KillerTA

iTrader: (3)

I've seen cars and experienced on my own cars that panels that have been repainted chip easier and the stone chips are usually bigger than they would be on factory paint.

I had my bumper painted at a very reputable place about 5 years ago and it definately is not as durable as a factory finish.

What do I need to do to get a finish that is as durable as the factory?

Pheonix

iTrader: (16)

Usually it depends on the type of clear they used and how many coats they put. People think that by putting more coats of clear the better but its the other way around the thicker it is the more easily it fractures. And that causes it to bring more material with it.

transmaro93

iTrader: (4)

also... factory finishes are baked on the car at around 400 degrees F.... and the most a normal shop can do is usually somewhere around 200 at the most... and the undercoats are dipped and cleaned by acid.... the factory finish is just much stronger... could also be bad prep work tho.... i mean i dont know how many people really kill cars with too much clear these days... stuff so expensive usually places want to use as little as possible not to waste money.... stuff is expensive... we do 2 coats of clear... then probably clsoe to one of those gets sanded and buffed... hes right tho to much buildup of clear does make it brittle...

Pheonix

iTrader: (16)

In the case of my dads truck the guy who painted it got really bad orange peel and thought he could hide it by piling it up with more and more clear to hide it. That is one of the reasons why people put more than two. I myself use two and if im doing grafix i do three, but let the second coat flash for thirty min to prevent solvent pop.

vetman1

iTrader: (4)

In the DuPont system we put hardener in the basecoat, along with the reducer. All the tech manuals say that the activated basecoat is way more chip resistant than non activated basecoat. From my own experience I believe it to be true. I have had customers that we have painted their front end several years ago and had minimal if any rock chips. I do recall a car that we put a hood and front bumper cover on 3 years ago and the car recently returned because it got hit hard in the front again and where the bumper ripped, the paint was still bonded to the bumper extremely well for the damage it sustained. I do not know if any of the other paint companies use an activated base coat or not but it sure does make a difference in our paint line. Another thing to consider is that a non-activated basecoat from DuPont only has a five year warranty and the activated basecoat has a lifetime warranty. Not that any of this really matters, I am just relaying what I know and have seen from my own experience. Good luck and if you need any other paint questions answered just shoot me a pm and I will be glad to help in any way I can.

Pheonix

iTrader: (16)

Yup hardner in the base is defenitely a plus i do the same with the sikkens system and it leaves the flash window open longer. with like 75 to 80 degree weather it leaves the window open for 48hrs wich is awesome for custom graphics because you dont have to clear or intercoat anytime soon. you can just come back the next day and keep going. I have also done it with HOK and it works just as good. What it does is convert the base into a 2k product.