by the owner. Like most BITOG members, you and I probably obsess over vehicle maintenance, but that is not the norm for the general populace. Clear coat technology existed in the mid 70's, but was not used extensively until the '80's.

I am not suggesting that optics were better on '90's headlights; however, if not for penny pinching, auto manufacturers could make optically correct glass lenses or more U.V. resistant polycarbonate lenses.
 
You're roof doesn't look so bad compared to many that you see out here. Silver, and other metallic colors are the worst in heavy sunlight, because the metal flake acts like a magnifying glass, reflecting the UV light back through the clearcoat, cooking it.

White colors are the best in this regard. Black is horrible just because it gets the surface temperature of the paint so hot. Out here when it's 110F+, if you park a black vehicle in direct sunlight, and place your hand flat and hard on the surface, you will burn your hand to the point you'll receive blisters.

To be honest, I'm surprised the paint and clearcoat lasts as long as it does out here. If you want to keep a car nice out here, you have to park it in either a garage, or covered parking.... Which there is a lot of. Even a few of the grocery stores have it.
 
What is the care history of this paint? This car was garaged, wasn't it? You applied a commercial sealant to it, correct? How many times abrasive polished? Forgive me if I an going down the wrong rabbit hole, but I believe the less you touch the paint, the longer it lasts. Sanding down the clear coat at every annual polish cannot be good. Flame suit on. :)
 
rust never sleeps, neither does UV.

it doesn't look all that bad to me for being 12 years old.. and most likely an outside car.

whether it is worth refinishing is up to the end user? is the car worth refinishing?
would a slathering of White Rustoleum applied with a roller do the job at a fraction of the cost?
would leaving it alone hurt the vehicles intrinsic value? :)
 
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Cujet said:
I only chimed in to say that charcoal grey is my absolute favorite color. It will look wonderful when repainted properly.
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I wish this was charcoal gray. The Toyota Magnetic Gray is a gorgeous color. Unfortunately, this is the Winter Gray Metallic - which is a mix of blue/purple and gray.

joekingcorvette said:
It should look great repainted. Hopefully the hood and rear deck are ok. Always liked the Prius.
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The Black Rear Liftgate spoiler failed several years ago and was repainted.

Thermo1223 said:
Seriously considering a used Prius as the kiddo's first car. Buy it with a junk battery and put in a refurb.
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Don't do it - the refurb batteries will not last. You'll end up with a very unreliable vehicle. Plus lots of other expensive bits to go wrong.

doitmyself said:
What is the care history of this paint? This car was garaged, wasn't it? You applied a commercial sealant to it, correct? How many times abrasive polished? Forgive me if I an going down the wrong rabbit hole, but I believe the less you touch the paint, the longer it lasts. Sanding down the clear coat at every annual polish cannot be good. Flame suit on. :)
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Garaged for the first 2 years then stored outside for the last 10.
Commercial grade snake oil was always used.

Polished 3-4 times. With that said, every 2008-12 era dark colored Toyota/Honda in my neighborhood is showing some signs of clearcoat failure, so I think this is just the normal lifespan for these finishes.
 
I’m surprised it failed like that given your climate. I guess it must be associated with the CA air pollution. I’ve had lots of vehicles with older paint that has lived outdoors and kept better.

I get the fade, especially silver. But I’m surprised with the peeling given the care you give to your vehicle finishes.
 
Alex does all the exotics in town. Got a scratch in your Lambo? He's your man! You never know what you are gonna see next.
Lotta upscale German cars with their gorgeous paint finishes.
 
We've had the tech for good clearcoat paint throughout. Look at a 90s Lincoln or Volvo. The value engineers just get ahold of some formulas.
 
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