Automotive paints which one to use

[priobe]

What are some of the best automotive paints to use

I know of PPG, Dupont, but are there any others that you guys recommend?

[mrmustang]

Sherwin Williams, PPG, Dupont, House of Colors, there are several others that are all water borne, but seeing you are in Florida you do not have to worry about those yet.


The real question is, what is your painter using now? As you want to use a product line that he knows the spray out and lay out characteristics of. Last thing you want to do is be his experiment on a new line of paint (for him anyway).......

Bill S.

[marcalan]

House of Kolor makes a great paint. It is very expensive to do a whole car in it though....ask me how I know.

[autobody prof.]

As an autobody instructor here in california and having my own restoration shop for over 15 years I have used a majority of the products on the market. My personal preference is Sherwin-Williams. You can probably still use their Ultra brand in Florida. At the school I use their AWX waterbourne product. In my opinion it is the best product on the market today. Hope that helps.

Don

[RedBarchetta]

Originally Posted by autobody prof.

As an autobody instructor here in california and having my own restoration shop for over 15 years I have used a majority of the products on the market. My personal preference is Sherwin-Williams. You can probably still use their Ultra brand in Florida. At the school I use their AWX waterbourne product. In my opinion it is the best product on the market today. Hope that helps.

Don

Wow, Don. I was getting ready to slam S-W until I read your post. Recently had my C5 Z06 re-done with this product (two stage, with color stage being water based...so they told me). Already had blistering from small rock chips on the bumper cover. I have never had a clear coat lift around the base of a rock chip, i.e. makes the rock chip look like the paint is blistering. I had the shop re-paint the front bumper cover in a more durable single stage (the car is black so I could get away with this and still color match dead on) and problem solved. The local S-W reps were not much help with this situation, but at least they came out and looked at the car. They still would not nor could not provide a simple answer to me on the clear coat lifting around the impact point. First time I ever experienced that on any car.

I just personally think the paint is "fragile" and hasn't been battle tested enough. Just my $0.02 and on the next re-paint I will seek a different shop that uses PPG, Dupont or Sikkens. God bless the states that still allow you to shoot Acrylic Urethane.

-Dean

[jwd]

All paint manufactures have different grades/quality products that range from "cheap azz body shop repaint" to "high end, money no object" products. That's why you can spent anywhere from $75 to over $300 for a gallon of clear for all of them.

Jim

[SkipB]

Dean,

It sounds like they may not have put a flex agent/adhesion promoter in the clear. If it is only the bumper cover that has the problem, then that might be it. It might be an application problem and not the product. S-W is generally very good paint.

SkipB

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Originally Posted by mrmustang

Sherwin Williams, PPG, Dupont, House of Colors, there are several others that are all water borne, but seeing you are in Florida you do not have to worry about those yet.


The real question is, what is your painter using now? As you want to use a product line that he knows the spray out and lay out characteristics of. Last thing you want to do is be his experiment on a new line of paint (for him anyway).......

Bill S.

What Bill said is dead on.........

Having worked in a body shop for near 20 years, I've used most brands on the market and prefer Sikkens.........

But whatever your shop is using and has confidence in is what I would use........Different paints have to be applied differently and you probably don't want a shop "expirementing" on your car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

David

[autobody prof.]

Dean, Chrysler has been using S-W waterbourne on their Jeep products for the last 4 years. GM has certified S-W for waranty repaint and collision refinishing of it's vehicles. Any paint company that wants this certification has to subject their product to a rock chip test. That test is esentially dropping a plate of small rocks into a small wind tunnel that directs the rocks at a painted panel. Wind velocity is 60 MPH. For the paint o pass it can have no more than six small chips. S-W has ureflex in it's premium basecoats and clears allowing them to flex not chip. I would question the prep of the bumper not the product. If you have any questions about the product you can contact Clint Baker at the Reno training center. His email is Clint.J.Baker@Sherwin.com

Don

[SLHetal]

Time to do a little legwork. Go to your nearest Mercedes, Porsche, Lexus dealer, or whichever one you like, and look at their cars on the showroom. Find the paint job you like best and then go back to the parts department at that dealer and ask the manager which paint brand is used on their new cars. I had a chance to see three new cars parked next to each other here at a local club, all were black, a Merecdes, a Porsche, and a Lexus. You'd be very surprised how different the paintwork is when you look closely at the flow, orange peel, depth and color. I've always used Glasurit.
Sam

[priobe]

Can someone tell me what water based paint is ?


JWD,

What would be name of classification of "High end" or "Money is no object"

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by priobe

Can someone tell me what water based paint is ?


JWD,

What would be name of classification of "High end" or "Money is no object"

For the best answer to your first question, I suggest the following url:


http://www.autobodypro.com/safety/articles/0029.htm


As for your second question, again that would depend on what your painter/body shop has experience with as each paint manufacturer and line as it's own low, mid, and higher grades of paint offerings.


I've seen some truly horrible "high end paint product" paint jobs, have also seen some truly outstanding "low grade paint product" paint jobs...Again it all depends on how good a painter you have on your hands and what he is used to using (product wise)........


Bill S.

[DAVID GAGNARD]

I've seen some truly horrible "high end paint product" paint jobs, have also seen some truly outstanding "low grade paint product" paint jobs...Again it all depends on how good a painter you have on your hands and what he is used to using (product wise)........


Bill S.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but, Bill is dead on again........

Body prep and the painters talent and ability have more do to with a paint job than the actual paint be applied!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One of the best paint jobs I've ever seen was done on a Cobra by a guy in his back yard under a tree with one of the least expensive paints on the market!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

David

[autobody prof.]

Bill, the web site you gave gives some good information on the waterbourne products. A couple of things that can be mis-leading though. True there is a water like substance in these products, however it is not a water that you can drink. It does have a chemical aspect to it. It is true that these products can and will freeze. Sherwin-Williams is the only paint company that I know that guarantees it's product will pass the freeze/thaw test multiple times. But using the best products on the market does not mean you will have a great job when it's finished. It's all up to the painter and how the prep is done.

Don

[KevinM]

I don't want to hijack this thread, but I have a related question.

I prefer a 1960's look to the paint. I think the modern clearcoat paints look "wrong" on a 60's car. They destroy the illusion for me.

So, what is the best paint available these days to replicate a high quality 1960's paint finish? What do the guys restoring 1960's Ferarris, etc. use?

Kevin

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by autobody prof.

Bill, the web site you gave gives some good information on the waterbourne products. A couple of things that can be mis-leading though. True there is a water like substance in these products, however it is not a water that you can drink. It does have a chemical aspect to it. It is true that these products can and will freeze. Sherwin-Williams is the only paint company that I know that guarantees it's product will pass the freeze/thaw test multiple times. But using the best products on the market does not mean you will have a great job when it's finished. It's all up to the painter and how the prep is done.

Don

Don,

I just figured it was the easiest read in layman terms for him. As for SW paints not freezing, I can personally attest to that one as we are "required" to paint certain 09's with the new "AWX" line.......... UV curing is a bit of a pain though but a necessary evil (so to speak)...

Bill S.

[scales]

Originally Posted by mrmustang

For the best answer to your first question, I suggest the following url:


http://www.autobodypro.com/safety/articles/0029.htm


As for your second question, again that would depend on what your painter/body shop has experience with as each paint manufacturer and line as it's own low, mid, and higher grades of paint offerings.


I've seen some truly horrible "high end paint product" paint jobs, have also seen some truly outstanding "low grade paint product" paint jobs...Again it all depends on how good a painter you have on your hands and what he is used to using (product wise)........


Bill S.

Thank you, Bill for bringing that out in the open! They don't make bad Paint,just bad Painter's.
Marty.