Have you noticed that new cars’ paint has gotten better over time? A two-stage painting process is now used by auto manufacturers. The basecoat, which is the first layer, is what provides visual characteristics like color. The clear coat on the car paint, which is the second layer, is intended to deepen the paint’s color and give it a lovely glossy appearance.
Let’s explore the clear coat in more detail, including what it is and the pros and cons of a clear coat.
What Is The Clear Coat On Car Paint?
What is the clear coat on car paint? Over the primer and the pigmented paint, the vehicle’s clear coat is the last coat of paint to be applied to your car. It’s a clear, glossy coating designed to protect your paint from the elements while also improving the appearance of your paint. But how much real protection does it offer? The truthful response is not much. Next, we will explain “what is the clear coat on car paint” fully.
Types of Car Clear Coats
What is the clear coat on car paint? Based on their solids content and the kind of repair that needs to be done, the various kinds of automotive clear coats can be divided into different categories.
Clear Coats According to Their Solids Content
Technology advancement has gone hand in hand with the development of clear coats. The solids content determines the thickness of the topcoat that will remain after drying. The higher the solids content of a clear coat, the fewer layers of product you will have to apply to achieve the desired dry thickness.
It should be noted that we classify car paints based on their solids content in accordance with typical European market criteria, which may not be the same as those applied in other markets.
There are different types of clear coats depending on their solids content and technological progress:
UHS Clear Coat
Because UHS clear coats have a high solids content, fewer coats will be needed to reach the desired dry thickness. This kind of clear coat provides a fantastic finish paint and significantly less drying time. In addition, UHS clear coats comply with European environmental legislation on air emissions (Items categorized in this category include BESA-GLASS UHS or URKI-FLY.
HS Clear Coat
It is a type of clear coat that contains less solids than UHS clear coat, and therefore requires more layers to obtain the same dry thickness. The environmental regulations on the emissions of volatile organic compounds are another area in which HS clear coats complies in a class of their own. The clear coat BESA-GLASS HS is an illustration of this kind.
MS Clear Coat
Due to their lower solids content, MS clear coats require multiple layers to achieve the necessary coat thickness for finishing protection.
Car Clear Coats According to the Type of Work
The various clear coats have changed over time in accordance with the type of finish to be applied and their specific function within the repair process.
Note that there are several factors that affect the application of clear coat during the repair process, such as room temperature and humidity levels, or the product’s temperature or the part it is to be applied on.
In this regard, some clear coats can be blended with various hardeners and solvents, allowing you to customize the type of repair and drying time to suit your requirements.
High Performance Clear Coats
These clear coats are composed of a higher solids content, which enables obtaining a better performance in the repainting process, allowing a lower number of layers to be applied to achieve the desired coat thickness.
They can enhance the finish paint’s sharpness, gloss, and hardness while providing fast application and drying times. An example of this type of clear coat is BESA-GLASS UHS.
Clear Coats for Fast Or Ultra-fast Drying Jobs
These types of clear coats are designed to optimise the drying time of the clear coat layer. The clear coat URKI-FLY is an illustration of this kind.
These are clear coats that, due to their fast-drying time, are generally used for partial repairs or Spot Repairs. Fast-drying clear coats make it possible to shorten the drying period without using cabin heat, which can result in very significant savings in the painting cycle and a striking rise in productivity and profitability.
Anti-scratch Clear Coats
Anti-scratch clear coats have greater hardness and mechanical resistance to dints and scratches. They are simple to use and behave well outside. Example of scratch-resistant clear coat: BESA-GLASS HS “ANTI-SCRATCH”.
Matte Or Satin Finish Clear Coat
These have traditionally been used for repainting plastic parts such as bumpers or mouldings. However, nowadays increasingly more vehicles are being completely painted in matte finish especially high-end vehicles. These clear coats allow to obtain completely matte finishes or with different gloss levels when mixed in specific proportions with gloss clear coats. BESA-GLASS HS MATTE is an illustration of this clear coat.
Spray Clear Coats for Partial Repairs
Some clear coats are offered as 1-component sprays (1K), which dry when they come into contact with air in the atmosphere thanks to the solvent evaporating. They are simple to use, and even though they lack the features of two-component clear coats, they can still offer the proper resistance and gloss depending on the type of repair.
A clear coat and a hardener are separated into two chambers in lacquers that use a two-component spray (2K). They dry by chemical reaction. These are clear coats that despite being intended for small repairs, can provide the same characteristics in terms of gloss, resistance and finish as bodywork clear coats.
Importance of Car Clear Coat
Gloss and depth – What is the first feature of a car that grabs your attention? The paint and color are typically the first things people notice. A clear coat adds depth and a glossy, mirror-like finish to the paint. However, to keep the car paint in showroom condition, the clear coat must be waxed and buffed.
Durability and protection – A clear coat is a layer that protects the car in addition to improving its appearance. UV blockers are included in this pigment’s manufacturing process. Therefore, a clear coat will shield the base from damaging sun rays that might cause the paint to deteriorate and look dull. If there are any scratches, swirls, water spots, etc. on your paint., the clear coat will prevent them from sinking into the base coat. While flaws that only affect the clear coat need to be worked on more, those that penetrate it cannot be easily buffed out.
Better for your health and the environment – Instead of solvent-based paints, many auto body shops apply water-based paints to automobiles. Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are lessened by these paints. The ease of applying the clear coat is one reason why they decide to use water-based paint.
Pros Of Clear Coat On Car Paint
To better understand “what is the clear coat on car paint”, we will give you the pros of clear coat on car paint. Your car will look shinier and more opulent thanks to clear car paint, which also gives the appearance that the paint is wetter and deeper. Other practical benefits, however, are more significant. One significant benefit is that this coating shields against ultraviolet rays from the sun and other sources that can fade car paint. Consequently, the paint on your car keeps looking newer for longer. In addition, if the car is covered in a layer of clear coat, shallow surface flaws and spots brought on by acid rain can be removed without harming the paint. These days, water base color coats are used by most manufacturers, and a clear coat is necessary to protect them. By dividing the top coat into a color coat and a clear coat, manufacturers use fewer solvents, which are naturally polluting.
Cons Of Clear Coat On Car Paint
To better understand “what is the clear coat on car paint”, we will give you the cons of clear coat on car paint. Harder and more oxidation-resistant finishes are clear coats. They should not be subjected to abrasive rubbing or polishing compounds, though, as they are more susceptible to scratches. However, oxidation can also happen to these finishes. Regular washing and occasional waxing with a premium car wax or a paint-protectant can prevent the majority of oxidation issues. Because the clear coat is colorless, it won’t fade or lose its brilliance, but it may become dull depending on the environment the car is exposed to. You might not notice a difference on a daily basis as a result of this fading’s gradual progression. By keeping the vehicle in a garage and out of the heat and UV rays of the sun, you can prevent this. Clear coat finishes may appear faded as a result of surface impurities like acid rain, rain dust, airborne pollutants, bird droppings, bug splatter, and industrial fallout. This is due to the finish’s finish losing some of its reflective quality as these contaminants build up on the car’s surface. The paint then appears dull and the gloss is reduced as a result. This can be avoided by cleaning off recent contaminants with products like Meguiar’s Quik Detailer and washing your car once a week with a high-end car wash solution like Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo and Conditioner. By using Meguiar’s Smooth Surface Clay Kit to wax your car, you can remove accumulated contaminants and restore the glass-like smoothness of the surface.
Car paints with clear coats not only shield the paint of the vehicle but also make repairs and maintenance simpler. Clear coat car paint finishes are here to stay because these paints also add gloss and depth to the vehicle’s finish.
This guide will go over how to wash a car at home and some frequently asked questions about best practices for washing cars in order to assist you in keeping your car clean.
Does Your Car Get Protected By The Clear Coat?
What is the clear coat on car paint? The clear coat does offer some level of environmental defense, particularly against the sun’s UV rays, but overall, it falls short of expectations. Clear coats are not very strong because they are only 1.5 to 2 millimeters thick (less than a Post-It Note), and you can even scratch them with your fingernail. Simply put, clear coats don’t provide much defense.
Despite the fact that an unprotected clear coat might not show signs of trouble right away, it can begin to crack as it ages, which is known as “crazing.” In the clear coat, crazing appears as a pattern of spiderweb-like cracks that can quickly spread to the base coat of paint. The only way to fix this problem is to repaint the car, so it’s best to prevent it from happening in the first place.
As if that weren’t bad enough, clear coats can also stop working as they get older. It’s possible that you’ve seen cars with what appears to be peeling paint; this is known as clear coat failure, and it’s not a pretty sight. In addition, surface impurities like acid rain, bird droppings, bug splatter, and industrial debris can cause clear coat finishes to appear faded and damaged over time.
Pay Attention To “Selling” Clear Coat
What is the clear coat on car paint? If an auto shop tries to trick you into believing they can sell you a clear coat, they are only out to make money. They’ll try to charge you a lot of money and pass off the paint sealant used to seal or wax your car as the clear coat. These detailers will not mention that this paint sealant requires reapplication at least once per year even though it has a 5-year warranty and is required. Reapplying the entire clear coat is a very difficult process, and true professional detailers will let you know if it’s necessary after examining the state of your paint.
Overall, a clear coat is essential for maintaining your car’s shiny appearance as well as for defending other paint layers. Since it is the layer that is most frequently affected by flaws in car paint, it needs to be well-maintained.
Acquire Better Protection With Ceramic Coatings
Numerous of the aforementioned problems can be avoided by coating your clear coat with ceramic to act as a barrier. Ceramic coatings are much harder than a typical vehicle clear coat, offer more chemical resistance, and offer long-lasting protection by operating at the nanoscopic level. In order to ensure that the coating is applied to a spotless surface, we suggest applying a ceramic coating as soon as possible after receiving your new car. The best outcomes come from leaving the plastic wrapping on the vehicle. In the event that this isn’t possible or your car isn’t brand new, we’ll prepare the surface for the ceramic coating application so that your new car will enjoy years of protection.
The post talk about “what is the clear coat on car paint” fully. Do you have a deep understanding of “what is the clear coat on car paint”? If you have any questions, please leave a comment.
