D-MAX/MU-X's ?????

[Spartan]

I find it hard to believe they didn't clear coat the white ones unless they are majorly cheaper and sold as a commercial version...just dosn't make sence

A panel beater/painter I know reckons solid colours quite often don't get clear coat. I think the clear is there to protect the pearl/metallic so it's not needed on solid colours.

[dales133]

A panel beater/painter I know reckons solid colours quite often don't get clear coat. I think the clear is there to protect the pearl/metallic so it's not needed on solid colours.

That can be true but if it is the case the solid Colour is applied in sufficient quantity do be doing the same job as the clear coat.
It's all about microns of thickness nothing else.
The booth may have been contaminated on a particular run possibly


*edit. I missed your post Bookleaf, I agree

[DannyG]

Solid colours in an OEM situation (in the majority of cases) do not get clear coated, it is not necessary.

Metallics or pearls get clear coated because they are only 'base coats'. They are not a 2 pack product, they are a single pack product that dries fast, generally has no shine and definitely has no protection, hence the need of a clear coat.

Clear coats and solid colours in most quality 2 pack paints generally have the same 'make up' (for the sake of this conversation anyway). Meaning they are both equally as resistant to scratches and UV, or very similar. So by putting a clear coat on a solid colour is not going to make the surface any tougher. They have the same 'toughness'

Yes in the industry we have had people request to have clear coat put on their solid colours because it does give the illusion of more depth, but when we do this we use a 'base coat' product for the solid and then clear coat it, we don't generally paint the vehicle in a 2 pack solid and then clear coat that. There are good reasons for only using base coat/clear coat in a solid situation but no need to get into that here.

As for the cost of getting a plain solid colour car or a metallic/pearl, then yes the base coat/clear coats are dearer because there is more product and it is all done twice. As a general rule (products vary but to keep it simple), to paint a car in a solid white or red or whatever, you put 3 coats down and its finished.
To paint the same car in metallic or pearl you put 3 coats of the base coat colour down and then 3 coats of the clear coat on top.....hence twice the amount of work and product.

If someone is getting rust issues then I would suggest this is an issue that has little to do with the colour or type of paint on your car. Bare metal if you want to be very technical starts its rusting process pretty much as soon as its exposed. Car manufacturers use all sorts of products and techniques to control this and ensure there cars don't have rust issues but this process can and does at times (although these days its rear) fail and the end result is that eventually the end user gets rust spots coming through their paintwork. You can put the best paint in the world over a poorly prepped surface and eventually you will have issues.

I hope that helps.

[DannyG]

That can be true but if it is the case the solid Colour is applied in sufficient quantity do be doing the same job as the clear coat.
It's all about microns of thickness nothing else.
The booth may have been contaminated on a particular run possibly


*edit. I missed your post Bookleaf, I agree

Rarely these days do manufacturers not use the correct amount of product to finish their vehicles. Yes the robots are a bit hit and miss in some areas on ALOT of manufacturers (under sill panels, inside shuts etc) but generally the amount of paint put on is based on two things. Firstly coverage. These days paints cover very well. Back when i first started, some colours were shocking in some brands of paint. Some were so bad in golds for example we would have to put a couple of coats of a solid colour down first that was similar to the gold, then put at times, up to 5-6 coats of the gold to get coverage.

But yes, coverage is the first priority (you don't want to see the primer through your colour) and secondly yes the final micron count is the final priority which is dictated by the paint manufacturer. 3 coats is common on a solid colour but some systems only need 2 and I have even seen 1 coat systems but I'm not a fan.

[dazzler]

Remember the blue paint on cruisers that washed off

[DannyG]

Remember the blue paint on cruisers that washed off

Way back in the mid 80's when I was an apprentice, OEM finishes in some cases were laughable. Mitsubishi was a classic example. If you wanted a decent finish BMW and Mercedes were the only ones using decent paint!

[Footy Shorts Shane]

Way back in the mid 80's when I was an apprentice, OEM finishes in some cases were laughable. Mitsubishi was a classic example. If you wanted a decent finish BMW and Mercedes were the only ones using decent paint!

And it's still no better now........

My youngest brother is a painter. He often tells me he is going to get me in to blend repairs on some new vehicles. Reckons no matter how hard he tries, he can't lay it down that bad to match the rest of the car. Reckons I'll nail it though. Little prick.

[Wukkers]

I had much to do with new imported vehicles in my working life.  Fallout was a regular issue for most manufacturers.  Easy to spot on white vehicles in the form of small rust spots, but often also there on other colors and quite difficult to see.  Manufacturers treat the spots with a chemical.  It makes the rust spots disappear but I'm unsure of the effect, if any, in the longer term.  There is a time of year when winds blow from China across Japan.  Any vehicles sitting on a Japanese wharf are very likely to be effected.  Vehicles manufactured in other countries have fallout issues also but from other sources I guess.

Wukkers

[oldmate]

X2 Danny. You can tell from replies who the painters are. Or ex painters.

Lol Shane. Smart ass little brothers.

[pajamajero]

Can someone advise if the D-Max engine features the dreaded Diesel Particulate Filter ?

Cheers

Paj

[KingBilly]

No DPF on the current, or past, Dmax or MUX.  Next model in 2016 will.

KB

[oldmate]

A panel beater/painter I know reckons solid colours quite often don't get clear coat. I think the clear is there to protect the pearl/metallic so it's not needed on solid colours.

solid colours rarely, rarely, and rarely get clear. especially off the production line 

[scarpsD40]

solid colours rarely, rarely, and rarely get clear. especially off the production line 

Man, just caught up on this thread, didn't know that. Somewhat explains the paint chip issue on swmbo's white Lancer.

Obviously her car is confused and thinks it's a Dmax!

[oldmate]

Man, just caught up on this thread, didn't know that. Somewhat explains the paint chip issue on swmbo's white Lancer.

Obviously her car is confused and thinks it's a Dmax!

Have rust spots too?
Wishes it was a dmax?

[pajamajero]

Thanks KB

[EnviroKat]

I just got my Mu-X this week - very happy so far!

I had a thread recently http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=41117.0 (hopefully that works), which wasn't specifically about MUX v DMax, but more ute v wagon, had some good feedback which helped with my decision, might be of use to you.