Matte paint query

[Brady93]

Afternoon,

I'm hopefully putting my order in this week for a VZ3 (yipee!) and really like the matte grey, I'm concerned about it's longevity though, and how easy it is to keep scratches away. Has anyone heard any horror stories from the original matte Leons? Don't want to be left with extortionate bills if someone scratches/dings the sides with their coat zips or something!

 

[BigJase88]

I don’t think you are allowed to polish it, so it’s just a wash and dry job.

not even sure if you can put a wax on it

 

[ozzrahog]

I don’t think you are allowed to polish it, so it’s just a wash and dry job.

not even sure if you can put a wax on it

I had it on a Harley Davidson (they called it denim paint). As you say it was just wash and dry, no wax or polish.

It marked very easily and polished itself to a shine where my legs rubbed against the tank

 

[Filipp]

Had the same problem before ordering mine, then i spoke with good friend who runs car detailing workshop and was advised - stay away, it will be nightmare. If you want matte finish get standard painting and put 3M vinyl wrap.

Avoid Matte Paint If You Like Your Car - Do This Instead

Matte paint is an uncommon feature to find on cars, and while it is commonly accomplished with aftermarket paint there are some cars that come with matte

www.motorbiscuit.com

I ended up with Midnight Black and put clear protection on front. I'm glad i didn't go with matte...

 

[Yaz2010]

I am thinking of Petrol blue vz3 and concerned about this matt paint issue. But besides this color I don't find any other metallic paint interesting. I dont think Mrs would approve getting a fully wrap on a brand new car if I was to choose a regular metallic paint.

 

[Peyton]

With matte paint, you have no ability to fix or improve the look of the paint, as you can't buff out the scratches. You need to repaint the part. It all depends on how sensitive you are to the scratches and your use case for the car. If you intend to lease and get a new car in 3 years, I might be tempted to go with a matte car.

I do like the look of the car in matte when it is clean, but I feel that whenever it is slightly dirty that the look falls apart. I've ordered metallic color in the end.

 

[BigJase88]

My absolute fav colour for the formentor is dark camoflage, its the green colour isn’t it. I would go for that in metallic

 

[Brady93]

Thanks for the replies, weighing up the pros and cons it seems like matte is possibly open to more hassle than it's worth in the future, especially with the way people park in the car parks around here! Will put the order in with Graphene Grey

 

[ElBrillante]

Has anyone taken the plunge and owns one with matte paint yet? My dealer has a heavily discounted VZ (with lots of options) but it's in Magnetic Tech Matte, I'd be leasing for three years and can't get a definitive answer from them about what they'd accept back at the end with regards to the paint. So far everyone I've spoken to has said to run a mile as the conditions are pretty harsh here and you'd be lucky to keep it looking perfect.

 

[Nickfurnell]

Hi All. I am waiting for an update from my dealer on the paint protection options for a VZ3 Matte Petrol Blue. During our initial negotiations, they offered to include the GardX Paint & Fabric cover. Sounded great but their website specifically says "Can be applied to all paint types and colours except Matt finishes.". Which makes the gesture somewhat useless.

Most matt protection talks about Ceramic finishes. The only other option appears to be a standard colour (saving the £1800 uplift) and trusting that I can find a NW/Manchester-based company who can wrap in a Petrol Blue match
Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[bigcarpchaser]

Ask on detailing world forum, the lads there are the experts


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[barqqsanu]

Hi guys. Question for the matte paint owners: how hard is it to maintain and wash, compared to metallic paint? Any negative experiences? Please share your advice...should I buy matte paint?

 

[Scoobystig]

I have the Matte Grey. So far very happy with it. 7500 miles and no obvious stone chips or scratches have appeared. I’ve been through an IMO car wash and also a hand car wash. Both brought it up lovely

 

[barqqsanu]

I have the Matte Grey. So far very happy with it. 7500 miles and no obvious stone chips or scratches have appeared. I’ve been through an IMO car wash and also a hand car wash. Both brought it up lovely

Thanks a lot! What about bird poop? If it stays for 2-3 days on the car before cleaning it, is there any problem? Do you see any marks?
How often do you wash your car?

Would you say that matte paint is more difficult to maintain than metallic one?

 

[Scoobystig]

Thanks a lot! What about bird poop? If it stays for 2-3 days on the car before cleaning it, is there any problem? Do you see any marks?
How often do you wash your car?

Would you say that matte paint is more difficult to maintain than metallic one?

I haven’t had to deal with any bird poop yet thankfully, I tend to wash it every few weeks
I’ve only had it since June so I would say probably been washed 5/6 times

to me it’s no more difficult to maintain, I find it easier as you’re not chasing that “shine” all the time. and once it’s washed and dried it doesn’t need any buffing to look really good

plus it always gets comments and it feels like it looks ie. it doesn’t feel totally smooth

I also find the bonnet a lot less reflective when driving in the sun
overall I’m really happy with it. But then I made CUPRA add it FOC before I took the lease, not sure I’d of paid £1800 for it

 

[Scoobystig]

I should add that the above photos were the car on delivery
this one was taken a few weeks back after just clocking 7000 miles

 

[nwithyman]

Afternoon,

I'm hopefully putting my order in this week for a VZ3 (yipee!) and really like the matte grey, I'm concerned about it's longevity though, and how easy it is to keep scratches away. Has anyone heard any horror stories from the original matte Leons? Don't want to be left with extortionate bills if someone scratches/dings the sides with their coat zips or something!

Well chaps and chapesses, I've taken the plunge and bought a very nearly new ex dealer owned VZ3 in Petrol Blue; I loved it so much that I let my heart rule my head and studiously ignored the potential problems with paint defect rectification, maintenance and preservation for the moment - I'm just basking in the loveliness of the drop-dead gorgeous colour, design and everything else about it. In my past pre-retirement existence, driving test cars was part of my job and I can honestly say that of all the very many cars I drove, this is up there right at the 'top of the list'

Back to matt paint finishes though, it goes without saying that a different approach is needed; no glossy wax treatment or mirror finish ceramic type coatings should be contemplated otherwise big bills will need to be paid for restoration. I have only had the car for less than a week but have undertaken some research into our options and they are limited at the moment but as these finishes become more popular, and I expect they will, I'd expect an increasing number of paint and detail specialists will develop safe protective treatments. There are several good pieces written by the experts and products available suitable for these finishes, https://www.autoglym.com/blog/2017/01/16/caring-for-matt-and-satin-paint-finishes/ is one such and is worth a read; this is another - https://www.drbeasleys.com/blog/2019/02/13/taking-care-of-matte-paint.

I have bought but not yet tried Autoglym Rapid Aqua Wax and Chemical Guys Satin-Matte Autowash. There are some snow-foams available suitable for matt and satin finishes but I don't know about a more durable ceramic-type coating; my guess is that it's out there.

I'd also be interested in others' experience.

 

[tetrad]

Me too, heart over head and have ordered VZ3 petrol blue matt. First venture into matt.

I'm looking into XPEL protection (expensive) alongside other cheaper options. Encouraged to see post from ScoobyStig. Would be great if you (Nwithyman) could feedback after the use of the Autoglym and Chemical Guys products. Happy to do the same .... but my car needs to arrive first (long wait since May) !

 

[nwithyman]

Me too, heart over head and have ordered VZ3 petrol blue matt. First venture into matt.

I'm looking into XPEL protection (expensive) alongside other cheaper options. Encouraged to see post from ScoobyStig. Would be great if you (Nwithyman) could feedback after the use of the Autoglym and Chemical Guys products. Happy to do the same .... but my car needs to arrive first (long wait since May) !

It's impossible to resist isn't it tetrad!

I'm going to leave using any products on mine for a little while, it's only been with me since Saturday last week so still clean; interesting to note though that in the rain we had here in Essex over the weekend, the water beaded nicely on the matt paint surface. That must tell us something but I'm not entirely sure what at the moment! I'll carry on info gathering and see where we go but I'll definitely be back to report anything relevant and interesting. NB - I've not come across XPEL, I'll Google it.

 

[Godofwar424]

Ordered my Matte Grey Formentor on Monday and wondered if anybody here had any updates as it’s been a few months since the last post.

Will be getting it ceramic coated on delivery by a detailer who will also be washing the car every few weeks. How has everybody’s matte paint experience been?