[webby092]

Hey everyone,


We've had our 16 RAV 4 for about 5 weeks now. I'm pretty meticulous about keeping my cars clean, especially a brand new one. It seems this RAV is a magnet for rock chips/scratches. It has 2300 mi on it, and I have probably filled in close to 15 chips/scratches. It lives in a garage, any my wife's current commute to work is about 7 miles. For the first week or two of its life it had a 40mi commute. Is Toyota paint paper thin? All of my rock chips are on the back hatch, still trying to figure out how we got those. The RAV has more chips/scratches than my 2011 car with 55k miles.

 

[Octane]

from my experience as a part time car detailler...
all paints now a days are paper thin, Toyota paint is in the average at between 90 and 140 microns, I've worked on Mazdas with paint that was under 50 microns in thickness.

 

[webby092]

Thanks for the info! Normally I don't sweat rock chips, but on a new car I was a little more worried haha. We cross shopped with the Mazda CX5. Glad we didn't get a car that the paint might wash off lol.

from my experience as a part time car detailler...
all paints now a days are paper thin, Toyota paint is in the average at between 90 and 140 microns, I've worked on Mazdas with paint that was under 50 microns in thickness.

 

[rdgrimes]

Chips on the rear hatch may well be coming from something other than driving, or rocks.

 

[webby092]

I'm not sure what else it could be haha

Chips on the rear hatch may well be coming from something other than driving, or rocks.

 

[rdgrimes]

Do you open the hatch under a tree, or in the garage where something might contact it? Are the chips grouped in one area? Where is it parked during the day and what happens there?

 

[webby092]

Nope, hatch clears everything so far. It's parked in a store parking lot all day where my wife works. When we first got it, she was commuting 40 mile son the freeway, and there was construction going on. I'm pretty sure they are rock chips, small circular patches of missing paint. Just weird how they are on the back, not the front haha

Do you open the hatch under a tree, or in the garage where something might contact it? Are the chips grouped in one area? Where is it parked during the day and what happens there?

 

[Octane]

towed a trailer? (rock bouncing on trailer onto back hatch)

 

[webby092]

Nope, no hitch installed. Wife drove through a construction zone for a few days, musta been some rocks kicked up off the rear tires or something

towed a trailer? (rock bouncing on trailer onto back hatch)

 

[rdgrimes]

No there's something here that does not compute. I'll wager this is happening while its parked. But if you don't already have them get the "mud guards".

 

[webby092]

That's why I made the thread, I couldn't determine how the chips were happening. It sat at a shopping mall for the first week or two of its life, now it site at a store parking lot. Not sure how it could be happening while its parked either. My conclusion is still the construction zone, there's no other logical explanation so far. That's the only time it has seen crappy roads, it has never been on a dirt road/off road.

No there's something here that does not compute. I'll wager this is happening while its parked. But if you don't already have them get the "mud guards".

 

[Quickdtoo]

Is the any grass to be mowed near the parking location? How about someone using a leaf blower nearby?

 

[matt007]

All of my rock chips are on the back hatch.

Post a picture?

 

[Octane]

tell you wife to stop driving on the highway in reverse...

seriously, my wife had the same thing on her Venza, she parks near the corner of a parking aisle, and when people go around that corner quick, it picks up rocks and shoots them onto her car!

 

[Blogson]

Rock chips on the back hatch only? Is it certain that it is actually rock chipping? Suggest having a good car body/paint shop have a look to try to determine whether the chipping actually is being caused by rocks.

 

[webby092]

That might be the case. If she listens to me (god willing haha) she should park it away from people. I always try to stick our cars in a corner spot, that's might be the same thing happening to ours. I will try to get a picture soon, she works late tonight and early tomorrow, and the car is dirty. Ill post one up when I can. The chips have been filled in (albeit poorly haha), so at least they are protected.

tell you wife to stop driving on the highway in reverse...

seriously, my wife had the same thing on her Venza, she parks near the corner of a parking aisle, and when people go around that corner quick, it picks up rocks and shoots them onto her car!

 

[Carguy33]

I would put money on it that it's kick up from driving. I had to take my '16 limited to my body guy for touch ups around the car due to a severe storm we had that was blowing crap around and bouncing off the car. body shop did an awesome job with the touch up. can't even tell were the small chips were.

 

[webby092]

I finally got time to wash the car and to take pictures of the rock chips. They are hard to see, even with being circled. I have touched them up (poorly haha).

 

[Blogson]

Rather odd. It almost appears that someone has been using a slingshot or BB gun. Have there been any more of these paint chips lately?

 

[webby092]

Nope, no more have appeared since the wife switched jobs and stopped commuting on the freeway through the construction zone.