Do Luxury Cars Have Better Paint?
Automotive paint doesn’t affect a car’s performance in any way, but it’s one of the first things that gets our attention when buying a car. It’s true that some cars are not painted equal, but do luxury cars have better paint than normal cars?
Do luxury cars have better paint? The color exclusivity and extensive painting process are the reasons why luxury cars have better paint than normal cars. Before painting them, manufacturers dip the cars in a bath of primer and spray multiple paint layers. Others also use the “Pearlescent Color” to give luxury cars a shiny, rich coating.
With this in mind, how would you care for your car’s paint for it to last longer? What are your options to restore your car’s shine or get a much better paint when it’s starting to fade?
If ever that happens, you can always get Cartech’s How To Paint Your Car On A Budget book to help you.
Why Luxury Cars Have Better Paint
The difference between a general automobile manufacturer and a luxury car manufacturer is the length they would go to get a particular paint color. Automobile manufacturers already have a limited palette of colors, but a luxury car manufacturer would go beyond that. They would concoct a particular paint color if it’s not available commercially.
That exclusivity is one of the reasons why luxury cars have better paint than normal cars. The other reason why they have better paint is the extensive process that each car goes through. The stages of a car painting process are as follows.
Stage 1: Preparation
The temporary assemblage of the car’s body panel called body-in-white (BIW) gets contaminated with oils, grease, chalk and ink mark because of various procedures it went through. Car manufacturers wash BIW with high-pressure jets of water to make sure the paint will adhere to its surface.
Stage 2: Priming
Before applying the paint, the whole BIW is dipped in a bath of primer to ensure even coverage. A primer prevents rust from developing on the surface and ensures that the paint on BIW will spread evenly. This primed surface is dried completely before proceeding to the next stage.
If you’re doing it by yourself, make sure you use 3M’s Primer 94. Don’t forget to add POR-15 Rust Preventive Coating to reduce oxidation.
Stage 3: Base Coat Application
Base coat consists of the actual pigment forming the color of the car. Manufacturers usually apply this in 3 or more stages, with each layer dried first before applying the next layer.
There are different types of base coat pigments you could choose from depending on the type of finish you want to achieve.
- Metallic Color. This pigment uses very fine aluminum powder dissolved in a flat paint, which gives a shimmering glow and depth to the paint when observed at different angles.
- Pearlescent Color. Instead of aluminum powder, this pigment applies ceramic crystals to achieve a pearl-like finish to the paint surface. It shows a multi-colored luster under different lighting and is known to be one of the most expensive paints to apply.
- Matte Color. This pigment is a trend amongst owners of performance-oriented cars. Its flat finish is more desirable than the glossy ones. Also, this is more chemically stable compared to the other three pigments as this cannot be layered with a clear coat.
Stage 4: Clear Coat Application
The last stage is applying the clear lacquer to protect the base coat from UV damage and chemical exposure. A base coat also dries to a flat finish, so this clear coat is applied to give a glossy finish.
There’s no question that new cars shine more than old cars. So, what can you do to protect your brand new car’s paint? And when its paint is starting to fade, what are your options to restore that shine or get a much better paint for your luxury car?
Protecting Your Car Paint From Factory to Home
When you got your brand new car, you may have noticed some tiny scratches on the factory paint surface. This resulted from the dealership removing the car’s wrap or washing the car.
To prevent this, have the car delivered to an auto detailer providing car paint protection package that comes with a ceramic paint coating. Also, instruct them to leave the wrapping on the car. This way, you can protect the pristine factory paint and apply the ceramic coating to a new surface afterwards.
Now when it reached your home, incorrect car care techniques, excessive exposure to UV radiation, and tar, dust or grime contamination may start to damage your car paint. You could’ve prevented this with proper car care regimen and periodic decontamination. A high-quality car cover like the Kayme 6 Layers All Weather Car Cover is a great investment at this point.
Here’s how to do it:
- Wipe your car completely with the Nanomagic Cloth Scratch Remover.
- Next, remove minute scratches and swirls with Carfidant’s Ultimate Car Scratch and Swirl Removal Spray.
- If your car is a darker color, scratches are bound to be more apparent. Use the Carfidant Black Car Scratch Remover.
- But what if you badly needed a repaint now? What are the things you need to consider? And how much would it cost you?
- Start with a good Spray gun set from TCP Global HVLP Spray Gun set.
The Best Paint Job for Your Luxury Car
The real answers of life are never simple and the same goes for the question if which manufacturer has the best car paint. While this can be a tough choice, there are deciding factors that can help you decide which paint best suit your car.
- Durability. Make sure that the manufacturer you choose uses durable paints and has an excellent preparation for doing a paint job. This will save you all the trouble of the clear coat peeling and the metallic colors getting burnt. Try the VHT Dupli-Color for excellent finishes.
- Thickness. Most cars come with a two-stage paint: base coat and clear coat. Your car gets a thin layer of the base coat and then followed by a thin layer of the clear coat. That’s a common process. So if you want to know the thickness of the paint, better ask the atelier beforehand.
- Paint Color. Have you ever wondered which color is the easiest to take care of? No, it’s not black or white. These, in fact, are hardest to take care of as with black, you can’t see all the dirt, while with white, you see all of them. For White Top Gloss, Use the POR-15 Top Coat. Therefore, the easiest color to take care of is champagne, followed by silver.
- Paint Finish. There are different types of paint finishes like a matte, glossy, metallic, chameleon and the orange peel finish. For ultimate gloss, get the Dupli-Color Universal Gloss. Whatever you prefer, make sure that the shop who will do the painting will do a good job. Besides, it’s the last stage of the painting process and the first thing everyone would notice.
- Cost. According to CostHelper, for a single-coat synthetic enamel paint job, you would pay from $300 to $900. The cost for an amid-level paint job using a higher-quality paint and includes rust and dents removal prep work range from $1,000 to $3,500. The most expensive, a high-quality paint job ranges between $2,400 and $7,500.
Related Questions
What is the most expensive automotive paint?
BMW 2012 Frozen Gray M3 Special Edition is the most expensive automotive paint job there is and for an insane price. For an ordinary paint job, you would need to pay $62, 296 after tax. Buyers paid $77,600 for this 2012 Frozen Gray M3! And in just 12 minutes, 30 cars were sold out over the phone!
Will the resale value of a luxury car go down if you paint it with a different color?
If possible, stick with the original color when repainting a vehicle because using a flamboyant color or one that was never on the model would make it harder to resell. But if you really want to repaint it, be sure to pick desirable colors like black, white and red as these colors are easier to resell.