Issues with the paint work on a new Corolla

[Ian de]

Hi, has any one had any issues with 'Micro Bubbles' in the paint work on a new Corolla 2023? 

[Mr Billiards]

I have an October 2023 Bi Tone GR Sport Hatch, white with black roof and the paintwork is fault free.

[trashman1965]

I've seen a scarlet flare with at least one blemish in the paint that could be a bubble. It was on the right wing and quite noticeable in good light and fairly close 

[bigblock]

3 hours ago, Ian de said:

Hi, has any one had any issues with 'Micro Bubbles' in the paint work on a new Corolla 2023? 

Are you referring to the 'orange peel' effect by any chance. This effect can show up on some panals usually the doors mainly. Have had this on a silver Auris in the past. My current Scarlet Flare Corolla is fine.

[Bper]

HI Ian,The paint inclusions these are small imperfections that can occur during the painting process, like dust or bubbles trapped beneath the clear coat. They typically don't affect the car's functionality and might be very minor. If something contaminated the paint during application, it could create a bubbling effect. This is less common with modern painting techniques.

Park the car in good lighting and inspect the paint for these micro bubbles. Look if they are uniform or scattered,If they seem concentrated in one area, that might indicate contamination.

Gently run your fingers over the affected areas. If they feel smooth, they're likely just inclusions. If they feel rough or textured, that could be a sign of contamination.Trust this helps

[Swanthecat]

23 hours ago, Ian de said:

Hi, has any one had any issues with 'Micro Bubbles' in the paint work on a new Corolla 2023? 

Where on the car - all over or a specific area?
 

[Ian de]

Hi Swanthecat, thanks for your reply. The micro bubbles/ dust inclusions are all over the car. The count at the moment is about 48. Every time the light is right I find more. The paint finish is 'black metallic' which makes the micro bubbles hard to find.

[TonyHSD]

Are they any pictures to share, it will be interesting to see and for future reference if someone else find the same or similar problems with their cars. 

[Swanthecat]

14 hours ago, Ian de said:

Hi Swanthecat, thanks for your reply. The micro bubbles/ dust inclusions are all over the car. The count at the moment is about 48. Every time the light is right I find more. The paint finish is 'black metallic' which makes the micro bubbles hard to find.

Mine is also metallic black and I have no problems like this. If this is as obvious and as widespread as you are saying then I assume you have discussed it with the dealer? The reason I asked about if this is all over the car is that the bumpers and other hang on plastic parts will have been painted using a different line and paint type to the metal panels and therefore the defects should not be on all panels.

[Ian de]

Thanks for all your replies. I will add some pictures to help explain with what I am dealing with.

I will need to add numerous replies to send a good cross section of the inclusions. Group 1.

[Ian de]

Group 2.

[Ian de]

Group 3.

[Ian de]

Group 4.

[Ian de]

Group 5.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Well as you're unhappy with the condition of the paintwork, you need to approach the dealer 're a possible claim under the paint and surface rust warranty (which is 3 years from first registration).

[Ian de]

As I stated before there are 48 of these inclusions all over the car.

In response to the question 'have I contacted the dealer' the answer is yes.

I noticed an issue with the paint work when I got my new car home at the end of September 2023. I contacted the dealer and they informed me that I would need to book an appointment, to bring the car in to have the repairs done, by their Smart Repair technician. 

Since the beginning of October and every time I call, I have been told the staff member I need to speak to is on a training course, or it is his day off. Each time I am assured that the sales team member will be sent an email by the Sales Team who will call me back.

I feel the dealer has treated me with total contempt, when I have been trying to get this issue resolved. 

I have now sought legal advice and paid for a forensic engineers report. Which I will be discussing with the legal team tomorrow. 

[Ian de]

Thanks frostyballs, that is useful to know.

As U can see from my last reply, the 'Dealer' is acting like the old type doggy second hand car dealers (this is no disrespect to all 'second hand car dealers'). 

[FROSTYBALLS]

Presumably you haven't tried contacting Toyota Customer Services?

[Ian de]

Hi frostyballs, thanks for your reply. Due to the response I have had,  thus far from the dealer. I was advised to hold fast until my evidence gathering had been completed. 

Once I have spoken to my legal advisor I will be contacting customer services to outline my position.

[Swanthecat]

If you contact Toyota directly it is surprising how quickly this focuses the attention of the dealer (assuming it is a Toyota dealer we are talking about of course). 
 

it is difficult to show small paint blemishes in a photograph so it’s hard to comment on your pictures but, from experience, with a dark coloured car any defect like this is obvious. Car production has QC which should pick up things like this and get it rectified (you would be amazed how many new cars end up with a repair in the factory) so if it is obvious to the customer it should have been spotted and/or it was deemed acceptable to their control standards.

Again I  ask if the problems all over the car in which case there may be another explanation such as contamination after painting or even incorrectly applied after market paint treatment?

 

[TonyHSD]

I agree with Paul, 

these are very tiny spots which will not be noticed by most people and it will be difficult to deal with. For the dealers and Toyota uk it will not be worth it to repair, and for you as owner of the car it won’t be a good idea to have them repaired because the risk of getting things way worse is very high. 
If me I would have returned the car immediately after delivery, or ask for reimbursement, some cash back or personal just learn to live with and wait if anything worst happens and the paint starts to peel off then get it fully re spray under warranty.
I see Toyota and dealers are refusing to vouch warranty hybrid Battery replacement even though all conditions had been met , realistically thinking in your case will be very difficult. Plus most of the paint repairs will make it many times worse. 

[Ian de]

Thanks for your reply TonyHSD.

I will post the outcome when I know what is happening. 

[rado77]

My gr sport with red (Emotional red) and black roof has pretty bad orange peel over whole car - mostly visible on the doors. I was surprised that this passed Toyota production inspection !

[Swanthecat]

38 minutes ago, rado77 said:

My gr sport with red (Emotional red) and black roof has pretty bad orange peel over whole car - mostly visible on the doors. I was surprised that this passed Toyota production inspection !

I am constantly surprised how many new cars I see with what I would not consider acceptable levels of orange peel in the top coat. I would say most of these problems come from the efforts to reduce VOC emissions in the factories as the producers are forced to use high solids paints which often don’t flow as well as the older paint types. Once you have accepted the car you probably have no redress either as the appearance of the paint will be QA tested with a scanning device measuring gloss, distinctness of image (reflection) and short wave reflectance (orange peel). The fact it’s at the dealers tells you it passed the control checks and was considered acceptable. 

[Jaread]

On 3/20/2024 at 7:32 AM, Ian de said:

Hi, has any one had any issues with 'Micro Bubbles' in the paint work on a new Corolla 2023? 

I found a tiny bump on the roof of my white 2023 Corolla and tiny uneven black spots around the hood where the paint has peeled away. Toyota said to address it to their service department when I take it in next month. I haven't drove it much in the past 11 months; 2035 on the odometer.