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If you aren't familiar with automotive paint you might be surprised to learn that most modern paints usually consist of multiple layers.

The first layer is a primer which is applied directly to the metal or plastic panel. In most instances this is applied electrostatically in a dip tank and is typically grey. The colour of the primer can affect the over laying colour, particularly if the colour layer is white or has a white base such as most yellows. The final appearance of red colours is also heavily influenced by the primer colour. Next the colour is applied.

The colour is usually a mix of different tints that collectively make up the final colour. Most colours will have up to 7 tints which can be any combination of solid and translucent colours along with pearl and or metal flakes. The European paint system that we use consists of more than 80 tints. Increasingly there is a move towards adding another layer on top of the base colour layer. These added layers are usually pearl layers and are commonly white or yellow. They are readily identifiable having a distinct flake at the surface of the colour rather than buried in it. These finishes were designed specifically to make my life difficult.

There are now also a couple of manufacturers who are doing candy finishes. A candy finish is a very translucent, coloured, clear coat that goes over top of the base colour. The most common of these is Mazda's Soul Red which comes in two versions. Both are a red candy over a red pearl base colour. Candy finishes are not new. During the middle of the last century candy apple red and candy apple green were very popular finishes on hot rods. They are identifiable as very rich colours that look deep and wet. The colours are called candy after the candy apple, an apple covered in a coloured, (usually rich red), hard toffee shell. (Do people still do candy apples? I haven't seen one for decades) Candy finishes look spectacular, they are my favourite and Mazda did a great job with soul red. Combining a pearl with a candy finish was brilliant. Thankfully candy is an easier colour to repair that the pearl finishes.

The finally layer on your car is a clear coat. Clear coats became increasingly common towards the end of last century. Typically they are two part or two pot clear coats. That simply means that they consist of the clear coat to which a hardener is added. The hardener makes the clear coat harden off like a shell so that it can't be removed with paint thinner. Its role is to protect the colour layer from damage and oxidation. The addition of two part clear coats was probably the best advance in automotive paints since cars were invented. The clear coat protects the colour and is the easiest layer to repair, producing a much better finish more readily than could be achieved with the old single layer paints.

Now that you have some idea of how the paint on your car is structured you will have a better understanding of how to repair it which I will detail next time.