Why is it that all new cars have orange peal??? I was looking at a new BMW the other day and thought to myself the Orange peal is only slightly better then a Ford. I don't mean to knock ford or BMW for there paint. It's just that I would expect the BMW to have a perfectly flat paint job similar to the quality of a Porsche??? The paint on my Supra is also perfectly flat also. Orange Peal never really bothered me until I got my Supra but now it drives me crazy to see it on expensive cars???
Orange Peal on new cars?
- Thread starter mikeg
- Start date
Dave N
My PC goes to 7...
I have a 2001 Toyota truck and the paint has op all over. Not that I would expect a truck (even a <em class='bbc'>Toyota[/i] truck 
) to have the same quality paint job as an Audi or BMW, but it is irritating to see it after a detail...
) to have the same quality paint job as an Audi or BMW, but it is irritating to see it after a detail...To rid paint of orange peel it mostly has to be sanded between coats and then the final coat sanded again and then polished to hide the sand marks. VERY EXPENSIVE! and then does not last long with normal driving because the final clear coat is thinned from the sanding.
Show cars have that done at a high cost to the owners. Labor intensive.
Show cars have that done at a high cost to the owners. Labor intensive.
Hmmm, none of the Bentleys, Diablos or Rolls I have done have orange peel
Actually, Ford has the best domestic paint, IMO (at least for the last few years). Seems to be harder and slicker than Chrysler or GM. In addition, it also has less orange peel, too. Mercedes has really gone downhill with respects to orange peel, especially the ML-class.
Guess my name is right-for mirror flat paint, it has to be sanded between coats. Very labor intensive. One of my customers just bought a 1970 GTO (with the 350 hp 400), and the paint job is orange peel free and show quality-cost $8900!
Actually, Ford has the best domestic paint, IMO (at least for the last few years). Seems to be harder and slicker than Chrysler or GM. In addition, it also has less orange peel, too. Mercedes has really gone downhill with respects to orange peel, especially the ML-class.
Guess my name is right-for mirror flat paint, it has to be sanded between coats. Very labor intensive. One of my customers just bought a 1970 GTO (with the 350 hp 400), and the paint job is orange peel free and show quality-cost $8900!
imported_Adamah1
New member
If the paint is shot properly orange peel will be nonexistent or barely noticeable. Something wasnt right when those vehicles that show O.P. were painted.
A big peeve of mine which is as bothersome as O.P. is the heavy spots in metallics. I dont know if its just me but the problem seems really bad on Fords and Chevys.
A big peeve of mine which is as bothersome as O.P. is the heavy spots in metallics. I dont know if its just me but the problem seems really bad on Fords and Chevys.
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >
<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Guess My Name [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>SCOTT are the bentleys RR and such hand painted and sanded you think? or do they just finish off the top coat real well???[/b]</blockquote>
As smooth as the finish is, probably hand rubbed between each coat or at least the last few. The paint on the Bentley looks like you can stick your arm into it and never touch the metal. If I clean it tomorrow, I will take some close-ups-the Olympic torch will be run right by the office the Bentley is at (near the Ballpark In Arlington), so I definately will have my camera with me-and with only 6 pics left on the roll, I will use it up, drop it off and have it all on a Kodak Picture CD and ready to post tomorrow night or Thursday.
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >
<strong class='bbc'>$8900 jeeeeeeeezzzzzzzee thats a lot of table dances at that guys club. [/b]</blockquote>
Different customer. This guy owns a commercial A/C repair company. This GTO is incredible-fully restored and damn near perfect!
<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Guess My Name [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>SCOTT are the bentleys RR and such hand painted and sanded you think? or do they just finish off the top coat real well???[/b]</blockquote>
As smooth as the finish is, probably hand rubbed between each coat or at least the last few. The paint on the Bentley looks like you can stick your arm into it and never touch the metal. If I clean it tomorrow, I will take some close-ups-the Olympic torch will be run right by the office the Bentley is at (near the Ballpark In Arlington), so I definately will have my camera with me-and with only 6 pics left on the roll, I will use it up, drop it off and have it all on a Kodak Picture CD and ready to post tomorrow night or Thursday.
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >
<strong class='bbc'>$8900 jeeeeeeeezzzzzzzee thats a lot of table dances at that guys club. [/b]</blockquote>
Different customer. This guy owns a commercial A/C repair company. This GTO is incredible-fully restored and damn near perfect!
Andre'
New member
One of the pproblems is today's high-solid, low-solvent paints, just don't flow together very well, this helps cause orange peel. Improperley adgusted atomizeing balls and paint film build is also to blame.
Fords paint is the same as GMs and Chrysler, it's just the process.
Fords paint often chips very easy do to the lack of a non chipping primer.
Fords paint is the same as GMs and Chrysler, it's just the process.
Fords paint often chips very easy do to the lack of a non chipping primer.
Andre'
New member
Often the older the car the less orange peel it will have, the bad orange peel is do to the newer paints.
After reading this post I went out and inspected both of my Subarus and I cannot find a bit of orange peel on them. On the bottom of my WRX there is a thicker coating that looks like orange peel, but it is a thicker protective coating to resist chipping.
However, I also went out and looked at our 2000 Ford Explorer and I can find orange peel in various places.
Is there something that domestic manufacturers might be using that foreign ones aren't that cause orange peel? This is a very curious topic. All of these cars should be sprayed with machine to assist in a very uniform paint job, so that leads me to believe that it must be something in the paint that is causing this...
However, I also went out and looked at our 2000 Ford Explorer and I can find orange peel in various places.
Is there something that domestic manufacturers might be using that foreign ones aren't that cause orange peel? This is a very curious topic. All of these cars should be sprayed with machine to assist in a very uniform paint job, so that leads me to believe that it must be something in the paint that is causing this...
imported_Adamah1
New member
Actually its called quality or the lack thereof.
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >
<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Andre' [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>Often the older the car the less orange peel it will have, the bad orange peel is do to the newer paints. [/b]</blockquote>
New Mercedes definately have more orange peel than older ones. I noticed the difference when they switched the SEL line to the S class cars.
<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Andre' [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>Often the older the car the less orange peel it will have, the bad orange peel is do to the newer paints. [/b]</blockquote>
New Mercedes definately have more orange peel than older ones. I noticed the difference when they switched the SEL line to the S class cars.
imported_bigltc
New member
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >
<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Scottwax [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>
Actually, Ford has the best domestic paint, IMO (at least for the last few years). Seems to be harder and slicker than Chrysler or GM. In addition, it also has less orange peel, too. Mercedes has really gone downhill with respects to orange peel, especially the ML-class. [/b]</blockquote>
I agree with you. Ford has fairly good paint. Here's a close up pic of my Explorer.
You can barely see the orange peel. It looks almost perfectly flat. But here's my question, isn't orange peel a pretty normal thing in new cars??
Andre is right about the chipping. There are numorous chips on my hood resulted from a dump truck full of dirt on the highway. That really pissed me off.
<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Scottwax [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>
Actually, Ford has the best domestic paint, IMO (at least for the last few years). Seems to be harder and slicker than Chrysler or GM. In addition, it also has less orange peel, too. Mercedes has really gone downhill with respects to orange peel, especially the ML-class. [/b]</blockquote>
I agree with you. Ford has fairly good paint. Here's a close up pic of my Explorer.
You can barely see the orange peel. It looks almost perfectly flat. But here's my question, isn't orange peel a pretty normal thing in new cars??
Andre is right about the chipping. There are numorous chips on my hood resulted from a dump truck full of dirt on the highway. That really pissed me off.
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >
<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by TTSUPRA [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>It's just that I would expect the BMW to have a perfectly flat paint job similar to the quality of a Porsche[/b]</blockquote>
Well then you would certainly expect a Porsche to have the same quality as a Porshce but unfortunately Porsches have orange peel too.
<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by TTSUPRA [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>It's just that I would expect the BMW to have a perfectly flat paint job similar to the quality of a Porsche[/b]</blockquote>
Well then you would certainly expect a Porsche to have the same quality as a Porshce but unfortunately Porsches have orange peel too.
When I was shopping for my car, I first noticed this on the Lexus model line.
I said 'wow - imagine that - a very solid car like Lexus with orange peel'.
Well - to my chagrin, all of the 01's and 02's I looked at (BMW, MB, Acura, Lexus, Toyota, and Ford) had a LOT more orange peel than I'm accustomed to.
I asked a friend who works for a body shop - and he mentioned what a lot of people do - changing environmental regulations. Some countries are a bit behind, so vehicles made there might be better for a few years longer. But the truth is that in a few years, orange peel paint will be an inevitability.
Too bad - I hate that %!&*$ crap.
I said 'wow - imagine that - a very solid car like Lexus with orange peel'.
Well - to my chagrin, all of the 01's and 02's I looked at (BMW, MB, Acura, Lexus, Toyota, and Ford) had a LOT more orange peel than I'm accustomed to.
I asked a friend who works for a body shop - and he mentioned what a lot of people do - changing environmental regulations. Some countries are a bit behind, so vehicles made there might be better for a few years longer. But the truth is that in a few years, orange peel paint will be an inevitability.
Too bad - I hate that %!&*$ crap.
imported_BretFraz
New member
Well, maybe not on Scottwax's customers car but there is a Arnage Green Label in our parking lot at work and it has OP all over it. The car is black and it really shows. Maybe it was repainted once before (car is virtually new) or maybe its the good ol' British QC.:down This same company has a RR Silver Seraph in silver and the paint is little better than the Arnage.:down
There's also a Jaguar XKR in silver that looks really good but the owner never keeps it clean. At least there's no OP.
Price has little to do with this issue. It's all about products and processes and environmental regulations wherever the car is built. And who supplies the paint and prep products.
I read an article at Auto Int's website where Ron K was talking about two different paint lines at the BMW 5-series plant where cars were being painted side-by-side using two completely different processes. If anyone tried to delve into the reasons why some cars have lots of OP and others don't, it would be like an episode of the X-Files. You just don't want to know.
There's also a Jaguar XKR in silver that looks really good but the owner never keeps it clean. At least there's no OP.
Price has little to do with this issue. It's all about products and processes and environmental regulations wherever the car is built. And who supplies the paint and prep products.
I read an article at Auto Int's website where Ron K was talking about two different paint lines at the BMW 5-series plant where cars were being painted side-by-side using two completely different processes. If anyone tried to delve into the reasons why some cars have lots of OP and others don't, it would be like an episode of the X-Files. You just don't want to know.