Clear coat yes or no

**300cd300sdl911** · 01-02-2007, 01:24 PM

Hi.

New to the forum,

Our 1985 triple black Porsche 911 is going in for ding, dent, scratch repair soon. One shop wants to use a two stage paint with clear coat while a second shop says to stay away from clear coat on a black car because is will tend to make the black paint appear brownish. They say the clear coat itself is somewhat yellow. They also mentioned a clear coated car would make it more difficult to remove any scratches.

I`m just looking for advise as the cost between the two shops is about 1k apart with the clear coat shop being higher. I know this year Porsche was not clear coated at the factory, but I want to provide the most durable and easy to care for finish going forward.

Thanks for any advise.

**clnfrk** · 01-02-2007, 01:40 PM

If you were going to repaint the entire car then perhaps a clearcoat would be a good idea. But, since you are only going to be doing spot repairs I would think its best to stick with no clearcoat to better match the surrounding single stage paint.

As for a clearcoat providing more durability, I would say it does. Although if you maintain the protection of single stage paints with quality waxes and sealants there`s no reason why the finish can`t stay looking good for many years. And, once again since you will only be doing repairs in small areas I think the durability issue is irrelevant.

**300cd300sdl911** · 01-02-2007, 06:18 PM

Thanks for the reply. My wife and I have struggled with this whole idea and for whatever it`s worth we now both feel it`s better if we do a complete repaint vs. just a touch-up. The car has only 51k miles and it`s interior is in very good condition.

So with that said.......I`m still leaning towards no clear coat.......unless those folks who are more knowledgable than I really have strong opinions otherwise.

**imported_rydawg** · 01-02-2007, 07:15 PM

I would go clearcoat. The thing that I hate the most about older porsches is the single stage. If someone is telling you that it will yellow then stay away from them cause they are useing cheap clear

**Accumulator** · 01-02-2007, 08:01 PM

300cd300sdl911- Welcome to Autopia!

Note: I have cars from the `80s with factory single stage paint, including my 17K mile Jag, which just had paintwork done *and* I generally prefer good ss over basecoat/clearcoat. High-quality black single stage is something very special that I truly love. That having been said...

IMO the days of high-quality single stage are fast coming to a close; it took *months* to track down the proper paint for the biggest spot-in on the Jag, where I insisted on the original paint. I had some other areas done in b/c (couldn`t get enough of the original paint) and it absolutely doesn`t show...you can`t tell the b/c from the 21 year-old ss. He got the color and the texture just right in *almost* all the areas he worked. This is a gray metallic/sorta-silver that`s almost impossible to match anyhow (even the factory paint shows incredible variation). Black would be a piece of cake for that guy, so find a painter who`s that good, even if it takes a while.

A *GOOD* painter can blend b/c into ss so well that you simply won`t see it; you`ll only know when you`re polishing and some areas give pigment transfer to the pads and some areas don`t. BUT (and it`s a huge "but") it`s gotta be a very good painter who`s using the right stuff. Another "but" is that the new paint, and especially new b/c paint, will age differently from what`s on there now. That might be a huge issue down the road, might not :nixweiss

Good b/c black will look fine if it`s applied by a good painter. There are a scad of high-quality paints to choose from, each with its own features. The black b/c on a new Rolls/Bentley/etc. sure doesn`t look brownish

B/c will be more durable than black ss. By the same token, black single stage *is* easier to remove scratches from, but it`s a lot more fragile to begin with too.

I sure wouldn`t let $1K make up my mind (easy for me to spend other people`s money, but a good paint job always costs me a lot), and that second shop sounds fishy. That doesn`t mean the *first* shop is any good either though...good painters are very hard to find. But the idea that clear = yellow is simply bunk. I wouldn`t give business to people who try to deceive you

I`d go with the b/c, applied by a very good painter with extensive experience working on Porsches.

**PRB** · 01-02-2007, 08:29 PM

Very well stated, Accumulator.

If you want a bit lower maintenance paint finish that maintains wonderful gloss, B/C is the way to go. Good material is more durable and tougher than the single stage counterparts with which I am familiar. This would be an excellent choice for a car that is driven daily, or at least regularly in good weather. Bugs, stone chips, and bird droppings are rough on a finish and B/C gives you better chance of minimizing or eliminating the damage than on a single stage. Though it has been several years since I`ve sprayed any single stage, I have heard that it is harder and harder to find a selection of good quality material outside of the B/C setup.

If it was mine and I was going to not drive it beyond some sunny days, then I would opt for a high quality single stage black. Done properly, black single stage has a handsome look that is very difficult to duplicate with B/C blacks. Single stage works easier when doing corrections, but is more fragile, as Accumulator mentions. In today`s era of paint materials and conditions, single stage is more for the purist on such a vehicle.

**300cd300sdl911** · 01-03-2007, 12:17 PM

Well I certainly thank you all for the detailed and honest responses. Looks like clear coat is the winner. Once the vehicle is painted (b/c) what type of wax or treatment is best? I must admit to being an absolute novice at maintaining a newly painted car and I hope this type of open ended question doesn`t result in some type of `wax wars` .........similar to the `oil wars` that result from dino vs. synthetic oil questions. I do apologize ahead of time if this occurs..

Thanks again

**Accumulator** · 01-03-2007, 12:39 PM

PRB- Those of us who love good ss are gonna be bummed out soon, even the smaller specialty manufacturers have pretty much quit making anything worth using, leaving only garbage-quality ss. My painter and I were lamenting over this again yesterday...sigh...once the stuff already in inventory is gone that`ll be that. And no, they won`t do limited production runs, even if you tell `em it`s for a non-automotive application (which oughta skirt the regs).

300cd300sdl911- There`s a thread around here somewhere (I oughta bookmark it) where MirrorFinishMan (a pro detailer) contacted all the major paint manufacturers and asked them directly about what to do with a fresh repaint. The answer is simple: use a fresh-paint-safe glaze for the first 90-120 days.

I`ve tried a lot of these products, and IMO the best choice is Meguiar`s #5 New Car Glaze (note the name, it was developed for this years ago when fresh paint was even touchier than it is now). It comes off every time you wash so you`ll have to reapply it, but it`s about the most user-friendly product ever so that`s not a big deal.

FWIW, I always wait the full 120 days. Waxing too soon will interfere with the paint`s "outgassing" and cause it to *not* harden all the way. I`ve had literally dozens of cars painted over the years and using glazes for those first few months has always worked out great for me. Look around/order the #5, it can be hard to find but it`s worth it compared to other, similar products.

**Dan** · 01-03-2007, 01:19 PM

One bit of advice: Do not price shop for paint/auto body work. Shop quality.

This coming from someone who price shops everything and haggles everywhere. Good paint work is super hard to find.

**300cd300sdl911** · 01-03-2007, 03:27 PM

Yakky,

I bought this car for my wife birthday.....trust me..... I can`t afford to shop on price.

Good advise though - thanks

**PRB** · 01-04-2007, 11:35 PM

Originally Posted by Accumulator

I`ve tried a lot of these products, and IMO the best choice is Meguiar`s #5 New Car Glaze (note the name, it was developed for this years ago when fresh paint was even touchier than it is now). It comes off every time you wash so you`ll have to reapply it, but it`s about the most user-friendly product ever so that`s not a big deal.

FWIW, I always wait the full 120 days. Waxing too soon will interfere with the paint`s "outgassing" and cause it to *not* harden all the way. I`ve had literally dozens of cars painted over the years and using glazes for those first few months has always worked out great for me. Look around/order the #5, it can be hard to find but it`s worth it compared to other, similar products.

Excellent advice: I use M05 myself and have a fair amount laying around. Great product for what you need, easy to use, and it IS still around. The company I buy from has jugs of it on the shelf.