Is better paint or clear coat on the way?

[Brook]

It seems that the current paint/clear coat technology/formulation is a long way from being satisfactory--swirl marks and scratches are the bane of every car owner, particularly if the paint is dark.

Is there any effort underway to improve the durability and swirl/scratch resistance of paint/clear coat?

Perhaps the cost of a more duarable clear coat is prohibitive. Besides, it wouldn't help the detailing product manufacturers to have more durable paints and clear coats.

[79elcamino]

Re: Is better paint or clear coat on the way?

i dont think enough people complain to car the companies about how easily some paint can get swirls in them. if no one complains about it to them why should they try to fix it,but i agree car companies should re-formulate there clear coat paint to make it hard, granted detailers may not like it but for the average joe who washes and waxes their car it would be a great help

[speed3blackmica]

Re: Is better paint or clear coat on the way?

lets also not forget that how hard or soft a clear coat may be does not mean it could more or less resistant to scratching..some paints are so hard that a rotarty, wool pad, and m105 need multiple passes to remove the defects, but the paint still scratched and swirled easily.

[CieraSL]

Re: Is better paint or clear coat on the way?

Well, most people don't even know what swirl marks are. They think if their car is shiny and has a coat of wax on it that it is good enough. I didn't know what swirls were until I joined MOL. To make better paint that is scratch and swirl resistant would most likely be more expensive, and what company is going to put out that kind of money or research when the average person doesn't care anyway? Although some companies, including Nissan, have been playing with the idea of self-healing paint. But they still aren't impervious to swirls, and I've heard from a couple of detailers who have detailed cars with self-healing paint that these types of paint are much harder to work on than traditional clear coats.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Is better paint or clear coat on the way?

There will always be improvements in anything. Including paint. At what cost to the consumers will it be. The Developmental self healing paint did not work as expected. There will undoubtedly be a next generation of it done the road. But will everyone want it?

Like others have stated. The majority of people either do not know or don't care about their paint.

But with everything their will always be the next best thing.

[79elcamino]

Re: Is better paint or clear coat on the way?

whats self healing paint??

[Erik Mejia]

Re: Is better paint or clear coat on the way?

Be careful what you wish for. Imagine a world where polishers and wax is not needed... the horror!

[yalerd]

Re: Is better paint or clear coat on the way?

Nothing lasts forever, so in some point you'll need to polish and protect the surface of the car.

Weather is crazy, your car finish is under "attack" 24/7 and the environment is harsh so I would think this way "Thanks God I know about detailing and polishing and taking care of my vehicle"

[TOGWT]

Re: Is better paint or clear coat on the way?

Hard and soft are both relative terms; you can scratch the hard surface of a vehicles paint with a soft towel by the application of enough pressure. Both pressure and mechanical stress are defined as force per unit area. These two forces are the subject of Newton's third law of motion; the law of reciprocal
actions [: to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction]

How can a hard clear coat be so easily scratched?

Force acts through a body that has a surface area; if the surface area is really small while maintaining an equal force, the pressure becomes astronomical and the object under pressure capable of penetrating the surface of an otherwise tough material. That’s why a micro fine thread that is twice as fine as silk and a 100 times finer than a human hair, in an otherwise soft towel will scratch your paint. And the same reason a mosquito can penetrate a rhino hide with its proboscis (stinger).

This can best be summed up as: your car’s paint finish, though it may feel hard, is actually rather soft. Nearly everything else that comes in contact with it, though it may feel soft, is harder by comparison and will scratch it with enough pressure – sometimes just the slightest of pressure.

[TOGWT]

Re: Is better paint or clear coat on the way?

• Self healing Paint - With 2K(2 component paint + activator) PUR Clear Coat, the researchers at Bayer Material Science Coatings Automotive have developed a coating comprising the polyisocyanate Desmodur® and the polyol Desmophen, which is especially resistant and can "heal" small scratches.

The paint top surface is a hard film over a softer layer of substrate - a light scratch will 'dent' or break the skin, but it will then return to its original form. Polyurethanes are thermoplastic and the applied heat helps it to re-flow and repair surface marring.

• Scratch Guard - is a coating that is applied over the clear coat of your vehicles paint. The paint will fix itself after it had experienced a scratch, provided it has not penetrated the Scratch Guard coat; this coating is heat-activated. The Scratch Guard basically contains a highly elastic resin that repairs itself over time when it is exposed to a heat source such as the sun.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Is better paint or clear coat on the way?

One major auto maker has experimented with self healing paint very recently, allegedly a nanoparticulate system that would reflow and fill fine scratches when heat was applied. The claim was that even leaving the car out in the sun on a hot day would do the trick.

We've seen some write ups of very talented detailers struggling with these paint systems when trying to correct defects (hey, what happened to the self healing aspect then????) as the paint seemed to be incredibly, ridiculously soft.

We hear that this auto maker has since abandoned this system and is no longer spraying cars with it at the factory.

[RaskyR1]

Re: Is better paint or clear coat on the way?

I ran across this info a couple years ago....

CLEARCOAT
Basecoat/clearcoat systems have been around for quite a long time. Many European cars have been painted like this since the early 80's. However the technology has changed dramatically.


It all starts with what the manufacturer wants. A car company may want their vehicle to have the absolute best gloss you can possibly achieve. They also will want the surface to be resistant to scratches and marring. They also will want the paint surface to be very resistant to atmospheric pollution, such as acid rain, industrial fallout, tree sap, bird droppings, stone chipping, etc. In a nutshell they want the surface to be bulletproof. Unfortunately, for the manufacturer they will almost certainly have to give up something to achieve something else. For example, if they want a great gloss they will have to give up a little durability. If their concern is durability, the gloss may not be quite as rich. This is a double-edged sword. Some paint manufacturers say that the technology is available to produce an almost bulletproof clearcoat but paint costs have skyrocketed. Most car manufacturers in trying to keep costs down will opt to play a game of give and take with the clearcoat surface.

Source

http://www.autodetailingnetwork.com/detail-articles-kleen-car/2009/7/30/oem-auto-paint-finishes.html

[SHYNEMAN123]

Re: Is better paint or clear coat on the way?

whats self healing paint??

It's a softer clear designed to absorbe impact and reduce chipping.
Ford is marketing it on the New SHO

[SHYNEMAN123]

Re: Is better paint or clear coat on the way?

There has been some talk of someware down the road of the auto mfg going to wraps over paint, like what NACAR is doing but who knows.

[TOGWT]

Re: Is better paint or clear coat on the way?

[We've seen some write ups of very talented detailers struggling with these paint systems when trying to correct defects (hey, what happened to the self healing aspect then????) as the paint seemed to be incredibly, ridiculously soft.]

CliffNotes® Version

Use Menzerna SIP with a Lake County (L) Orange pad, follow with Menzerna PO85 RD White (LC) foam pad.