New car paint....when did this start?

[Kurt B]

After painting my own car (which is now finally starting to really kick some @ss after 100 hours or more of work), I'm noticing lots of new cars are simply blurry, fuzzy in their paint work.

Look at brand new cars, esp Fords and the like, but even Lexuses and BMWs, your reflection might be fuzzy.

It is as though they laid down the paint quickly, fairly well, but applied not one bit of sanding to it. Cars 10 or 15 years ago never looked like this. They always had a nice, new gloss when new, and you could see your own reflection--glasslike off the showroom floor.

But I'm noticing this a lot of newer and more and more cars....I can't believe people accept this.

If I'm buying a new car, and the paint is fussy as though I MYSELF just shot it on there, skipped any sanding, and just buffed it...or maybe just shot the paints on there and left it all together, I'd be like "This paint looks like *****, what happened?"

Not Porsches and high end English cars. But BMWS are right in the thick of it, that is for sure.

Anyone notice this?

[widebody911]

I've noticed orange peel on boxsters, and my friend's E36 M3 is full of orange peel.

The paint quality of most production cars just isn't that great.

In one of my VW books, there's a couple of pix of guys hand-sanding buses in between coats. You won't find that on today's cars.

[CarreraS2]

"Orange peel" has been common on almost all cars, including most European cars, for a long time now. At least 15-20 years.

[Brian993]

I agree on the orange peel. My boxster was covered in it. The 993 on the other hand has none, I must admit it is by far the nicest factory job I have owned. Mercedes offers a superb job as well. I have a friend who ownes two ferrari's, nice paint as well, for Italian trash that is.

[makaio]

My wife's 2001 VW Passat suffers from some orange peal as well. Which I wouldn't have acepted, but she loved the car so much .

[CarreraS2]

I think some amount of orange peel, as long as its fairly even and not TOO excessive (like you see on some Fords), is considered part of an acceptable paint job on a modern car, even a fairly expensive car.

[Superman]

I've noticed the same thing. New car paint jobs are hit-or-miss. Mostly miss. I also notice that a quality paint job sticks out like the proverbial diamond in a goat's butt. You can spot one from hundreds of yards away.

[Kurt B]

I'm totally surprised a boxster would have orange peel...I've never seen a 993 or a 996 with it

[pbs911]

Benz are terrible in the orange peel department. It seems for $60K+ they could do a little color sanding. Ferrari has some pretty poor paint too.

[CarreraS2]

Yep, look at a dark blue or other dark colored metallic MB and you will see a lot of orange peel.

[Brian993]

Originally posted by pbs911
Benz are terrible in the orange peel department. It seems for $60K+ they could do a little color sanding. Ferrari has some pretty poor paint too.

I suppose it all depends on which cars your looking at and if you know what your looking for.

[Joe Bob]

If you are buying a NEW car and the paint is unacceptable....PASS on it. More and more rejects are being sold because the consumer accepts it. Look elsewhere and the quality will go up eventually....

[Zeke]

Boxsters have orange peel. Most domestic cars as well. It's not that noticeable after a GOOD detail place gets done.

[john_colasante]

Interesting discussion. It is true the "orange peel" texture has always been standard on 911's and many other cars, and a good body shop will duplicate it if they repaint a panel or the entire car. It is the correct finish.

As far as the manufacturer color sanding, I do not think this is done on any modern assembly line for at least several decades. No time for that. The car is sprayed by robots and must be perfect the first time. Correct me if I'm wrong but it is a fast process nowadays.

[ZAMIRZ]

Brand new Daytona Blue Nissan 350Z with orange peel all over the sides of the car:





later,

amir

[YTNUKLR]

My 2000 Audi A4 has none. On Fords I often see the orange peel and sometimes it doesn't even look like they took the time to make the panels line up flush. My neighbor's (really cool) black '03 Z06 has it all over. It's like "Earl Sheib-$99" paint jobs on everything. It's not about the customer's satisfaction (BTW, most customers don't give a *****), but the profits to be had! Just like the disgusting plastics on the first (and even new) 996's and Boxsters. With the 964 up to now and probably beyond, Porsche looks to Japan and N. America for quick, efficient (execrable?) means of production for high profit margins! What is the world coming to???

[rfix'n]

Here's a rookie question, what is Orange Peel?

[silverc4s]

This may be urban legend, but way back in 1994 when I was buying my 540i, the salesman, a friend at the time, told me that the German consumer looks for orange peel in the paint finish on his luxury ride; as a sign that the car has LOTS of paint on it. I think this came from some years of Audi, GM and others finding ways to use less and less paint to finish a car, resulting in early rust through, etc. in the climate there...
Maybe one of our German buddies can comment..

[Chuck Moreland]

Bill, that sounds like a good salesman putting a spin on it.

That said, my toyota pickup has paint that is too thin. Even in California it's allowed some minor surface rust.

[widebody911]

Originally posted by john_colasante
It is the correct finish.

Even more interesting is the opinion that it's become de facto correct because "everybody's doing it"