Maintaining a coated Hellcat w/ Matte Hood???

TMQ

TMQ

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Just occurred to me that to maintain a coated Hellcat with an uncoated matte hood will be a problem later down road---say 6 months later.

How would one add a boost to the coated paint without splashing or contaminating the "uncoated" hood?

Let say I washed the car and when I spray down some Hydro blue but when I hose off the Hydro---it'll get all over the hood. I think would make hood all spotty and contaminating the matte look.

How would you coated experts deal with something like this?

Tom
 
I'm going to guess that Hydro would not change the look of the matte hood much at all and just add protection to the matte sealant you used on the hood. Someone has to have used it on matte paint by now.
 
I treat the matte hood with McKee's matte cleaner and protectant. I don't want anything else touching the hood.

So how does one get around that?

Tom
 
Curious.....what coating did you use on the paint, I ask because I have coated matte finished hoods (both factory installed wraps on 6th gen Camaro's) and they came out great, it actually slightly darkens the finish slightly but beads and sheets just like the rest of the paint. I used Gloss Coat on one and CQ UK on another....while I typically use the supplied applicator with Gloss Coat I used used a CarPro block and suede applicator to apply .... it's probably not a viable solution for this particular issue but down the road it may help.
 
TMQ said:
Just occurred to me that to maintain a coated Hellcat with an uncoated matte hood will be a problem later down road---say 6 months later.

How would one add a boost to the coated paint without splashing or contaminating the "uncoated" hood?

Let say I washed the car and when I spray down some Hydro blue but when I hose off the Hydro---it'll get all over the hood. I think would make hood all spotty and contaminating the matte look.

How would you coated experts deal with something like this?

Tom
Click to expand...

I've used Hydro Blue on Challengers with the MATTE finish hood without any issues. Enjoy. :)
 
Maybe get a small bottle of a matte coating and then cover it with a garbage bag or something after you first clean the matte portions?
 
I've used tape and trash bags to protect hood wraps with great success.
 
If you're worried that a product you're using is going to spoil the matte surface then you can open the hood and leave it up while you work on the fenders and front bumper. If overspray in the engine bay is a worry then you can bunch up some towels around the perimeter.

Nick says that Hydro Blue won't negatively affect the OEM matte black paint on a Challenger's hood. I trust him. :)
 
Oftentimes the Mopars I work on have matte vinyl graphics and I've never seen a "topper" product (like C2v3 or Reload) or a coating (like CSL and CQuartz) do anything but make them look better and provide protection. The matte paint on Hellcat hoods is different than thin vinyl (there's more texture to it), but I still wouldn't be too worried about harming the surface. When in doubt do a test spot and observe the result.
 
I would just coat the matte hood too. IMO it improves the appearance with a very slight darkening and evens out the look.

Coated Matte wrap


Coated stock matte hood


Coated OEM matte/CF stripes



Maintain with a product like Reload.
 
Reason for holding off on coating the matted hood is there's a chance owner may not like the looks of coating. That I can remove later on down road with a polisher.

But with matte hoods---you'll have no way to remove the coating.

If he likes the coating---then in following year will then add and apply coating to the hood.

Tom
 
What do the customer think about it? Tell him what happens when coating is applyied to the matte hood. Does he accept that once coated it will have to wear of and does not be able to polish it of after applyied.

I would go the with a coating for matte finish as they are made for it. What happens when the ordinary coating wears of? Does the glossenhancer in it wear of even? Or do I have to apply products to keep the finish even down the road. I think a spray and rinse of coating does not last that long to get it visually uneven when wearing of that long time. But coatings with a long longevity can maybe do this in the end. This is just me thinking out loud and what can happens if he do not like it down the road. And the best way is to educate the customer with the pros and cons and what you can stand by and what is to you new waters. Then it is up to the owner to decide wich way he want to go with it.

I think alot of those oem matte paints that are becoming more popular on cars. What do they do when it becomes scratched up. It says it can not be polished and when the time comes what are they going to do? I think that those who is buying them is like everyone else and that we know how they take care of their paint on the cars.
 
TMQ said:
Reason for holding off on coating the matted hood is there's a chance owner may not like the looks of coating. That I can remove later on down road with a polisher.

But with matte hoods---you'll have no way to remove the coating.

If he likes the coating---then in following year will then add and apply coating to the hood.

Tom
Click to expand...

Understandable. The change is so subtle I doubt he'd even notice. There is definitely a risk when applying them not being able to polish, but as long as you're using a coating that isn't fussy you should be fine. You could use a matte specific coating too but IMO they are nothing more then marketing at work, maybe more forgiving and less darkening but I imagine the core ingredients are the same.

These matte paints are still BC/CC, the clear coat just has a matting agent added to it. (My old man has the PPG paint mixing system at his body shop)
 
RaskyR1 said:
Understandable. The change is so subtle I doubt he'd even notice. There is definitely a risk when applying them not being able to polish, but as long as you're using a coating that isn't fussy you should be fine. You could use a matte specific coating too but IMO they are nothing more then marketing at work, maybe more forgiving and less darkening but I imagine the core ingredients are the same.

These matte paints are still BC/CC, the clear coat just has a matting agent added to it. (My old man has the PPG paint mixing system at his body shop)
Click to expand...

So they are good to polish as any BC/CC?
The difference with matte coatings are just that it is no glossenhancer in the coating. Just a clear layer of protection to the clearcoat.
 
SWETM said:
So they are good to polish as any BC/CC?
The difference with matte coatings are just that it is no glossenhancer in the coating. Just a clear layer of protection to the clearcoat.
Click to expand...

NO. They can’t be polished like a normal BC/CC. The way I understand it is the addition of the matting agent to the clear causes light to refract or diffuse vs. reflect. Polishing will smooth out the fine texture in the surface causing a sheen/gloss. Same goes for aggressive rubbing of the surface. A paint rep would be much better at explaining it, but that how I understand it.
 
RaskyR1 said:
NO. They can’t be polished like a normal BC/CC. The way I understand it is the addition of the matting agent to the clear causes light to refract or diffuse vs. reflect. Polishing will smooth out the fine texture in the surface causing a sheen/gloss. Same goes for aggressive rubbing of the surface. A paint rep would be much better at explaining it, but that how I understand it.
Click to expand...

That is the reason. Until the owner loves the coating, I will then coat the hood. Until then---prefer to wait.

Tom
 
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