Japanese paint

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breakneckvtec

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I dont know if I put this in the right area but :o going with it anyway....



I have noticed, and not just on my Honda, but across the board, Japanese paintjobs are very very good. I notice more OP on alot higher end cars. The more I think of it the more I realize, I never have really seen a bad japanese paint job, most dont have OP I can tell or any funky paint blemishes from the factory. Just an observation, thought I would see what you guys thought. I guess this came about when I was done detailing my car this weekend and my godfather commented on how high end my honda paint looks compared to his Mercedes' and how similiar they are in quality.
 
I agree. I think Mercedes actually have some of the worst orange peel of any manufacturer. Here is a S500 AMG I did a while back and I tried to get a pictre of the orange peel. This is before polishing, so no swirl comments. ;)
 

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The one thing about Hondas in particular is that if you even look at the point it gets chipped :( I think the no orange peel thing may come from putting on a very thin layer of paint... it's harder to do a good job on a thicker paint job.



My Civics and Integras got more chips in a week than my Porsche got in six months.
 
Mantic6t9 said:
German cars have softer clear coats. They take impacts better without chipping.
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Heh heh, better make that "*SOME* German cars have softer clearcoats". Audi clear is harder than Subaru (both over silver), in my experience. Audi clearcoats are HARD, as anyone who's tried to de-swirl one can tell ya.



But yeah, the clear on my Mazda is VERY hard. The clear on our (old, 3rd generation) RX7 was also hard, but it sure did chip easily. The stuff on the MPV doesn't chip, despite its hardness, it's good paint and it's well applied. The paint on the Subaru doesn't impress me much.



I wonder if we really CAN generalize based on country of origin? :nixweiss
 
LouisanaJeeper said:
VW has the best lowend paint out there IMHO
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Agreed:xyxthumbs



I have the chance to maintain an 02 Passat.



The black paint is absolutely blinding! Every combo I've ever used on it looks fantastic.:)
 
Aaah, good old Subaru paint..... Then again, surely the paint actually doubles the thickness of the tin can panels?!!? :D. The actual paint quality wasn't bad on my old silver STI, just ashame it was so thin and chipped so easily.

Mind you, same chipping probs on the Skyline from the looks of things, just the overall paint quality and thickness is waaaaay better.

Cheers.
 
The one thing about Hondas in particular is that if you even look at the point it gets chipped I think the no orange peel thing may come from putting on a very thin layer of paint... it's harder to do a good job on a thicker paint job.
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Chips-a-hoy !! 4 major ones to deal with this spring. :(
 
Pretty sure my Hondas had some orange peel. I used to have a 96 Integra and a 96 Prelude, and I recall both had some. And I noticed some on a co-workers 3rd gen Integra recently as well.



Also, my current 2001 Nissan Sentra has definate orange peel. It seems more pronounced when I polish & wax it too (is that normal?). Unfortunately Nissan paint seems to chip really easily too.

13037sentra_qew_005a-med.jpg






Orange peel is not nearly as noticeable on my 300ZXTT thankfully.





I've also noticed lots of orange peel on brand new BMWs, even 5-series.
 
NHBFAN said:
Agreed:xyxthumbs



I have the chance to maintain an 02 Passat.



The black paint is absolutely blinding! Every combo I've ever used on it looks fantastic.:)
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I have done a few black Passat/Jettas and a few other colors .. none had any OP



Here is mine



No OP
 
Mantic6t9- Yeah, I read that, and much as I like Terry at CMA, you gotta remember that he's in the business of selling stuff. His info seems Benz/BMW specific, and I haven't done one of them in over ten years, so he might be right on the money where they are concerned (although Scottwax and others use all kinds of products on them with great results). But the way he lumps Audi in there in his first paragraph, *IMO*, borders on the deceptive. I haven't done a Porsche in a while either, but I never found THEIR clear to be especially soft, and my old VW Quantum was just another regular paintjob.



Those "just for German paint" thick foam pads, well, I dunno. I used to use something *VERY* similar on the XJS and even on its super-soft lacquer, the thick pad was usually too mild to accomplish anything. I must admit MY CMA big green pads have just sat in the drawer, I can't find an application worth trying them on. Someday I'll try them on the Jag, but I bet I'll find they're nothing special. It's REALLY not like "regular" pads are too aggressive.



Don't mean to belabor the point or rant or anything, but I honestly haven't had to treat any paint any different from any other except for certain older cars with single stage.



Alex Creasey-Heh heh, roger that on the tin-can panels. The WRX keeps reminding me that it's just an Impreza on steroids...
 
Alex Creasey said:
Aaah, good old Subaru paint..... Then again, surely the paint actually doubles the thickness of the tin can panels?!!? :D. The actual paint quality wasn't bad on my old silver STI, just ashame it was so thin and chipped so easily.

Mind you, same chipping probs on the Skyline from the looks of things, just the overall paint quality and thickness is waaaaay better.

Cheers.
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well, subaru paint sure isnt that good. Scratches just by looking at it, and chips if you take it outside of the garage. Paint really looks thin and mantaining a black WRX is driving me crazy. So im considering a white STI :xyxthumbs

Then again, white is hard to mantain, you get these red dots of rail dust, and ....:sosad

Thats it, im going for the public transportation system. :rolleyes:
 
Go for silver then?

Once I'd got mine the way I wanted it, it was so easy to look after and keep in tip top condition.... Almost boring in the end (after 4 years mind you). Silver and the WR blue are pretty safe but I wouln't touch black on a Subaru... I'm not that sadistic ;):D. Saying that though, I'm not a million miles away with Midnight Purple!!! :rolleyes:
 
vapore0n said:
well, subaru paint sure isnt that good.... So im considering a white STI :xyxthumbs

Then again, white is hard to mantain, you get these red dots of rail dust, and ....:sosad

:
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Maybe the Subie black is just different. Like Alex Creasey, I honestly don't think my silver marrs easily at all. With LOTS of KSG on it, I only have to polish once a year (and then only with PI-III MG). If you get the white (or silver), get some AutoInt "ABC" and clay during the "B" step. It works great on new (or newish) Subarus and helps a LOT with "rust bloom" problems that REALLY show on light colors. Once you get it cleaned with that and sealed, you'll be OK. And compared to black, well, heh heh, you won't know what to do with all your newfound spare time!
 
MY Experience:



- My MB's have the most resilient paint of the bunch. In other words they maintain their gloss far better than my other cars. They definitely have orange peel, no doubt about it.



- My Hondas have always had average paint, not bad but not awesome. The Accord had very little orange peel but the CRV definitely has some.



- My VW had no orange peel at all! The color was also very nice considering the price of the car (windsor blue). But I found the paint and especially the trim got dirty and trapped dirt very fast. Almost as if it was very porous. Of all the cars I've owned this was the most difficult to keep looking nice.:nixweiss
 
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