Should Car Paint Use Gloss Oil or Clear Coat?

[StFrank]

Clear coat and gloss oil for cars are actually the same substance. Here is some information about gloss oil: 1. Gloss oil: It is a colorless transparent substance (synthetic resin). 2. Clear coat: Nowadays, it generally refers to a surface transparent clear coat, made from base materials and additives, without any pigments. After forming a film, it appears glossy and shiny, commonly known as clear coat. The functions of gloss oil include: 1. Protection: As a transparent protective paint, its hardness and wear resistance are better than colored paint, providing a protective effect. 2. Touch paint: As a touch paint, its gloss and brightness are excellent, offering a pleasant tactile feel. For example, the paint sprayed on silicone parts and plastic parts is this type of gloss oil.

[LaChloe]

I've been repairing cars for twenty years, spending more time in the paint booth than at home. Clear coat and varnish are actually the same thing, the professional term is topcoat clear varnish. This stuff is the final step of the paint job, directly determining how shiny and durable the finish will be. Those mirror-like effects you see on custom-colored cars? All thanks to it. Nowadays, the mainstream choice is two-component polyurethane clear coat, mixed with hardener and sprayed in three thin layers using a spray gun. Remember to apply the base color coat first, let it dry completely, then apply the clear coat. Keep the spray gun 30 cm away and move at a steady speed during application, or you'll end up with orange peel texture. If the temperature drops below 15°C, use heat lamps; if humidity exceeds 70%, reschedule the painting—otherwise, you'll get bubbles. If the touch-up feels rough after painting, gently sand it with 2000-grit wet sandpaper and polish it to restore the finish.

[ElisaDella]

Last week, I helped my buddy repaint the hood of his used car—never skimp on the clear coat. This transparent layer is like a raincoat for the car, protecting against UV rays, scratches, and enhancing the color. The base paint itself is actually quite fragile; left exposed, it’ll lose its gloss in just a few months. There are two main spray techniques on the market: the base coat and clear coat applied separately, known as the 'clear-over-base' method, which is standard for factory-new cars today. Some repair shops cut corners by using a single-stage paint that mixes clear coat into the color, often called 'single-stage paint.' Don’t cheap out with single-stage—it leads to noticeable color mismatch and fades quickly. I always check the leveling within two hours after spraying; if there are small particles on the surface, I immediately remove them with a tack cloth. Also, a heads-up: polishing the clear coat is a must before ceramic coating, or it won’t penetrate at all.

[LucilleLynn]

Having played with model car painting for ten years, the principles are basically the same as real car painting. Clear coat is what model enthusiasts call protective paint, and the texture instantly doubles after spraying. When spraying, the color paint should be applied thinly in four layers, with a ten-minute interval between each. Here's the key! The clear coat layer must be sprayed in layers using a 0.3mm nozzle airbrush: the first layer is a mist coat as a base, wait five minutes for the second semi-wet coat, then another ten minutes for the third wet leveling coat. After spraying, it's best to bake at a constant 30°C for half an hour. Last time, I didn't control the thickness well, and the paint sagged—scraping it off and respraying took three times as long. For touching up sharp edges, use ultra-thin masking tape, and after spraying the clear coat, you still need to sand the seams with 2000-grit sandpaper.

[VonHazel]

Having been a paint supplier for eight years, the requirements of OEMs and repair shops are worlds apart. The original factory paint's clear coat contains ceramic particles, and after high-temperature curing, its hardness rivals that of a smartphone screen. Repair paints applied later use two-component clear coats, with a working window of just 30 minutes. Key reminders: strictly follow the mixing ratio as per the instructions—too much hardener makes the paint layer brittle, too little and it never dries; environmental dust levels must be kept below 2,000 particles per cubic meter; metallic paints must be paired with fast-drying clear coats to prevent lifting. Recently, a customer reported cracking, which turned out to be due to applying the clear coat before the primer had fully dried. The current trend is seamless repair, requiring the clear coat to be feathered to a 0.2mm thin edge—a job only a seasoned professional can handle.