[GTO]

Manufacturers will happily offer whatever there is demand for; except for a small number of enthusiasts who would choose a matte finish, it would have no takers. Sad, because it sure would be something to have a factory matte finish. Brands should offer it at least on their performance cars (e.g. Polo GTs, Octavia vRS).

Indians love shiny things. That's why every model that comes to India gets chrome slapped on it. Also why there is no market for matte finish jewellery.

[deep_bang]

Royal Enfield does have a matte black colored Thunderbird - so I tend to think it's available and also not all that expensive, but when I got my Thunderbird, I was also told that I will not get warranty on the paint.. so I guess it's harder to maintain.

[VW2010]

Indians love shiny things. That's why every model that comes to India gets chrome slapped on it. Also why there is no market for matte finish jewellery.

Not just Indians. Humans love shiny things. Its just the way the brain is wired. The way your mind reacts to reflection of lights makes it so interesting.

What i mean is, even if the cars where only manufactured in Matte for years, the first introduction of shiny metallic paints would have ended up with the same state we are at. It was/is inevitable.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by giri1.8

Regarding matte finish scooters not costing extra, I am sure it's easier to make matte finish plastic rather than coating metal with matte paint, but I am not sure if there is any metal body scooter with matte coat.

To answer your question,
TVS Jupiter has matte finish paint on it's rear metal panels.
TVS Apache has it on the metal tank.
RE has it on full body, on various models, like desert storm edition.

[ashutoshb]

I have seen the TVS Jupiter in matte colours and it looks awesome.

The UV manufacturers, more than anybody, should offer it as an option.

The Thar, TUV and even the Bolero will look awesome, if done tastefully.

It can be made on order, I am sure that buyers seeking such an option will be more than willing to wait.

[MaxTorque]

One important reason for matt finish is not very popular in India is due to the complex manufacturing process. Many times the body needs to pass two passes through the paint booth. Also, defect correction is very difficult. In case of a dirt on the body, we need to repaint the entire panel. Then there will be shade matching issues.

In case of normal glossy shade, we can easily remove the dirt by buffing/polishing. If there is a reduction in DFT due to the buffing, we can easily do spot repairs.

In two-wheelers, as the area of the exposed painted surface is less, the dirt/dust won't make much difference. Also many times the paint will get covered by stickers. Even if the paint job requires a rework, it can be done easily.

[hangover]

Bird droppings are extremely hard to remove from a matt finish. It somehow gets into the paint pores.
It has to be applied with great care in the first place. Else uneven coats will stand out.

Scratches are nearly impossible to remove.

You need matt type only finishing and cleaning products.

Abrasive brushes like in a typical car wash place will ruin it totally,

So the car must be hand washed only.

If you do want a matt finish, consider matt coating skins available in the US. It's like a wall paper stuck on with gum. Easily peeled off once you tire of it.

You may have seen the original "day of the jackal" movie with Edward fox. At one point he peels off a blue car coat paper to reveal a white car underneath. Same thing.

Originally Posted by VW2010

Not just Indians. Humans love shiny things. Its just the way the brain is wired. The way your mind reacts to reflection of lights makes it so interesting.

What i mean is, even if the cars where only manufactured in Matte for years, the first introduction of shiny metallic paints would have ended up with the same state we are at. It was/is inevitable.

Pigeons don't like shiny things. To prevent them from dropping stinking things on your car, put a few shiny CD's on the rear speaker mount area.

Plus hang one from your rear view mirror.

Better than a scarecrow any day.

And you can prove that you've got good taste by carefully selecting the CD titles.

[blahman]

Two and a half years ago I remember going through various threads and video reviews of Matte/Satin finished cars. Pros and cons of getting it painted/wrapped. It was heartbreaking to see a lot of negativity about the finish. I went ahead nonetheless.

After two and a half years of "maintaining" the car I can share my experience with it.

• Scratches are pretty evident on it when compared to the metallic finish

• You don't need those fancy matte detailers/cleaning products. A good satin paint job will keep the car looking its best for a long time as long as you clean the car with a normal microfiber cloth. I do remember taking it to 3M for a wash and they used the spray gun with a soap liquid. Didn't cause any damage/"glossyness" to the paint.

• I've had no issues with bird droppings leaving a mark on the paint when it's wiped off.

• I wouldn't take my other car with the mettalic finish to a car wash with abrasive brushes.

• I'd be lying if I said it's easy to maintain a matte finished car. The dust settles on it and it stands out more when compared to a metallic finished car. I remember parking the car in my basement after a good Sunday wash and coming back to it 3 days later to find an obvious layer of dust sitting on it. A quick wipe did the trick. And no, it wont cause any scratches. Also I never had the problem of "Swirls" I'd find after a bad cleaning job on a metallic finished car.

Bottomline, yes you need to take care of it more than a metallic finished car but most of the "cons" mentioned everywhere are untrue. Or maybe I was lucky to find the right guy to paint it for me. I wouldn't suggest against getting the matte/satin finish painted if someone were to ask me if they should. I have seen a couple of badly done paintjobs though, I suggest go to the right person even if it costs a little more or just get a vinyl wrap done.

Attaching a picture I clicked not too long ago.

PS. Those black circle on the bumper and the hood are because of my phone camera's lens. I guess the casing has a pin sized nick or some dust has gotten in

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by blahman

• Scratches are pretty evident on it when compared to the metallic finish

The situation is no different with metallic black(or any other dark shade) as well. Finding a right guy to paint is always tricky. Even the person whom you got it done multiple times can go wrong. That's why I would like to see matte finish cars rolling out from factory.
BTW that's a stunning looking Civic.

[Turbo yoda]

I remember seeing a matte gold palio Adventure on the showroom floor, maybe a limited edition version.

[highwaypatrol]

Matt looks absolutely stunning on a brand new vehicle. But in few years, it would look terrible and there would be no takers in the second hand car market. That could be one of the reason why car manufactures are not that keen on matt finish not only in India but across the globe.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by highwaypatrol

Matt looks absolutely stunning on a brand new vehicle. But in few years, it would look terrible and there would be no takers in the second hand car market. That could be one of the reason why car manufactures are not that keen on matt finish not only in India but across the globe.

Gloss pinish paintjobs, after some years of neglect look a bit like Matt Finish vehicles.
So, I wonder, will Matt finish look like Gloss finish after 4-5 years of neglect and abuse?

There is only one way to find out!
Wait for the hordes of new Matt finish Activas and Jupiters to grow old.

[heydj]

Its all about economies of scale and what consumers want. On practical side in our country black cars are nightmare to maintain and show dirt the moment they get out of showroom.

But premium cars can offer this as an option and a differentiation factor. Though personally not very fond of matt finish in cars except if its green color and I have a Hummer.

[Sudeep_Kimster]

Manufacturers do a lot of survey before offering the paint schemes on their cars.
Same car, same manufacturer, different nation/continent, might have different colors.
Eg. The dual paint scheme gaining popularity fast amongst OEMs in India, as their reception amongst buyers is great, courtesy aftermarket "roof wraps".

Coming to matt finish paint scheme. Its expensive. Expensive to paint, Expensive to maintain and finishing in complex areas inside the car where the matt look isnt needed is also not easy to go by.

I remember once Jeremy Clarkson talking of bird drops on cars, and the amount quoted for bird dirt removal on a Matt finish car was huge. Customers who are not enthusiasts will also never want a dull look on their cars, rather some flashy stuff like already mentioned elsewhere "Chrome". India is a Chromgasmic country with Car makers and buyers obsessed with them.

Survey's even show worldwide White & Silver leading colors amongst car buyers. So Matt from manufacturers doesn't really make any sense, unless the numbers being limited for any Sports variant etc.

And I think heat dissipation will be an issue in a tropical country like India (might be wrong here).

[anshumandun]

Its true that companies will find it hard to justify the cost of setting up a matt finish paint booth for the limited demand that it will see in the India market. But they can start offering it in the enthusiast oriented cars in limited parts that will make these cars stand out.

For example, a GT TSI gets glossy black ORVMs and spoiler that differentiates it from the regular Polo. It might be a good idea to offer matt black ORVMs, spoiler and maybe even the B pillar. This will let the company assess the market reaction to matt paint finish without investing a lot. Similarly, Maruti can try a similar thing with Baleno RS and Skoda with Octavia vRs.