Hardness Of Paint

[NiNe STaR SHiNe]

Re: Hardness Of Paint

Thanks Mike, er I mean Mark...LOL I saw your videos on you tube a few weeks b4 I went paint/shine crazy and I must admit...that is one of the cleanest focuses that I have seen in a while...Do you happen to know where this thread with general paint thicknesses is...I remember it was in mills and if I remember correctly Chrysler/Jeep paints were 3-6 mills from clear to metal...maybe one of the mikes has it as it was in one of their threads where I saw it.

[NiNe STaR SHiNe]

Re: Hardness Of Paint

I`m going to still look for the correct thread but here is a little something anyone interested in PTG`s and procedures for them ect...



http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34411

make sure you go for microns, NOT MILLS!!!!

[Chop]

Re: Hardness Of Paint

I am not sure you will find a master list by manufacturer as even within each manufacturer paints used vary.

I can tell you of one mfr though. Mercedes Benz used hard paint on my car. On MB's you need to find the label or plate with the paint code. If it has a C (for cermaic) before the code then you have ceramic (hard) paint.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Hardness Of Paint

There really is no way to compile an accurate reference guide for paint hardness or paint thickness by manufacturer - it's a constantly moving target! Manufacturers change paint systems, sometimes in the middle of a model year, sometimes just with a specific color, sometimes just with a specific model. We've worked on Chrysler paints that were very easy to correct with a fairly gentle approach while others were very resistant to defect correction. Call them "soft" and "hard" if you will, but the bottom line is they were both Chrysler vehicles but the paint responded very differently.

While it is true that for a period of time a majority of people will report findings of a certain vehicle line having paint that behaves a certain way (think C6 Corvettes being known for extremely hard paint, and very new Hondas being known for very soft or delicate paint) but even that tends to change.

Imagine the database that would result if you even could compile one - every make, model, color, build date (or date range) would have to be included. It really would no longer be a simple "list" but rather a true "database" of information.

Further, who's to say where the stages between "hard" and "soft" paint fall? Depending on the skill level of the operator a "soft" paint may be very easy to work with while another operator may fight it. Are they using the same liquids, pads, machines, techniques, etc? We've seen people working on paint they thought was "hard" because they kept hitting with more and more aggressive processes, only to find out that a much more gentle approach actually returned the desired result.

While it may be a great idea, compiling such a database would be nearly impossible.

[drummereef]

Re: Hardness Of Paint

There really is no way to compile an accurate reference guide for paint hardness or paint thickness by manufacturer - it's a constantly moving target! Manufacturers change paint systems, sometimes in the middle of a model year, sometimes just with a specific color, sometimes just with a specific model. We've worked on Chrysler paints that were very easy to correct with a fairly gentle approach while others were very resistant to defect correction. Call them "soft" and "hard" if you will, but the bottom line is they were both Chrysler vehicles but the paint responded very differently.

While it is true that for a period of time a majority of people will report findings of a certain vehicle line having paint that behaves a certain way (think C6 Corvettes being known for extremely hard paint, and very new Hondas being known for very soft or delicate paint) but even that tends to change.

Imagine the database that would result if you even could compile one - every make, model, color, build date (or date range) would have to be included. It really would no longer be a simple "list" but rather a true "database" of information.

Further, who's to say where the stages between "hard" and "soft" paint fall? Depending on the skill level of the operator a "soft" paint may be very easy to work with while another operator may fight it. Are they using the same liquids, pads, machines, techniques, etc? We've seen people working on paint they thought was "hard" because they kept hitting with more and more aggressive processes, only to find out that a much more gentle approach actually returned the desired result.

While it may be a great idea, compiling such a database would be nearly impossible.

Great information, thanks Mike! It's too bad there isn't more hard data as far is this concerned, especially for detailing noobs like myself. Some people use the domestic/import car theory but like you said it's not a sure thing in any situation.

Luckily I haven't had to do any correcting to the Jeep as I've only had it for a month, but my Wife's 2001 Cavalier is another story. I'll probably pick up some ScratchX for that project. If that doesn't work then I'll go to a stronger product like Ultimate Compound. It has some minor scratches and swirls that I'm experimenting with. I call it my "project" car. When I get to that project I'll post some pics in another thread for evaluation.