I was cleaning this stain off my car today with 3M swirl mark remover and noticed the white towel started turning yellow - i have heard that the PY R's didn't have a clearcoat so i wasn't really suprised, but then i go over to the driver's side door (that was repainted because someone broke into my car) and do the same thing but no color is coming off onto the towel. So the whole driver's side of the car has a clearcoat and the rest does not. Will this affect how the paint fades later down the road? Does it really matter? Anyone know why they don't clearcoat PY?

 

I'm no expert, but if i started taking paint of my car with a towel I would be a little concerned...

 

I dunno about your car, but my car DEFINATELLY has a clear coat

 

It happens, paint is the most delicate thing on your car. All modern cars come with a clearcoat, including the R in PY. I am not an expert but when I am using a deep cleaner on my Black Integra it comes off black, even though I have a clearcoat. The paint on the repainted part may have a different type of clear.

 

The black could be the dirt, if its paint then the clear coat has been worn through...

 

Not all clearcoats are clear.

 

For some reason I find that really amusing...

 

Why?

 

me thinks its because in that case the word clearcoat could be a misnomer.

 

I thought he was being snarky.

 

Were you using swirl remover or rubbing compound or something with rubbing compound in it? If so, you gotta be careful with that stuff because it has micro granuals thats 'sands' away the fine scratches. if you use too much in one area, you can strip off the paint like sand paper.

 

Are you sure it's yellow "paint", or just industrial fallouts and oxidation? I have yellow stains on my towel when I use prewax cleaners that removed paint oxidation and surface dirt (embedded in clearcoat). I don't think swirl remover will be powerful enough to rip your clearcoat away in just 1 or 2 applications.

 

It's called "abrasive". Meguiar's Swirl Remover is abrasive. It will grind down the finish. It will wear through clear coat. Use it carefully and only after you find that something milder (like Zymol HD-Cleanse, which is NON-abrasive) doesn't work.



[Modified by nsxtcjr, 6:47 AM 8/23/2001]

 

You would have to use a TON of swirl remover (which generally are not THAT abrasive when intended for hand application) to wear away the clear coat. TON means many, many, many applications of the stuff. If you are using an abrasive and your towel starts picking up paint, you either do not have a clear coat or it is gone in that area. And, you can use plenty of abrasive on non-clear coated cars as well. I had to on my mr2 to get it looking great.

I have *heard* from multiple sources that the ITR paint is an enamel that is not clearcoated. I will verify one day in the near future with some 3M Fine cut. Although most cars these days are clearcoated, not all are.

Oh yeah, any polish or paint cleaner that is non-abrasive usually uses solvents or fillers to help hide swirls. If the swirls are light, a filler works good, but most fillers dont last all that long. Removing the swirls and then preventing them is always the best bet.


[Modified by Yell00ITR, 8:31 AM 8/23/2001]

 

The guy that did my paintless dent repair (he is also the guy that does it for the Acura Dealer I go to) told me that there was no clear coat as well.

Not a perfect source, but it lends credence to the prior remark.

 

I dont beleive the CW's have a clearcoat either. At least thats what the service guy told me. I know my wifes stupid NBP Prelude has a clearcoat and you can see every little imperfection and everytime you even touch the car it leaves a mark in the clearcoat.

 

I have used Meguiar's Swirl Remover on my PY ITR and the towel turns yellow pretty quickly.

The best bet, with swirls as well as most other finish problems, is to try something mild first. If that doesn't do the trick try something a little stronger. Then something stronger still. Once you've got the problem licked, then work your way back through the milder and milder materials to restore the glass-smooth finish.

Zymol HD-Cleanse is definitely milder than Meguiar's Swirl Remover, and does not pick up the paint color on the towel. It does remove (permanently) light oxidation and light swirl marks, and is not merely a filler that washes off like 3M Imperial Hand Glaze. If there are deeper scratches and HD-Cleanse doesn't remove them, only then do I use the Meguiar's Swirl Remover.

 

I dont know about the yellow ITR, but I'm pretty sure that the black 01 ITR's have a clear coat. What makes me think this? Pop the hatch and look around the hatch where there is paint but it is not seen from the out side. Honda did not clear coat this area to save on money (from what I'm told). My 98 GSR was the same way. Think about it, if honda saves 2 dollars a car on clear coat and they sell 500,000 cars, they just saved 1 million dollars. Anyway back to the point, look at the hatch and also i believe under the hood, there is not clear on that and you can see the difference.

Craig
01 ITR

 

According to my painter my r was painted in single stage (no clear) also.

 

Every car has a clearcoat............some yellow comming off will not hurt. It will come off when put Scratch remover and 3M on. Don't push hard!!!! You'll be golden.

 

It sounds like some think the PY R's have clearcoat and others think that they don't. How the hell do you find out if it really does or not? I'm getting my OEM kit painted in the next couple of days and the guy said that they will clearcoat the kit, is this going to make the kit look a little different than the rest of my car if my car does not have a clearcoat?

 

I'm already golden!

ITR 01 PY 1091

 

I have heard numerous times that if you use an abrasive cleaner and the towel or whatever you are using to apply the cleaner turns the color of your car you don't have a clearcoat and if no color comes off at all on the towel then you have a clearcoat. I did this test and color did rub off onto the towel. I really don't think PY R's have a clearcoat. The driver's side of my car is clearcoated and the rest is not and i can't tell the difference, so if they do clear your body kit you should not be able to see a difference.

 

my PY R has clear coat.. you can tell just by the way it looks..

 

I find it hard to believe that Acura would sell a car for $24,800 without some sort of clearcoat. If it is true that PYs don't have a clearcoat then I am really pissed!