Self Repairing Clear Coat

[Bergado]

Nissan develops self-repairing paint - Autoblog

Nissan Motor unveiled Friday a new clearcoat paint that repairs small scratches on car surfaces.

Nissans "Scratch Guard Coat" is based on an elastic resin that not only protects the paint under the clearcoat, but also slowly repairs scratches in the clear surface - gradually returning to its original unscratched state in anywhere from a day to a week, depending on temperature and the depth of the scratch. (Before and after pics at right.)


The primary purpose of Scratch Guard is resisting fine scratches from automated car wash machines. Nissan says its scratch resistant properties are good for about 3 years.

Anyone have more info on this?

[Mike T]

I love the concept.

"Quote
Self-Repairing Paint
Most of the damage a car’s paint suffers comes in the form of tiny scratches. Historically, automakers sought to solve the problem by creating tougher finishes. But Nissan recently unveiled a radically different approach: a finish that doesn’t try to prevent everyday scrapes but rather accepts and heals them. The secret is a highly resilient resin that when added to a basic acrylic clear coat maintains its state as a flexible solid. When a car is scratched, the resin slowly seeps back into the gouge, virtually erasing the scrape in days. The Scratch Guard Coat is currently available on the Nissan X-Trail in Japan for $420 and will be an option on an unspecified Infiniti model in the U.S. later this year.

Don Rigsby "

[ScottB]

I read about this with alot of interest about a year back, seems it is only good for a period of 5 years however.

[Mike T]

I read about this with alot of interest about a year back, seems it is only good for a period of 5 years however.

3 years, according to the Blog he posted. I wonder how strong the clearcoat is after that period of time.

[ScottB]

Nissans clearcoat and paint in general seems to chip if you look at it wrong. My 01 Maxima AE Edition was sold a year later and looked like it needed a front repaint. Dad (CSR Mgr Nissan) says they still get alot of paint complaints in general.

[klumzypinoy]

Oh man that is sweet, 5 years is good enough since the average vehicle owner doesn't care about keeping their finish swirl/scratch free until it's too late.

[BILL]

Oh man that is sweet, 5 years is good enough since the average vehicle owner doesn't care about keeping their finish swirl/scratch free until it's too late.

Bottom line is no matter how long it will last. we'll still be polishing, waxing, sealing, Q.D.ing forever......WHY?? BECAUSE WE LOVE IT

[Bergado]

More (although only slightly more technical) info here: NISSAN | Scratch Guard Coat

I'd be fun to have a sample panel just to test some of the concerns brought up in this thread... how easily it chips, how it responds to polishing, etc... Though I'm more curious about the life span of this mystery elastic resin - I assume it hardens over time and simply loses any resiliance (hence the 3 yr life) and then behaves like an ordinary clear coat.

The date of the original article is December 2005, but I cannot find any newer info.

[StephenK]

i was talking with the paint guy at work asking him about hardness of clear coats and he told me that mercedes clear coats repair themselfs. about 2 years ago he had scuffed up a 1/4panel before going home for the night and the next morning he could not tell he had scuffed it. the way he explained scuffing to me is like using 6000grit sandpaper. so scratches were extremely light. so nissan did not come out with something new.

[Grimm]

Sounds nice, but wouldn't a finish like that make it difficult to polish? Plus I'm not sure how it would be possible to have a perfectly smooth finish like can be achieved with normal clear coat if this stuff is so pliable.