exterior door post molding?

I dont know your name so I apologize for calling you DC. :wink:

Dont you want to know what the cause of this paint defect is, so you can have the Dealer correct it once and for all ?

Is the Dealer so apathetic that they dont even want to know themselves?

I dont know, I think it it were me, I would be wanting to get the Factory Rep to talk to me about it, but setting his/hers expectations in advance, that I wanted him/her to bring me the reason why this molding is defective, and what steps the Factory is doing to correct it so it doesnt keep happening.

I remember back in I think it was 1986, or so, that Chevrolet did something to their painting process and alot of their vehicles started peeling paint within a couple of years or less, so they had to repaint everyone's vehicle that complained, for free.

What if later, this "condition" starts showing up in the rest of the paintwork?

I know you said you have a paint warranty, but why would you need to have one if they are expected to give you a good, defect-free paintjob at the git-go ?

I sure would want to know exactly what happened to my vehicle, and what they are going to do correct the defect so it doesnt happen again - ever .

Have you checked at any other owner websites to see if this is a common problem for these vehicles/colors ?

You dont have to reply to any of this, Im just thinking out loud..:2 cents:


Dan F
 
I dont know your name so I apologize for calling you DC. :wink:thats ok i like DC:wink:

Dont you want to know what the cause of this paint defect is, so you can have the Dealer correct it once and for all ?well sure I do LOL

Is the Dealer so apathetic that they dont even want to know themselves?I dont know

I dont know, I think it it were me, I would be wanting to get the Factory Rep to talk to me about it, but setting his/hers expectations in advance, that I wanted him/her to bring me the reason why this molding is defective, and what steps the Factory is doing to correct it so it doesnt keep happening.yeah I already went that route with the paint defects (not the moldings YET)

I remember back in I think it was 1986, or so, that Chevrolet did something to their painting process and alot of their vehicles started peeling paint within a couple of years or less, so they had to repaint everyone's vehicle that complained, for free.they already offered to repaint ,I dont want them too unless it gets worse

What if later, this "condition" starts showing up in the rest of the paintwork?thats why I went with the extended warranty

I know you said you have a paint warranty, but why would you need to have one if they are expected to give you a good, defect-free paintjob at the git-go ?
yes I know !!!!!!!!!!!!I didnt start to see these defects till 3 /4 months later , they are mostly quite minor
I sure would want to know exactly what happened to my vehicle, and what they are going to do correct the defect so it doesnt happen again - ever .even the paint rep doesnt know why , thats what he said anyway

Have you checked at any other owner websites to see if this is a common problem for these vehicles/colors ? yes I have , havent seen it discussed . But I did spot number 2 vanjust today with the same splotchy circles

You dont have to reply to any of this, Im just thinking out loud..:2 cents:

thanks Dan I know your trying to be helpful but quite honestly the more I think about it the more upset I get about it all . I have spet countless hours now at the dealership with problems and I just am going to give it a break for now . But soon when I get more energy I will address it further


Dan F
Thanks for replying:smile:you need to be my manager:D

PS. Im working on getting up a picture with 303 on the molding ,it hides a lot of it . Maybe someone can suggest a product that might be better? At least for now I will try different dressings
 
So I decided to get on this now and went to my toyota dealership today about the moldings . They acknowledged the problem and were going to replace them but after waiting for a while they told me that looking at all their 2010 and 11 models ALL of the vans had the same problem and they did not have any means of getting a part replacement without the same exact problem.

(They were very willing to replace the parts and warranty it)

This is Toyota sienna Van 2010 and 11 in case you run into this .

They were really sweet about it and sorry they couldnt help me but the funniest thing the service manager said to me was" your van is so clean , maybe your washing it too much and the soap you use and pressure you use is making the problem more noticable":rofl: then he said most peoples vans were too dirty to notice somethiing like that.

I assured him my soap was the problem and all I do is wipe it down gently.

So anyway now my only option is to go to toyota directly and live with it for now. Oh well !:smile:

I've seen this problem before on the Sienna, and replacing the moldings took care of the problem (at least there were no owner complaints after replacing the moldings). Maybe the original batch of moldings supplied to the factory assembly line were somehow slightly different, I dunno. As for the spots in the paint, I've seen this on other models; looks like something is trapped between the clear & base coat of the paint. I don't know if this is the problem on your vehicle, but on the others, applying moderate heat to the affected area with a heat gun took care of the problem without reoccuring. Some of the cars had a tiny bit of moisture under the clearcoat, & the heat got rid of it permanently. Try this & let us know how it came out.
Lastly, an extended paint warranty will not cover a factory paint defect, just damage to the surface of the paint, such as acid rain, bird bombs, etc. You already have a paint warranty that came with the vehicle. Hope this helps.
 
I've seen this problem before on the Sienna, and replacing the moldings took care of the problem (at least there were no owner complaints after replacing the moldings).Thanks so much NewPassat, i told them today to go ahead and order new moldings and we will see what happens from there! I have higher hopes now. Maybe the original batch of moldings supplied to the factory assembly line were somehow slightly different, I dunno. As for the spots in the paint, I've seen this on other models; looks like something is trapped between the clear & base coat of the paint. I don't know if this is the problem on your vehicle, but on the others, applying moderate heat to the affected area with a heat gun took care of the problem without reoccuring.Wow would have never guessed to try that ! Ill see if it helps Some of the cars had a tiny bit of moisture under the clearcoat, & the heat got rid of it permanently. Try this & let us know how it came out.
Lastly, an extended paint warranty will not cover a factory paint defect, just damage to the surface of the paint, such as acid rain, bird bombs, etc. You already have a paint warranty that came with the vehicle. yes 3 years only , but they extended it to 5 and it will cover the factory defects in case they get worse, at least thats the way it was explained to me . They cannot warranty bird dropping etchings and things like that that are out of their controleHope this helps.
Yes youve helped me a lot,thanks so much!!:thumbup:
 
The update on this problem so far is not good.

I thought they were going to order new moldings for me but "the management team " there said that "The appearance of the trim panels is deemed a characteristic of the vehicle and replacement will not change
that"( how about calling it a DEFECT !LOL)

and then gave me a number for "Toyota customer experience" to call . So I called the number today and they said they would get back to me in 3 days about this. She also said this is the first she has heard of this.

303 is not a good choice for dressing on exterior moldings. The morning dew makes drip marks . I will try some other dressings .:yawn:
 
DC,
Sorry that Toyota is being a butt about this now.

Sounds like they are really saying " we know the panels are defective, and replacing them will only give you more defective ones, so we are, rather than addressing the problem, are now just telling you that this is how all the panels will ever look" How sad.. How stupid...

I would have loved to been there, and would have taken the Manager (and I use that term very loosely) outside, pointed to the hundreds of vehicles parked in their dealership, and asked - "so you are saying that if all these vehicles out here have a paint defect, you are going to tell every customer that this is how they look now, and you have to accept it?"

If he was even more dumb enough to say "yes", then I would have gone and found me another dealership who has at least half-a-brain.

Even an elementary school child would be able to tell the difference between good and defective paint, so no matter what they tell you, it is still a - as you have already said, a "defect", and they need to repair it or replace it so the defect/s are gone, and you are happy.

I know, some dealerships are absolutely maddening; sorry you have to go through this. Can you give the BBB a call and complain about this place?
Perhaps get a TV news room person to come out and interview the dealership owner about it?

Have you googled this clown-circus dealership and seen if others have had similar experiences?

Good luck, I hope you get through this. They are masters at waiting you out,to see if you are going to give up and go away.

ON a side note, please, if you have a Valet Key for your car, or an extra key, do NOT ever leave it in the car for any reason, other than to be used by the dealer, etc., to start the car if you wish.

Some friends of ours, had their car detailed at the local Acura Dealership, didnt know they had a Valet key in the glove box, and some scumbag, stole it, looked at their registration for their address, and came by when they were gone and stole their car. Nice...

Dan F
 
detailchick,

Whatever dealer you're using now isn't the only one you can use! If you bought your van there, it's a shame they aren't trying to help in this matter.
Anyway, scrooom! Try another dealer. Good luck!
 
Thanks guys for your suggestions . No ,I did not realize I could go to another dealership!

Yes Fash I know dressing isnt going to fix it , only mask it but its better than nothing for now.

Wright I dont have the ultima . I tried another thicker bumper renew dressing that masks it a little better .

Now the rear moldingings are doing the same thing too . They are getting worse everyday it seems or maybe I just stare at it too long

Im still waiting to see whats going to happen after my complaint to "Toyota customer experience."

My dealership called today , but I missed the call. She left a message and asked if I was having some kind of trouble with my door seals :rolleyes:

Yesterday when I put the shifter in drive , even though I had my foot on the brake it lunged several feet foward :eek: :-? so I think the moldings may become the least of my problems !
 
DC - sorry you are having a bad experience on a new vehicle. Please do check out other dealership as Toyota has to honor the warranty at ALL dealerships, not just the jerky one you got it from. If necessary, you can take them to small claims court for your troubles if they still don't make good :judge:
 
Well today I got some proggress !

My dealership has called me a few times to get this straightened out and hopefully fixed and had me come in again today to look at the trim, this time a new person, the customer service director.

He remembered me from my paint problem and we connected and hit it off right away :thumbup:(in a platonic kind of way)

Turns out hes a total detail enthusiast ! He clays and waxes his truck every 2 month. We talked about all kinds of detailing , customers , cars ,paint ect ect and had a great conversation. Really cool nice guy!

Anyway he saw the defects and is ordering the parts for me :hurray:

We both just hope they dont come in defective.:)
 
It is a bit difficult to tell from the single photo but I have seen this "condition" many times in molded parts. The bulls eye appears to be at the gate, the place in the mold where the plastic is injected into the piece cavity. The "silver" condition is embedded in the plastic and can be caused by a couple of conditions such as improper application of mold release, wrong mold release, or high moisture content in the pellets (the likely cause).

(I have seven years of engineered/thermoplastic molding experience.)

Regards,
GEWB
 
It is a bit difficult to tell from the single photo but I have seen this "condition" many times in molded parts. The bulls eye appears to be at the gate, the place in the mold where the plastic is injected into the piece cavity. The "silver" condition is embedded in the plastic and can be caused by a couple of conditions such as improper application of mold release, wrong mold release, or high moisture content in the pellets (the likely cause).

(I have seven years of engineered/thermoplastic molding experience.)

Regards,
GEWB

Your have like super genuis powers Gary. I bet you can read a KB article and at the end comprehend it 100% on the first read :-B
 
It is a bit difficult to tell from the single photo but I have seen this "condition" many times in molded parts. The bulls eye appears to be at the gate, the place in the mold where the plastic is injected into the piece cavity. The "silver" condition is embedded in the plastic and can be caused by a couple of conditions such as improper application of mold release, wrong mold release, or high moisture content in the pellets (the likely cause).

(I have seven years of engineered/thermoplastic molding experience.)

Regards,
GEWB

WOW thanks GEWB! I may pass that info along to Toyota :)
Yes "bulls eye" descibes it perfectly.
 
Had any luck with the spots in/on the paint?

The only spot that really bothered me was on the hood and I did try to polish it before with no results so I left it alone especially after they convinced me it was a factory defect and under the clearcoat.

But as time went on the hood started to get a whitish appearance to the clear as if it were oxidizing, hard to see but I noticed it under certain lighting.

Anyway I polished the entire hood with a DA and M205 and like magic:wizard: the spot disappeared . I was really happy about that:)

The other spots I havent done anything about yet they are so minor but I should try the heat trick you mentioned . I will if it ever stops raining here!
 
So for an update on my molding saga .............

They ordered just one part and since it looked perfect they ordered all my moldings for me and told me they looked great and to come in and get them installed .

A couple weeks went by because I couldnt get there (had to work)
I went in this week to have them put on and waited patiently :biggrin:for a couple of hours , only to have them tell me the new parts looked even worse than my old ones and they opted not to put them on .

The service manager told me they looked fine a couple weeks ago , but the defects appeared in just a couple weeks .

So anyway they took pictures and are bringing it to the attention of the Toyota rep who is due in next week............

On a happier note I polished out all the minor paint defects with M205 and a DA , the heat trick didnt seem to work.
 
Its been a while so I thought I should update whats been happening .

The pillar moldings are labeled A(front)B ( middle) C(rear) and they were all reordered and handpicked from several different warehouses . Apparently this took them some time as they were all defective with the same "bullseyes"spots.

They replaced them all for me but they all have the same defects ........just not quite as bad as my old ones.

Thats the best they could do and the factory rep said its looking into the quality controle of these pillar moldings.

So really the best I can do for now is apply a dressing to help hide the defects and try not to let it bother me!
 
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