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Are red cars still vulnerable to sun 'bleaching'?
I owned a couple of red cars in the 1980s and 90s. Both were new and even though they were garaged much of the time the paintwork suffered badly from ‘sun bleaching’. I understand that modern paint finishes are more resistant, but has the problem been solved completely, or is it still worth avoiding red if wanting to keep the car for a few years? Also, are metallic finishes more resistant than ‘plain’ red?
Asked on 22 May 2024 by John Horner
Answered by
David Ross
All paint colours are susceptible to the effect of UV rays but colours such as red can show the effects more readily. However, the durability of paint finishes has improved since the 1990s, so we would be much less concerned about a red car fading over time. There is no specific evidence to suggest that a metallic finish will resist UV rays more readily, but with red being a less popular colour in recent years we would expect the majority of red paint finishes to be metallic in any case.
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