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The clear coat on these new electric cars is a whole different animal
Honestly, I've been doing this for fifteen years and the paint jobs on the new EVs are a real change. I had a Rivian in the shop last week for a door ding, and the clear coat was way harder than anything I've sanded on a regular truck. It took me almost twice as long to feather it out properly. My old 1500 grit paper barely made a dent. I think it's something about the factory process or the paint itself being more eco-friendly. It's not just Rivian either, I've seen it on Teslas and the new Ford Lightnings. Anyone else run into this and found a better way to cut through it without burning through the base coat?
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tessap739d agoMost Upvoted
Switch to a ceramic coating safe compound with a medium cut pad. The harder clear needs more aggressive initial work but you can still get a clean finish. I had good results with that method on a Model Y last month.
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