Some more paint perspective

[Antonio DiMarco]

The discussion surrounding paint chips has really been eating at me. So I took it upon myself to ask a few body shops in my area about their opinion on chipping.

The general consensus was that although paint quality does vary with price (Mazda compared to say a BMW) that the paint process is eons ahead of what it used to be. Especially the clear coat finish.

With respect to chipping all the shops indicated that it was less about paint quality and more about design that contributes to chipping. One shop said that they've had $100,000 Mercedes in their shop with horrible chipping on the nose and hood. The reason some may believe that new cars chip easier is more about the hood and body design. Our MS3's for instance have a very agressive nose and even a pretty deeply sloped front roof line which effectively catches flying debris, while older cars had more grille area and a flatter hood. Debris has a tendancy to glance off the hood opposed to hitting it directly. How close a car sits to the ground also has some effect on chipping (obviously). This is one reason the 3M road film has gotten so popular.

At least this is what I heard from 3 different body shops.

Any other opinions?

 

[paylew]

It makes sense about the shape and stance. I know with my RSX I only had a few minor chips but once I lowered it I was noticing them left and right. I'm thinking about getting the 3M even though it's a bit expensive, I've already seen 2 or 3 chips and I haven't had the MS3 a full month.

 

[GhostMercury]

same here. I agree with the shops to a point though, I think some more clear might help out a bit.

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

Funny about the clear...

same here. I agree with the shops to a point though, I think some more clear might help out a bit.

I actually asked them what would they charge if I asked them to add another layer of clear OR remove the factory clear and use their clear. They said that layering the newer clear coat formulations isn't a good idea because it will lead to spiderwebbing over time. Also they said that stripping the old clear isn't a good idea unless you want to repaint the whole car. They also said that repainting would actually be trickier on a body like the MS3 since the sheetmetal has a lot of character (i.e. strong curves). He said it would be very expensive to repaint my car since it would take quite a bit of care and attention to make sure that an equal amount of paint and clear was removed from the entire body. The curve and sharp lines make it extremely hard to naviagte the sanders. It can be done but at a price.

The new clears, they said isn't like the laquers used to be, where you could apply layer upon layer of laquer. Paint Manufacturers like BASF only honor their lifetime warranty when you follow their directions and they recommend applying one layer of clear. One of the Body Guys also said that BASF (a European brand) makes the best paints right now, while DuPont paints have gone down in quality.

He also said that the clears that have come out in the last year or so are some of the best he's seen with respect to durability. They also added that Nothing will stop chipping. It's physically impossible for any paint/clear coat to be chip proof.

They also corroberated what another member on the forum said: that the new water based paints only effect the base coat. The clear is still solvent based.

FWIW.

 

[Hank3]

Thanks for the information, AD.

 

[714ms3]

Not to rain on the parade or anything, but the poor quality paint is pretty universal. There was something passed that required auto paint to contain more water and less lead (I'm pretty sure). Thus the paint is not as strong as it used to be.
I am sure extra clear coat could be nothing but beneficial, but the 3M clear bra would likely be a more cost effective way to go.

 

[714ms3]

Here is a little excerpt I read while looking for some more precise info:

"Some industry officials suggest that modern car paints are more blemish-prone because Federal air-pollution regulations bar the use of certain chemicals that once provided hardness to paints."