Are All Automotive Paints and Clear Coats the Same?
When choosing an auto body or restoration shop, most customers naturally focus on the repair itself. Will the damage be fixed correctly? Will the new paint match? Will the finished vehicle look like it did before?
One question that does not get asked nearly as often is: What paint and clear coat products will actually be used on my vehicle?
The short answer is no. Not all automotive paints and clear coats are the same. The quality of an automotive paint system can affect color accuracy, finish quality, durability, and the overall result of a repair or restoration.
At Elite, the products we use are an important part of the finished result. That is why we use PPG Deltron NXT, a premium solvent-based refinishing system from a company with more than 100 years of experience in automotive coatings.
What Determines the Quality of Automotive Paint?
There is much more to automotive paint than choosing the correct color. A professional automotive refinishing system includes multiple products designed to work together throughout the repair process. Depending on the job, that may include primers, sealers, basecoats, toners, clear coats, reducers, hardeners, and other materials.
The quality of those products can influence color accuracy, coverage, consistency, depth of the finish, clear coat performance, durability, and compatibility between the different layers of the paint system.
Of course, even premium auto body paint cannot compensate for poor bodywork or preparation. A quality finish requires both quality materials and experienced application.
The products a shop chooses are one part of the repair customers may never see, but they will see the results every time they look at their vehicle.
Why Does Paint Quality Matter for Color Matching?
One of the biggest challenges in automotive refinishing is making a repaired area look like it belongs with the rest of the vehicle.
Modern automotive colors can be extremely complex. Metallics, pearls, effect pigments, and variations in factory finishes can make matching an existing vehicle more involved than simply looking up the paint code.
This is where the quality and capabilities of the automotive paint system become particularly important.
At Elite, we use PPG Deltron NXT, a premium solventborne refinish system developed with advanced toners, pearls, and effect pigments. PPG's color platform also provides access to millions of prime and variant formulas to help painters reproduce modern vehicle finishes.
For our customers, the value is simple: we want the repaired area to blend naturally with the rest of the vehicle rather than draw attention to where the repair was made.
Are All Automotive Clear Coats the Same?
Clear coat is another area where product quality matters.
The automotive clear coat is the finished layer applied over the color underneath. It contributes to the gloss, depth, and appearance of the paint while also providing protection to the underlying finish.
Different clear coat products can vary in their formulation, application characteristics, appearance, and durability, especially in high UV environments like Arizona. The clear coat also needs to work properly with the other products being used throughout the refinishing system.
Just like the color underneath it, the final result depends on more than the product itself. Proper preparation, application, curing, sanding, and finishing all contribute to the quality of the completed paint job.
A quality clear coat is not just about making a vehicle shine when it leaves the shop. It is about creating a finish designed to continue looking good after the repair is complete.
Why Does Elite Use PPG NXT?
The paint system a shop chooses says something about the standards it sets for its finished work.
At Elite Automotive Finishes, we use PPG Deltron NXT, the highest-quality solvent-based PPG paint system we use for our customers. We choose it because the quality of the materials used during refinishing contributes directly to the color accuracy, appearance, and long-term results we are looking for in a finished repair.
PPG has been in the automotive coatings industry for more than 100 years, with a long history of developing paint and refinishing technology for the automotive market.
For Elite, choosing a premium paint system is not about having a recognizable brand name in the paint room. It is about giving our painters quality materials to work with so they can produce the level of color accuracy, finish, and durability we expect from a completed vehicle.
Does Premium Paint Automatically Mean a Better Paint Job?
No. The quality of the materials matters, but so does the work performed before the first coat of paint is ever applied.
Body damage needs to be repaired correctly. Surfaces need to be properly prepared. Previous repairs may need to be corrected. Rust or corrosion needs to be addressed rather than simply covered.
Then the paint needs to be mixed, matched, applied, cured, and finished correctly.
That is why car paint quality should be evaluated as part of the entire repair process rather than as a standalone product.
As we explain in What Makes a Quality Collision Repair Last, quality materials, proper bodywork, refinishing, and attention to detail all contribute to the longevity of a completed repair.
Premium materials do not replace skilled workmanship. They give skilled technicians the right products to produce a premium result.
Why Paint Quality Matters During Classic Car Restoration
Paint quality becomes especially important when restoring a classic or collector vehicle.
A classic car may require extensive preparation before it is ready for paint, including rust repair, metalwork, body correction, removal of previous finishes, and surface preparation. The condition underneath the paint can have just as much influence on the final result as the products applied on top.
This is why professional classic car restoration should consider the entire condition of the vehicle rather than treating paint as a cosmetic final step.
Owners also need to consider whether new paint makes sense for the particular vehicle. Our guide to whether repainting a classic car increases its value explains when fresh paint may improve a collector vehicle and when preserving originality may be more important.
Should You Ask Your Auto Body Shop What Paint Products It Uses?
Yes. Customers ask about estimates, repair timelines, replacement parts, and insurance coverage all the time. Asking about the paint products being used on your vehicle should be just as reasonable.
Before choosing an auto body paint shop, ask what paint system and clear coat will be used, how the existing color will be matched, how the vehicle will be prepared before refinishing, and why the shop chooses the products it uses.
A professional shop should be comfortable explaining its refinishing process.
If you are investing in professional collision repair or restoration, you deserve to know what materials are going into the finished vehicle.
Quality Automotive Paint Is Part of a Quality Repair
Whether a vehicle needs collision repair, bodywork, or a complete classic car restoration, the finished paint is one of the first things you will notice. The bodywork, preparation, auto body paint, color matching, clear coat, and finishing process all work together. Cutting corners at any stage can affect the final result.
We invest in PPG Deltron NXT because the materials used during refinishing should meet the same standards we bring to the rest of the repair. For customers looking for collision repair in Mesa, classic car restoration, or professional automotive refinishing, that means knowing the products being applied to their vehicle were chosen with the finished result in mind.