When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
For long time owners of vettes that have also owned german cars how does the paint compare? The car I've owned the longest was my M5 and I had it for 10 years and daily drove in all weather including snow, sleet, ice, etc.
Other than a few paint chips here and there, the paint was immaculate after 10 years. I did keep it clean and waxed it multiple times per year. How does Vette paint compare if well taken care of but daily driven?
undecided1965 Paint longevity questionFor long time owners of vettes that have also owned german cars how does the paint compare? The car I've owned the longest was my M5 and I had it for 10 years and daily drove in all weather including snow, sleet, ice, etc.
Other than a few paint chips here and there, the paint was immaculate after 10 years. I did keep it clean and waxed it multiple times per year. How does Vette paint compare if well taken care of but daily driven?
You just do the same thing with your Corvette. It's not complicated.
It greatly depends on how your paint / vehicle is taken care of. My below '96 Tacoma has been driven 415,000 miles and spend 26 years out in the elements and still has very good original paint.
IMO, these issues are more important than where the car was made:
SUNLIGHT EXPOSURE Much like your skin, your car’s paint job is at risk whenever it’s exposed to the sun’s harmful UV rays.
BIRD DROPPINGS Bird droppings are highly corrosive. Droppings that are allowed to sit will eventually eat away your car’s paint
INFREQUENT WASHES Your car is exposed to the elements on a daily basis. Rain is acidic, dust and other air pollutants are abrasive. Regular car wash will remove these harmful substances from your car’s surface.
LOW-QUALITY CLEANERS Cheap, generic chemicals or household cleaners like dish soap may help your car look clean, but over time, the use of those products can damage your paint. Always use high-quality cleaning solutions specifically made for cars.
DIRTY WASHCLOTHS The best cleaner on the market but using a dusty washcloth, you could still do damage to your vehicle’s paint. Dust and dirt particles in a dirty cloth can cause tiny scratches in the paint.
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '25
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
The longest I have owned a Vette is 9+ years, followed by 7.5 years. In each case the car was not a daily driver and the paint held up extremely well during my ownership. Have only owned one German car, a Mercedes M320, but only kept it for a year so no long term longevity can be assessed.
Well....Its a pre 21st century Toyota I dont suspect it sees much road salt either.
I know where that Tacoma lives, and it has seen plenty of salt in 27 years. In the metro DC area, DC, MD, and VA dump salt everywhere if there is a snowflake or mention of ice anywhere in the weather forecast. They do it well before anything starts to fall, and it often doesn't materialize. One of the things we do have going for us is rainstorms throughout the winter that wash it away, but that may take a couple of weeks.
Keeping a vehicle clean, paint protected, and the undercarriage washed makes a world of difference.
As for the main subject of this thread, pretty much everyone worldwide paints cars with the same types of paints using the same process.
My 1998 C5 had the factory silver paint on it when I sold it at age 21...and with one waxing (with a store bought $75 Simoniz unit) per year, the paint looked like new after all those years. I hope that my C7 will have the same success.
2025 C8 Z06/7/E-Ray of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2021 C8 of the Year Finalist Unmodified
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C1 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2017 Corvette of the Year Finalist
2016 C2 of Year
2015 C3 of Year Finalist
Since they went to base coat/clear coat mid way through 81 at the new Bowling Green Assembly Plant, they last a very long time. Bought my 65 in 71. 6 year old lacquer was already cracked.
My 82 Collector Edition still has like new original paint. Charmed life with only 9,000 miles. If properly cared for, modern Corvette paint jobs last decades.
I thought there were only a few major paint manufacturers in the world; PPG supplies paint for American vehicles, BASF for European vehicles, and Nippon and Kansai for Asian vehicles.
Paint brand used is all over the map, and probably changes frequently. Moreover, many Euro and Asian vehicles are now built at US plants. BASF, PPG, and DuPont commonly are used by manufacturers all over the world, and many manufacturers are using different brands at the same time.
I seriously doubt the formulae vary much given increasingly strict environmental regulations in the industrialized world.
Paint brand used is all over the map, and probably changes frequently. Moreover, many Euro and Asian vehicles are now built at US plants. BASF, PPG, and DuPont commonly are used by manufacturers all over the world, and many manufacturers are using different brands at the same time.
I seriously doubt the formulae vary much given increasingly strict environmental regulations in the industrialized world.
It's about prep work, application (# of coats, time between coats) and qa of course.
It's about prep work, application (# of coats, time between coats) and qa of course.
And I would add the panels underneath before any prep work begins. The SMC panels used in Corvettes to save weight, tend to have more imperfections (waviness, etc.) than stamped metal panels that are more uniform.
It's just not cost-effective for any mass manufacturer to do the kind of prep work seen in "show cars." Those are $20K+ paints jobs mostly because all of the prep, as well as wet-sanding and polishing between coats.
However, the longevity of even an average finish is quite long if well taken care of.
I see the caution about "acid rain" is no longer. It must've existed back in the early- mid-90s. A person I knew had a dark green Corvette and, due to no garage it sat outside. It got very "pock-marked" where the clear was gone or damaged. Went on to use a car cover but it was too late. I think the biggest key is keeping it inside.
I dont suspect it sees much road salt either.
Paint longevity question
).
