Clear Coat, or Not?

[Rob Tomlin]

How do you tell if you have a clear coat?



I am assuming that my 2002 Yellow Mazda Protege5 does NOT have a clear coat, and this is why:



I applied some AIO to it today via PC. Well, the pad had yellow paint on it! I didn't think the paint was in too bad a condition, either.



Does the fact I am getting paint on the pad prove I don't have a clear coat?



Is there a way to determine from the manufacturer whether a certain paint has a clear coat?



Are there any special things to pay more attention to in terms of detailing a paint with no clear coat?

 

[MongooseGA]

So your pad had yellow on it, huh?



Was it a yellow cutitng pad?



:rofl :rofl



Sorry, had to do it.



Assuming it was a white polishing pad, is there any posibility it wasjust some smeared in AIO in the pad?



To be positive, take a mildly aggressive polish (think SSR2, #80, whatever) and a cloth. Go to an small section of the car (one you don't see easily) and polish a little section of the paint. If you get paint on the cloth, then you have a single stage.

 

[sgo]

Unless you're positive of the history of this car, it might be overspray from a repaint that you picked up.

 

[EdLancer]

How do you tell if you have a clear coat?



I am assuming that my 2002 Yellow Mazda Protege5 does NOT have a clear coat, and this is why:



I applied some AIO to it today via PC. Well, the pad had yellow paint on it! I didn't think the paint was in too bad a condition, either.



Does the fact I am getting paint on the pad prove I don't have a clear coat?



Is there a way to determine from the manufacturer whether a certain paint has a clear coat?



Are there any special things to pay more attention to in terms of detailing a paint with no clear coat?

Most Japanese solid colored cars will not have a clearcoat, clearcoat is only applied to metallic base topcoats to bind in the metallic flakes. The big 3 uses clearcoat for all types of paints which can lead to delamination of the clearcoat over the ownership of the car.

 

[Rob Tomlin]

Unless you're positive of the history of this car, it might be overspray from a repaint that you picked up.

I bought it brand new in Dec. 2001.

Most Japanese solid colored cars will not have a clearcoat, clearcoat is only applied to metallic base topcoats to bind in the metallic flakes. The big 3 uses clearcoat for all types of paints which can lead to delamination of the clearcoat over the ownership of the car.

Good info. It does seem that there are a lot of american cars that have the clearcoat delaminating, and it looks horrible.



What is it, if anything, about the clearcoat on non-metallic paints delaminating?

 

[Scottwax]

Most Japanese solid colored cars will not have a clearcoat, clearcoat is only applied to metallic base topcoats to bind in the metallic flakes. The big 3 uses clearcoat for all types of paints which can lead to delamination of the clearcoat over the ownership of the car.

Yeah, I know. The white Accords really irritate me. Once they get more than a couple years old, you really need to stay on top of them to keep the paint from fading.

 

[EdLancer]

I bought it brand new in Dec. 2001.







Good info. It does seem that there are a lot of american cars that have the clearcoat delaminating, and it looks horrible.



What is it, if anything, about the clearcoat on non-metallic paints delaminating?

Well solid colored paint are usually glossy by nature and offer a poor adhesion when the clearcoat is on top of it, metallic based coat are usually more flat and offer more grip with the flake for the the clearcoat to grab on to.



I just don't like where automotive paint is heading today, 98% of car manufacutrers are using high solid low solvent paints which is great for faster drying and hardness, but horrible for stone chips and defect removal and the much hated orange peel effect.