Matte paint colours have become quite popular, with some dealerships even offering matte paint as a factory option. In a parking lot of glossy paint finishes, a matte paint job will certainly make your car stand out – but is it worth it? We look at the matte car paint pros and cons.
While matte paint is increasingly being offered as a factory option for many vehicles, most of these vehicles are for luxury high end vehicles and therefore only relevant to the fortunate few that can afford these cars.
Here is a list of vehicles that offer matte paint as a factory option:
- Hyundai Veloster Rally Edition
- Fiat 500X
- Dodge Viper
- Fiat 124 Spider
- BMW i8
- Bentley Continental Convertible
- Tesla Model 3
- Audi R8
- Lamborghini Aventador
The lifetime of the paint work comes down to the quality of paint used. If a standard quality paint is used then the paint should last for about three to five years. However, if the car is covered in a high-quality paint then the paint would last up to 10 years. There are mainly two things that could affect its lifetime: The amount of sunlight the paint will encounter and the harshness of car washes (especially an automatic car wash, which is not recommend for matte paint).
One of the most important things to understand about matte paint is how to wash the vehicle. This is very important as it affects the lifetime and visual appearance of the paint work. You should never use wax or polish on matte paint as this will damage the colour of the paint. If you use a pressure cleaner make sure to keep the nozzle 30cm away from the body of the vehicle to avoid the paint from being chipped. Lastly, do not wash the car if it has been in the sun for a long time, because the body panels of the car will still be hot and there is a greater risk of damaging the paint.
Matte paint can be scratched just as easily as regular glossy paint, but it’s more difficult to repair. If you have invested in Scratch and Dent insurance cover, it’s worthwhile checking with your vehicle insurance provider to see if they cover this type of paint job.
If you’re a petrol head, in love with your car and ready to spend quality time with it to take care of the matte paint job, then it might be worth it. If, for example, you have a weekend car that won’t be used every day then matte paint would be a great way to customise the look of the vehicle, as the matte paint looks fantastic on cars with sharp edges and sporty body lines.
However, for the average driver, we don’t think matte paint is worth it. It is an expensive option and requires a lot of attention.
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