Is the paint of the Accord Starlight Limited Edition easy to repair?
2 Answers
The paint of the Accord Starlight Limited Edition is difficult to repair in general auto repair shops, but there is basically no color difference when repaired at a 4S shop. Automotive paint mainly consists of four layers. The first is the electrophoretic paint, which primarily serves as rust prevention; the second is the primer, which mainly resists UV rays and stone chipping, and provides a base for the color paint; the third is the color paint layer, which is primarily for aesthetics; the fourth is the clear coat layer, which mainly gives the car body a glossy finish. Additional information: 1. Advantages of automotive paint: excellent film fullness, high gloss, high hardness, good adhesion, superior mechanical properties, outstanding gloss retention, weather resistance, and abrasion resistance, as well as good resistance to acids, alkalis, alcohol, and gasoline. 2. Classification of automotive paint: Automotive paint can be roughly divided into standard paint, metallic paint, and pearl paint. Standard paint is the most basic type, usually in white and red, with a pure overall color; metallic paint is based on standard paint with the addition of metal powders such as aluminum and copper, making the paint look more textured; pearl paint is more dazzling, similar to metallic paint but with the addition of mica particles, making it radiant under sunlight.
Last month, my Starry Night Limited Edition Accord got a scratch from an electric scooter, and only when I sent it for repainting did I realize how troublesome this color is. The metallic flakes in its paint turn blue-purple under sunlight, making it impossible to replicate with standard color mixing. The repair shop used a spectrophotometer three times to barely approximate the original shade, yet it still showed color differences on cloudy days. The technician said this custom-mixed paint requires original factory formula data, and the dealership had to match it using color chips shipped from Japan. Repainting the entire door took five days and cost over 2,000 yuan. Now I always park in safer spots—this touch-up expense equals half a month’s fuel cost, and the repair timeline is far longer than for ordinary white cars.