is the Camaro paint considered "hard" or "Soft"? - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

jshaf · 10-29-2014, 08:21 PM

just curious, almost sounds like a dumb question I know but when you read a lot of reviews on products it is nice to know what kind of paint I am dealing with. I think it is hard but I have never given a rats behind on my previous cars.

CamaroDreams07 · 10-29-2014, 08:48 PM

I'd say neither. People on here will tell you it's soft, it's not. They just haven't worked with much variety of paint. It's not hard either like the German finishes. It's actually really nice - soft enough to be able to polish out easily, hard enough that you aren't marring it with jeweling polishes.

FilibustaRhymes · 10-30-2014, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams07

I'd say neither. People on here will tell you it's soft, it's not. They just haven't worked with much variety of paint. It's not hard either like the German finishes. It's actually really nice - soft enough to be able to polish out easily, hard enough that you aren't marring it with jeweling polishes.

That's good to hear. I always see people commenting about how soft/bad our paint is, but I haven't really had that experience personally.

CamaroDreams07 · 10-31-2014, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FilibustaRhymes

That's good to hear. I always see people commenting about how soft/bad our paint is, but I haven't really had that experience personally.

It's honestly user error. We live in a culture where everything is somebody else's fault, unfortunately.

DylanVK · 10-31-2014, 11:12 AM

Agreed. Its somewhere in the middle and average in quality compared to most any other car out there that features a production line OEM finish.

You can go to any enthusiast forum - doesn't matter the make or model - and the owners will all claim that the paint on their cars is awful, too soft, too hard, too thin, too much orange peel, etc.

Angrybird 12 · 10-31-2014, 11:18 AM

Be glad you didn't own a GM car in the Late 80's when the paint would bubble up and fall off after a couple years like my 88 GP did. At least GM stepped up and repainted it at no charge even though the warranty was long gone. They had a bunch of bad primer that the paint would not adhere to but would not show up for a couple years.

ChrisBlair · 11-02-2014, 09:51 AM

Respectfully, I've had let's see...four different cars painted since 1989. I've also owned ten cars since 1989. I still own one of the cars I had in 1989. I'm a little like a cat- I can't read, but I can compare. I don't qualify as having 'worked with' a variety of paints, but I do qualify as somebody that has taken an interest in the cosmetics of their cars for the last 25 years, having entered a classic car in several shows, and having conducted decades of restoration work as a competent amateur.

I have never owned a car before that scratched so easily. Not even my '07 Pontiac scratched this easily. I have, quite literally, scratched my Camaro's paint with my thumbnail, and had to buff it out. Last spring some butcher's paper contacted my bumper. Not scrubbed across it, just contacted it as the parcel was put in the trunk. An hour of buffing to remove the scratches was required.

The car I had painted last was painted in 2003. I routinely used to sit on the fenders, and the hood- lying on it with my back against the windshield, and the paint was never marred. This was a car I personally put 300+ hours of bodywork into before I had it sprayed, and I was never afraid of scratching the paint. That's the car that had been in shows.

Compared to my '69 Olds, my '70 Buick, my '71 Buick, my '73 Buick, my '78 Poncho, my '82 Ford, my '87 Buick, my '92 Ford, my '97 Buick and even my '07 Poncho, my opinion is that the paint system on my '12 Camaro is soft.

Maybe other people have 'harder' paint systems on their 5Gens. At least it's not a big deal to remove a single scratch but I'd prefer to not get the scratch in the first place.

I place "blame" on the regulations that changed the way automotive paint is manufactured, in order to lessen the amount of chemicals leached into the ground.

I never owned a Chrysler. I just thought of that. Odd.

29er · 11-02-2014, 12:35 PM

i say soft too.
my 1LE is close to 4 months now. allready have 5 rockchips on it. i got 2 from the dealer to my house the day that i picked up the car. as you know they're are on both sides on gills -in front of the rear fenders.
we got big tires that sticks and pick up anything so,that's the first place they hit. first time i washed the car , i don't look pulled on the water hose only to chafe on the front splitter to get it scratched! i was mad like hell. tried everything it's still there. the paint or clear is cheap. and not very resistant.

i had my trans am WS6,for 12 years it took me about 3 to 4 years before i got 5 chips on it. it was my DD.
ok this gen was much more different too. tires were inside the fenders.and paint/clear wasn't the same. and much more resistant and maintenance free.

with the camaro i feel that every bug that i'll kill it will scratch the car! i go ultra slow when there's rocks on the road or pull away on the side to let others pass me by. it's crazy or i'm crazy?! couple weeks ago i made a u-turn when the road ahead of me was turning to gravel--construction for new pavement-- i didn't want to go there.

JTruck · 11-02-2014, 01:28 PM

I would blame the design of the car more than the paint.

motorhead · 11-02-2014, 01:52 PM

Haven't been impressed with the paint on any modern car these days. The paint on my John Deere can handle more abuse and look better than my Camaro.

10-29-2014, 08:21 PM	#1
jshaf Montani Semper Liberi Drives: 2011 Black 2SS/RS w/ IOM stripes Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Masontown, WV Posts: 4,841	is the Camaro paint considered "hard" or "Soft"? just curious, almost sounds like a dumb question I know but when you read a lot of reviews on products it is nice to know what kind of paint I am dealing with. I think it is hard but I have never given a rats behind on my previous cars. __________________ Stainless Works 1 7/8 Long Tude Headers, Stainless Works High Flow Cats, Stainless Works Retro Chambered Catback, Z/28 Air Intake, RDP Tuned, FR41 Chrome Rims, 1100W stereo, 35% Tint

10-29-2014, 08:48 PM	#2
CamaroDreams07 Drives: Slow V6 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: East Lansing, MI Posts: 9,361 View My Garage	I'd say neither. People on here will tell you it's soft, it's not. They just haven't worked with much variety of paint. It's not hard either like the German finishes. It's actually really nice - soft enough to be able to polish out easily, hard enough that you aren't marring it with jeweling polishes. __________________ [B]

10-31-2014, 11:18 AM	#6
Angrybird 12 7 year Cancer Survivor! Drives: 17 Cruze RS, 07 G6 GT, 99 Astro Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: East Tennessee Posts: 21,547	Be glad you didn't own a GM car in the Late 80's when the paint would bubble up and fall off after a couple years like my 88 GP did. At least GM stepped up and repainted it at no charge even though the warranty was long gone. They had a bunch of bad primer that the paint would not adhere to but would not show up for a couple years. __________________ Cancer's a bitch! Enjoy life while you can! LIVE, LOVE, DRIVE... The Bird is the word!

11-02-2014, 09:51 AM	#7
ChrisBlair Buick 455 Fan Drives: 1970 Buick, 2012 1SS LS3 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Boston MA Posts: 5,957	Respectfully, I've had let's see...four different cars painted since 1989. I've also owned ten cars since 1989. I still own one of the cars I had in 1989. I'm a little like a cat- I can't read, but I can compare. I don't qualify as having 'worked with' a variety of paints, but I do qualify as somebody that has taken an interest in the cosmetics of their cars for the last 25 years, having entered a classic car in several shows, and having conducted decades of restoration work as a competent amateur. I have never owned a car before that scratched so easily. Not even my '07 Pontiac scratched this easily. I have, quite literally, scratched my Camaro's paint with my thumbnail, and had to buff it out. Last spring some butcher's paper contacted my bumper. Not scrubbed across it, just contacted it as the parcel was put in the trunk. An hour of buffing to remove the scratches was required. The car I had painted last was painted in 2003. I routinely used to sit on the fenders, and the hood- lying on it with my back against the windshield, and the paint was never marred. This was a car I personally put 300+ hours of bodywork into before I had it sprayed, and I was never afraid of scratching the paint. That's the car that had been in shows. Compared to my '69 Olds, my '70 Buick, my '71 Buick, my '73 Buick, my '78 Poncho, my '82 Ford, my '87 Buick, my '92 Ford, my '97 Buick and even my '07 Poncho, my opinion is that the paint system on my '12 Camaro is soft. Maybe other people have 'harder' paint systems on their 5Gens. At least it's not a big deal to remove a single scratch but I'd prefer to not get the scratch in the first place. I place "blame" on the regulations that changed the way automotive paint is manufactured, in order to lessen the amount of chemicals leached into the ground. I never owned a Chrysler. I just thought of that. Odd. __________________

11-02-2014, 01:28 PM	#9
JTruck Drives: 2014 Camaro 1LT/RS Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Arizona Posts: 1,693	I would blame the design of the car more than the paint. __________________ Detailing is an involuntary obsession.

10-31-2014, 11:12 AM	#5
DylanVK Drives: a few Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Colorado Posts: 507	Agreed. Its somewhere in the middle and average in quality compared to most any other car out there that features a production line OEM finish. You can go to any enthusiast forum - doesn't matter the make or model - and the owners will all claim that the paint on their cars is awful, too soft, too hard, too thin, too much orange peel, etc.

11-02-2014, 12:35 PM	#8
29er Drives: 14 1LE Garage King Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: MTL Posts: 1,519 View My Garage	i say soft too. my 1LE is close to 4 months now. allready have 5 rockchips on it. i got 2 from the dealer to my house the day that i picked up the car. as you know they're are on both sides on gills -in front of the rear fenders. we got big tires that sticks and pick up anything so,that's the first place they hit. first time i washed the car , i don't look pulled on the water hose only to chafe on the front splitter to get it scratched! i was mad like hell. tried everything it's still there. the paint or clear is cheap. and not very resistant. i had my trans am WS6,for 12 years it took me about 3 to 4 years before i got 5 chips on it. it was my DD. ok this gen was much more different too. tires were inside the fenders.and paint/clear wasn't the same. and much more resistant and maintenance free. with the camaro i feel that every bug that i'll kill it will scratch the car! i go ultra slow when there's rocks on the road or pull away on the side to let others pass me by. it's crazy or i'm crazy?! couple weeks ago i made a u-turn when the road ahead of me was turning to gravel--construction for new pavement-- i didn't want to go there.

11-02-2014, 01:52 PM	#10
motorhead Drives: Love the one you're with Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Downtown Charlie Brown Posts: 11,850	Haven't been impressed with the paint on any modern car these days. The paint on my John Deere can handle more abuse and look better than my Camaro.