Hot take: I thought PPG clear was overpriced garbage until I tried it on a Mercedes bumper

I spent 5 years swearing by Sherwin-Williams clear, but after getting fisheyes and orange peel on three straight jobs I borrowed a quart of PPG DC4000 from a buddy in Cincinnati. It laid down flat as glass on the first pass, no additives needed, and the gloss after buffing was legit better than factory. Has anyone else made the switch and regretted it later?

2 comments

2 Comments

craig.john1mo ago

Oh man, I gotta push back on this. I've used PPG clear on and off for years and I've had nothing but headaches with it. The stuff is crazy expensive and it's way too picky about temperature and humidity. I've had it run on me in ways that Sherwin or even House of Kolor never did. And good luck getting it to stick if your substrate isn't absolutely perfect - PPG just loves to peel on anything that's even a little rough. For the price, I'd rather spend the extra time fixing my technique with cheaper clear than gamble on PPG being a magic bullet.

harperg761mo ago

Oh wow, I gotta say I have the exact opposite experience with PPG clear. I've tried switching to cheaper stuff plenty of times and always end up coming back. The price is high, sure, but I look at it like buying tools - you pay more for something that works right the first time. I've sprayed PPG in all kinds of weather and never had it run unless I got too heavy with the gun, which happens with any clear if you're not careful. And the adhesion thing, honestly I think that's a prep issue more than a product issue. If the substrate is clean and scuffed properly, PPG sticks like crazy. I've had cheaper clears fish eye or orange peel on me way worse than PPG ever has.