Heres an update I posted at CustomTacos.com
I went to a the attorneys at
www.lemonlaw.com. They looked it over and said that is definately Toyota defects. They told me to allow the dealer the chance to correct it. He said more then likely, they will mess it up then there is even more ammo against Toyota. He said just by having paint work done on a new vehicle, it will go from excellent to good condition in Kelly Blue Book. Thats more ammo.
I called the local dealer that said they would paint it as long as I put running boards on it. The attorney said tell them it is their responsibility and if they want running boards on it, they can supply them. Of course, the attorney knows I don't want running boards on my truck!!! DUH!!! lol The dealer said no go as the paint work is contingent on me purchasing running boards. I said fine, I'll let the attorneys deal with it and he got lippy and hung up.
I decided to call the dealer where I purchased the truck to give them the opportunity to correct the problem. I ran it to them and my salesman and the general sales manager both agreed that the chips are excessive. I went to the body shop and showed them. The estimator was like "I was gonna tell you rock chips will happen on trucks...but then I looked at your truck and realized we're not dealing with 10 or 15 chips..we're dealing with 6000 chips." As my truck was there at the Toyota Collision Center, there was a new Dakota sitting there, quadcab, black, etc. Looked almost like a brother to my Taco. That truck had NO mudflaps, more mileage, and more aggressive tires on it and there was NOT ONE CHIP ANYWHERE!!! That right there convinced the estimator there is a problem.
So I should know Monday if Toyota itself is going to warranty the paint or if the dealer is going to bite the bullet and paint it. I also told him about the procedures for painting the flares as he wasn't aware of the TSB. He asked if I want them glossy like the truck or dull and crappy looking like factory. I said well if you want to paint all FOUR of the flares glossy, go ahead. If not, the rear flares better be duller like they were.
So, I guess I'll find out what is going to come out of it soon. I'll keep everybody informed.
Oh yeah...if you have any signs of chipping, call Toyota customer service ASAP and get a case number. Call your dealer. Call your Attorney General and let them know what is going on. Call your news if you want to. Also check out
www.lemonlaw.com . It is mostly for northeast states but they have links to help people in the rest of the country.