[madbullram]

Hi all,
Now that have decided to get my civic painted black, I had a detailed discussion with Pavan of privilege car spa. He swears by Sikkens paint than Dupont. I read some good reviews of Sikken. But the local paint shop consider it inferior. Pavan believes it's their lack of knowledge which has caused issues in Sikken and not the paint itself. Need your advise before I give my civic...

[sohail99]

In my opinion, what kind of paintjob you end up with is largely decided by the painter's skill!

If the painter isn't passionate about his work, then you might get the best paint to him, but he'll botch the paintjob anyway!

Loads of other factors involved other than the painters spray technique(which is most important) like the type of spray gun he's using, air compressor for it, proper paint mixing, (If possible, go for a high solid clear), clear/hardener ratios, proper panel prep, leveling out the gouges, and high spots. Using a guide coat during sanding for paint is a good idea for leveling out the primer. Cuz primer is matte grey shade and doesn't show any high or low spots clearly, which will show prominently when paint is sprayed on top of them. Another way to see whether its level or not is to wet the primer surface with a final wipe solution(or Isopropyl alcohol(diluted 25% with water) can also be used) this will make the primer surface temporarily glossy and then you can look for reflections in it and whether they're getting distorted or not(shows surface irregularities)

Ask him to clean out the air compressor lines if possible and remove all moisture from lines and pipes.(moisture in the compressor lines might cause orange peel)

btw 'House of Kolor' paint is amazing!!! Their clearcoat is the glossiest I've ever seen!! Most of the Hotrods are custom painted using their paints

Its kinda difficult to acquire here, but if its available, then thats amazing!!

Most imp - Look at the painters recent works(look for black and dark painted ones only! The painter will try to show you white and silver ones, these colors don't show fine orange peel and other defects that well)

[PAVAN KADAM]

Originally Posted by madbullram

Hi all,
Now that have decided to get my civic painted black, I had a detailed discussion with Pavan of privilege car spa. He swears by Sikkens paint than Dupont. I read some good reviews of Sikken. But the local paint shop consider it inferior. Pavan believes it's their lack of knowledge which has caused issues in Sikken and not the paint itself. Need your advise before I give my civic...

Please let one more PAVAN tell you something about Sikkens.......

Sikkens

The Paint Sikkens is from UK and is a Good Quality of paint, manufactured and sold in India by Akzonobel.

But they are not as popular as Dupont, infact Standox is a Faaar Superior quality of paint by any standards..

Trust me, Sikkens is Good, but Not Good Enough for a car like CIVIC, and that too a color like Black.

The only problem your dealer might be pulling you away from Dupont is because of his Profit margin by painting Sikkens, while Dupont can cost a bit dearly.

Since its a Civic, it has to be a Metallic Black, So

A Dupont Kit per litre might cost Rs 3895/-

A Sikkens Kit per litre will cost Rs 3000/-

BTW. Standox kit per litre will cost Rs. 5200/-

Your car needs 2 ltrs of paint for an overcoat.

Avoid Sikkens, since its an overcoat, Dupont or Standox would be a wiser choice.

[Akshay1234]

Pavan - Isn't Standox owned or marketed by Dupont? I always thought they are the same. I didn't think there would be such a big difference in the price.

Madbullram - I need to ask you, have you owned a black car before by any chance?

[vigsom]

my bodyshop friend,who is super quality conscious, moved to DuPont only to be disappointed with results on an Innova ; stopped DuPont altogether.

For about six months , he has been using Sikkens on all cars from Marutis to Mercs and both his clients and he are satisfied with the results ; color matching is unbeatable in Sikkens,he says.

[khoj]

Something to help decide if Sikkens is good enough to go on to the Civic or whether they are best left alone with only the Mclaren Mercedes F1 cars for company.

AkzoNobel and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes expand partnership - AkzoNobel Automotive & Aerospace Coatings

Flash Video Page - AkzoNobel Creating Art

[madbullram]

Thanks for all the inputs. I am more confused now. Pavan was also saying mclaren to all are using Sikkens. Even BMW service uses sikens. Though it costs less the amount paint needed is more compared to upon due to the mix ratio.

Akshay: I havent owned but had a friends black car for 3 months but most of my bikes are black

[dot]

Originally Posted by madbullram

I havent owned but had a friends black car for 3 months but most of my bikes are black

@madbullram, are you planning to repaint the entire car with a different color than the original. Lets say it gets done, so after that do you need to report it to RTO? Would like to learn.

Secondly, Black car paint does tend to heat up more than lighter shades as far as my experience goes (several Black cars I had). However Civic's AC is pretty powerful, add good front sunfilms to that and one can beat the heat.

The dust issue can be resolved very easily with a daily dusting schedule.

[madbullram]

@Dot: I went to RTO personally and checked. This is what they said

1. Get the name changed first
2. Fill the proposal for alteration form - FORM NAM V- Rule 101 (http://www.downloadformsindia.com/Ta...n=com_download )
3. Submit the form and get it approved
4. get it approved by RTO
5. Paint the car and bring it to RTO on specified date
6. once cleared, will get the RC Book endorsed in 5-7 working days

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by madbullram

Akshay: I havent owned but had a friends black car for 3 months but most of my bikes are black

Alright, I mean as long as you are prepared for the maintenance then theres no issue. Black is the most difficult to maintain. Even the smallest of scratches will show, and you need to be careful when washing the car or swirls will form. And then twice a year you'll have to get it polished.

I would never buy a black car again

But then again when kept well nothing looks better than black.

[madbullram]

Akshay: Yes, I know the pain. Both me and my wife have been wanting a black car for 4 years now May be after using this car we will change the opinion I am going to take the challenge of maintaining.

Will be travelling to US this week, will get the needed ones. I already have buffing machine etc anyway

[androdev]

You are a brave man to get the whole car repainted. Sikken vs Standox would be the least of my worries. The workmanship is my biggest concern and I never had a satisfactory experience even for minor refinish jobs. I can only imagine the mess they will create for a complete repaint. I wouldn't go for a repaint unless it is a cheap car and I don't mind an average quality.

[madbullram]

Andro: LOL...that was quite honest Trust me I have that fear inside, putting a brave face and trying to say it will be fine more bcos of my trust on Pavan of Privilege Car Spa. Also, I am going for a complete external paint which means they are not going to dismount engine etc.

[sohail99]

^make sure at least all the rubber trim, door handles, ORVM's, indicators, headlights, taillights, roof moulding is removed instead of masking.

Also, you might need to mask the interiors incl. headliner pretty thoroughly as the door jambs and door interiors will be painted as well(or not?)

[madbullram]

Yes Sohail, thats the plan. Thanks for reminding