Hopefully this is my allotted dumb question for the week. Are the Porsche solid colors (as in Grand Prix White) clearcoated?

Don

 

It is claimed that all colors are clearcoated as of MY '96. My '96 black Carrera 4S is not.

 

I have been asking the same question myself the last few days with my Grand Prix White 993. I need to have the rear bumper cover repaired or replaced and painted. I looked in the DuPont paint guide for imports from 1996 and found that of all the paints used by Porsche that year, Grand Prix White and Guards Red have a notation that no clear coat was used on those paints. The shops that gave me the estimates for the repairs both listed a clear coat on top of a base coat to repaint the bumper. So I am also confused about putting a clear coat on or not.

 

Brian,

I think the reason they put the cost of the clear coat might have been the cost for the acrylic hardener they mix with the Dupon paint before it is sprayed on your bumper. They probably just called it the clear coat.

I have painted several p-car parts using Dupon brand paint, (both white and guards red), and both time I mixed the hardener to the acrylic enamel paint before I sprayed it on to the parts.

The hardener hardens the paint and give it the clear coat shine.

Click on the below paint to see how the paint job turned out.


Painting

 

I just called a local shop that specializes in high end body and paint work with Porsches in particular. They claim that '96 Grand Prix White is clearcoated. Amazing what the Zaino brothers have started.

Don

 

That PROBABLY explains why the 96 C4S that I saw in the process of my search looked as it did. I asked the question as regards the possible absence of clearcoat and did not get a clear answer!! It was a black car and I am quite used to admiring shiny black cars which look great when clean. This one was maintained in a manner which made the need for clearcoat evident though I suspect that, for well maintained cars, the lack of clearcoat is probably okay.

 

If you guys want to find out whether or not your paint has clearcoat, here's one way. Take a 2000 grit sand paper and lightly sand the surface of your paint in an inconspicuous area. If the dust is white, you have clearcoat. If the dust is the color of your car, there's no clearcoat. Once you're done with this experiment, you can fine polish the area to bring back the shine.

 

Viken,

But I have a white car to begin with!

Don

 

Robin and Viken,

I don't know if they were considering the hardner as a clear coat type of application, but I will find out. Now it is my turn to ask a dumb question. If my car is white then will the 2000 grit paper look the same if it has clear coat or not? Thanks.

 

I guess you're SOL!

Seriously, I'd say there will be a difference as clear might be a dull white. I'll bet if you try the experiment, you should compare the dust color to the color of the car.

 

Viken, you made mention that all cars 96 on are clearcoated. Can I assume that my black 95 is not?

 

I wouldn't assume anything given the fact that my black '96 is not clearcoated as per Porsche's claim. If you really want to know, do the test.

 

As I recall, we have gone through this a couple of times on the old board, always finding conflicting information. I don't think anyone really knows which colors and which years were clear-coated. Gee, for all we know, it might be based on the mood of the painter on any given day.

 

You're right, we did beat this topic to death. However, we do know at least that all metallic colors have clearcoat.

 

Don't any of you have the parts microfiche? I do, but it only covers the '94-95 cars. If you have one covering your (later vintage) car, read it.

In Section 0, they describe touch-up kits. ALL metallics come with a separate clear-coat applicator. Solid colors (Grand Prix White, Black, Guards Red, Speed Yellow, Riviera Blue, and Amaranth Violet) DON'T come with separate clear coat applicator.

Another idea (variance/less extreme version of Viken's idea): take a smooth polishing/waxing cloth of CONTRASTING color to the car paint, get some polishing compound, and polish out a small section of innocuous body area. If cloth is colored the color of car paint, you don't have clearcoat; if cloth color doesn't change except maybe getting dirty, you have clearcoat.