Faq

You should avoid this because even if the base colour is similar, the metallic flakes will stand out significantly against the solid background and make the repair look like a smudge. You should always match your paint code exactly to the manufacturer's specifications.

The metal flakes themselves do not add physical strength, but because metallic and pearlescent paints almost always require a high-quality clear lacquer coat, they often provide better protection against UV fading and environmental damage than older single-stage solid paints.

This phenomenon is known as flop. In direct sunlight, the aluminium flakes reflect light directly at the viewer, but in the shade, those flakes are not activated by a direct light source. Consequently, the paint often appears darker and more like a solid colour when it is out of the sun.

It is not any more difficult than washing a standard car. You can wash and wax pearlescent and metallic vehicles just like solid ones. Only matte finishes require specialized non-shine cleaning products to avoid damaging the flat appearance.

Yes, but it requires more precision. Unlike standard two-stage finishes, a successful tri-stage repair necessitates sequentially matching and applying all three distinct layers (base coat, mid-coat, and clear coat). Skipping the mid-coat will result in a highly visible mismatch in tone and depth. Fortunately with Paintsmiths, the clearcoat is included in both the base coat and mid-coat, so our repairs have one less step than others in the market.

Usually with paint touch up products, a clear coat application is required. This is also known as lacquer. However, with Paintsmiths car touch up paints, the clearcoat is include in the colour coat as it is an all in one product, resulting in an easier application and more consistent finish.