Q: Problem with chipping paint, big chips in front

asked by on October 30, 2015

Before I bought my 2010 Toyota Corolla, I never had a problem with paint chipping off of the front bumper and hood. At only 20,000 miles, I started noticing chips, some as large as a dime, on the front of the car. Is this a defect of some sort? It’s consistent across the front of the car. I have not moved or changed my commute, so I doubt there is anything that I did to cause this. I need to solve this problem right away, my car looks like junk!

I have talked to some of my professional colleagues with painting experience and they have told me this paint chipping problem is not uncommon. I own one myself that is doing the same thing as your car. I have thoroughly investigated this problem and Toyota has been no help in fixing it, and seems to only say it is caused by bugs or bird droppings. I have came to the conclusion that the problem is from a defective paint product having adherence issues, or improper prep before painting. I have not decided to repaint the front of my car yet due to the costs involved. The permanent fix according to my local independent paint shop and my professional colleagues is to strip the paint to a bare surface, and completely re-prime and re-paint. I have since got a front car bra cover for the bumper and hood instead of going for a complete repaint of car. The front bra covers almost all of the damaged areas on my car, and the appearance is acceptable.

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