Tends to turn grey with time (an unsightly grey film) which is due to road dirt becoming ingrained in the paint, a chemical cleaner and a polish will normally rectify this. The `yellowing` is paint oxidation caused by ultra violet radiation; it takes time and neglect of the paint for this to occur.



There are approximately 10-20 different colours that are mixed with white to produce various shades. The colour formula for white paint is a mix of red, yellow, green, blue and black in various percentages to arrive at the required ‘tint’ colour (i.e. arctic white, brilliant white, etc) Ultra violet radiation sometimes places an emphasis on the yellow and creates a tarnished look, in a similar way a red paint turns to pink due to the red oxide content in the paints colour formula (this is more pronounced in older style paint like single pack acrylic or cellulose based paint rather than modern clear on base 2K pack paints



With all vehicles a regular routine of cleaning the paint surface is important; more so with light coloured paint as dirt is more noticeable than on darker colours. Clean paint surface with a chemical paint cleaner and / or detailer’s clay and then use an abrasive polish to remove any oxidation.



Most people may think white paint won’t show paint defects when clean, actually it will, you just have to look harder than darker colour paint like a black car; but they are there as the light will refract as opposed to reflect. A level clear is just as desirable on a white/silver or light colour vehicle



Paint Hardness



The enamel paint finishes on vehicles from the 50’s and 60’s era were as tough as porcelain. But rightly due to environmental concerns, those high percentage petroleum based paints have been generally superseded, resulting in the softer water-based paint finishes of today and the unavoidable orange-peel seen on many new and re-painted vehicles.



Today’s paints, unfortunately, rank somewhere near the bottom of the scale of hardness, especially single coat black / red paint the exception being white single stage paint, which is 7 on a scale 1-10 and CeramiClear, when compared to all the materials your paint can possibly come in contact with (always bear that in mind).



Mohs scale of Hardness



A system of measurement to establish a guide as to the relative hardness of various materials, Mohs scale of mineral hardness was devised by the German mineralogist Frederich Mohs in 1812, selecting ten minerals because they were common or readily available. The scale is not a linear scale, but somewhat arbitrary.



The hardness of a material is measured against the scale by finding the hardest material that the given material can scratch, and/or the softest material that can scratch the given material. For example, if some material is scratched by apatite but not by fluorite, its hardness on Mohs scale is 4.5 (Not to be confused with Pencil Hardness, used to rate coating products)



An adaptation of that scale;



Talc =1, Carbon Black = 2, [black paint pigmentation] and Copper = 3, Platinum = 4, Iron = 5, Glass = 6, Quartz or Titanium dioxide = 7 [white paint pigmentation] and Topaz = 8, Corundum or Ruby = 9, Diamond =10



White paint is a 7/10 on the Mohs scale (Titanium dioxide) although hard and soft is a relative terms; you can scratch the hard surface of vehicles paint with a soft towel by the application of enough pressure. Both pressure and mechanical stress are defined as force per unit area. These two forces are the subject of Newton`s third law of motion; the law of reciprocal actions [: to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction]



How can a hard clear coat be so easily scratched?



Force acts through a body that has a surface area; if the surface area is really small while maintaining an equal force, the pressure becomes astronomical and the object under pressure capable of penetrating the surface of an otherwise tough material. That’s why a micro fine thread that is twice as fine as silk and a 100 times finer than a human hair, in an otherwise soft towel will scratch your paint. And the same reason a mosquito can penetrate a rhino hide with its proboscis (stinger).



White paint tends to turn grey with time (an unsightly grey film) which is due to road dirt becoming ingrained in the paint, a chemical cleaner and a polish will normally rectify this. The `yellowing` is paint oxidation caused by ultra violet radiation; it takes time and neglect of the paint for this to occur. Clean paint surface with a chemical paint cleaner and then use an abrasive polish to remove oxidation.

With all vehicles a regular routine of cleaning the paint surface is important; more so with light coloured paint as dirt is more noticeable than on darker colours.



Most people may think white or silver paint won’t show paint defects when clean, actually it will, you just have to look harder than darker colour paint like a black car; but they are there as the light will refract as opposed to reflect. A level clear is just as desirable on a white/silver or light colour car



Pigment



Titanium dioxide, chemical formula TiO2, is the most widely used white pigment because of its brightness and very high refractive index (nD = 2.488 (anatase)), in which it is surpassed only by a few other materials. When deposited as a thin film, its refractive index and colour make it an excellent reflective optical coating TiO2 is also an effective opacifier in powder form, where it is employed as a pigment to provide whiteness and opacity to products such as paints, coatings, plastics, etc. In paint, it is often referred to offhandedly as the perfect white. Opacity is improved by optimal sizing of the titanium dioxide particles.



The exterior of the Saturn V rocket was painted with titanium dioxide; this later allowed astronomers to determine that J002E3 was the S-IVB stage from Apollo 12 and not an asteroid.



There are approximately 10-20 different colours that are mixed with white to produce various shades. The colour formula for white paint is a mix of yellow, blue, green, red, and black in various percentages to arrive at the required ‘tint’ colour (i.e. arctic white, brilliant white, etc) Ultra violet radiation sometimes places an emphasis on the yellow and creates a tarnished look, in a similar way a red paint turns to pink due to the red oxide content in the paints colour formula (this is more pronounced in older style paint like single pack acrylic or cellulose based paint rather than modern clear on base 2K pack paints



Paint Surface Cleaning



With all vehicles a regular routine of cleaning the paint surface is important; more so with light colour paint as dirt is more noticeable than on darker colours. Clean paint surface with a chemical paint cleaner and / or detailer’s clay and then use an abrasive polish to remove any oxidation.



With white colour paint, over time the surface tends to attain an unsightly grey film, which is due to road dirt becoming ingrained in the pain. Regular use of P21S® High Performance Total Auto Wash, a d-limonene (citrus) based cleaner or an all-in-one (AIO) type cleaner polish will ensure surface road dirt and grime is removed from the paint surface restoring the gloss to the paint surface. The `yellowing` is paint oxidation caused by ultra violet (UV-A) radiation; it takes time and neglect of the paint for this to occur.



White paint is subject to rail dust like every other paint colour; the only difference is that the rust stains show more redily than darker colours. Vehicle manufacturer studies have shown that failure to remove environmental contaminants, like imbedded rail dust, acid rain, industrial fallout and other environmental contaminants from paint film can cause premature degradation of the paint system.



Schedule: annually, dependent upon environmental conditions and vehicle exposure but more often on light coloured paint. To optimize the reflective properties and appearance of the paint surface, it is best to regularly remove both imbedded and surface contaminants and road dirt and oils.



Paint Care Product Suggestions



Paint cosmetic products that white, silver and light colour paint respond well to -Aquartz System (Silica) Zaino Z2PROâ„¢, Jeff Werkstatt, Klasse SG (an acrylic polymer) Opti-Coat and / or P21S Carnauba Paste Wax and Pinnicle Souveran wax



Products for Light Paint Surface Colours



Silver

Klasse* All-In-One and

Menzera* FMJ(Full Molecular Jacket)



White

Aquartz System (Silica) Zaino * Z2PROâ„¢ * Jeff Werkstatt, * Klasse SG and/ or P21S Carnauba Paste Wax



Suggested Product



Winter (Snow/Ice/Salt) Rain



Collinite #845 Liquid Insulator Wax, will last approximately 4-6 months



Strong Detergents / Chemicals



Collinite #845 Liquid Insulator Wax or #476s Super Doublecoat Auto Wax or * Duragloss 105



Acid Rain, IFO, Bird and Insect Excrement, etc



*Klasse AIO + SG * Duragloss 105



Note - * these products are synthetic polymers