Best Clearcoats for repainting?

[ColonelCash]

Can someone please provide some information on the clearcoats that provide the best protection / shine / workability? I'm having my car re-painted and wanted to put two coats of the best clear I can find on it.

I've seen some mention of Standox and CeramiClear (PPG). Are those good, or would something else work better?

Thanks.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Best Clearcoats for repainting?

Most detailers don't know what they're buffing on, that's just how it goes. Guys that sand and buff in body shops tend to know about the paint the shop sprays as most shops only spray one or two brands of paint, so it's hard to find someone that knows a lot about how a wide spectrum of paints buff.

I can check with Jason Rose as because of the nature of his job he does sand and buff on a variety of different paints but even with experience there's a big difference between how a paint sands and buffs when it's fresh and how a paint buffs when it's older.

It's a great question and if it could be discovered which paint company is making a paint that is easy to work on, that is it is very polishable after it's fully cured that would be good information to have on hand and great information for that paint company to exploit.

[ColonelCash]

Re: Best Clearcoats for repainting?

Thanks Mike. Would love to get some feedback before I drop off my car.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Best Clearcoats for repainting?

Just spoke with Jason and here's the skinny...

There are so many variables when it comes to how a paint will buff 24 hours after it is sprayed, 24 days after it is sprayed and 24 months after it is sprayed and many of these variables are affected by each individual paint and how he mixes the paint with different hardeners and then how the paint is dried that there's just no way to ever make a blanket statement that brand x is an easy to buff paint and it would probably be a good idea to question anyone that does make a statement like that.

A better idea would be to find a quality paint shop with a good reputation and thats where you have to put your trust in the shop and the painter that he knows what he's doing.

When it comes to how a great re-paint looks, the most important thing is to hope that if the paint is going to be sanded and buffed after it's sprayed that this portion of the job is done correctly as it's the wet-sand, cut and buffing work that will make or break the paint job.

Best of luck to you... let us know how it goes...

What are you having painted anyway?

[ColonelCash]

Re: Best Clearcoats for repainting?

'95 TransAm. 95% of the car is near mint, but the hood has serious clearcoat failure. Also, I had the right quarter replaced due to a parking lot accident and the shop did a HORRIBLE paint job. Won't be going back there for sure. I'm suprised it's held up this good in the Tennessee elements.

Thanks for the tips Mike (and Jason).