In article ,
Lobster wrote:
On 22/07/2013 18:29, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Lobster wrote:
OK.... stupid question no doubt, but hey... how do I tell whether it
had clearcoat before? It's just a bog-standard Panda with ordinary
non-metallic paint: does that mean 'no'? If so I'm wondering why
paints4u would flog me a repair kit containing the primer, paint and
lacquer?)

Any chips on it which might give a clue? I thought the idea of using a
lacquer over solid colours was short lived - I had a black early '90s
BMW which did. One of the worst paints ever - was covered in stone
chips.

I had the SD1 re-sprayed about 5 years ago - again in black - and
that is water based paint with no clear coat. And it's lasting very
well.

It might be obvious if you examine an edge with a magnifying glass?

Well I dunno. I emailed paints4u in parallel, and got the following
reply:

"The process is the same for metallic or solid colours. The important
thing is the type of paint that you are using (basecoat or cellulose).
Cellulose does not require a clear lacquer, however, metallic colours
are only available in basecoat. There are also a number of reasons why
you would choose basecoat over cellulose for solid colours (better UV
resistance for example).

They sound a bunch of idiots. Cellulose hasn't been used on a production
car for decades.

You should apply the lacquer as soon as the basecoat is dry. The only
time you should flat back the basecoat is if there is a bit of dust or
muck that you need to remove and then you should make sure to apply
another coat of basecoat before applying the lacquer. It is recommended
not to leave the basecoat for more than a couple of hours before
applying the lacquer as it can cause the colour to darken."

Regretting having started this whole thing - it's all just too confusing

They're certainly not helping.

As Duncan said, try cutting back some of the original paint. If you have
T-cut lying around, that will do. If the cloth ends up with the paint
colour on it, no clearcoat.

But any aerosol applied paint - even clearcoat - will need cutting back to
get that perfectly smooth finish.

FWIW I did do a repair on my metallic BMW, using Halfords paint. Their
instructions said to apply several coats of base in quick succession -
before the last was fully hardened - then leave a few days to harden
fully. Then flat back with fine wet or dry. Then apply the clear coat.
Worked ok.

--
*I know a guy who's addicted to brake fluid. He says he can stop any time.*

Dave Plowman London SW
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