Repairing Super White (No Clear Coat)

[Jetboy]

So I have to have a minor fix done. I've searched and found nothing that answers this. And ideally let's keep it more generic than my specific circumstances.

I called Toyota and confirmed directly from Toyota that superwhite on my 2015 4runner does not have a clear coat. It is a single stage paint with "the clear mixed in" as I was told from Toyota.

No body shop I have found will 1. believe that it's single stage or 2. fix it with anything other than a base/clear blended into the fender/door. Even the only Toyota certified body shop in the state will not repair it with a similar single stage paint - and they also didn't believe me that it's single stage, but were at least willing to investigate (or just BS'd me?).

So

How does one go about repairing super white? No one in a modern body shop seems to be willing to repair a single stage with single stage because you can't easily blend a single stage with the rest of the body. Basically they can't spray the correct finished texture and also can't really buff to match, so then what?

Will a base clear match the sheen and fade characteristics of the OEM paint over time? Is it plausible that it would still match in 5 or 10 years?

Has anyone had a super white fixed and how has it looked over time?

 

[Titanpat57]

So I have to have a minor fix done. I've searched and found nothing that answers this. And ideally let's keep it more generic than my specific circumstances.

I called Toyota and confirmed directly from Toyota that superwhite on my 2015 4runner does not have a clear coat. It is a single stage paint with "the clear mixed in" as I was told from Toyota.

No body shop I have found will 1. believe that it's single stage or 2. fix it with anything other than a base/clear blended into the fender/door. Even the only Toyota certified body shop in the state will not repair it with a similar single stage paint - and they also didn't believe me that it's single stage, but were at least willing to investigate (or just BS'd me?).

So

How does one go about repairing super white? No one in a modern body shop seems to be willing to repair a single stage with single stage because you can't easily blend a single stage with the rest of the body. Basically they can't spray the correct finished texture and also can't really buff to match, so then what?

Will a base clear match the sheen and fade characteristics of the OEM paint over time? Is it plausible that it would still match in 5 or 10 years?

Has anyone had a super white fixed and how has it looked over time?

I mean, you're a pretty talented guy..I can't believe you don't own an HVLP set up.

I have some great contacts in the paint business , these guys know everything about everything..here's a technical assistance link http://www.kemperle.com/services_teams.php ...I'd ask your question there. I also forwarded this thread to a buddy to see if he can shed any light on this....he's the smartest guy I know in the business.

Spraying a single stage, as far as I'm concerned (and I've never tried to "blend" it) should come back up to the desired gloss once you buff it out. I think if you're worried about it, maybe do the whole piece that's damaged?

 

[Jetboy]

I mean, you're a pretty talented guy..I can't believe you don't own an HVLP set up.

I have some great contacts in the paint business , these guys know everything about everything..here's a technical assistance link Kemperle - Home ...I'd ask your question there. I also forwarded this thread to a buddy to see if he can shed any light on this....he's the smartest guy I know in the business.

Spraying a single stage, as far as I'm concerned (and I've never tried to "blend" it) should come back up to the desired gloss once you buff it out. I think if you're worried about it, maybe do the whole piece that's damaged?

I do have a couple cheap HVLP guns. Just not the skill or the facilities to really do a quality paint job. I've painted one car and a boat. I don't know a whole lot about it. Since I have no idea what I'm really talking about it's hard for me to even know if I'm totally up in the night when I feel like a base/clear paint isn't going to age the same way as a single stage. Maybe they're totally compatible and you'd never know the difference? I have no idea. It just seems contrary to what I expect.

 

[1engineer]

Here's the deal:
You can make a single stage paint just as "shiny" as a two stage paint by wet sanding and buffing.

You can "blend" the two stage into the single stage no problem. Will it match? Probably you won't be able to tell the difference.

Will it fade differently over time? Don't know. Toyota mixes a clear into their white so... honestly I don't know.

I wouldn't think twice about using base coat, blending the color into the original paint and clearing the rest of the panel back to the break. You have to sand and buff clear coat too so you can make the finish any shine and texture (orange peel) you desire.

The only thought I would have is fading after several years but hey, you can always buff the thing again. My .02

 

[Mistaken]

I would go with what the body shop recommends but let them know ahead of time that you are concerned with the 1 stage/2 stage thing. Then don't sign off on the finish product unless you are happy.

 

[brian0128]

Did you ever get your super white repaired correctly? How did it turn out?

 

[Jetboy]

I ended up going to a toyota factory certified shop. They acknowledged that the couldn't match the factory paint. But they were able to fix the fender paintlessly. The bumper was painted with a normal base clear. It looks pretty damn close. It's the best I could do. They did a good job with the little stuff like new clips and hardware so it all fits tightly like new.

 

[bofa]

Im kind of surprised to hear its a single stage paint job. That's not very common anymore i dont think. I wonder why they went that way. Hope you guys are waxing often.

Edit: I searched online and it appears it is more common for non-metallic paints from Toyota.

 

[Rocket61]

Hmm this makes me question my choice of going with white for the 17 pro. Maybe switch to the cement metallic but it might be too late.

 

[Brandonium]

I wax once a month at a minimum, sometimes twice a month. My friend who has a SW Tundra might wax once a year and it takes way more work to get his paint up to snuff.

Im kind of surprised to hear its a single stage paint job. That's not very common anymore i dont think. I wonder why they went that way. Hope you guys are waxing often.

Edit: I searched online and it appears it is more common for non-metallic paints from Toyota.

 

[ToyoDriver]

I wax once a month at a minimum, sometimes twice a month. My friend who has a SW Tundra might wax once a year and it takes way more work to get his paint up to snuff.

Fore shore!

I have only had my Superwhite 5 months but when I first got it I sealed it with two coats of liquid glass and topped that with a coat of NXT wax. Even using a RO it took an entire weekend! I wash my T4R at least weekly (it gets covered in bugs) and always refresh the wax with Griot's spray on wax.

My shit is buttery smooth 24/7 and it doesn't even get dirty when it rains because the water just beads right off. I have friends that are like "I just pressure wash my truck. It looks fine." after mudding trips and I just sit there like :wow: but after reading this thread I wonder if because of the paint difference there is a reason for that?

 

[jrandom]

I am curious, I have heard their single stage paints are pretty durable.

My only experience was with my old white std dlx, while I had some rust and perf on the doors, a 20+ year old truck, that rarely ever got washed and I think I waxed it twice, was in relatively good shape.

 

[S54MCoupe]

My dealer used their paint guy to repair some chips on the bumper when I bought my super white. Not sure the process they used but I doubt it was single stage. I can't tell what was painted and what wasn't.

 

[bofa]

I am curious, I have heard their single stage paints are pretty durable.

My only experience was with my old white std dlx, while I had some rust and perf on the doors, a 20+ year old truck, that rarely ever got washed and I think I waxed it twice, was in relatively good shape.

Its just a different animal. Most cars used single stage until around the 70s. Thats why older cars required more paint maintenance and waxing was way more important. Given the choice, id always pick paint with clearcoat.

 

[vwmasstransit]

Yea, I'm pretty sure my Barcelona red is also a single coat. It scratches really easy.

 

[Beaumont67]

Over the decades:
Lacquer paint jobs got replaced by Imron Enamel, with hardener...took hours to dry...some orange peel common.
Enamel paint jobs got replaced by Urethane including Clear, with Hardener added....held a shine much better.
- plus widely used on tractor trailer cabs, for durability
Urethane largely got replaced by Base coat / Clear coat....quicker dry time, easier repair touch up.
Now its Water Born Paints, first certified in CA.

Any reputable body shop should have no problem spraying a single stage urethane.
- large truck body shops (heavy equipment), probably do it every day.

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[bofa]

Yea, I'm pretty sure my Barcelona red is also a single coat. It scratches really easy.

Its metallic, so it should be base+clear.

 

[1engineer]

Its metallic, so it should be base+clear.

It's is. Paint is like oil. Everyone thinks they know about it...

I used to paint cars as a job before I went to college. I have no problem owning a white 4Runner.

Super White is the only single stage color on the 4Runner.

 

[bofa]

Surefire way to tell... take some cleaner wax and a white cloth (dark cloth for you super white owners) and rub a little. If the paint color transfers it's single stage. It wont hurt anything.

It seems white is the most common culprit for Toyota but i wouldnt be surprised if there are others. Cement maybe?

 

[suprarztt]

None of the other colors are single stage for the 4runner. I paint at a Toyota bodyshop.

Super white can be blended with base/clear and it should look perfectly fine if the painter is decent.

Some of the older toyota solid colours are single stage. Mainly solid colours like red/black/white