Self Healing Paint…Finally!?
You read it right, self healing paint! We have been waiting ages for this on our cars. Is it finally here on the new Infiniti EX and FX? Answer, Kinda’. Infiniti calls their new product the Infiniti Scratch Shield. However, it is not the paint that is the “miracle” news here, it’s the clearcoat. Infiniti claims the clearcoat is able to repair fine damage such as fingernail scratches and swirl marks from washing. The clearcoat is able to restore the surface close to its original state while maintaining the car’s gloss level over time. Using a special highly elastic resin, the Scratch Shield process can take anywhere from one day to a week depending on the ambient temperature and depth of the scratch . This resin is combined with a conventional clearcoat to increase its flexibility and strength. The Scratch Shield will not be able to repair damage that gets past the clearcoat and into the paint.
Think of it this way, when it is warm enough out, the clearcoat can become just flexible enough to “stretch” back to its original shape. Guess up here in New England, we will have to wait a while in the winter for the technology to do its work. On the other hand, I do have a couple of questions. How will the body shops cope with this brand new product used on only one vehicle brand in the US. More importantly, how much will it cost to get body work fixed?
Heather on 17 Apr 2008 at 8:55 PM #
So, what happens in extreme cold temperatures? Can the resin freeze past the point where it can recover?
Jonathan L. - Motorpinion on 18 Apr 2008 at 12:14 PM #
They have solved the over freezing issue by incorporating the new self healing resin with a normal clearcoat. This way, it is much more durable than the resin alone.
Jon on 23 Apr 2008 at 9:51 PM #
Sounds cool, but I think it’s a lot like the lag in implementing Hydrogen Fuel Cell. Somewhere, someone is going to have to just take the plunge and risk everything and hope that enough people follow suit.
On another note, I think a more exciting and versatile paint option would be one that changes colors with heat. You could even mount heat coils (like the kind used for window defrosting) so you could toggle between colors. Now that would be cool.
Dan on 23 Apr 2008 at 9:53 PM #
Here is some good news for you, Nissan/ Infiniti is already working on a color changing paint. They do seem to be the leader in rolling out new ideas first. Check out this article for more details. Check this out… http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/chameleon/nissan-developing-color-changing-paint-320806.php