Hi everyone.. I did all the body work on my rig about 5 years ago, and did it right and thoroughly. I cant paint nor did i ever intend to. So,i took the truck to a paint shop and had it shot with metallic blue (no clear). Had a 2 year warranty against fading. Well at 2 years, it faded, and I did everthing to bring it back. I even wet sanded the hood and polished it out. Looked fantastic till it rained. Then permanent fade spots from the water took hold. So,if i get it shot again in clear, it will have a 3 year warranty. But why isnt this paint holding up to the sun rays? It is a volume paint shop, but they do lay paint VERY nicely. I believe it is a urethane paint? Iam wondring if the higher end body shops use better paints. Faded paint in my veiw looks better than the dry skin look of clear peeling off. I live in california, so iam thinking the EPA regulations really took all the good lasting stuff off the shelves. Am i asking too much for an aftermarket paint to hold up over the years? I did keep the truck cleaned, and in the garage. It just seems the paint "breaks down" on its own. Any suggestions would be very appreciated as to what direction i should take

 

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Best guess. It's was a low quality enamel. What you experienced is not unusual. There's a reason there is a difference between a $300 and $1500 paint job. Most of it has nothing to do with the skill of the painter.

 

Ok, that makes sence, thank you. So what paint should i be aware of or brand, that would hold up better?

 

PPG, Dupont, Sherwin Williams, HOK, Sikkens, Glasurit, they are all good products. Each one will have a less expensive product, just for those of us that have vehicles that we dont want to put so much money on the painting of it. Product quality goes hand in hand with price, 150 bucks a gallon paint will hold out better than the 50 buck a gallon paint, etc. ygwypf (most of the time, ) jmo

 

You can not go by price alone.
If you paint is still stuck to the truck well I would try an area with clear. See if it looks good. If so shoot the whole thing, if it looks bad what have you lost?