Paint chips just behind bug deflector

I came across two small spots on my hood where the paint is gone. Both spots are just behind the bug deflector, so I'm guessing it wasn't due to an impact. Admittedly, I haven't done much to protect the paint in the last 5 years (bought used). She's a 2007. The paint is starting to fade in places, especially the plastic parts. I hear redheads are a bitch to take care of?

The truck isn't a garage queen. And I plan to drive her until the wheels fall off. Will touch up paint, nail polish, etc. stop this from spreading? And is there anything I can do to prevent further issues?

 

That looks like bare metal to me and wouldn't let it stay that way too long, especially around here with the salt trucks coming. I had a similar looking damage on mine but larger. What I ended up doing was to use body tape to isolate the damage, then used a primer before applying the touch-up paint. Make sure you get the paint identification number from the door jam when ordering it from the dealership. My touch up paint I ordered from the dealership only cost me $9.98 with a 10% discount, which was the best price anywhere.

 

Yep, it's definitely down to the bare metal. Good advice on the primer before paint. I'll isolate the damage, use some fine grit sandpaper to smooth out the area, clean and paint.

 

I have an 07, Impulse Red Pearl, as it looks like you do. Check on the door jam - if it was made in Mexico, like mine, many paint issues - especially clear coat rash. Very common here in Tx. You can do DIY fixes, or pay a shop to just hit bad spots - depending on your interest in effort vs. $. Google clear coat rash repair. Or there is a link in my RRR thread below. Good luck!

 

Made in California. Beyond these two places, the front bumper, fender flares and roof are fading and there are a few clear coat issues. Sounds like I need to do some research and figure out what I can do to stop/slow down these issues. I'd like to get another 130-180k out of her.

 

Looks like a bad paint job caused that too me.

 

The biggest indicator of a future great paint job is all in the preparation. What I did was use a 240 grit sandpaper on the bare metal to just rough it up, before 1.) Using a toothbrush to clean the area with car wash soap/water then dry. 2.) I used isopropyl alcohol with a different toothbrush but they recommend using a degreaser as the final step to prep. the area and finally make sure it's thoroughly dry before the painting process.

 

Two tips I forgot to mention with me being from Massachusetts is 1.) Try to do it in a heated garage if temperatures are below 40 degrees and 2.) Try not to apply touch up paint in direct sunlight.

 

@Markcal, advice much appreciated!

 

No problem...I hope it adds extra life and resale value to your Tacoma.

 

The paint is peeling which is a big problem.
You’ll want to attempt to spot wet sand the area and get to paint that isn’t flaking.
I would get some sand paper (really fine grit, like 2000) and use a hole punch to punch out a little peice. You can glue that to the end of a pencil eraser and very gently try to sand the edges.

If you find the paint is in such bad condition that its totally peeling, a repaint will be the only proper fix.

If you can sand the peeling edges down you can use touch up paint to prevent rusting. However it will not look pretty. Youll have to repaint to make it look perfect

By the way that looks like primer not bare metal. It looks like the top two coats of paint are failing. If it was bare metal it would be rusting pretty bad

As far as the rest of the car... if the clear is a haze you can feel typically that means the clear coat is too far gone to polish and correct.
If its an unfeelable haze you can polish it out.
A pro detailer could tell you what can be done.

You will want to maintain a level of protection on the truck at all Times to prevent oxidation. This will mean typically a sealer or coating like a ceramic coat.
In your case I would just probably try to lay a sealer every six months to keep it protected from further UV damage.
And stay away from any type of autowash, they strip waxes and sealers off.

 

This seemed like a good time to take inventory of other paint issues.

1. Paint peeling on hood in two spots (subject of thread).
2. Roof fading/rust spots (see photo).
3. Plastic pieces - front bumper and fender flares are fading (turning orange).

Beyond the paint issues, the tailgate is a little beat up from normal use, and I have some minor cosmetic damage to the driver's side front fender/door from a low speed roll back - the truck rolled down my driveway and clipped the neighbor's mailbox (fun times). I probably should have filed insurance for the damage. That happened almost 4 years ago, and honestly it's never bothered me.

All of this kills resale. And a new paint job (hypothetically) is stupid without fixing the fender/door. Just thinking out loud. I guess I need to take care of the two spots on the hood, do something about the roof before it gets worse, and do what I can to clean and seal the rest of the paint. And move forward with my goal to drive her for another couple of years at a minimum.

 

Unfortunately the clear coat is toast. BUT good news about the roof is you can have it vinyl wrapped or bed lined to give you better protection. @ChadsPride painted his roof black. Looks awesome.
Those are cheaper ways than a repaint to get you some protection.

Red, yellows, and oranges are nutorious for oxidizing and hazing. Most of the time this can be polished up to shine like new (see post 10): https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/post-pics-of-your-freshly-detailed-taco.491396/


Willing to bet with a good detail and TLC most of the truck can be cleaned up to make it red again.
Don’t get too discouraged.

 

@PackCon, a vinyl wrap looks promising. Protection, plus matte black or grey will look good on my truck. I've never had to deal with paint issues on a vehicle, so pardon my ignorance. Based on the photo, can you tell if my roof needs work prior to wrapping? I'm trying to figure out if I'm dealing with clear coat and fading issues, or rust. It would seem foolish to put vinyl over a rusting roof before some remediation.

 

As long as there is no exposed metal that is rusting you will be fine to vinyl wrap. Its hard to tell just from the photo. It looks like its all cosmetic peeling.

It may be ideal to wet sand the blemished parts smooth just so you can’t see it through any wrap. That would be easy to do on your own before you take it to be wrapped.

I think black would look awesome.