Paint Issues - Would You Buy Anyway Knowing What You Know Now?

[t9mike]

I am considering a Vibe AWD or a Rav4 AWD. Rav4 drove like a truck whereas the Vibe was very smooth. Makes sense I know given the skeleton differences between the two. We had ruled out the Rav4 BUT ...All this paint stuff has me really concerned (I think I've read most of the threads). I like the Shadow or Neptune with monotone option. I'd think the Shadow would hide paint chips well assuming a grey primer. From what I can tell, the paint has not changed in the newer 2004 models vs. 2003. Bummer.Anyway, I'm curious if Vibe owners would get something else if they were to jump in some Vibealicious time machine. Alternatively, do the other positives outweigh the paint issue for you?Regards,-Mike

[ArcsVibe]

Hi Mike and welcome to genvibe Let me tell you that this is by far the best car I have ever owned..very confortable on long trips, drives well, it's fun to drive, looks good and is quite a safe car ( 5 stars on frontal impact ) I have a Neptune Vibe and just love it. The paint can be an issue but there are ways to protect it ( I have a hood deflector )The only other car I would consider right now maybe is the new Mazda 3, it looks pretty sweet, but I love my Vibe too much!! How is the weather in Dallas? I will be there ( sans the Vibe ) for a conference!

[ragingfish]

I might have --though the 03/04 corolla's are really hot looking, would've considered a corolla S at the same time...knowing me and my family though, would've ended up with the vibe, or possibly anothe rsunfire.

[ArcsVibe]

Yeah the Corolla is also another one of my considerations, you're right Fish they look great and are super reliable.....

[t9mike]

Hi ArcsVibe.Dallas temp varies widely during the winter. Today I played tennis for 2 hours in about 72 degrees. But it is a balmy 58 right now and a little windy. I get chilly easily so for me 58 and the very low humidity here is cold . We'll probably get one ice storm in January. I mostly want the AWD for rain. We are dumping our old '96 A4 Quattro for the Vibe or something else.Cheers,-Mike

[JohnC]

I sure would, in fact I did! Vibe was alot more vehicle for the money compared to the Matrix and Corolla. In my shopping experience anywy.

[AKLGT]

i had a toyota tundra before my vibe gt and it also had paint issues. friends of mine have a 2002 rav 4 and it had the hood repainted under warranty because it was really bad and began to rust! so either way, you will always deal with the paint issue.i considered the rav 4 as well, but wanted something with more oomph so i went with the GT. I also considered teh corolla S, but again, that lost out to the engine. now i hear they are coming out with the corolla xrs.... oh well. the vibe is a great vehicle! although, to do it over again, i may have bought a subaru wrx instead.... but that would be a bit more money. the vibe really is the best bang for your buck along with Toyota quality and reliability. really hard to beat that!

[Stang2Vibe]

I've had my Vibe now for 1 year and about 2 months. I gripe and moan about the finish of my Vibe from time to time but truthfully, it's really no worse than my last couple of cars, and in some ways it's actually better. The paint on the Vibe is unexceptional in my opinion, but really no worse than many of today's cars. So in short, if I were to go back to when I was buying my Vibe and knew about the paint, no, it would not have stopped me at all from buying this car.As the washing and waxing forum moderator for this site, I have read many posts from many members regarding this issue. It is my opinion that in general, people's perception of the quality of their Vibe's finish varies depending on their expectation of how good it should be. If you are expecting a show stopping custom quality auto finish on your Vibe, look for something else because you will be disappointed. If you can make do with an average quality modern finish, you will be able to tolerate the finish and probably be so pleased with the rest of the car that you will rarely notice that the paint quality is nothing special. If you're trading in an old rustbucket or something that's paint was really shot, you will be happy to have a new finish. So really I think the complaints/praises are directly related to the consumer's expectation. My finish is not that bad, and actually, it cleans up quite nicely. I have 3 stone chips on the front of the car so far, about on par with my last 2 cars. No other real issues with it. If I spent the time and effort on cleaning and detailing it to the best of my ability, it would look better than it did on the day I picked it up. So if the quality of the finish is your only caveat to buying a Vibe, it probably shouldn't be.As for comments in this thread about poor quality Toyota paint jobs, that is totally irrelavent to me with regard to this issue. Toyota made and/or designed the majority of this car, but they did not build, design, or paint the body. To the best of my knowledge, all Vibes are built and painted in GM's NUMMI plant in Fremont, California. To me, that makes the price of tea in China of equal relevance to Toyota's paint jobs when it comes to this issue.Finally, let your own judgement be your guide in your decision regarding this purchase. Afterall, it's your money that is going to pay for this car, so the decision is yours. Go to a dealer or two and browse the lot looking at the Vibe. Now that paint quality is a concern for you, look at the paint on several of them for yourself. Check out different colors, even colors you won't consider buying. Look at them in different lighting or on different days if you can. If you are displeased with it and it is that important to you, then by all means, purchase a different car. If it doesn't seem that bad to you or you like it, then don't let it bother you. The choice, ultimately, is yours. Let your own opinion be the guiding force with this issue.Best of luck to you and with your search for a new vehicle! Just remember that we're always here if you have more questions/concerns about the Vibe and we're always open!

[t9mike]

Thanks for all the responses!Trust me... I've looked at a ton of Vibes (three different dealers to see all the colors... two Sundays just staring at the cars when they are closed). But I am no expert and my eye can't determine how thick a paint job is, how many coats there are, how well it will wear, etc.I would think that the paint job is just how GM intended it to be for this car at this low price point. I can't imagine that prototypes are not tested in real world conditions in addition to simulated wear/tear via automated stress tests. I guess for $19,000 or so I can't expect to get everything so I'll probably take the plunge. I write a hell of a letter to VPs and CEOs so if I have problems I consider excesive though.Regards,-Mike

[joatmon]

I don't think the paint issues should be a stopper. The paint on mine has a stone chip or two, but nothing that I consider unusual or a symptom of poor quality. Others have worse problems, and I don't deny that, but I think that to some extent the large amount of posts on paint issues in Vibes is due to the general lack of other things to find fault with. This is, afterall, "the online community for Vibe enthusiasts", so we can get pretty enthusiastic about our cars.my stone chips are on the front edge of the hood. Perhaps a deflector would have prevented them.

[huy397]

I wouldn't let the paint issue stop me from buying the Vibe, if I were to start all over again.EVERY single car on the street has some paint chips... it's only matter of time before you start seeing those on your beloved car.It definitely sucks big time but I'd just use some touch-up paint to seal it off and call it a day and start enjoying my Vibe again.

[byounger]

Yes, I would. I am noticing the paint issues as well, But I love every thing else about the car so far. (Had it since Aug 2003)The GT is fairly quick, good handeling, lots of room, even my grandma who has a hard time taking road trips is really comfortable in the back seat. Great Sound System, sporty unique look, good gas, etc... So yes, definily would buy again, though now that the new Prius is out, I may have considered that as well.

[Stang2Vibe]

Quote, originally posted by t9mike »But I am no expert and my eye can't determine how thick a paint job is, how many coats there are, how well it will wear, etc.Just for reference, thickness is not necessarily a factor in determining the quality of the paint anymore. New techniques and products are coming out all the time to improve paint quality. From what others have posted on this site, our Vibes are painted with a newer process in the auto industry where the paint is electrically charged with one polarity and the parts to be painted are charged with the opposite charge to attract the paint as it is sprayed. I have been unable to verify this for myself to date, but I have heard of this process before. It is supposed to make the paint flow instantly on the surface, making the finish smoother and improve adhesion. Others on here have noted that this is supposed to make the paint stronger even though it is thinner. I suppose this is possible, but again, I'm not familiar with the science behind this process yet. New technology like this is supposed to make our car's finish better. Also very important to a good finish is the quality of the materials used as well as the additives put in the paint products. This is where we may run into problems because this costs money. Car makers are on a constant quest to increase quality and production speed while reducing costs. Often paint durability is pushed farther down the list when push comes to shove to make the bottom line. This is probably the biggest cause of the reduced quality of the Vibe's finish.