supwagon

Looking for comments on the matte Grey Paint that is available as an option. The color looks great but I was wondering how do you wash your car and how does the paint perform over time. Is the coating easily scratched and what do you do for paint chips and door dinks? I understand that you can not drive through a car wash since the coating should not be waxed or polish.

I would appreciate any personal experience with these matte finishes

thanks

E634Me

Haven’t washed mine yet myself. It will get washed for me before delivery here in the States. But when I picked it up from the factory in Germany, they told me not to wax it, and to make sure not to select any waxing like options on auto car washes.

we’ll see how it wears over time but so far I really like it.

nynd

Not an expert but been reading a bit - there are many matte paint choices these days with MB and other manufacturers. It does take a little more care than most paints as you can't buff it or polish it and need to avoid any wax like products when washing. There are special matte car wash solutions and matte formulated detailed sprays. You can use these sprays to clean off bird crap and any other droppings as quick as possible such not to stain the paint if left on long. As well, they say to usually blot the area as opposed to rubbing (ie - rubbing will cause it to shine like a polishing effect). Other than that, there is a clear coat on it which is more "textured" or rough as to prevent any reflection or gloss. It's not like the olden days so paint tech has come along way. Avoid that car washes and if ever there is a need to touch up, you can't - most likely repaint the entire panel.

Nitrouz

Washed it a few times and it's fine...also had other matte painted cars before. I just wash like any normal car, with lots of soap suds. At the end, after drying, spring on a layer of Swissvax Quick Finish Opaque Detailer and wipe off with a microfiber, to give it a nice sheen.

stealth.pilot

I had this paint on my M5. Here's my perspective:

1) It is the lowest maintenance finish I have ever had. You can drive it for a month without washing and it won't look dirty. Matte finishes don't show watermarks from rain. Also there is no need to polish or wax your car. The only thing beyond washing is applying sealant which is a simple one-step process and costs at most $100 if you use a detailer. You only need sealant once a year. I wouldn't take a matte car through a machine car wash, but I wouldn't take any car I own through one of those washes so for me that isn't a meaningful restriction.

2) Door dings are not an issue, You can do paintless dent removal just like on any other car.

3) Scratches and chips are an issue and would require repaint. Sure you could use touch up paint but it will show. This is true for gloss paints too.

4) You can put a matte clearbra over it and you won't need to worry about chips.

5) I had my car for 2.5 years and 25,000 miles and it was flawless when I sold it. No chips, scratches or anything. It was also the cheapest paint finish to maintain - I saved a ton of money on detailing vs gloss paints which require correction when they get swirled.

If I had the choice I would always select matte gray as my preferred color. The only reason my current cars don't have matte gray is because Porsche doesn't offer it, and my wife doesn't like gray for her car.

supwagon

Thank you all for our comments, based on these comments I will be ordering my car in matte grey

E634Me

Anyone have experience with a home water softener/deionizing setup for car washing?

I have a detached garage/workshop that is sufficiently removed from my house such that I need a standalone solution for washing the car. I already have a power washer, but our water is fairly hard and leaves spots on my truck and jeep unless I wipe them down well. I'd like to add something to help deal with that so when I wash the E63 I don't have to worry as much about leaving spots behind.

stealth.pilot

wally AMG

Same paint in my S65, easily to maintain, wash periodically like a normal car, use a non wax or non detail shampoo, make sure wash periodically, brake dust can filter the paint (it is what I heard) but didn't happen to me, love the fact that never need to wax or polish the paint. Only use microfiber or leather cloth, only hand wash period. Beautiful paint.