Is There a Difference Between Domestic and Joint-Venture Car Paint?
4 Answers
Domestic and joint-venture car paints differ in price but are otherwise similar. Below are specific details about car paints: 1. Standard Paint: Softer in texture with high color adjustability. Many "solid colors" use standard paint, with typical examples being white, bright red, and yellow. 2. Metallic Paint: Contains metal powder to enhance hardness, providing a metallic sheen and better oxidation and corrosion resistance. 3. Pearl Paint: Also known as mica paint, it refracts light to produce more translucent and varied colors. Pearl paint contains mica flakes, which are thin layered substances that create a colorful visual effect due to their directional reflectivity.
I previously ran an auto repair shop for five years and noticed that joint-venture cars often have thicker and more uniform paint. For example, German cars use a multi-layer spraying process, with paint hardness reaching the 2H pencil level. Domestic car paint has improved significantly, but some low-end models cut costs by applying only two layers of primer plus color paint, resulting in slightly poorer weather resistance. In regions with heavy rainfall, issues like orange peel or fading are more likely. However, flagship models from brands like Geely and BYD now have paint processes nearly on par with joint-venture cars, and they even offer more color options. Personally, I recommend feeling the edges of the car when selecting—if the paint is evenly applied, there shouldn’t be major issues.
Last year, I switched to a domestic new energy vehicle and specifically compared the paintwork. Joint-venture cars like Toyota's pearl white paint are indeed finer, with water droplets rolling off quickly after washing, indicating good hydrophobicity. Domestic car paint might occasionally show tiny particles under strong light, but it's perfectly adequate for daily use. The key advantage now is that domestic brands offer more practical warranty policies—my car comes with a 5-year guarantee against paint bubbling or cracking. Touch-up costs are also lower. Last time I had a scratch, the dealership charged only 500 RMB to repaint a panel, half the price of joint-venture brands. If we're nitpicking differences, joint-venture cars use more anti-oxidant additives, so their paint won't noticeably yellow even after a decade in coastal cities.
I've been in the used car market for ten years, having inspected over a thousand car paints. Joint-venture cars generally have more aging-resistant paints, especially white ones, as domestic cars tend to yellow after three years. This relates to the primer material—joint-venture brands use electrophoretic paint with stricter salt spray test standards. However, domestic high-end cars have improved significantly now. For example, Lynk & Co's paint incorporates nano-ceramic components, with hardness close to Audi's level. When inspecting cars, I focus on door frame gaps—uneven spraying often indicates low-end domestic models. Overall, if the budget allows, choose joint-venture paint, but domestic cars in the 100,000 yuan range are perfectly adequate for family use.
