[CliffHanger]

A lot of manufacturers are coming in into India and a lot of their cars have started showing up on the roads. While it is not possible to be inside the cabin of all these cars, we still will get a opinion on them based on their designs and paint quality. While there are threads that discuss the designs of manufacturers, let's keep this thread to discuss their paint quality.

Everybody agrees that modern cars that are termed classy have immaculate paint finish, let's also consider a few following factors as well to term a car has quality paint finish.

1. The overall unblemished finish.
2. The longevity or ability to retain the original shade without fading.
3. The colors on offer.
(The following two comes from your personal experiences with cars from varios manufacturers.)
4. The thickness of paint layer.
5. The resistance to Swirl marks and scratches.

Here are my rankings for mass maunfacturers and premium car manufacturers.

Mass Manufacturers -

1. Skoda & Fiat

These guys seem to really know what color look good on their cars. Their finish is also top notch. I still get to see quite a few Octavias and Palios that look almost brand new. Their new generation cars continue to have the same paint quality with cars like Linea and Laura carrying some amazing colors.

2. VW

Whatever I mentioned for Skoda & Fiat holds good for VW as well. But since longevity is yet to be seen, I'm keeping VW at second place.

3. Honda

Honda's color offerings have so far been very subdued with almost nil flashy colors except may be the purple on the Civic and the Jazz. Their old cars like OHC still retain the finish but most of them have started showing fadeness. I'm surprised to see that Jazzs, though newly lanuched, have started looking dull on roads.

4. Toyota

Toyota is one global manufacturer which just doesn't have taste for colors. Most of their color offerings are dull and uninspiring, but their cars seem to retain their colors for a long time.

5. Hyundai

Hyundai's have been average in this department. I think they allocate a lot of time to decide on which shade of beige the interiors of their newer cars should carry.

6. Mahindra

A spanking new black or white Scorpio can hold your eyes for a moment but they lose the charm quickly. Lonegvity has to improve.

7. Suzuki

Like their designs,their color offerings have also been boring. Their cars tend to lose the initial gloss quickly and start fading sooner. Have seen a lot of SX4s that look like antique pieces.

8. Tata

Worst. With Aria being an exception, all of Tata cars don't even carry a smooth paint finish. Their Manzas have already started showing age and Indicas looking like antique pieces is a common sight on roads.

Premium Car Manufaturers

I'm not delving into this territory as I don't get to see a lot of them on roads. But below is my perception.

1. BMW & Audi
2. Mercedes

Now let's know your rankings and the reasons why.

[ghodlur]

Why no Ford or Nissan in that list? Do you think they dont even qualify to be there or are you more inclined towards the brands of your preference. I would suggest when you compare, you needs to take all the manufacturers into account and not just few of them. The list is incomplete, request you to complete the same.

[kphilip]

Even GM is not in the list

[saravananj]

Toyota: I would say their paint is not deep, i.e even a slight scratch seems to expose the metal sheet underneath. Also the shine of the new car doesnt last very long. It appears dull after almost a year of usage. Polish brings back the lost shine to some extent.

Hyundai: The paint quality is very good. We have a silver color Santro xing XS purchased in 2004, no repaint work has been done so far. In my view Hyundai's paint appears far better than Toyota. Toyota's strength lies in engine mainly and reliability rather than mere looks in my opinion. Though our Santro body appears good. Lots of money has been spent on the engine repair, clutch assembly etc.

[LionX]

I feel this is just a personal opinion, and it not even generic. How will anyone assess the paint quality once the car is out of showroom, its the one who is using the car is responsible for making the car shine or fade.
If you want to make an honest review, do it on the brand new cars.

I don't think what you mentioned about TATA paint quality as worst is true. Merc is using TATA's facility for the painting the Benz, there should be some reason behind it. Just my feeling, correct me if I am wrong.

[srishiva]

Palio, I think had thick paint but not really glossy one. Wouldn't the paint quality be dependent on the moolah also? So how can one compare across segments?

[Vid6639]

I wouldn't rate Fiat's paint quality as anywhere close to 1. If you read the reviews around the forum you will see several reviews on rust and paint peeling off in Fiat's, punto and linea.

Ford is not mentioned and they are much better than Fiat.

Weird that Tata is at 8 but Fiat is higher. They share the same paint booth or used to atleast.

[selfdrive]

As a Jazz owner, I would like to say that the paint job quality is not that great. Just one nick and the paint comes off. I have no idea why they look so dull on the road.

I would say that the best paint job improvements I have seen recently are on the Fiats and subsequently the Tatas (especially the Manza)

[DWind]

Would request Mods to close this thread. There is no scientific analysis being presented, unless people want to vote their perceptions on one manufacturer being 'the best' it is best that we do not discuss as cars across different range would have varying quality levels in paint.

Originally Posted by CliffHanger

1. Skoda & Fiat

Their new generation cars continue to have the same paint quality with cars like Linea and Laura carrying some amazing colors.

Agreed. My Linea is glittering and sparkling just like a factory-fresh new car even after 19 months. No traces of rust or corrosion. I enjoy waxing my Linea every month.

[fuel_addict]

Originally Posted by DWind

Would request Mods to close this thread. There is no scientific analysis being presented, unless people want to vote their perceptions on one manufacturer being 'the best' it is best that we do not discuss as cars across different range would have varying quality levels in paint.

I kind of agree. How does one really define what is good paint quality or not? I have seen the paint job varies from car to car within the same manufacturer. My guess is higher the cost of the car, one would expect better paint quality.

Discussing the number of colours a manufacturer offers to judge paint quality doesn't make sense.

[blackfire_9]

There is no control environment for these observations but then we have a black Alto & a Swift (recent). I find that the 6.5 year old Alto's paint still has shine & gloss compared to the Swift's.

Also, the depth of paint on Tata cars is terrific, can't say about the gloss etc but the depth is good. I say this because I have witnessed the scarring of a Tata Indica that was with a known. It was a banged up car, but there was no area with any metal exposed.

[auto-one]

There may be no scientific way to judge the quality of paints on the cars, but there is no harm in sharing our views here. Here are my views on some of the cars offered in India :--
Hyundai : While the old generation santros ( pre face lift ) don't seem to retain the shine, the face lifted ones seem to have a better finish and seem to retain it longer.
Tata: The Indica / Indico range seems to have a dull finish. The Vista has a better finish but comes in a very limited number of shades, while the Manza offers some unique shades like the Tryian wine and Siena gold. Unfortunately other unique colours like the Gothic olive have been discontinued by the company.
Chevrolet: They have one of the best finishes. Even the older cars ike the Aveo maintain the sheen. The sand drift grey is a very classy shade. The icing on the cake would be the cocktail green shade seen on the Beat.
Fiat : While the cars don't have a great shine, the shades are good and seem to last longer.
Honda: Good paint quality that lasts longer . The ANHC has one of the best paint finishes and the shades offered too are eye catching.
Toyota: The paint may be long lasting, but the shades offered are boring.
Maruti: Some shades are dull, esp. the lighter ones. But the newly introduced shades like Bakers chocolate and Fire brick red look attractive.

[Skyline GT-R]

Is there any point in comparing cars across the segments because cheaper Suzukis/Tatas are bound to have inferior paint quality & techniques.

That said, i feel the paint quality of Safaris (older) does not justify its price tag.

[theragingbull]

I'd rather VW at first place. Amazing paint finish! It's as good as other luxury car makers. The Red on the Polo/Vento is a non-metallic color but it's the best iteration of red I have seen on an Indian car (compare red Polo with a red Swift, you'll know the difference instantly).
BTW, VW also gives 5 year paint warranty on all cars.