Quote:
Originally Posted by nikitopo
My last Mercedes (an A-class model) was back in 2006, so maybe color quality is not as good now. I remember they had a multi-layer color process. If I recall correctly, it was a three-layer. It looks that Subaru uses a single-layer  |
Any of the pearl coats from Subaru are a three layer. If you get a chance to look under the hood of a Lava it is pretty entertaining to see what the actual colour is without the pearl coat.
They could use a much more flexible paint back in 06 as the solvents used allowed it to dry slower with more VOC flash off.
We hear people complain all the time that the new paint is "thin" or "soft" but in reality it is the reverse. The new paints are slightly thicker and much harder than they used to be. This is why they chip so easy since even a light impact shatters the paint instead of just flexing it. Like I said this is not so much the fact that the paint is at fault but more due to the equipment used to apply it. The regulations for the reduced VOCs moved faster than the technology to apply the paint and this resulted in many manufacturers using obsolete equipment on their lines. Many plants have changed over and we will see a gradual improvement as the rest get caught up. I read a really good article about this in a tech journal (I do actually work) back in 2014 but it was real paper not electronic. If I can find it I will scan it.