Spies- Hecker paint.

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Intercooled

New member
My car was painted with Spies -Hecker paint.( A german Paint). It sure looks deep!! I noticed that the clear is pretty soft. Is there anyone who has had experience with this paint and is there anything that I Should know about detailing it. I have only Zaino'd it and now its time to apply some polish to clean up some micro maring.
 
Hmm ... Audi OEM paint is Spies-Hecker and I sure do find it hard, I can almost never polish it successfully by hand and I always seem to have to use an involved routine with my PC just to get out defects visible only under 1000 watt halogens!



Definitely have a PC hand to tackle that micromarring!
 
The front end of my Honda was repainted by Mister Collision in Dallas using Spies-Hecker paint. It seems at least as hard as my original Accord paint and has held up very well over the last nearly 5 years.
 
The body shop told me that it is a softer clear coat. They said the paint is probably the highest quality you can get. It has a high amount of solids in it.
 
I have noticed it didn't seem to chip nearly as easily as the original paint but when working it with polishes, etc, it seems to respond about the same.
 
Intercooled, if it gets some very minor micromarring like the kind I described, try polishing it out by hand with a very mild, non filling polish ( or use the IPA after to see what was left behind)



If it responds well, that would be great! :xyxthumbs
 
The S-H paint used by the OEMs is probably a different formulation than the stuff used by aftermarket paint shops- this would explain the differences in hardness.



As Bill D said, anyone who's worked OE Audi clear would never say that the factory S-H paint is soft, but Intercooled certainly knows what he's experiencing. Must be different stuff for different applications.
 
Among others, Grumpy tells me that refinish paints HAVE to be different formulations. The simple explanation is that factory paint is truly baked, before installation of the many subassemblies. Refinished cars just can't take the heat... melted wiring, ruined leather, and on and on.



So, refinish paint cures by way of some heat, substantial airflow, and time. That's why we wait at least thirty days before sealing the paint. Outgassing, yeah, that's the ticket.



It is very similar to how a sealant cures. How many of us use "substantial airflow" over a vehicle for 12-24 hours after applying a sealant? Try it.



Jim
 
From what I understand the S-H is a 2 part urethane and the heat is caused by the chemical reaction. I have had 3 cars painted using either S-H or Glassurit, again German and a 2 part urethane.
 
Hello,

I just acquired Spies Hecker for my new bodyshop - brand new system, for which I'm very proud. However earlier post stated that the paint feels a bit soft. Any recommendation from anyone? I'm now a bit concerned as I've never used Spies, my old shop had Glasurit.



Thanks
 
calcollision said:
Hello,

I just acquired Spies Hecker for my new bodyshop - brand new system, for which I'm very proud. However earlier post stated that the paint feels a bit soft. Any recommendation from anyone? I'm now a bit concerned as I've never used Spies, my old shop had Glasurit.



Thanks
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There are a LOT of variables that can affect how paint cures. For your part, just make sure you follow the P-sheets to the letter and use the right hardener and reducer for the environment of your paint booth.



And yeah, remember that OE paint is thermocured, so it has a different chemistry than refinish materials.
 
calcollision said:
Hello,

I just acquired Spies Hecker for my new bodyshop - brand new system, for which I'm very proud. However earlier post stated that the paint feels a bit soft. Any recommendation from anyone? I'm now a bit concerned as I've never used Spies, my old shop had Glasurit.



Thanks
Click to expand...



You might want to contact Aldo at Mister Collision Inc | Auto Body Repair Dallas, TX 75234 | Dallas Auto Collision Repair Shop & Service Center I know his shop has used Spies-Hecker paint for a couple of decades now.
 
I recenty had some paintwork done at Lake County Collision, AKA [The Bodyshop Formerly Known as Stoddard], and per usual they used the latest stuff from S-H. Post-outgassing/curing, it was typically "Audi-hard".
 
I have to agree that IME, Audi paint is a pain to correct, and is relatively hard; however, I didn't find it as hard as most GM paints, but close.
 
Street5927 said:
however, I didn't find it as hard as most GM paints, but close.
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Roger that! I have an '89 Cadillac with what I believe is duPont paint.It's even worse than my Audi paint. I see that the paint hardness of GM vehicles hasn't changed over the years, huh?
 
Street5927 said:
I have to agree that IME, Audi paint is a pain to correct, and is relatively hard; however, I didn't find it as hard as most GM paints, but close.
Click to expand...



I can't really say there's a huge diff between my Audis and my (b/c) GMs. They've always been similar enough that I just use the same approaches. But that's quite possibly more a matter of my perception rather than the paints themselves.
 
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