How likely are today's paints going to survive long term?

[Tim Lingor]

Re: How likely are today's paints going to survive long term?

Hey,

I agree, it has mostly to do with the care and diligence you have shown over the years in the maintenance of your paint. I think my 1999 Ford Super Duty looks pretty good considering that it is the original factory paint.

I took these pics a couple days ago after detailing the truck for a current backing plate review I am working on....






Tim

[CieraSL]

Re: How likely are today's paints going to survive long term?

I think a lot of it has to do with how the car is kept up and detailed. My parents have a 1990 Accord with paint still in mint condition, and my '95 Olds Cutlass is still in great shape. We're talking 15 and 20 year old paint, and they look better than some 2 and 3 year old cars I've seen. So, while the quality of the paint itself is probably a factor, I think that regular maintenance is the real determinant of how the car will look 15-20 years down the road.

1990 Honda Accord




'95 Olds Cutlass




Threads with pics of the 1990 Accord

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35305

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33306

Threads with pics of the Cutlass

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33321

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33995

Of course, I keep up on the cleaning. I never let that go for very long. But it has paid off. On the other hand, my sister has a '94 Accord that is in the first stages of clearcoat failure. The car has never been properly cared for, so I attribute the CC failure to that.

[dope92cc]

Re: How likely are today's paints going to survive long term?

Blame Chrysler.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: How likely are today's paints going to survive long term?

Moved to Detailing 101

[captaincog]

So, since I have one PT with a corner that has clearcoat failure, one custom painted PT, and my old Camaro that has a single stage paint I began wondering.....
Today, maybe because it is the poor economy, but many, many cars I see from the 90's have severe clear coat failure. I have been to several Thursday night events and some Saturday classes and we all talk about bringing back the paint. These cars are usually from the 60's or earlier and the paint is very different than the paints of today.
So....now there are the "cheap" painting places (edited for content by Mike P.) that do single stage paints that seem to be closer to the old car paints, but not up to the clear coat standards of today.
What are everyone's thoughts? Are the single stage cheap paints more likely to survive? Will any of today's clear coat paints survive 30, 40+ years?