What is the difference between standard paint and metallic paint for car paint?
3 Answers
The differences between standard paint and metallic paint for car paint are: 1. Different hardness: Standard paint is a solid color paint without added metal powder, and the paint surface is relatively soft, making it prone to peeling; Metallic paint is mixed with metal powder, which increases the hardness of the paint due to the metal components, making the paint surface harder and less prone to scratches. 2. Different composition: Standard paint consists of resin, pigment, additives, fillers, curing agent, and solvent; Metallic paint consists of paint base resin, high-quality pigments and fillers, additives, and curing agent. The methods for maintaining the car paint surface are: 1. Remove dust from the car body in time to minimize the adsorption of dust by static electricity on the body; 2. Rinse rain stains with clean water as soon as possible after rain to avoid damaging the paint surface; 3. Do not wash the car under the scorching sun or high temperature; 4. Use clean and soft cloths or sponges to wipe the car to prevent mixing in metal shavings and sand particles, which may leave scratches.
The biggest difference between standard paint and metallic paint is the glossiness. Metallic paint contains metal flakes, making the car body sparkle in sunlight, as if sprinkled with gold powder, which looks especially attractive. Standard paint is just plain color, bright under the sun but lacks that three-dimensional effect. Additionally, metallic paint has higher hardness. My car with metallic paint has been driven for five years, and the car wash technician said it has noticeably fewer scratches compared to cars with standard paint. However, repairing metallic paint is more troublesome. Last time when the side mirror got scratched and I took it to the repair shop, the technician said they needed to specially mix paint with metal flakes to avoid color mismatch, which cost over 200 yuan more than standard paint. If you care about the exterior texture of your car, spending a bit more on metallic paint is definitely worth it.
As a seasoned driver, I believe standard paint offers better value for money. Metallic paint is indeed beautiful, especially on dark-colored cars with its pearl-like shimmer in the sunlight. However, spending several thousand yuan extra might not be cost-effective, as the difference is hardly noticeable during daily driving. Moreover, repairing metallic paint is a major drawback. Once, when my car got scratched while parked, the repair shop said the metallic paint required a complete panel respray to avoid visible marks, costing me over a thousand yuan – it was heartbreaking. With standard paint, local touch-ups are virtually undetectable. As for durability, standard paint can last just as long with proper care. I wax my car monthly, and after eight years, the paint still looks shiny. If you want to save money, go for standard paint – it's more than sufficient.
