Applying a matte paintjob to one’s car is an aftermarket trend that has become immensely more popular than chrome-plating. Lately, some manufacturers are even offering a matte finish from the factory. Sometimes, matte paint looks really good. Other times, not so much. If any car could pull off a matte paint job, I would think it could be the Cadillac XLR with its low-slung proportions and angular lines. But this modified XLR left me cold and also frustrated because I’d been hunting for an XLR – easily one of my favorite cars of the past couple of decades – for months, and my search yielded only this matte misadventure. Our Brendan Saur was more fortunate, and found an XLR that hadn’t been afflicted with a bizarre, ratroad-esque appearance.
How do my fellow Curbsiders feel about matte paintjobs?
I strongly dislike matte paint jobs, unless they are factory. It pains me when I see a $75,000+ luxury car ruined by a matte paint job in some outrageous color. It’s usually done by some rich kid who doesn’t appreciate the expensive toy his or her parents bought ’em.
Likewise, it disturbs me when I see a 15-year old Honda Accord painted matte black. Admittedly, it probably had faded paint and a lot of scratches, but matte black isn’t an improvement. Might as well just go out and get a can of housepaint and a paint brush (which is actually how this is sometimes done).
matte paint job is really good at hiding the poor bodywork.
So any used car painted that way is a big warning sign. But on the other hand, some people just use it anyway and usually it doesn’t look too good.
On the positive side, most matte treatments on high end vehicles are merely a wrap, so they’re easily reversible.
Matte black looks like you ran out of money after spraying the primer.
+1
That’s what I always thought. I can’t really think of anything besides perhaps some select 60s-70s musclecars that look good wearing it. Mostly they just look like half-finished project cars, like the poor idiot driving them just ran out of money and shrugged to himself while saying, “Good enough” to his bros.
+2
+3
I never understood why people would pay a lot of money to make your car look like it was rattle canned with Krylon.
I agree. I didn’t spray paint my yard truck flat black because I liked the look, I did so because it was the cheapest way to cover up the graffiti applied by the previous owner.
Sometimes I have seen matte paint jobs that are absolutely even. Then they are at least a look, and they don’t look like primer. I still don’t much care for matte paint on cars, though. Plus, if there’s any unevenness whatsoever, they look like bad primer jobs, and I like primer even less.
Maybe my understanding is outdated, but I thought one reason for glossy paint was that it held up a bit better than flat. Certainly, it wasn’t until relatively recently that flat yet truly scrubbable paint became available for house interiors. Have there been similar developments in automotive paints?
I thought matte paint was interesting for about a week in 2010. Since then, I simply expect the inside of the car to be filled with garbage.
Not a fan. Although, I now see that I was way ahead of the curve on this. About 1970, I was dissatisfied with the look of my Radio Flyer wagon and decided that it needed paint. The only spray can available was called “Bar B Q Black”. It looked great as I sprayed it on, but then dried to a dull flat finish (which I was not expecting.)
So, who knows, my little matte finished wagon could have started this whole trend. Sometimes a guy just has no idea of his influence in the world. 🙂
Matte paint jobs look great on tanks.
Was at Lowe’s today and noticed a display for “chalkboard” paints….the interior of your home equivalent of a matte paint job on a car. Lots of colors, but why?
I think if I wanted to try this on a vehicle I’d do a wrap so I could easily reverse it.
Some of the chalkboard paints you can actually write on with chalk. Not bad for one wall in a kid’s room, or a classroom, etc.
Whenever I see an expensive car wearing matte paint (or suede as it’s sometimes called) I immediately wonder whether it’s an actual repaint or a wrap. A good quality wrap job shouldn’t be detectable unless you’re looking for it, and it’s considerably easier to reverse.
I am extremely opinionated towards matte/satin/flat paint on cars.
In general it looks awful on modern cars. Matte black can look okay on certain supercars (I’m looking at you Lamborghini), but I presume their owners are trying to make them look like the Batmobile or an F117 stealth plane, which I also think looks ungainly.
It has its place on some hot rods and custom cars, where it’s referred to as a “suede” finish. Lots of hand-painted pinstriping, scallops or flames on a car with a matte base finish can look pretty sharp. Some guys shoot metallics with a satin finish. This really highlights the curves on a late 40’s / early 50’s car. I didn’t want to like that look because of my general disdain for matte paint, but it grew on me.
This looks like it should be one of the undecover cars on the TV show “Chicago P.D.”
Not a fan.My brother has a Harley Sportster 72 in blue metalflake,his mate rides a matt black Sportster which spoils the looks for me.
That car is done in vinyl wrap its quick cheap looks good and lasts forever untill you peel it off.
Vinyl wrap is not cheap, to have a professional do that car it would be at least $2000 you can get a crappy paint job for way less than that.
However I do not think this is a wrap, nor is it paint, it looks like a dip job.
Agreed – Plasti Dip is the latest thing among the matte paint crowd. Rattle can it on so that it looks generally even – or you run out of money – and drive it like that until you tire of it. In theory, it peels right off with minimal damage to the underlying surface.
You can shoot Plastidip with a real spray gun too for a little more and the result is usually better.
I’m happy to say I remember the days plasti-dip was only meant for tool grips!
Yeah for doing the entire car it is commonly done with a sprayer and they sell ready to spray formulations now. I know most of the matte cars I’ve seen up close in my area are Plasti-Dip.
If you put it on properly it does peel off pretty easily. I’ve done trim with it.
They now have various “glossifiers” which seem to make it as shiny as a regular paint job from the videos I’ve seen online.
I’m considering doing my current P71. For some reason the paint on it is already “matte” except where the light bar and the stickers were so what the heck make it a color and increase its value. The cars that are all black or a color typically go for twice what the all white ones go for at auction.
There’s a 1990 or so Honda Accord a couple blocks from me that used to be absolutely covered in surface rust. It was hideous. A few of months ago, the owner (a kid that goes to my highschool) painted it flat black. The advantage? You can’t see the rust anymore. The disadvantage? It’s just as ugly as before, with the bonus that now the various misaligned panels from a minor accident he was in shortly after getting the car are now very visible, making it look even crappier than it is. On the funny side, he forgot to cover the various important bits before spraying, like the lights and windows and license plate, and now they’re pretty obviously scraped off.
Did he at least use Rust-Oleum?
As with all trends, it’s a question about “Who’s in and who’s out?” These things appeal to certain crowds while not others. And the thing that appeals the most to those who like it is that those who doesn’t like it do it so loudly. And the fact that you don’t like it just means you’re not part of that crowd. And it has always been like that. Puerile? Yes, but those people are quite puerile and childish.
Though I don’t particularely like the flat black trend per se, I kind of like that loveable scoundrel look of Hank Moody and his not matte finished Porsche, but patinated and dusty and never washed Porsche. It suits his persona to perfection to run around in a Porsche that he really don’t give a shit about, though loves the shit out of it at the same time.
And I love the fact it’s so dusty it actually looks like it’s matte paint job. His car is the car version of the Serge Gainsbourg type of loveable asshole, like Hank Moody is always drinking and smoking and womanizing himself to death. And not in the suave James Bond kind of way, more in the drinking like it’s a slow suicide kind of way, and really not that slow.
And I think that look is what many of those people are aiming for with their matte paint jobs. The problem is, artificial patina always looks fake. A fresh painted matte finish is simply an oxymoron in itself, as the look they’re after can only be achieved with real hard work.
Yeah, I would rather see good honest patina than matt black. It always makes me wonder what neat colour the car used to be. A few miles away there’s what could be a really nice ’51 Plymouth sedan – but it’s matt black. I’ll be so glad when this fad dies.
I love hunting for used cars but when I see one with new paint- especially matte- I quickly move on. I’d rather see the original finish no matter how crappy.
I think it looks poor and very half-assed, like someone trying(but not succeeding) at being different from everyone else.
Some mattes now have a satin or semi gloss additive, to make it look a little shinier than matte, but still subdued.
On an old 20’s-50’s rat rod, and if it’s done by a compressor and professional paint gun, then it’s okay…. but,
On a newer 90’s-2000 car, that is ridiculous. You look like you gave up altogether on the look of your car’s appearance.
There is a 2008 Dodge Charger 6 cyl with a matte black finish, that cruises around this area. One, why would you do that to a pretty newer model? Second, it looks like shit… You can see runs all over and it looks so uneven, like the artist was Dupli-Color.
Good job, now your car looks like a Mad Max reject.
thought that was the idea of a flat black paint job. The cheapest way to cover up something even if it still looks a bit crappy.
If that’s your theory, and it works for you, go for it.
Matte finishes indicate the same good taste as 22″ rims, sleeve tattoos and Chip Foose designs.
+100! Another odd thing that seems to be catching on is tiny wheels with a jacked up suspension. I don’t get it at all.
13″ wheels with a “jacked up suspension” is an ancient thing as that is what the cars wtih hydraulics did way back in the beginning of hydraulics. It allows the car to “lay frame” when parked, then you put the juice to it for driving.
I’ve seen this on slammed Honda Civics. They look like roller skates.
On an old Model T ratrod? Bring it on.
On everything else it’s redneck rattlecan to me.
I`ve seen a few Porsches and BMWs with matte paint jobs. Why would anyone in his-or her right mind want one? Cars like these are supposed to have glossy finishes. OK for military vehicles, work trucks and rat rods, nothing else. I hope that this doesn`t become a trend.
On BMWs its available new from the factory.
That still doesn’t make it look right.
I don’t like matte paint and I don’t like an XLR so this is pretty much hell on wheels for me. There are a few instances where I think matte black is acceptable, mostly older trucks. Otherwise, no, no, no.
I think it has it’s place and that is not to replace a decent paint job. I’ve had a couple but no more. I live in the Houston area and the dark grey/black paint jobs are miserable in the summer. Light grey/white primers are good for when you are in the middle of renovation. Keeps it from rusting. Otherwise look closely and you may see lobotomy scars on the drivers.
I avoided the mountain bikes that had them about 20 years ago, and I don’t like them any better on a car. To me they give a “who left off the clear coat?” vibe.
My neighbor’s car is a late-1990s Jaguar XJR wrapped in black matte vinyl film, and it doesn’t look that bad. However, I always suspected that the film is rather masking a poor repaint than serving any aesthetic purposes, and wondered how much better it would look in a shiny normal paint. And, the rust beneath the film is already visible… it’s just a fancy, costly way to slowly destroy a good car, if you ask me.
I can see the case for matte, if it’s done right…the only problem is that I’ve never once seen it done right. Southern California was once the world center of creative hot-rodding and custom paint jobs that were really impressive, but it’s lately become the epicenter of crap done to perfectly good cars–I see this done way too often and never attractively.
The silly thing about this matt black nonsense is, the lights and windows are still shiny! That disrupts the shape and destroys the overall effect. Look at the Caddy above – the windows are still shiny, the lights appear semi-gloss, and then you’ve still got that big garnish panel around the licence plate in an almost-matt grey. And it’s still got the badges on the trunk lid.
With a shape like that Caddy’s, where the lights follow the sharp-edged look and wrap so sharply around the top, rear and side of the body, they form a ‘structural’ part of the overall shape. They have to be same gloss level as the overall body shape, or it comes off as disjointed and half-baked. Doesn’t work.
I think it looks pretty good. Like he says, the XLR’s stealth-fighter angles really lend themselves to this look.
If you ask me, the pinkish pinstripping on the XLR from today’s full CC is the worse offense, especially the stripping on the wheels. Ugh.
I have no reason to form opinions about what other people do to their cars. You want your XLR in matte black? Fine by me. You want a F-350 in lavender with plaid polka dots? No skin off my nose!
Would I paint my own car matte black? No, because it came with paint already applied, so why would I paint over that? Just seems like a waste of paint to me.
That having been said, I have owned many cars with matte finishes. That kind of comes naturally to cars that have never been waxed in 25 years 🙂
I think flat paint (black or other color) works OK with cars where body shape is a combination of curves and edges. It looks good on some modern(ish) French cars, such as Renault Megane II. I also remember seeing a recent Citroen C5 wagon in satin black finish, it actually looked very good.
And it’s OK on a real rat rod, sort of. Even then, I would prefer a dark brown or even keeping the natural patina if it has developed.
And this brings us to another recent fad: clear coating an old patina, also very trendy these days. I must say I understand the idea, but clear coating (even if the finish dries to flat) changes the tone of underlying colors (of metal, rust and remaining original paint coat) and it looks odd to me.
I wonder if flat (or, probably better, satin ) finish over a metallic paint would look good? I guess the metallic particles would have to be larger than normal to retain the metallic look (non-gloss clearcoat greatly reduces the metallic sheen/effect). I’m sure it’s been done, anybody got any pics (on the internet)?
Just another fad I expect not to see in a few years. Really sucks for those who shell out for the factory jobs only to see their late model M3s finish permanently ruined by tree sap and improper cleaning technique, and lately I’m seeing more and more looking worse for wear.
William,
if you are ever in midtown on weekdays, and want to see an XLR, head over to the NYPD midtown south precinct on 35th street. Someone working there owns one and I see it all the time. With it’s factory paint intact to boot.
Thanks for the tip! Sadly I had to leave NYC but hopefully I’ll be living there again soon and I can go gawk at that XLR!
There was a Ferrari FF that parked often on the street near my home. It had a rather hideous copper-coloured matte paint until I had a closer look. The car had some type of folio applied over the original factory paint, which was dark British Racing Green.
Ugh. And double ugh.
That parking job is more offensive than the paint.
I think there’s room in the Car World for matt finish paint, particularly black.
On the right old car , the way it seems to highlight chrome , even in poor condition, is a look I find very appealing.
It depends on the car though, and it should only be on cars with chrome bumpers.
I agree that it can really work on the right car, particularly some 50’s and 60’s models. About 10 years ago, before this was a “thing”, someone in my town had a 1960 Oldsmobile sedan that had been painted flat black. Otherwise stock, and in good condition. And that paint, combined with the shape of the car, made it look so mean…thought it was perfect in that instance.
(Of course for that car it was just a stage in its evolution. At some point later it got a proper repaint, gray metallic body with a white roof. Looked quite sharp in that treatment too!)
Like it or not, as soon as a bird shits on it, you have to start again!
Atrocious! If a car with this was offered to me the first thing I would do is deduct about 7-8 grand off the price so that I could get it painted! Along with black wheels this looks like a kid took some primer and sprayed over the old paint ruining the finish.
Expanding on Steve’s ‘bird shit problem’ post above, I am old enough to remember the (first? last? another?) go-around with matte black being popular. Back in 1969-70, it was mandatory for any hot muscle car to have its hood painted matte black. The logic, er, theory, well, rationale, was that a brightly painted and waxed hood put too much glare in the a racer’s eyes and thus the matte finish improved his vision. I know that some Road Runners, and the legendary AAR Cuda (pic below) came from the factory with that look.
However, the popularity lasted less than a year because it soon looks just terrible. You can’t wax it (it looks even worse waxed) and the finish shows every (bird shit) spot and you couldn’t ever get rid of the marks
Oh yes, I remember those black hoods very well. The Mach I Mustangs commonly had them as well, Torinos too. Shoot, I think I even recall the Maverick Grabber having an optional black hood.
What’s funny is I’ve had the diecast version of that exact car since 1994, and the matte hood definitely shows it’s age just from dusting and occasional improper cleaning!
You have hit on why I finally passed on a new Mustang GT in 1985. The hood was mostly a matte black decal instead of paint, but same deal.
The two ugliest cars I’ve seen recently have the matte finish. The first was a Dodge Magnum Wagon, heavily tinted windows, aftermarket black alloy wheels and matte lime green paint! The second, which unfortunately lives around the corner from me, is a matte pink BMW X6. Don’t understand this trend, especially on high end cars, to me it looks like they primed the car, but haven’t painted the color yet.
Combine this with the previous post and you’ll have the matte-black Rolls Phantom I saw in London a couple of years ago. The only chrome I could see were the radiator, doorhandles, rear license plate holder, and wheels. It looked pretty cool creeping through the traffic.
Not one single post on this entire pathetic thread about the real world and really important advantages of flat black paint…
LONGER LOCK-TIME FOR BOTH RADAR AND LIDAR
think on it, amateurs