Maintaining a coated Hellcat w/ Matte Hood???

[TMQ]

Just occurred to me that to maintain a coated Hellcat with an uncoated matte hood will be a problem later down road---say 6 months later.

How would one add a boost to the coated paint without splashing or contaminating the "uncoated" hood?

Let say I washed the car and when I spray down some Hydro blue but when I hose off the Hydro---it'll get all over the hood. I think would make hood all spotty and contaminating the matte look.

How would you coated experts deal with something like this?

Tom

[DBAILEY]

I'm going to guess that Hydro would not change the look of the matte hood much at all and just add protection to the matte sealant you used on the hood. Someone has to have used it on matte paint by now.

[TMQ]

I treat the matte hood with McKee's matte cleaner and protectant. I don't want anything else touching the hood.

So how does one get around that?

Tom

[jkrig]

Curious.....what coating did you use on the paint, I ask because I have coated matte finished hoods (both factory installed wraps on 6th gen Camaro's) and they came out great, it actually slightly darkens the finish slightly but beads and sheets just like the rest of the paint. I used Gloss Coat on one and CQ UK on another....while I typically use the supplied applicator with Gloss Coat I used used a CarPro block and suede applicator to apply .... it's probably not a viable solution for this particular issue but down the road it may help.

[Nick McKees37]

Just occurred to me that to maintain a coated Hellcat with an uncoated matte hood will be a problem later down road---say 6 months later.

How would one add a boost to the coated paint without splashing or contaminating the "uncoated" hood?

Let say I washed the car and when I spray down some Hydro blue but when I hose off the Hydro---it'll get all over the hood. I think would make hood all spotty and contaminating the matte look.

How would you coated experts deal with something like this?

Tom

I've used Hydro Blue on Challengers with the MATTE finish hood without any issues. Enjoy.

[WillSports3]

Maybe get a small bottle of a matte coating and then cover it with a garbage bag or something after you first clean the matte portions?

[Jay's 128i]

I've used tape and trash bags to protect hood wraps with great success.

[osiapstndp]

If you're worried that a product you're using is going to spoil the matte surface then you can open the hood and leave it up while you work on the fenders and front bumper. If overspray in the engine bay is a worry then you can bunch up some towels around the perimeter.

Nick says that Hydro Blue won't negatively affect the OEM matte black paint on a Challenger's hood. I trust him.

[osiapstndp]

Oftentimes the Mopars I work on have matte vinyl graphics and I've never seen a "topper" product (like C2v3 or Reload) or a coating (like CSL and CQuartz) do anything but make them look better and provide protection. The matte paint on Hellcat hoods is different than thin vinyl (there's more texture to it), but I still wouldn't be too worried about harming the surface. When in doubt do a test spot and observe the result.

[RaskyR1]

I would just coat the matte hood too. IMO it improves the appearance with a very slight darkening and evens out the look.

Coated Matte wrap


Coated stock matte hood


Coated OEM matte/CF stripes



Maintain with a product like Reload.