• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header left navigation
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer

[email protected] | 01256 769611

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

  • Home
  • Services
    • Paint Protection Film
    • New Car Paint Protection
    • Gloss Enhancement Detail
    • Correction Detail
    • Signature Clean
    • Wheel Refurbishment
    • Leather Renovation
    • Bodyshop Services
  • Portfolio
Autocurators

Autocurators

Professional Vehicle Detailing & Paint Protection Services

  • About
  • Articles & News
  • Contact

Matte Paint Care & Marmite Discussions

November 16, 2020

As car detailers based near Hook and Basingstoke, we\’ve seen plenty of cars with matte paint finishes. These types of paint finishes can create much ‘Marmite’ discussion on automotive forums and blogs. But love them or hate them, there’s no disguising the fact that matte paint care takes time and effort. Many people wrongly assume that matte paint will be easy to care for and repair. It isn’t! So, in this article, we thought we’d share some nuggets of information to help you care for your matte paint finish.

Matte Paint Care Tips from Car Detailers:

The popularity of matte finishes definitely ebbs and flows. For a while, it was all the rage to have a satin or matte vinyl wrap on a car. Then manufacturers started to produce their own factory paint finishes. Most commonly, we see these used on BMW and Mercedes.

BMW call their finish ‘Frozen’, while Mercedes call theirs ‘Magno’. That said, you can also order a Ferrari with matte paint, and there is even a Peugeot with a strange two-tone finish where the colour was gloss, and half the car was matte black. It looks even worse than it sounds!

Picking your Products:

It’s important to carefully select any product you choose for your matte paint care. Shampoo, quick detailers, or any other cleaners should not include gloss enhancers, or anything oil-based. They must be solvent-based to avoid altering the matte paint finish.

Find the Perfect Paint Sprayer:

A major downside to matte paint is the practicality of repairing it if the need arises. Unlike regular gloss finishes, it’s impossible to blend matte paint. So even a minor repair on a panel will mean a repaint of the entire panel. A respray can also potentially include adjacent panels to the damaged one. With a gloss paint, it is possible to keep a repair much more localised.

The finish relies on the paint sprayer being properly on top of their game, as the finish out of the spray gun is what you have to live with. With normal paint, any unwanted texture (orange peel), or minor imperfections can be sanded out, before being polished to a perfect finish. This isn’t possible with matte paint.

Talk to us about finding the right paint sprayer. We\’ve been in the business for a long time and have a little black book full of trusted contacts. Some based around Hook, Basingstoke and North Hampshire. But also others nationally.

Handle with Care:

When it comes to matte paint care, it\’s important to remember that anything oily or greasy can leave marks in matte paint. Because it’s an unusual finish, the first thing people do when they see it is to place their hand on the surface to see what it feels like. Oils from your hands can then be left on the paint, which will soak in and mark it. As car detailers, we frequently see perfect sets of fingerprints left on matt paint. Convertibles are even worse because occupants are more likely to be wearing sun cream, so have oily hands when they open and close doors.

Want a Matte Finish that\’s also durable? We can help.

So, matte paint care can be a bit of a pain… But we can help. We’re not just car detailers. We\’re also factory-trained installers for Xpel PPF (Paint Protection Film), carrying out full installations at our detailing studios near Hook and close to Basingstoke.

Xpel Stealth is a matte paint protection film, and we can apply it to both gloss and matte paint. The finish closely mimics the factory matte paint finishes. But it also offers great protection for your car.

Because Stealth is a self-healing PPF, it is extremely durable. It will stop the same chips, scratches and impacts as regular gloss PPF, and doesn’t suffer the same porosity problems as matte paint.

We have used Stealth PPF to transform various cars that have gloss paint, to give them a totally different look. The original paint underneath will be maintained and protected, and you can have the benefit of your car getting an exciting new look, without the massive cost and drawbacks of matte paint. If and when you want to remove it, it comes off with no detriment to the original paint. In our experience, cars with matte paint have a much more limited appeal to buyers and can have a very negative impact on their value because people either don’t want the hassle or don’t understand/like it. This way, using the Stealth film as a conversion, you get the best of both worlds.

The Xpel pattern database is superb and has beautifully designed templates for a vast range of cars. Installing this way is efficient and totally safe. For cars that don’t have patterns available, it may be possible to complete a bespoke, custom installation.


Talk to us about an Xpel Stealth installation for a matte paint look without the hassle! We’re based in the beautiful village of Rotherwick, near Hook and Basingstoke. Contact us HERE.

Category: Articles, PPF, Vehicle Paint Care
Previous Post:Sansom Car Care – Now at Auto Curators
Next Post:Ceramic Coatings – Questions Clients Ask

Ready for your car to look a million dollars?

Talk to us about how we can help.

GET IN TOUCH

Find us on the ‘gram

autocurators

569

Auto Curators Ltd

autocurators

View

Mar 23

Open
Our good friend Pete, of @petrolheadtours came to see us this week with his recent purchase. This dramatic looking Morgan Aero 8 is a very rare Series 1 car, unbelievably over 20 years old now. 
I’m fortunate that I’ve had the chance to drive these before, and the old school looks don’t prepare you for the driving experience. A very light car by modern standards, it features an aluminium chassis similar to that in a Lotus Elise, but borrows it’s drivetrain from a BMW 540i - so, a 4.4 litre, naturally aspirated V8 is under the bonnet. 
Pete is only the third owner of this amazing car, but years of someone lovingly wiping dust off the paintwork with a dry cloth had left it looking as dull as a blackboard. 
After a careful wash, there was an even more careful machine polish to carry out. The shapes are extremely awkward, and thus time consuming, but the results were well worth it. Finished with Onyx Graphene Pro ceramic coating, Pete was quite taken aback with the results when he collected it. We look forward to seeing it again at events this summer. 
Want the same for you car? Get in touch, we can help you. 
#autocurators #morgan #aero8 #detailing #paintcorrection #hampshire #hook #basingstoke #ceramiccoating #onyxgraphenepro
61 11

autocurators

View

Mar 15

Open
Q: When is a Yaris not your regular Yaris?
A: When it’s a Toyota Yaris GR!
We recently had the pleasure of welcoming one of these amazing cars to our studio for XPEL PPF installation. Find out more about the project in our latest blog article… Visit our dedicate PPF website ‘PPF On My Car’ from the link in our bio.
26 3

autocurators

View

Mar 9

Open
This super rare Alpina B3 Touring left us this afternoon, after we installed our Extended Front end PPF package. 
Having been delivered to us directly from Sytner Nottingham, on a covered trailer, we carried out a full new car preparation, before installing Xpel Ultimate Plus over the whole front, the sills, pillars and a rear luggage strip. We ceramic coated the paintwork and wheels, and protected the beautiful interior. This car will get lots of use, and should now stay looking like this for a long time. 
#autocurators #alpina #alpinab3 #sytner #xpel #ppf #hampshire #hook #basingstoke #reading #detailing #paintprotection #newcar #xpelhampshire
54 4
LOAD MORE... FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM
Find Us

Unit 2 Optrex Business Park
Strouds Green Lane
Rotherwick, Nr. Hook
Hampshire, RG27 9AY

GET DIRECTIONS
Contact Us

01256 769611
[email protected]

Information
  • FAQs
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • About the Products We Use
Sign Up for News

We promise not to spam you, we’ll just send you articles and news to spin your wheels! PLUS every three months we give away a £50 Auto Curators voucher to one lucky subscriber.


  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 · All Rights Reserved · Website by Kate Coote Ltd

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT