gday, I have been ringing around getting quotes for paint to respray my beetle and a company told me about Commercial Vehicle grade paint. It is a 2pac paint but a whole lot cheaper than some of the other quotes i have gotten.. The reason I am posting this is because i have never heard of it and considering it is half the price of some of the other 2pac paint I'm wondering if anyone has used it/heard about it...If you have used it heard any bad things about it or heard any feedback about it at all please post them and if you have any photos of cars painted with the paint please feel free to post them.

thanks
Tim

hi it is not a really glossy paint it looks more like the old enamels .....i hope you know about the dangers of spraying 2 pac yourself ,,,it comes out a bit thicker as well

im not spraying it myself, i have a spray booth i have access to and my girlfriends brother is a spray painter by trade...i am thinking of putting a clear coat over the top, would that help create a glossier finish>?

yep it should make it look deeper and wet all the time

lol i dont understand what you mean by wet & deeper...have you seen any cars with the commercial vehicle stuff on it?

Commercial grade paint? Do they mean tractor paint? Or what you would paint garden gates with?

Something shiny and hard but not really pretty to look at? If it is air dry enamel that they are talking about, I have seen it. Usually brush painted onto tractors. I saw a Bedford van done once, and the finish was very durable and waterproof. Very chip resistant. Surface looked like the skin of a lemon though.

If you are after a durable and functional finish moreso than a nice smooth glossy finish, then ask that company about it again that mentioned it to you.

If your girlfriends brother is a vehicle refinisher 'spraypainter' then it would be a good idea to talk to him and find out what products he recommends and would prefer to work with.

yeah i have the called comercial vehicles ,wet and deeper means the paint looks thicker and wet all the time ,like the paint on most new vehicles is covered with clear ,have a look one day

No...not garden paint & not tractor paint...he said that this commercial stuff was just a cheaper alternative to the bigger brand 2pac...to try & compete with the market...& the guy i was speaking to said that he has used it on his cars & the outcome is the same...im not sure if he is pulling my leg trying to rip me off so im asking around abit to find out...my girlfriends bro didnt seem to know about it...stacy b have you ever used this paint? or seen it used?if i buffed it abit would it make it abit glossier? sorry about all the questions...thanks

I would say the paint he is talking about is just cheaper paint. Generic brand like getting 'Home Brand' biscuits at the supermarket instead of Arnotts. The colour range will be smaller and although it will appear to be similar in many ways, it is likely it is not. It may not have the same UV protection, it may not resist yellowing with age, it may not resist fading, chalking or cracking as much either. These issues may take 5 or even 10 years to show up. Maybe a year after his guarantee ends.

Personally I have used only top brand refinishing products as the last thing I want is for any issues to show up on the one part of the vehicle that I want to look it's best.

At the end of the day it is your choice.

Yea...that is a valid point...& i cant really afford to have troubles with the paint...I have also been thinking about going with some auto enamel...any advice? lol sorry about all these questions im not very well educated when it comes to paint & panel sort of work so please feel free to comment...thanks

Auto enamel?

Please clarify what product this one is? If it is air dry enamel, then it is like tractor paint yet again, just a bit thinner. If you use it on your car, then if you ever want to paint it again to make it look nicer, then you will have to strip every single little bit of the air dry enamel off.

The best product for duability and finish is a two part component acrylic urethane clearcoat (commonly known as 2K) on top of a base colourcoat. This is how car manufacturers do it, the refinish industry do it, and most customisers do it.

If it is a solid colour you wish to paint, you can do it the basecoat/ clearcoat way, or you can paint it in direct gloss acrylic urethane (commonly known as 2K)

Most shops are using well known brands like PPG - Deltron, Dulon, Standox, Spies Hecker, Glasurit, Wattyl
Cheaper brands are Metalux/Metacryl II, HiChem, Motorspray

it soumds like the paint he is talking about is industrial enamel ,we have about 20 vehicles here from landcruisers to tractors and trailers and they get sprayed with it ,it goes on like its not buffed and it wont buff up ,i havent tried a clear top coat but it should bring it up a bit ,i usually go to car paint shops and you can often pick up cans of wrong mix for a quarter of the price of what you normally pay ,al that is wrong with it is it has been mixed wrong to what the customer wanted so they sell it cheaper to get rid of it ,it can be enamel ,acrylic laquer, plain acrylic or sometimes 2 pak ,so maybe you should try that

ah! i thought it was a whole lot simpler than this lol...umm 2k paint the gloss acrylic stuff, what is it like to use? have you used it hellbus? I guess i should have just asked what the cheapest yet best paint was to buy lol. I am looking for a paint that will last, have a glossy finish & be easy to apply...stacy b. what wrong mix paints have you picked up for your cars? which ones have the best finish? thanks guys im learnin a whole lot from you guys & probably sounding like the biggest idiot whilst learning lol thanks.

I have painted hundreds of cars in 2K and clear over base with 2K clearcoat. Acrylic urethane is 2K.

Acrylic lacquer is mixed with thinners and easy to use for beginners, needs a fair amount of buffing to get glossy and with the right amount of labour can be like a mirror. Many times more labour required than 2K. It is the cheaper and better option for home use. I will say yet again, it is labour time that makes it work. It needs to be polished to maintain the finish.

You say you are looking for a paint that will last, have a glossy finish & be easy to apply. You will not find 2K easy to apply. It is applied usually in a spray booth to regulate the air temperature. Using a spraygun usually in the cost region of $600-$800. It will easily get runs if you get it on too heavy, and will look like orange peel if put on too dry. The margin of a perfect finish is much smaller. To remove any of these blemishes is much harder than for acrylic lacquer.

Cheapest yet best paint to buy? Well again acrylic laquer will be more cost effective if you do the labour yourself. Otherwise in 2K I don't believe there is cheapest and best, it is one or the other.

This car I painted in acrylic lacquer 9 years ago.

This car I painted in 2K clear over base 7 years ago.

This was painted in 2K COB a couple years ago.

I all comes down to experience, preference, budget, work premises, equipment etc.

I still suggest acrylic lacquer

Sounds like acrylic lacquer is the best choice...thanks for the advice hellbus, opened my eyes lol...thanks again

hey Tim as i was just telling u ive just painted this in enamel cos im lazy
it still probbaly needs a final wet sand and buff but im happy with it for now
enamel is very durable which is what i was after for this

-Joel

thanks for that joel...im still looking into what paint im going to use...btw sweet as job on that

I painted my kombi in that tractor stuff. It is super durable and chip resistant. I actually wanted the lemon skin look as my budget was super low and I didn't want some bastard keying it the first time I took it out (happened to my first two cars). I want the inside to be mickey mouse and the outside to be just goofy. I say listen to these guys here, they know their stuff, I am just giny my 2 cents.