What`s with black paint?

[Carl333]

Newbie here. Camry 2012 Black paint.

What`s with all the posts that I have read in regards to black paint being soft? I assume we are talking about the clear coat actually? Is clear applied over a base coat softer than clear applied over other colors?

I don`t get it. Does decontam and polish products and techniques change because one has black paint?

[Trouble]

Newbie here. Camry 2012 Black paint.

What`s with all the posts that I have read in regards to black paint being soft? I assume we are talking about the clear coat actually? Is clear applied over a base coat softer than clear applied over other colors?

I don`t get it. Does decontam and polish products and techniques change because one has black paint?

Yes, it`s the clear coat that gets swirled up. Black paint has nothing to do with it. Dark colors are just more noticable

You must have just purchased a black car?

:lmfao

[tropicsteve]

not all black paint is soft. my harley is painted in vivid black and is extremely soft. it corrects easily but also scratches easily. my son`s metallic black dodge pick up has very hard paint and is just the opposite. i think the real problem is that black makes any defects or dirt really stand out more so than say, silver which hides defects and even dirt very well. i adjust my techniques for any hard vs. soft paint regardless of color. least aggressive method first.

[Carl333]

Yes, it`s the clear coat that gets swirled up. Black paint has nothing to do with it. Dark colors are just more noticable

You must have just purchased a black car?

:lmfao

yep!

[Evan.J]

When you see some one talk about hard or soft paint what it really means is the correctablitly. When a paint is seen as hard the defects in the paint tend to be harder to remove. It takes more aggressive pad product and power to abrade the surface to level down the clear coat to effectively remove the paint down to the lowest level of the defect.

When you see soft paint while these paints can be corrected more easily with a less aggressive method these paints tend to need and extra step or two to ensure the paint looks flawless and has no defects left from the machine like DA haze.

You can tell how the paint will be when doing a test spot on the good of your vehicle. While all paint is very scratch sensitive softer paint are even more scratch sensitive and it`s very important it you find that your vehicle has a soft paint you take all the precautions to make sure you do not scratch the paint whether washing, drying, quick detailing, or removing wax.

Having quality towels wash medias and anything that touches your paint will reduce the chances of scratching your paint.

[Carl333]

tks guys

[bswombaugh]

Good luck with the black car if it is a daily driver. I bought my first black car within the last year. I can honestly say I will not buy another one unless it is just a weekend driver or a show car. Don`t get me wrong; the car is absolutely beautiful when it is polished and cleaned up to the tees. It is just a full time job keeping it that way when you a perfectionist like me. I guess maybe I expect too much. I do not want to see any swirling or marring in the paint when it is outside in the sunshine. This takes a lot of extra work. The black doesn`t scratch any easier than other colors but it just shows every imperfection.

I would recommend pampering the paint as much as possible and only touching it with clean plush microfiber towels. A lot of scratches and marring is put in during the drying process. I have an electric leaf blower that I have to blow off most of the water after washing. I would then blot the car to remove any left over water. I would also that suggest that you buy you a good glaze such as the poor boys black hole glaze. I think this is a must for a black daily driver. You cannot constantly polish the paint but the black hole will help to hide some of the imperfections between corrections.

[Carl333]

Good luck with the black car if it is a daily driver. I bought my first black car within the last year. I can honestly say I will not buy another one unless it is just a weekend driver or a show car. Don`t get me wrong; the car is absolutely beautiful when it is polished and cleaned up to the tees. It is just a full time job keeping it that way when you a perfectionist like me. I guess maybe I expect too much. I do not want to see any swirling or marring in the paint when it is outside in the sunshine. This takes a lot of extra work. The black doesn`t scratch any easier than other colors but it just shows every imperfection.

I would recommend pampering the paint as much as possible and only touching it with clean plush microfiber towels. A lot of scratches and marring is put in during the drying process. I have an electric leaf blower that I have to blow off most of the water after washing. I would then blot the car to remove any left over water. I would also that suggest that you buy you a good glaze such as the poor boys black hole glaze. I think this is a must for a black daily driver. You cannot constantly polish the paint but the black hole will help to hide some of the imperfections between corrections.

Shoot, if I only knew. Does that mean that simply removing snow with a bristle brush will cause scratches? Are you saying that just merely drying with a MF will cause scratches? Tks for you recommendation, its in my shopping cart.

Any coatings out there that are more resistant to the clear coat that I can apply?

[bswombaugh]

Shoot, if I only knew. Does that mean that simply removing snow with a bristle brush will cause scratches? Are you saying that just merely drying with a MF will cause scratches? Tks for you recommendation, its in my shopping cart.

Any coatings out there that are more resistant to the clear coat that I can apply?
I sure would not put any kind of bristle brush on the car. Just make sure to use quality plush microfiber towels. Not all towels are created equal. I usually do the cd test on any of the towels that I purchase. I rub the towel back and forth against a cd and inspect it for scratches. Iif it scratches, I won`t use that towel on my paint. I know that this is not a perfect way to check towels, but I think it does help eliminate those towels that are more likely to scratch and mar .

Coatings can help. There are some guys on the forum that are much more informed on coatings than I am. Hopefully they will chime in and give you some advice in this area.

[Trouble]

Shoot, if I only knew. Does that mean that simply removing snow with a bristle brush will cause scratches? Are you saying that just merely drying with a MF will cause scratches? Tks for you recommendation, its in my shopping cart.

Any coatings out there that are more resistant to the clear coat that I can apply?

I wouldn`t advise a coating. You`ve only had the car a few weeks and the swirls are already getting all up in your wheelhouse

:crazy2:


You have a new part time job ... errrrrr hobby!

:swirly:

[Jeff U]

Congrats on picking the best paint color. Just enjoy!

Freshly polished there is nothing that pops like the paint on a black car.

Yet, even with a few normal wash/dry induced swirls, black still looks better (in my opinion) than most other colors.

Wash with lots of water, the two bucket method helps, and hold the hose with a soft flow of water just in front of your wash mitt. As mentioned, a leaf blower is a great tool to dry.

Don`t brush snow or dirt off the paint. Windshield yes, paint, no. Snow will melt and dirt can wait for a proper wash.

[Todd@RUPES]

Newbie here. Camry 2012 Black paint.

What`s with all the posts that I have read in regards to black paint being soft? I assume we are talking about the clear coat actually? Is clear applied over a base coat softer than clear applied over other colors?

I don`t get it. Does decontam and polish products and techniques change because one has black paint?

With very rare exception, new cars have a base coat/clear coat paint. Basically, there is shiny clear paint on top of the color coat (which is usually dull). For most manufacturers, the same type of clear coat is used regardless of the color, although some manufacturers use different clear coats on pearlized or metallic flake finishes.

Paint (clear coat hardness) can vary make to make, model to model, color to color, model run to model run, and on hand-built cars, day to day. Regardless of the hardness (scratch resistance) of the paint, black and dark-colored, non-flake paints will show damage easier.

As far as products and techniques changing on black cars, not really. Black requires you to be more careful to make sure you achieve best results, but the process of making any color shine it`s best is generally the same. The only exception might be which wax, sealant or coating (protectant) you apply. Some have different characteristics that you may find appealing on different colors.

[Todd@RUPES]

Shoot, if I only knew. Does that mean that simply removing snow with a bristle brush will cause scratches? Are you saying that just merely drying with a MF will cause scratches? Tks for you recommendation, its in my shopping cart.



Basically, any thing that is coarser than the paint can and will cause scratches. In order words, anything with enough pressure.

There are different types of scratches, maybe giving this thread a read will help?: What are paint defects (http://www.autopiaforums.com/forums/detail-institute-presented-autopia-carcare-com/36769-detail-institute-what-paint-defects.html)

Bristles will definitely leave micro-fine scratches, even if lightly drug across the surface.

Microfiber towels can cause scratches if they are low quality, dirt remains on the surface, or used with excessive pressure.


Any coatings out there that are more resistant to the clear coat that I can apply?

Coatings are going to increase the scratch resistance of the paint, to some degree. However, they will not make it impervious to scratches or bad technique.

Think of it as a benefit, but not the sole reason to apply one. - In my opinion.