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Orange-peel free?

13K views 21 replies 15 participants last post by  ethosguy 
#1 ·
A ton of us have noticed that there is a factory orange-peel look in a lot of new cars' paintjobs. It's more common nowadays than ever in all but the most expensive cars. I know my E92 M3 hand orange peel everywhere but the carbon fiber roof. I've seen it in all of the RS close up pics, too, with the exception of Nitrous Blue. Is it possible that Ford's "quad coat" process eliminates the orange peel look? I attached a hi-res photo. It looks like it drastically reduces the effect, especially compared to an RS in black. What you think?

Nitrous Blue
Land vehicle Alloy wheel Vehicle Car Tire


Black
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Automotive design Personal luxury car


I hope when my NB RS arrives the paint looks smoooooth.
 
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#3 · (Edited)
I don't know what you're talking about...
You see the reflection right above the tail light on the black RS? See how it looks jagged? That is orange peel. If you're into gaming I guess it is similar to reflections being aliased. And it keeps paint from having that smooth mirror finish. The reflections in the NB paint seem to have a lot less orange-peel effect.
 
#4 ·
I own a restoration shop. We use only the best paint. However what it is you are seeing is not orange peel. It is cellular collapsing of modern "ecco paints" this is called shrinkage. When the car comes out of the paint shop the paint looks absolutely smooth. As it drys ( a few days in most cases) the paint collapse providing this effect you see in the photos above. High quality paints tend to have less shrinkage the lower quality paint but the results are common on all today paints. There is not enough mills of clear coat on production cars for you to wet sand and polish to the flat effect you wish for. However, polishing over time it will flatten a bit more. Orange peel is a result of poor technic, cheap paint gun or poor paint mixing.... or all of the conditions at once.

In my case, when my nitro blue RS arrives, I will be clearing it and getting the results you are looking for.
 
#5 ·
It is cellular collapsing of modern "ecco paints" this is called shrinkage.
"Oh, you mean... Shrinkage."
"Yes. Significant shrinkage."
"So you feel you were shortchanged."
-Requisite shrinkage joke from Seinfield

Now it's going after our paint jobs, too.

So supertank, what do you think is special Ford's quad-coat process that they're happy to charge $700 for? Will it make the paint more resistant to chipping, more shiny, or less shrinkage?
 
#6 ·
I always love a Seinfeld punch line. " Gold Jerry! Gold!"
Truth in paint, when the TRI-coat came out it proved to be a real nightmare to color match when damaged. A quad coat I am certain will be worst. So chip repairs and scratches will be none to fun to fix. The more paint that is on a car the less durable the paint is. So I will be shooting Dupont IMRON clear over the clear that is on the car now. IMRON is a industrial paint. But it is used by Kenworth, Boeing and other companies on there vehicles. It is really tuff stuff. It is far from environmentally friendly (hard to get) but outstandingly strong. I use it on race cars to really protect the finish. As for the shrinkage question..... I don't know? I do know that cars on the cars tours are NEVER "straight from the factory" when on display. The finish is glammed up to seduce you.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Just a word to note on that car, Stealth Grey and Nitrous Blue are clay models, look at the glass, clay painted black, possibly didn't go through the regular paint process or detailed as what rolls off line.
 
#11 ·
Go take a look again, the glass, front, back, side, all have orange peel, they aren't smooth at all. That's not glass!!!
 
#15 ·
Exactly, these are pre-pro cars that have been hand sanded and massaged to look extra nice for display.

It's part of the paint prep. To fix it you have to sand it down completely and respray. Not worth it on a 40k car IMO
That's incorrect, paint prep is 90% of a paint job, but orange peel at some level is unavoidable. To fix it, you wet sand (sometimes called color sand) the clearcoat down with very fine sandpaper (1200+ grit) and water to make it smooth, then you buff it back to a shine. This was my primary job when I worked at a body shop in high school.
 
#19 ·
polishing my car is one of those things I have no patience for, the older I get the less I enjoy it. I like to do most stuff myself, but I will spend good money for someone to detail my car for me. I find I enjoy driving it more when I personally clean it less. the plan is to have it detailed before and after every winter at a minimum. my personal detailing kit wont go beyond a bucket of soap and a wash mitt
 
#21 ·
RS Crazy is on the right path, but don't bother with the wax. Use Optimum's OptiSeal. This will provide you with much better protection. Wax is really only beneficial for a show vehicle that doubles as a garage queen.

As to the OP, I expect every last RS to come with Orange Peel. It's a direct result of vehicle manufactures being more eco friendly. Even with the limited numbers, dont expect ford to color sand the paint. Even your elitist vehicles will come with orange peel.
 
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