My daughter got her Fiat Panda keyed quite badly the other day, and I
want to do a DIY repaint as she doesn't want to claim on insurance or
spend £100's at the local body shop. It certainly needs spraying; one of
those touch-up sets with a brush won't cut the mustard.

Problem is availability of the paint. It's "Pasodoble Red" (code 111/A),
and not available as anything other than a touch-up set either through
the local Fiat dealership or Halfords etc, which ****es me off as I'd
assumed with it not being a metallic paint, I'd have had no particular
problem DIY-ing with an aerosol can, as I used to do 20-30 years ago to
reasonable effect.

There seem to be various online suppliers who puport to be able to help
- can anybody recommend one? I just tried entering the colour code into
one such site and ended up with some sort of beige paint - doesn't
exactly inspire confidence.

Thanks
--
David

Lobster wrote:
My daughter got her Fiat Panda keyed quite badly the other day, and I
want to do a DIY repaint as she doesn't want to claim on insurance or
spend £100's at the local body shop. It certainly needs spraying; one
of those touch-up sets with a brush won't cut the mustard.

Problem is availability of the paint. It's "Pasodoble Red" (code
111/A), and not available as anything other than a touch-up set
either through the local Fiat dealership or Halfords etc, which
****es me off as I'd assumed with it not being a metallic paint, I'd
have had no particular problem DIY-ing with an aerosol can, as I used
to do 20-30 years ago to reasonable effect.

There seem to be various online suppliers who puport to be able to
help - can anybody recommend one? I just tried entering the colour
code into one such site and ended up with some sort of beige paint -
doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

Thanks

Many places inc halfords and even car shops will mix paint while you wait,
either loose or in an aerosol. Otherwise just look up paint suppliers and
go there, most big industrial estates have some sort of car paint supplier.
Movac are one of the largest companies.

In article ,
Lobster wrote:
Problem is availability of the paint. It's "Pasodoble Red" (code 111/A),
and not available as anything other than a touch-up set either through
the local Fiat dealership or Halfords etc, which ****es me off as I'd
assumed with it not being a metallic paint, I'd have had no particular
problem DIY-ing with an aerosol can, as I used to do 20-30 years ago to
reasonable effect.

Some Halfords have a mix to order paint service. They should be able to
supply any colour not in their standard range - they could for my BMW.

--
*Learn from your parents' mistakes - use birth control

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Lobster wrote:

Problem is availability of the paint. It's "Pasodoble Red" (code 111/A),
and not available as anything other than a touch-up set either through
the local Fiat dealership or Halfords etc,

http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00CASV5F4

Google translate might come in handy to check the details!

In article ,
Lobster wrote:
My daughter got her Fiat Panda keyed quite badly the other day, and I
want to do a DIY repaint as she doesn't want to claim on insurance or
spend £100's at the local body shop. It certainly needs spraying; one of
those touch-up sets with a brush won't cut the mustard.

Can get surprisingly good results with a scratch and decent paint applicators
(or cocktail sticks at a push). Build up about the the paint, razor blade
it down and then 2500 grit wet and dry and polish


Problem is availability of the paint. It's "Pasodoble Red" (code 111/A),
and not available as anything other than a touch-up set either through
the local Fiat dealership or Halfords etc, which ****es me off as I'd
assumed with it not being a metallic paint, I'd have had no particular
problem DIY-ing with an aerosol can, as I used to do 20-30 years ago to
reasonable effect.

paints4u.com have been briliant in the past for me and friends. They are
also recommended on detailingworld.com (and you won't find a fussier
group of people!)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221134326245 is a decent kit.

Or take your pick from their selection:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nk...at=0&_from=R40


There seem to be various online suppliers who puport to be able to help
- can anybody recommend one? I just tried entering the colour code into
one such site and ended up with some sort of beige paint - doesn't
exactly inspire confidence.

As I say, I know several people who have used paints4u with great results.

Your milage may vary etc etc, no connection just a happy customer!

Darren

On 05/07/13 16:32, Lobster wrote:
My daughter got her Fiat Panda keyed quite badly the other day, and I
want to do a DIY repaint as she doesn't want to claim on insurance or
spend £100's at the local body shop. It certainly needs spraying; one of
those touch-up sets with a brush won't cut the mustard.

Problem is availability of the paint. It's "Pasodoble Red" (code 111/A),
and not available as anything other than a touch-up set either through
the local Fiat dealership or Halfords etc, which ****es me off as I'd
assumed with it not being a metallic paint, I'd have had no particular
problem DIY-ing with an aerosol can, as I used to do 20-30 years ago to
reasonable effect.

There seem to be various online suppliers who puport to be able to help
- can anybody recommend one? I just tried entering the colour code into
one such site and ended up with some sort of beige paint - doesn't
exactly inspire confidence.

Thanks
http://www.paints4u.com/ are good IME.

On 05/07/2013 20:30, D.M.Chapman wrote:


Can get surprisingly good results with a scratch and decent paint applicators
(or cocktail sticks at a push). Build up about the the paint, razor blade
it down and then 2500 grit wet and dry and polish

The first thing you must do with all the scratch repair kits is to throw
away the brush it comes with. Use a small artists brush to apply the
paint only in the scratch. The artists brushes found in pound shops at
10 for £1 are often 10+x better than the brush that comes with a kit.
Just remember to wash and dry the brush first as they seem to (water
base) glue the bristles for display purposes.



--
mailto:news{at}admac(dot}myzen{dot}co{dot}uk

In article ,
alan wrote:
On 05/07/2013 20:30, D.M.Chapman wrote:

The first thing you must do with all the scratch repair kits is to throw
away the brush it comes with. Use a small artists brush to apply the
paint only in the scratch. The artists brushes found in pound shops at
10 for £1 are often 10+x better than the brush that comes with a kit.
Just remember to wash and dry the brush first as they seem to (water
base) glue the bristles for display purposes.


Indeed. In fact, the kits I linked to don't come with brushes but "paint
spears".

These are much easier to control - small pointy things :-)

Darren

In article ,
D.M.Chapman wrote:
Indeed. In fact, the kits I linked to don't come with brushes but "paint
spears".

These are much easier to control - small pointy things :-)

Cocktail sticks. ;-)

--
*Why isn't 11 pronounced onety one? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 05/07/2013 20:30, D.M.Chapman wrote:
In article ,
Lobster wrote:
My daughter got her Fiat Panda keyed quite badly the other day, and I
want to do a DIY repaint as she doesn't want to claim on insurance or
spend £100's at the local body shop. It certainly needs spraying; one of
those touch-up sets with a brush won't cut the mustard.

Can get surprisingly good results with a scratch and decent paint applicators
(or cocktail sticks at a push). Build up about the the paint, razor blade
it down and then 2500 grit wet and dry and polish

OK, interesting... hadn't occurred to me that that might be an option I
have to say. I'd certainly much rather do that if possible rather than
the faff of aerosols etc. And I think both daughter and I would be
happy if it wasn't totally a showroom-finish repair... that said,
there's a small dent elsewhere which I suppose I could sort out at the
same time...

I've posted a hi-res photo of the damage he does this look like it
might succumb sto a touch-up kit? This is in the middle of a door
panel; scratch is 3mm wide at worst, and 200mm in length. *******.
http://imageshack.us/a/img839/4631/w3pt.jpg

paints4u.com have been briliant in the past for me and friends. They are
also recommended on detailingworld.com (and you won't find a fussier
group of people!)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221134326245 is a decent kit.

Think they were one of the outfits I found; but discounted them as the
colour there is described as PASSEDENA (with the correct paint code)
rather than PASODOBLE which doesn't inspire confidence! However the
registration number checker tool on their website does generate the
right name, so I'll explore further!

--
David

On 06/07/2013 10:24, Lobster wrote:
Think they were one of the outfits I found; but discounted them as the
colour there is described as PASSEDENA (with the correct paint code)
rather than PASODOBLE which doesn't inspire confidence! However the
registration number checker tool on their website does generate the
right name, so I'll explore further!

It is entirely possible that the European name is different to, say, the
US name.

--
Rod

In article ,
Lobster wrote:
On 05/07/2013 20:30, D.M.Chapman wrote:
In article ,
Lobster wrote:

OK, interesting... hadn't occurred to me that that might be an option I
have to say. I'd certainly much rather do that if possible rather than
the faff of aerosols etc. And I think both daughter and I would be
happy if it wasn't totally a showroom-finish repair... that said,
there's a small dent elsewhere which I suppose I could sort out at the
same time...


Their spray cans get pretty good reviews as well - I've never used them
but I know people who have to paint matched mirrors etc.

I've posted a hi-res photo of the damage he does this look like it
might succumb sto a touch-up kit? This is in the middle of a door
panel; scratch is 3mm wide at worst, and 200mm in length. *******.
http://imageshack.us/a/img839/4631/w3pt.jpg


Hmmm.... 3mm is a bit wide. Depends on the finish you want. You'll be able
to improve things with a touch up kit but they work best with nice thin
scratches.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221134326245 is a decent kit.

Think they were one of the outfits I found; but discounted them as the
colour there is described as PASSEDENA (with the correct paint code)
rather than PASODOBLE which doesn't inspire confidence! However the
registration number checker tool on their website does generate the
right name, so I'll explore further!

Drop them an email with a photo showing the vin plate with the paint
codes on and they'll confirm what paint you need. They are very helpful
in my experience!

Darren

On 06/07/13 10:28, polygonum wrote:
On 06/07/2013 10:24, Lobster wrote:
Think they were one of the outfits I found; but discounted them as the
colour there is described as PASSEDENA (with the correct paint code)
rather than PASODOBLE which doesn't inspire confidence! However the
registration number checker tool on their website does generate the
right name, so I'll explore further!

It is entirely possible that the European name is different to, say, the
US name.

Indeed. I used paints4u for my Audi's paint, which no-one stocked: UK
name is Kingfisher Blue, original name Pelikan blau.

polygonum wrote:

On 06/07/2013 10:24, Lobster wrote:

discounted them as the colour there is described as PASSEDENA (with
the correct paint code) rather than PASODOBLE

It is entirely possible that the European name is different to, say, the
US name.

Hence my link to an item called "Fiat 111 Rosso Sfrontato"

On 05/07/2013 20:30, D.M.Chapman wrote:
In article ,
Lobster wrote:
My daughter got her Fiat Panda keyed quite badly the other day, and I
want to do a DIY repaint as she doesn't want to claim on insurance or
spend £100's at the local body shop. It certainly needs spraying; one of
those touch-up sets with a brush won't cut the mustard.

paints4u.com have been briliant in the past for me and friends. They are
also recommended on detailingworld.com (and you won't find a fussier
group of people!)

This is just a follow-up to say thanks for the advice - I went with
paints4u and the colour match was perfect!

Also - I'd really appreciate a bit of further advice please at this point...

I've sanded, primed, and applied the top coat; all good so far. Colour
is fine but the currently the finish is definitely slightly matt ie not
perfectly smooth like a finished car body. Should I be using more
wet-and-dry now? If so, followed by more paint, or is it straight to the
lacquer then?

I've been googling for this stuff all day but am getting conflicting
information (some may just relate to metallic paint? and there's a
helluva lot which assumes you have pro kit and 2-part
paint/lacquer/hardener systems etc)

FYI the paints4u kit I bought includes aerosols of primer, paint, and
lacquer and a glass vial of polish.

(Do you actually use lacquer with non-metallic paint, which is what I'm
dealing with?)

Thanks
David






--
David

In article ,
Lobster wrote:
I've sanded, primed, and applied the top coat; all good so far. Colour
is fine but the currently the finish is definitely slightly matt ie not
perfectly smooth like a finished car body. Should I be using more
wet-and-dry now? If so, followed by more paint, or is it straight to the
lacquer then?

If it's a solid colour, you'd normally finish it with cutting compound
before final wax polishing. If it is still slightly rough, and there's
plenty paint thickness, you could flat down with very fine 1000 grit wet
or dry used wet first, then compound to a shine. Farecla G3 is probably
the best cutting compound.

--
*Pentium wise, pen and paper foolish *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Sun, 21 Jul 2013 21:12:50 +0100, Lobster
wrote:

On 05/07/2013 20:30, D.M.Chapman wrote:
In article ,
Lobster wrote:
My daughter got her Fiat Panda keyed quite badly the other day, and I
want to do a DIY repaint as she doesn't want to claim on insurance or
spend £100's at the local body shop. It certainly needs spraying; one
of
those touch-up sets with a brush won't cut the mustard.

paints4u.com have been briliant in the past for me and friends. They are
also recommended on detailingworld.com (and you won't find a fussier
group of people!)

This is just a follow-up to say thanks for the advice - I went with
paints4u and the colour match was perfect!

Also - I'd really appreciate a bit of further advice please at this
point...

I've sanded, primed, and applied the top coat; all good so far. Colour
is fine but the currently the finish is definitely slightly matt ie not
perfectly smooth like a finished car body. Should I be using more
wet-and-dry now? If so, followed by more paint, or is it straight to the
lacquer then?

I've been googling for this stuff all day but am getting conflicting
information (some may just relate to metallic paint? and there's a
helluva lot which assumes you have pro kit and 2-part
paint/lacquer/hardener systems etc)

FYI the paints4u kit I bought includes aerosols of primer, paint, and
lacquer and a glass vial of polish.

(Do you actually use lacquer with non-metallic paint, which is what I'm
dealing with?)

Thanks
David







It want's to be shiny before you apply the clearcoat, if it originally had
clearcoat then use it, if not don't.

On 05/07/2013 16:32, Lobster wrote:
My daughter got her Fiat Panda keyed quite badly the other day, and I
want to do a DIY repaint as she doesn't want to claim on insurance or
spend £100's at the local body shop. It certainly needs spraying; one of
those touch-up sets with a brush won't cut the mustard.

Problem is availability of the paint. It's "Pasodoble Red" (code 111/A),


Thanks
did you ask Halfords about mixing it ? ... they can mix aerosols of
paint as long as youy know make/model .... even metallics ... I used
them last year worked fine.

On 22/07/2013 04:11, Duncan Wood wrote:
On Sun, 21 Jul 2013 21:12:50 +0100, Lobster
wrote:

On 05/07/2013 20:30, D.M.Chapman wrote:
In article ,
Lobster wrote:
My daughter got her Fiat Panda keyed quite badly the other day, and I
want to do a DIY repaint as she doesn't want to claim on insurance or
spend £100's at the local body shop. It certainly needs spraying;
one of
those touch-up sets with a brush won't cut the mustard.

paints4u.com have been briliant in the past for me and friends. They are
also recommended on detailingworld.com (and you won't find a fussier
group of people!)

This is just a follow-up to say thanks for the advice - I went with
paints4u and the colour match was perfect!

Also - I'd really appreciate a bit of further advice please at this
point...

I've sanded, primed, and applied the top coat; all good so far. Colour
is fine but the currently the finish is definitely slightly matt ie
not perfectly smooth like a finished car body. Should I be using more
wet-and-dry now? If so, followed by more paint, or is it straight to
the lacquer then?

I've been googling for this stuff all day but am getting conflicting
information (some may just relate to metallic paint? and there's a
helluva lot which assumes you have pro kit and 2-part
paint/lacquer/hardener systems etc)

FYI the paints4u kit I bought includes aerosols of primer, paint, and
lacquer and a glass vial of polish.

(Do you actually use lacquer with non-metallic paint, which is what
I'm dealing with?)


It want's to be shiny before you apply the clearcoat, if it originally
had clearcoat then use it, if not don't.

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?)

--
David

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?

--
*How does Moses make his tea? Hebrews it.*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Mon, 22 Jul 2013 17:58:17 +0100, Lobster
wrote:

On 22/07/2013 04:11, Duncan Wood wrote:
On Sun, 21 Jul 2013 21:12:50 +0100, Lobster
wrote:

On 05/07/2013 20:30, D.M.Chapman wrote:
In article ,
Lobster wrote:
My daughter got her Fiat Panda keyed quite badly the other day, and I
want to do a DIY repaint as she doesn't want to claim on insurance or
spend £100's at the local body shop. It certainly needs spraying;
one of
those touch-up sets with a brush won't cut the mustard.

paints4u.com have been briliant in the past for me and friends. They
are
also recommended on detailingworld.com (and you won't find a fussier
group of people!)

This is just a follow-up to say thanks for the advice - I went with
paints4u and the colour match was perfect!

Also - I'd really appreciate a bit of further advice please at this
point...

I've sanded, primed, and applied the top coat; all good so far. Colour
is fine but the currently the finish is definitely slightly matt ie
not perfectly smooth like a finished car body. Should I be using more
wet-and-dry now? If so, followed by more paint, or is it straight to
the lacquer then?

I've been googling for this stuff all day but am getting conflicting
information (some may just relate to metallic paint? and there's a
helluva lot which assumes you have pro kit and 2-part
paint/lacquer/hardener systems etc)

FYI the paints4u kit I bought includes aerosols of primer, paint, and
lacquer and a glass vial of polish.

(Do you actually use lacquer with non-metallic paint, which is what
I'm dealing with?)


It want's to be shiny before you apply the clearcoat, if it originally
had clearcoat then use it, if not don't.

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?)


Very lightly polish a bit with cutting compound, if the rag takes colour
then it's not got clear coat.

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).

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

--
David

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
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 23/07/2013 10:25, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
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.

Thanks. So, I've just tried that (using the vial of "G3 polish" which
paints4u provided), and yes I quickly get the original paint colour on
the rag. Also tried using it on a small area of the repair (which I
painted two days ago), and it does seem to come up pretty well).
Tempted just to have done and go for it now with the polish over the
whole repair, ie no clearcoat - but what about:
"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."

....is that just complete and utter ********? After the strong
reccomendations from folk here I'm a bit surprised if they don't know
anything about the product they're selling?


--
David

Lobster wrote:
On 23/07/2013 10:25, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
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.

Thanks. So, I've just tried that (using the vial of "G3 polish" which
paints4u provided), and yes I quickly get the original paint colour on
the rag. Also tried using it on a small area of the repair (which I
painted two days ago), and it does seem to come up pretty well). Tempted
just to have done and go for it now with the polish over the whole
repair, ie no clearcoat - but what about:
"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."

...is that just complete and utter ********? After the strong
reccomendations from folk here I'm a bit surprised if they don't know
anything about the product they're selling?


The lacquer they refer to is what people here are calling clearcoat.
Your paint doesn't use it, so that paragraph is irrelevant.

Paints that are designed to be lacquered after use change colour
slightly relatively quickly if exposed to the air. Other paints don't
have the same problem, so cutting back with T-cut to smooth the surface
and blend it in with the surrounding colour can be done at any
convenient time. It is recommended that you don't use cutting compound
until the paint has fully set, which can take a few days, depending on
eht weather. The only downside is that when you do blend in the edges,
you now have a small patch of the original colour paint round the
repair, which will stand out like a sore thumb until you use T-cut or
other colour restorer on the whole panel, which then shows a different
colour to the rest of the car......

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

In article ,
Lobster wrote:
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.

Thanks. So, I've just tried that (using the vial of "G3 polish" which
paints4u provided), and yes I quickly get the original paint colour on
the rag. Also tried using it on a small area of the repair (which I
painted two days ago), and it does seem to come up pretty well).
Tempted just to have done and go for it now with the polish over the
whole repair, ie no clearcoat - but what about:
"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."

...is that just complete and utter ********? After the strong
reccomendations from folk here I'm a bit surprised if they don't know
anything about the product they're selling?

Did they supply a clear coat as part of the kit? I'm wondering if they
made a mistake. It's only normally used with metallic.

If you've got a good match after cutting back I'd just give it a good
waxing and leave it. I don't think it would be a good idea to use a clear
coat where there is none on the original.

--
*Why is it considered necessary to screw down the lid of a coffin?

Dave Plowman London SW
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