One of the easiest ways to tell if you have a 3-stage paint is to look down the side of your car at an angle. If the color seems to change or appear smoky or milky, you have a 3-stage paint. If you can't really tell for sure call the dealer with your VIN# handy and they will be able to tell you.
This bottle (or spray can) will have a check by the word Tricoat (or Midcoat) or a #2 on the label to identify it. This color goes on very thinly and you must practice a bit to get it right. Finally, you apply the clearcoat to achieve the correct color.
Stage 3: Final Polish or “Jeweling”
The final stage of paint correction, often referred to as the final polish or “jeweling,” focuses on fine-tuning the paint surface to achieve a high level of gloss, clarity, and depth. This stage aims to bring out the maximum shine and luster in the paintwork.
In most cars, there are only two layers, starting with the coloured 'base coat' at the bottom, and then topped with a 'clear coat'. With a tri-stage paint, however, there is an additional, thinly-applied 'mid coat' layer in between the base coat beneath it, and a clear coat up top.
Touching up a 3-stage paint job can be a bit more complex than a 2-stage paint job because it involves groundcoat, midcoat (pearls), and clearcoat layers. Here are the general steps to follow: Materials you'll need: Touch-up paint: Make sure you have the exact color match for your vehicle.
One of the easiest ways to tell if you have a 3-stage paint is to look down the side of your car at an angle. If the color seems to change or appear smoky or milky, you have a 3-stage paint. If you can't really tell for sure call the dealer with your VIN# handy and they will be able to tell you.
Simply use a machine buffer and your favorite polish once the paint has dried completely.
To identify your vehicle's paint type, use a small amount of polish on a clean applicator pad or microfiber cloth. Rub the polish onto an inconspicuous area of the paintwork, and if the paint color transfers to the applicator or cloth, single-stage paint has been used.
Full Paint Correction
The full correction begins with an aggressive cutting compound, followed by the medium compound and finishing polish. This can sometimes be known as a Stage 3 polish, as the paint is restored in 3 stages. A full correction can take 2 days depending on the condition and vehicle type.
Often, doing three-layer finishes is best left to be done as the last job of the day, when the booth is generally available for longer. It's vital to allow extra room for blending – generally one full panel – and remember both ground-coat and mid-coat need blending.
The first step is a heavy cutting compound with a heavy cutting pad to remove those deeper swirl marks and scratches, the second step is a cutting polish and polishing pad to remove further swirls marks followed by the finishing polish and finishing pad to further refine the paint work to a swirl, mar and hologram free ...
Certain types of pearlescent car paint need 3-stages to get the right results (3-stage paint is always used for pearlescent car paint). It's 2 parts of paint (the coloured base coat then a pearlescent top coat) needed to achieve the colour; then lacquer needed to achieve the finish.
“In general a 4Stage formula will require the application of a ground coat in addition to the base coat and mid coat application while others may use a tinted clear coat in addition to the final clear coat (non-tinted).
So one way you can find out whether your paint is oil or latex-based is by rubbing a bit of nail polish remover, which is rich in acetone, onto a rag or paper towel and wiping the paint surface with it. If the paint is broken down and rubs off onto your rag or paper towel, you are dealing with latex paint.
Driver's door label
Along with the VIN and important information like GVWR, it often has the vehicle paint code printed on it. Look for an abbreviation like 'EXT PNT' or an identifier like 'BODY COLOR CODE', although sometimes the paint code isn't so clearly identified. It can be between two and five digits.
Yes, the polish will get rid of scratches and make the paint look new, but the wax will give it a lot of shine and some protection.
The ordinary paint correction cost tends to start from $300 to $1,500, depending on the quality of the vehicle.
A paint correction is necessary if you notice a fading or damage in your car's clear coat. This includes damage like scratches and hazing. You could also get a paint correction to remove swirl marks caused by machine polishers or hard polishing compounds.
While most modern car manufacturers and body shops use two-stage paint to restore cars and trucks, vehicles from 1980 or earlier typically have single-stage paint.
Three stage paint jobs have the most depth and sometimes appear to change color as a car drives by. The most common three stage paint is pearl white. Intense "Candy Apple Red" and similar paint jobs are also 3-stage. They achieve effects that regular one- and two-stage paints can't.
Apply single-stage urethane paints in two or three medium wet coats as necessary to achieve sufficient coverage, allowing 10-minute flash time between coats. Additional coats may be necessary to achieve total coverage for some metallic colors.
Feathering with a brush will produce a flat "halo" (outline) around the touch-up. Feathering with a synthetic roller cover will aid in blending slight differences in color and sheen without producing a noticeable halo.
Many scratches, from light to moderately deep, can be buffed out at home with some effort. However, scratches that penetrate to the primer or metal should be professionally addressed to avoid long-term damage.
Mind you, it's not entirely necessary if you're only touching up a very small chipped area. It might not even make that much, or at all of a difference to how it'll look. Some paint touch-up repair kits don't include a bottle of clear coat.