Camry Coloring Book

Does a "mica" color like the Camry's "Desert Sand Mica" have
the same kind of rusting problem as a metallic, silver-like
color like the Camry's "Lunar Mist Metallic?"

Thanks.

Hmm, a couple definitions of mica:

"Any of a group of chemically and physically
related aluminum silicate minerals, common in
igneous and metamorphic rocks, characteristically
splitting into flexible sheets used in insulation
and electrical equipment."

ALSO:

"Any of various minerals consisting of
hydrous silicates of aluminum or potassium etc. that
crystallize in forms that allow perfect cleavage into
very thin leaves; used as dielectrics because of their
resistance to electricity [syn: isinglass]"

FWIW I am completely missing your point.
Mica is a color reference - not the inclusion of the mineral in the
paint -- "desert sand" wouldn't mean you could expect to find actual
sand.
My guess, is that the "mettalic" finishes use tiny plastic flakes to
simulate the reflectivity of metals - give the finish more visual
interest than non metallic paints like black or white or red
Modern finishes generally have clear coats - for sure the metallic
finishes have clear coat so the color coat of the paint in not exposed
to the atmosphere.
Rusting problems generally only occur when corrosive anti icing road
chemicals atack the finish, far as I know.

Local dealer's down to 3 Camry LEs that have
carpteted floor mats as the only option. Two are
"Desert Sand Mica" and one is "Super White."

Do you think the Camry's "Desert Sand Mica" (kinda
light tan) will hide minor dings and small scratches
as well as the Camry's "Super White" should?

Also do you think the light tan color will hide
dust and dirt as well as the white?

Does silver really age badly, like some say? I'm
still considering the silver-like "Lunar Mist
Metallic" but somebody wrote 4 years ago in another
newsgroup that:

[QUOTE:]
"I wouldn't buy a silver paint job at gunpoint. Silver, or
any metallic finish, uses powdered metal with a clear coat over
it. Once the clear coat wears, it's all over. That metallic base
coat will suck wax like the desert sucks water. And, factory paint
always scimps on the clear coat."

Somebody else wrote in 1999:

"White is usually standard old enamel paint. If it fades , you buff it.
It never peels, or sheds like most metallic paint with clearcoat."

And someone in '99 wrote:

"NO!!! Silver is metallic paint, white is not. [Silver] will get
hotter & your chances of oxidation or fading or other problems are
greater."

Finally, someone wrote in 1999:

"Actually silver (and gold) are the few colors I would not buy anything
in. I would hope that they have improved the paint over the years,
but I see more silver cars and trucks which have oxidized than any
other color."

[END OF QUOTES.]

On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 18:39:13 -0500, "Built_Well" <bw@bbbb.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
>Local dealer's down to 3 Camry LEs that have
>carpteted floor mats as the only option. Two are
>"Desert Sand Mica" and one is "Super White."
>
>Do you think the Camry's "Desert Sand Mica" (kinda
>light tan) will hide minor dings and small scratches
>as well as the Camry's "Super White" should?
>
>Also do you think the light tan color will hide
>dust and dirt as well as the white?[/color]

The 'Desert Sand Mica' sounds like a Metallic paint, with
microscopic aluminum flakes to add sheen. There's only one big
problem with metallic paints, if you need to repair a panel you can't
touch up the paint without redoing the whole panel, unless you get
lucky and the body shop has a master car painter who can duplicate the
'lay' of the paint from the factory.

It literally matters what angle they hold the paint gun at, how fast
they move it, whether they apply L-R, R-L, Up, Down, at an angle...
And how heavy per layer. This all affects which way those metal
flakes are laid down.

If you back off 30 feet it won't matter, and to the average person,
they can't tell - but if you park the car in the sun and look any
closer, it sticks out like a beacon to people with a good eye for it.

White is White. Coolest in the summer, among the best for
visibility, easiest to touch-up invisibly...

And good for being anonymous, too. You can slap a couple of
appropriate fake company name stickers on the plain White door (or
call in a favor and borrow a Pizza Shop shirt, roof sign, a warmer
pouch and a few pizzas) and bluff your way into industrial sites or
gated communities to look around. ;-P
[color=blue]
>Does silver really age badly, like some say? I'm
>still considering the silver-like "Lunar Mist
>Metallic" but somebody wrote 4 years ago in another
>newsgroup that:[/color]

There were a lot of horror stories about Silver cars at that time,
when they were reformulating car paints to reduce emissions - The US
Domestic paint and automobile makers all had the paint peeling off the
hood roof and decklid in sheets down to the primer, and there were big
fights over warranty repaints when this showed up just out of the
warranty periods... I sure hope they figured out exactly what they
were doing wrong by _now_.

Car paint was never meant to be permanent 50-year stuff - back in
the days of Organic Lacquer paints you were lucky to get 10 with it
still looking decent. Earl Scheib (regional auto painting franchise
shops) made a boatload banking on this.

But the materials and methods have gotten a whole lot better over
the years, to where 25 years before the car really needs painting
isn't at all unusual - but let a lot of cars painted a certain color
all go bad in 5 to 10 years, and people notice it.

--<< Bruce >>--

--
Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop
Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700
5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545
Spamtrapped address: Remove the python and the invalid, and use a net.

On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 18:39:13 -0500, Built_Well wrote:
[color=blue]
> Local dealer's down to 3 Camry LEs that have
> carpteted floor mats as the only option. Two are
> "Desert Sand Mica" and one is "Super White."
>
> Do you think the Camry's "Desert Sand Mica" (kinda
> light tan) will hide minor dings and small scratches
> as well as the Camry's "Super White" should?[/color]

Silver ages very well, as long as you wax the thing a couple times a year.

White is probably the best.

I have a red Corolla (85) that still looks new, paintwise. Waxing 4-5
times a year did the trick. Otherwise, red is the worst.

[color=blue]
>
> Also do you think the light tan color will hide
> dust and dirt as well as the white?
>
> Does silver really age badly, like some say? I'm
> still considering the silver-like "Lunar Mist
> Metallic" but somebody wrote 4 years ago in another
> newsgroup that:
>
> [QUOTE:]
> "I wouldn't buy a silver paint job at gunpoint. Silver, or
> any metallic finish, uses powdered metal with a clear coat over
> it. Once the clear coat wears, it's all over. That metallic base
> coat will suck wax like the desert sucks water. And, factory paint
> always scimps on the clear coat."
>
> Somebody else wrote in 1999:
>
> "White is usually standard old enamel paint. If it fades , you buff it.
> It never peels, or sheds like most metallic paint with clearcoat."
>
> And someone in '99 wrote:
>
> "NO!!! Silver is metallic paint, white is not. [Silver] will get
> hotter & your chances of oxidation or fading or other problems are
> greater."
>
> Finally, someone wrote in 1999:
>
> "Actually silver (and gold) are the few colors I would not buy anything
> in. I would hope that they have improved the paint over the years,
> but I see more silver cars and trucks which have oxidized than any
> other color."
>
> [END OF QUOTES.][/color]

--
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