Ford Paint

[Zee09]

I had a bunch of Fords the last decade and I was and am impressed by all the paint jobs on them.

I had an insurance adjuster come out for a Honda and he went on to say how Honda paint was well above Ford until he saw my F350...

Who do you think does great factory paint on current production vehicles?

 

[Lubener]

I am not a big Chrysler person but I always liked their factory paint. I have to mention the worst from the past, that being late 80's F-Series.

 

[CharBaby]

*IMO, besides companies such as e.g., Rolls Royce & Maybach(DB) paint & coach work, above all other mainstream or luxury car companies, I'd put AUDI at the top. Even above MB & BMW but they too great as well.

*Secondly(or in the mainstream category) I'd put Mazda in there too. I've never been a fan of HONDA paint work over time but their body work/fit is/was great. However, when we're looking at brand new vehicles on the showroom floor, they all look great. It's after some years of ownership that the real truth comes out.

*Hyundai/KIA have great fit/finish as well

*And it's not that I don't put Toyota/Lexus right up there, I do indeed. I just don't know where exactly I'd place them in a number scale. Oh IDK, somewhere in the top 10.

Sometimes it's a color that can fool ya such as Mazda's premium red(candy apple). I mean, it's so deep and luscious that it looks eatable...almost!

 

[Falcon_LS]

As long as it wasn't Vibrant White, Oxford White or Performance White in the 2000s, it was pretty decent. I'm not sure who the supplier is now, but at one point, at least for the Crown Victoria, it was BASF and they had problems with the white paint flaking and coming right off. All the other colors were perfectly fine, but the white - for some reason- was the only color affected.

I had a brand new 2007 Grand Marquis in Oxford White that had this issue, and the entire vehicle was repainted 2 years into the warranty period when it started flaking. Never had any problems afterwards.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Who do you think does great factory paint on current production vehicles?

It depends on what day of the week it is, lol. My Vette Z06 had a very good paint job, better than many other Z06s of the same year that I saw. Even the dealer when my Z06 showed up on the transporter said the paint was exceptional. I've also seem some Mustangs with a much better paint job than other Mustangs of the same model year.

I think every car manufacterer can have quite a bit of variance in the quality of the paint job. Luck of the draw sometimes.

 

[aquariuscsm]

My 300ZX's arctic pearl paint still looks showroom fresh. That car's paint seems like it's really thick.

 

[aquariuscsm]

*Hyundai/KIA have great fit/finish as well

What I've noticed about Hyundai/Kia vehicles, is that the hardware/integrity/build quality is top notch. All the handles, hinges, buttons, etc, seem to be very precision and sturdy. The way the doors and hood open and close feels very rock solid and precise, and never sloppy like most cars.

 

[WylieCoyote]

It's been my experience on multiple Focuses and Mustangs that the paint looks great, but is very fragile. The paint on my Canyon stands up to road debris much better.

 

[earthbound]

I am not a big Chrysler person but I always liked their factory paint. I have to mention the worst from the past, that being late 80's F-Series.

no way at least my experience...had a jgc pearl black metallic with three obvious flaws, and a ram with the same style of flaw but just one area...

 

[Imadentguy]

As a paintless dent repair technician, and having worked on literally thousands of vehicles, GM is probably the lowest quality finish in regards to mil thickness and adhesion properties. Ford is hit and miss. I have seen some quality finishes on Ford vehicles, and i have seen some that appeared as if they were sprayed in a back alley. lManufacturers are beginning to apply base and clear VERY thin in an attempt to save money. Combine thin mill thickness with water borne base coats and low VOC clears, and all of the finishes are fading in true quality. I would say that highest quality import finish is Mercedes, followed closely by BMW. They spend the money, and their QC is top notch. Highest quality domestic in my opinion in Dodge/ Chrysler. I can pull, push, and beat the crap out of it, and it never cracks or pulls off. Best paint i have ever worked on is Bentley, however they are not really a mass produced vehicle. As a paint and body guy, man they are truly impressive. Finish quality is just as nice in the spots that you cant see as it is in the spots that you can. I have noticed over the years that model seems to make a difference as well. Pickup trucks and large SUV’s regardless of manufacturer seem to have more flaws than say a small SUV or a sedan. Econo car paint quality is rather low regardless of who builds them. They are built to a price point, and it shows. Most factory flaws are going to be seen in silvers and tri coat pearls. They are tough to lay out right, even for the ol’ robot.

 

[earthbound]

anybody remember the wonderful late 80's gm dark blue paint on the olds delta 88...

 

[Imadentguy]

anybody remember the wonderful late 80's gm dark blue paint on the olds delta 88...

In reference to the clear coat de-lamination issues?

 

[MasterSolenoid]

My 300ZX's arctic pearl paint still looks showroom fresh. That car's paint seems like it's really thick.

Paint shops can use a paint thickness gage.
After the paint dries, use gage to see thickness.
Gages are either digital or magnetic.
Today, nothing is left to the imagination.

 

[Trav]

I don't know how they are today but at one time Harley Davidson had the best OE paint.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Lexus

 

[ekrampitzjr]

My 300ZX's arctic pearl paint still looks showroom fresh. That car's paint seems like it's really thick.

Looks to me as though the big Japanese automakers use the same paint supplier for certain colors on the vehicles made in Japan. Toyota and Mazda offer what looks like the exact same pearl flake-white paint as your 300ZX, and at least for Mazda it's a premium color at a slight extra cost. I don't know what these manufacturers do on US–made vehicles for paint suppliers.

 

[Imadentguy]

I don't know how they are today but at one time Harley Davidson had the best OE paint.

Yes they did! They still have beautiful paint, not sure if they still spray as thick though. Been a while since i have seen a new hog up close.

 

[nthach]

As long as it wasn't Vibrant White, Oxford White or Performance White in the 2000s, it was pretty decent. I'm not sure who the supplier is now, but at one point, at least for the Crown Victoria, it was BASF and they had problems with the white paint flaking and coming right off. All the other colors were perfectly fine, but the white - for some reason- was the only color affected.

I had a brand new 2007 Grand Marquis in Oxford White that had this issue, and the entire vehicle was repainted 2 years into the warranty period when it started flaking. Never had any problems afterwards.

Ford tends to use PPG or BASF, GM was DuPont, don’t know if Axalta is still in the OE supplier business(there was a rumor going around that Berkshire Hathaway was going to take over Axalta - then merge them into Benjamin Moore and assume the latter’s name as a division), Chrysler is mostly PPG. The Japanese OEMs are using PPG as a supplier for their US/Canadian operations but using Japanese formulas from Nippon Paint or Kansai Paint to be consistent with their Japanese and Thai operations, but I think Toyota’s using PPG’s OEM paints as well. The Europeans are using either PPG or BASF, PPG did collaborate with Mercedes on CeramiClear and a new paint process BMW is using currently. Ferrari is very proud they use PPG. Supposedly Tesla is using BASF as well.

In the 1990s with tighter air quality and restrictions on heavy metals, PPG and DuPont introduced a waterborne primer system for the American OEMs, while BASF rolled out a complete waterborne paint system for Mercedes and VW, Mercedes used it in Stuttgart first, while VW started its used at their Puebla, Mexico plant. We all know how well American paint was in the 1990s. PPG’s waterborne tech for refinish is IMO the best on the market.

 

[nthach]

Honda’s paint is a whole big pile of meh IMO, you have to be on top of keeping it waxed or it will oxidize and fade quickly. For the Japanese OEs, Toyota/Lexus has good paint quality - it’s trickle-down, the QC standards required of a Lexus in the 1990s are the norm for Toyota today. I’ll say this - Mopar paint does look good for what it is, followed by Ford.

For European cars, it’s a toss-up really. My eyes are drawn to BMW or Audi paint over VW/Mercedes/JLR/Volvo.

 

[walterjay]

It's certainly not Nissan. When my daughters Nissan is cleaned and next to my Hyundais the Nissan looks awful. No depth to the finish whatsoever.