Matt vehicle paint care

[Sebbak]

I checked other posts and some are v.old (and I assume painting technology has maybe come on a bit since?), or the newest post I found basically had 2 opinions of 'it's fine' vs. 'worst idea ever' so I was hoping for something a little more informative.

Matt paint on a vehicle; is it actually a massive faff, or is it really not that bad to live with? Asking as I'm weighing up the option, but wondering if it's actually worth it if I need to give it a hose down/bug clean every time I go out in it. I'm looking at white, so appreciate that may not be an easy colour to look after in gloss or matt to be honest, given the UK weather/road salt/general gunk on the roads!

I understand I can't use any polishing products on it or anything that results in a shiny finish/gloss enhancer, waxes etc, but is that all there is to it, or do I need to be wary of every little mark as soon as it shows up? Any helpful info and/or experience would be great, thanks!

[J1990]

For me, the biggest issue is how difficult it is to have any marks repaired. From all accounts it appears that a 'touch up' isn't a thing when it comes to matt paint, it's at least a full panel respray and then you're looking at potential for it to still stand out vs the original panels. There was a cracking deal come up on a matt silver EV6 that I was really tempted but couldn't help but feel the cost saving would be wiped out quickly.

If wanting the matt effect then I'd be far more inclined to go for the colour you want in metallic and then have a matt PPF applied - Gives the paint protection, minor marks can be rectified by replacing the PPF if necessary and as an added bonus, when it comes time to sell the car you don't have a paint finish that significantly reduces the size of your customer base.

[Sebbak]

J1990 said:

For me, the biggest issue is how difficult it is to have any marks repaired. From all accounts it appears that a 'touch up' isn't a thing when it comes to matt paint, it's at least a full panel respray and then you're looking at potential for it to still stand out vs the original panels. There was a cracking deal come up on a matt silver EV6 that I was really tempted but couldn't help but feel the cost saving would be wiped out quickly.

If wanting the matt effect then I'd be far more inclined to go for the colour you want in metallic and then have a matt PPF applied - Gives the paint protection, minor marks can be rectified by replacing the PPF if necessary and as an added bonus, when it comes time to sell the car you don't have a paint finish that significantly reduces the size of your customer base.

Appreciate the information, I didn't think about chip/scratch repair being a bigger issue, so that's definitely worth considering.

Good shout re: PPF too, I expect it more or less pays for itself in the long term (assuming no major dings!)