Ok guys and gals, flame away on this one. I`ve had my current car for almost a year. I have always assumed it was "metallic paint" but yesterday I realized the Mfg called it "pearl". (yeah, I am slow). My questions are as follows:



1. Visually, what makes a pearl finish "pearl"? I know my paint has little sparkley metallic flakes in it but I just don`t understand the pearl part.



2. I have rock chips on the hood, which about 8 months ago I covered with touch-up paint. It never looked very good at all because the color didnt match well, even though I got the touch-up paint from the dealer. (lexus) Could this poor match be because of the pearl effect?



3. How do I finish touching up pearl effect paint? Is there a special coat? I think i read on these forums that pearl effect paint has some extra step on top of the base coat, but possibly before the clear?