Does Honda and Acura use different paints?

mikebai1990

New member
Question is basically in the subject. My parents claim that they can see that Acura paint is better than Honda paint. I, however, think that Honda and Acura use the same type of paint on their cars, and only factor that determines the shine of a car is the detailing job that is done on it. Of course, if it's a Benz or a BMW, the german paint may be of higher quality due to the less-strict VOC regulations. Specifically, I am talking about the paint from approximately the 1995-2000 period. Do you guys know whether they use the same paint?
 
not sure...i think there may be different levels of paint quality from model to model (civic vs. accord or TL)...but not much difference in general from honda vs. acura. many of the mechanical parts are the same...so i doubt the paint is any different. ??
 
The better question would be is the paint quality better in the cars that are made in North America vs. Japan. Both of my Acura's are Japan products and have pretty good paint quality. I have worked on a number of Honda's that have paint quality that seem to go along with where they're painted. I don't have an explanation for this other than my observations.



Back in late 93 when the 94 Accords came out, you could walk along the lot and pick which cars came from where.
 
Well, I can't answer your question as to whether it's the same exact paint....but might have a little help. I know that the Flamenco Black Pearl on my Acura Integra was also available in the Honda Prelude. Same exact color, but don't know if it's the same exact paint.....I would guess it is.
 
Acura/Honda paint quality on cars from Japan is significantly better than cars made in the USA. Case in point: My buddy at work bought a 2005 RSX in Silver and recently (after a crash) traded it in for a Silver 2006 Accord Coupe. I have detailed both cars and there is a vast difference in paint quality. The RSX paint was nearly flawless; minimal orange peel, no runs or drips, super clear flake all around. The Accord on the other hand has very inconsistent paint coverage (especially on the C pilars), lots of orange peel, a few runs and rough spots, etc. The gloss and reflection are mostly on par, but overall quality is definitely not.
 
I think some paints are different. My sister TL has really hard paint, but my accord has soft paint. hers being an 04 and mines an 03
 
I am pretty sure that the paints are relatively the same, but I agree that the quality is different. The paint on my TL is better looking and easier to work with than the paint on my wife's 03 Accord. I don't know if its higher quality control or a different process altogether. On the other hand, the paint on my 91 Accord is the smoothest, flattest paint of the 3 cars and still looks really good all these years later. The 91' was a Japan car by the way
 
hondas paint is defintely softer than acura paint. meanwhile acura paint except for the tsx, tl, mdx have softer paint and they resist rock chips better. I have to say for the most part HONDA/ACURA paint sux, it is extremely thin with minimal clearkote.
 
I've gotten more major chips and scratches on all of the Honda products I've owned than any other cars. I had a '99 Accord, and currently have an '03 Odyssey and '04 RSX-S. They all look like the front end has been shot with a shotgun.



I'm getting either a new TL or RDX, and will be looking for ways to protect the front end...
 
imo it depends more on which factory made the car. Current Accords and TLs are both made in Ohio 9 times out of 10 (VIN starting with 1HG), and yeah the paint quality isn't that great. Apparently the Civics here that are made in Canada look a fair deal better (haven't examined any), and the best work always seems to come out of Japan (Accord Hybrid is made over there).
 
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