New standard for clear removal

[Mike lambert]

I went to my 15th Meguiars advanced class yesterday and I always learn something. It is now noted that some Asian cars come as we know with only 2.5-3.5 mils of paint total! Sine the uv protection is in the top layer of clear, manufacturers are now recommending removal of only .3 mils total over the life of the car! So once again if you are compounding these cars without a gauge you are on borrowed time and better have good insurance!

[Sizzle Chest]

Mike, excellent information and thanks so much for posting! I agree, a PTG is an absolute must for us in this business.

And...wow! 15 advanced classes! Awesome!

[Mike lambert]

They just keep making it harder!

[WaxAddict]

Wow, 2.5 mils. At least I`ve got one if the 3.5`s! ;) And yes, even as an non-pro enthusiast, the meter has become a necessity.

[Raymoche]

My 16 fiesta comes with 85-105 microns... thats about 3-4 mils, seriously nothing to work with.

[NLove]

I have always wondered if a day would ever come where there wasn`t enough clear from the factory to safely correct paint.

[Lonnie]

Does anyone know WHY Asian manufacturers are becoming "stingy" with clear coat thicknesses? Cost Cutting? Environmental reasons? Material availability issue??

0.3 mils lifetime removal is NOT a lot of clear coat. More than that amount is removed just to get rid of the orange peel on vehicle paints/clear-coat so commonly found (manufactured with) today!!

No wonder detailers are moving toward coatings.
That leads to a debatable point: Do coatings "replace" this lose of clear-coat thickness??

[JaredPointer]

Does anyone know WHY Asian manufacturers are becoming "stingy" with clear coat thicknesses? Cost Cutting? ?

Someone, somewhere sitting in an office runs the numbers and says we can save x-amount of expense by using x-amount less of this material in the production process.

[Migue]

wow, so for some(trashed) cars, one solid compound and polish session(and MAYBE a couple of light polish sessions later) might be all that can be done for the life of the car. Pretty soon all we`ll be able to offer will be AIO jobs and that`s it.

[Accumulator]

Mike Lambert- Thanks for posting that...gee, now the recommendation is even less than I`ve been harping on since forever.

Maybe now people will start taking this issue seriously.

[agtjamesb007]

I have heard that my 02 accord Taffeta white is single stage paint. But Honda wont give me the time of day as an official answer.

[Accumulator]

wow, so for some(trashed) cars, one solid compound and polish session(and MAYBE a couple of light polish sessions later) might be all that can be done for the life of the car..

That was all I could do on my last (literally "last", wouldn`t own another from `em) Mazda, and it wasn`t "trashed" by a long shot and I wasn`t using aggressive compounds like M105. That`s the only vehicle I`ve ever killed clearcoat on, did it with a very mild combo (Cyclo green pad/3M05937 Machine Glaze) with an original-style PC. And the uncleared areas, of which there were many, would cut to primer with even some AIOs.


I have heard that my 02 accord Taffeta white is single stage paint...

I *LIKE* (high-quality) single stage, and most ss white is *HARD*. I wouldn`t mind that if it were mine. You`ll find out for sure the first time you correct it with a pad that isn`t white.

[JBM]

I really wish coatings would evolve into something like kamakazi ACC. Building the paint up and filling is the future I think.

[Mike lambert]

I think that may be true, Essence, Kamakaze ACC and Modesta have products that fill prior to coating with minimal or no abrasives. I think as thinner paints on cars spread to all brands, this will be the new standard.

[Migue]

I really wish coatings would evolve into something like kamakazi ACC. Building the paint up and filling is the future I think.

That`s a good thought, but at the same time I think it`s also bad because it tells the Manufacturers "hey go ahead and give us less clearcoat, we will do the rest by spending $ and building layers instead of having you do it from the get go" . I feel the same way about restaurant managers paying their serves poor wages because they let customers make up for it by tipping , which i`m not against it in restaurants, but at the same time it tells the owners "it`s okay you underpay your workers, i`ll go ahead and cover it for you" .