Is DuPont paint with 10 year warranty worth

[Deadpurpledog]

the additional cost?  What are you experiences, please?

[Walt G]

Is it lacquer, enamel, base coat clear coat ??

[Deadpurpledog]

Great questions!  Base coat.  Will ask whether lacquer or enamel.

[joe_padavano]

No need to ask - BC/CC is enamel (urethane most likely, with catalyst). The real question is, what is the exact wording of the warranty? Paint longevity is almost entirely dependent on surface prep and application. There are so many ways for a company to weasel out of a warranty that you had better fully understand the terms.

[Deadpurpledog]

Painter says it’s a 10-year warranty against fading, pealing or chipping backed by DuPont.  Haven’t seen a written warranty yet. . Meeting with them tomorrow.  Will check for warranty information online.

[Matt Harwood]

It still comes down to the prep and the guy spraying the paint. I bet the warranty requirements are extremely specific regarding who does the work and where.

[TTR]

Like almost all extended (read, extra cost) warranties, be they for your appliances, car, home, equipment, teeth, whatever, this too seems like legalized scam or racket.

How and who is actually going to be responsible to deal with exactly what if you have a claim ?

Are you going to keep and use the car for 10 years, since the so-called warranty is probably not transferable if/when you sell the it ?

Etc, etc, etc…

 

 

 

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by TTR (see edit history)

[TAKerry]

May be worth the paper its written on. Many years ago we did a remodel on a house. Upon removal of some of the vinyl siding it was crazy how much the original blue had faded to a light grey. I suppose happening over a number of years it wasnt noticed that bad. The owner was ecstatic that he saved everything associated with the warranty against fading. He had an original box it came in, a receipt from the lumber yard where it was purchased, registration paper, etc. When he contacted the company they sent a rep out. When the install date was brought into question the reply was that the company of which he had all of the documentation did not make that colour during that time frame, so it must be someone else's product. He fought and fought in the end they won. He did not get his siding replaced.

[alsancle]

Last gallon of color  I bought a month ago was $750 a gallon retail. I do not know the brand. Paint is expensive.

[TAKerry]

For that kind of money it should have at the least an implied warranty.

[Terry Bond]

Gotta be a climate exclusion too.

Terry 

[joe_padavano]

1 hour ago, TTR said:

Like almost all extended (read, extra cost) warranties, be they for your appliances, car, home, equipment, teeth, whatever, this too seems like legalized scam or racket.

How and who is actually going to be responsible to deal with exactly what if you have a claim ?

Are you going to keep and use the car for 10 years, since the so-called warranty is probably not transferable if/when you sell the it ?

Etc, etc, etc…

 

 

 

 

The reality is that all these extended warranties are is an insurance policy, and a very lucrative business for the seller at that. Same thing apparently applies to "premium grade" vs. regular quality parts. I bought the "premium grade brake drums from NAPA for my dually truck (at great expense). Turns out they were just as out-of-round as the regular grade parts. The significantly higher price just paid for the extended warranty.

[TTR]

3 hours ago, joe_padavano said:

The reality is that all these extended warranties are is an insurance policy, and a very lucrative business for the seller at that. 

I know, hence my earlier comments. 
 

I apologize for non-car related reference here, but few months ago our 20+ year old water heater at home sprang a leak and upon closer inspection I realized it wasn’t worth trying to fix, so off to the a local home improvement store I went.

They were offering two differently priced comparable (to our old) units available, one with 6 year warranty and  another with 10 at a higher price. Again, closer inspection quickly revealed they were exactly same units, just priced differently. 
So I bought and installed the one with 6 year warranty, wrote both the installation and replace by dates on it … 

 

 

[Bryan G]

DuPont spun off their automotive paint division 10 or 12 years ago. It's now called Axalta. I used to own a shop and use their product, which I was quite happy with. I don't know about now, but when I last used it (decade ago) their top warranty was lifetime, with 10 years being on a lesser product. To be valid the shop has to use only Axalta products including all primers and sealers, basecoat and clearcoat, and everything has to be done by the book. Assuming that, yes, I have seen these pay off. I always had a good relationship with the local jobber and the manufacturer's rep and when I had a problem they were generally good at making it right. 

 

There will likely be a clause about maintenance. You can't just sit it outside in the weather for 10 years and never wash or wax it. Bird droppings can be enemy number one, and don't count on those being covered all the time. Ditto stone chips.

[Frank DuVal]

Yep, Axalta is what it is called now. The painter till calls it DuPont?

[mrspeedyt]

TAKelly. sucks what Dupont says.

Edited December 1, 2023 by mrspeedyt
or at least doing. (see edit history)

[RansomEli]

Yep, Axalta is what it is called now. The painter till calls it DuPont?

Sorry, but sometimes I still call PPG "Ditzler".

 

Deadpurpledog, I wouldn't worry about the warranty.

If you buy a well-known brand and use their related primer, primer/surfacer, thinners, basecoat and clear coat as a complete system, you'll be OK. Mixing manufacturers can sometimes lead to problems if you don't know what you are doing.

 

Most important, proper preparation is the key. You'll spend 90% of your time preparing the car and maybe 10% actually spraying the final base coat/clear coat. When you're preparing the car for paint, good enough is not good enough. 

 

And read the Technical Data Sheet for each product you use. Follow its instructions and don't listen to what someone on the Internet says.

 

Dupont Axalta and PPG are great brands, but don't be afraid to look at TCP Global or TP Tools, either.

[TAKerry]

Hate to say in public, LOL. but I used cheap paint from Summit when I did my black car. Got the clear from Eastwood along with the primers. 7 years on, its still holding up fine, no problems. I think a GOOD quality paint with compatible components should last at least 10 years.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

20 hours ago, TTR said:

Like almost all extended (read, extra cost) warranties, be they for your appliances, car, home, equipment, teeth, whatever, this too seems like legalized scam or racket.

How and who is actually going to be responsible to deal with exactly what if you have a claim ?

Are you going to keep and use the car for 10 years, since the so-called warranty is probably not transferable if/when you sell the it ?

Etc, etc, etc…

 

 

 

 

Agreed.  This I know because my first adult job was selling these to auto dealers for resale.  Mechanical and "rust and dust".  Garbage, but a start to a resume at least.

[60FlatTop]

3 hours ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

selling these to auto dealers for resale.

I studied up on the Lemon Law Insurance when it first came out. It was really lucrative. Years later when I started my own business in another field I created a separate "warranty account" where I deposited 5% of each sale to cover unfunded expenses. That account raised the accountant's eyebrow.

I used it very little.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Bernie I was wet behind the ears in the mid 80s but even then I knew if I could write a book about the characters in the car business at the time... 😁😁

[erichill]

With proper prepping and mixing etc. you should have no issues with Dupont. We painted a friend's Pontiac Chiefton about 35 years ago with Dupont on i still see the car and it look fine.

[TTR]

On 12/1/2023 at 7:16 AM, RansomEli said:

Most important, proper preparation is the key. You'll spend 90% of your time preparing the car and maybe 10% actually spraying the final base coat/clear coat. When you're preparing the car for paint, good enough is not good enough. 

I agree, except in my experience or opinion/view the percentages are split little differently. 

Achieving a good to excellent (i.e. as good or better than the car had when new) refinish on most antique/classic/vintage cars, 80% depends on everything before* the final color is applied and 15% on everything done after**.

Application, i.e. spraying the color, regardless of the material type being used (i.e. lacquer, enamel, single stage, base coat/clear coat, etc), is the easiest/simplest part of it all and counts for 5% or less of the overall job, proven by the fact that just about all new, modern-era cars have been painted by robots at the respective factories for decades already (Heck, I used to say one could probably teach a monkey to spray the paint, but to do everything else, not likely)

 

* Meaning all final prep after the entire (but empty) body(shell) and all panels are metal finished and fitted with all corrosion (=rust, etc) and other metal repairs are already done.

** Meaning all paint related work is finished and car or its empty body(shell) and panels are now ready for re-assembly/installation of all (tens of) thousands of other parts and components initially disassembled/removed in preparation for the cars "restoration" quality re-paint.

Edited December 3, 2023 by TTR (see edit history)

[Deadpurpledog]

Thanks everyone!  Seems there’s agreement that prep is critical.  What are the stages of prep, please? Where variables exist with each stage, which choice is best?  What’s important after paint application?

[joe_padavano]

Read the tech sheets for the paint you plan to use. They will tell you exactly what prep is required. Following the manufacturer's process is mandatory for any claim against the warranty. There's no need to crowdsource this.

[Deadpurpledog]

Thanks Joe.  I’m not a painter. . .not even close.  I’m trying to learn what I should ask for from the painter and know what not to accept.

[joe_padavano]

6 hours ago, Deadpurpledog said:

Thanks Joe.  I’m not a painter. . .not even close.  I’m trying to learn what I should ask for from the painter and know what not to accept.

You can find the Axalta tech sheets here. You'll need to know exactly which primer, paint, and clear coat you are planning on using.

 

https://www.axalta.com/commercialtransportation_us/en_US/products/technical-data-sheets.html

Edited December 4, 2023 by joe_padavano (see edit history)

[Littlestown Mike]

All the above is good advice, but there is one more thing---Supposing the paint fails, what does the "warranty" cover?  Does it cover only materials?  How about labor?  Is the warraty pro-rated over the 10 year period? If the paint does fail, it will likely be toward the end of the 10 years, if they pro-rate the coverage and pay yousay 20% of the original cost, will that be of any real value to you?

[TAKerry]

8 hours ago, Deadpurpledog said:

Thanks Joe.  I’m not a painter. . .not even close.  I’m trying to learn what I should ask for from the painter and know what not to accept.

I dont think you need to know all of the nuances of how to apply paint, and what products to use when, as much as interview a shop and look at some of their work to know IF THEY know what theyre talking about. Certainly the more you know the better you are, but let the guys painting worry about what grade sandpaper, how to prep etc. If someone is selling you a 10 yr warranty as an extra and your comfortable with the extra cost then go ahead and do it. BUT make sure you read ALL of the fine print and make sure the shop is in compliance.  What kind of car are you looking to get painted? I know a fellow that lives in Vegas that has had several Pontiacs painted. The shop he uses does beautiful work and has a very quick turnaround time. I may be able to get some info if you want to pm me.

[Restorer32]

One rule we have that we will not budge on is that we will only paint a car, or anything else,  if we are first allowed to strip it to bare metal.

Edited December 4, 2023 by Restorer32 (see edit history)

[TTR]

1 hour ago, Restorer32 said:

One rule we have that we will not budge on is that we will only paint a car, or anything else,  if we are first allowed to strip it to bare metal.

Same here, but then again, I've always believed this should be given when car is being "restored". 

If a person wants their (old) car "just painted", there are umpteen million "paint & body shops" in every corner of the world to accommodate. 

[Deadpurpledog]

Thanks for your offer, TAKerry.  Will love to receive your referral in Las Vegas.

Edited December 5, 2023 by Deadpurpledog
Wrong name (see edit history)

[Deadpurpledog]

Great point, Littlestown Mike.