SC430 door guards

I suggest brain implants for all those driving or riding in the car.

It's a thin, grooved, flexible PVC strip that you can slide onto the edges of your door. I saw some at the Toyota dealership store, but you should be able to get it any auto parts store. My 1988 Camry had it on all 4 doors when I bought it. My 2000 ES 300 didn't, and I see some chipped paint on my car too.

I see more chipped paint on my 2000 ES 300 than on my 1988 Camry :( Did automobile paint technology degrade over the years?

Thanks...As for the paint degrading over the years, I was wondering the same thing myself. It seems like for all the money you pay for a car these days the least they can do is make sure the paint doesn't chip as easily as it appears to.

Some think today's paints are softer as the auto makers have switched to low-emissions water-based paints rather than the previous solvent-based paints. But really, it might just be normal human reaction to be upset over paint chips in any new car and forget that the car you bought 10-years ago did the same thing.

- Mark

Actually paints ar getting softer. This is due VOCs allowed in paints and to all the plastic on exterior surfaces. Plastic expands and contracts more than metals and to prevent a spidering effect the paint must accomodate the dimensional extremes, hence softer/ more plyable. I beleive the chips are bigger than the old paint due to micro-ripping of the paint. Hard paint may be more brittle, but only the impacted area chips, while softer paint may stretch-and-snap making for a slightly larger chip.