Terrible stock paint
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C43. GS-T Spyder. 20th AE GTi.
Terrible stock paint
Is the stock paint on w205 C43 as bad for everyone else as it is for me? It seems to be one single layer of color over a layer of primer. Any ding I get immediately shows white underneath and looks as though I could peel it off in chunks. Is this typical or did I get the worst paint known to man?
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Is the stock paint on w205 C43 as bad for everyone else as it is for me? It seems to be one single layer of color over a layer of primer. Any ding I get immediately shows white underneath and looks as though I could peel it off in chunks. Is this typical or did I get the worst paint known to man?
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The German factory and the Alabama factory uses different standards in painting vehicles (due to regulations) back then, so the coupe might have more robust paint than sedan, although I think the German factory did transition in the recent years as well. That said, my paint although not as good as the coupe ones aren't as bad as OP is stating so curious what model year is OP's vehicle.
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Is the stock paint on w205 C43 as bad for everyone else as it is for me? It seems to be one single layer of color over a layer of primer. Any ding I get immediately shows white underneath and looks as though I could peel it off in chunks. Is this typical or did I get the worst paint known to man?
MB paint might have been thick on the W100 Grosser. No longer.
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2019 C63CS
It has been reported in the past that the paint quality coming out of the Alabama factory is subpar and the German built cars have better paint. I have no issues with the paint on my 2019 C63 coupe built in Germany. In fact it seems stronger than previous cars. FWIW, I do have PPF on the entire front to protect the high impact areas, but I drove the first ~6000 miles w/o PPF in Europe. I did the same with my previous Audi, but about half the miles and the Audi already had a few paint chips before the PPF went on. The C63 had zero chips when I put the PPF on and the paint looks like the day I took delivery even in the unprotected areas. Car is garaged, so no prolonged exposure to UV light and other damaging environmental factors. It's also mostly dry here, so no acid rain and such. I never even wax it, other than what comes out of the touchless car wash I go to near my place.
Have you checked if some of your panels may have been repainted? There's always the possibility that the car sustained damage and needed to be repainted, or it is possible that you might have gotten a bad batch.
Have you checked if some of your panels may have been repainted? There's always the possibility that the car sustained damage and needed to be repainted, or it is possible that you might have gotten a bad batch.
Last edited by superswiss; Sep 9, 2023 at 01:09 PM.
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2019 C63CS
Also, keep in mind that paint needs time to harden. Cars produced in Germany and shipped to the USA spend much longer not being driven on the roads, so the paint has more time to harden before a customer is taking delivery.
Last edited by superswiss; Sep 9, 2023 at 02:23 PM.
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Thread Starter
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C43. GS-T Spyder. 20th AE GTi.
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2015 E400 Sedan
robots paint these cars sp applied with great physical results and repeatable across a production run.
Thick paint does not make for a better more robust paint - in fact can chip easier since more potential for lamination between more layers.
Thick paint layers is not desirable neither since it will orange peel like crazy due to out-gasing while curing and is more prone to waviness in reflections
Main issue with paint today is all the environmental rules and trying to get rid of VOC and other bad atmosphere chemicals.
Nice looking paint job comes down to clear coat - to make it look better have it wet sanded and polished (aka paint Correction) as no paint coming out a spray gun can ever look as good as one wet sanded.
Thick paint does not make for a better more robust paint - in fact can chip easier since more potential for lamination between more layers.
Thick paint layers is not desirable neither since it will orange peel like crazy due to out-gasing while curing and is more prone to waviness in reflections
Main issue with paint today is all the environmental rules and trying to get rid of VOC and other bad atmosphere chemicals.
Nice looking paint job comes down to clear coat - to make it look better have it wet sanded and polished (aka paint Correction) as no paint coming out a spray gun can ever look as good as one wet sanded.
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2019 C63CS
not sure if this the right video but she talked about the paint on her C 63 S: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta1SAMdOGQ4
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Not sure what it got translated to in the subtitles, but all she said about the paint is that it is brand new under the wrap. She had it wrapped shortly after taking delivery, so she pointed out that there were no rock chips for example. Problem with a wrap is always that the paint could be damaged when removing the wrap, especially if it hadn't fully hardened before the wrap was put on.
