Harder clear coat

[NikonGuy]

Probably dumb question, why can't they make a harder clear coat, you know one that you can't scratch.

Is there a reason why clear coat has to be so soft that a simple swipe of a towel will mar it. Is it too difficult to make one rock hard?

I know there is a good reason for this though...

[Annahra]

I was thinking about this last night as I was scrubbing my expensive glasses with a bath towel...

[Rsurfer]

Probably dumb question, why can't they make a harder clear coat, you know one that you can't scratch.

Is there a reason why clear coat has to be so soft that a simple swipe of a towel will mar it. Is it too difficult to make one rock hard?

I know there is a good reason for this though...

One reason might be that sheet metal will expand and contract with heat and cold..paint needs to flex to avoid cracking. Infiniti tried a self healing paint that didn't work.

[Desertnate]

A rock hard clear would never be indestructible, so when it would mar it would be really hard to correct.

I have the same issues as the OP with my wife's Toyota. I've marred the paint wiping bird droppings off with a QD and a soft MF towel. At the other end of the spectrum is my VW which is much harder and withstands minor abrasions much better than the Toyota.

I will say, I prefer working on the Toyota since it is far easier to correct the paint than the VW. I think I'd rather be a little more careful with something easy to correct then struggle to correct a hard clear coat.