Heard a customer say clear coat is just 'glorified hairspray'

Some guy at the shop yesterday was watching me buff a fender and goes, 'Isn't that clear coat just like fancy hairspray for cars?' I had to stop and laugh for a solid minute. He was dead serious too, kept asking why we don't just use a rattle can from the auto parts store. Made me wonder how many people actually think paint protection is just some cosmetic gimmick. Has anyone else had to explain the difference between a real clear coat and some spray bomb to a customer?

2 comments

2 Comments

andrew_sanchez941mo ago

You ever try hairspray on a hood that's been sitting in the sun all day? That'd be the world's stickiest, most frustrating science experiment gone wrong. Clear coat's got UV blockers and flex agents, not just sticky perfume and alcohol. A rattle can will give you a nice hard candy shell that cracks the first time a pebble sneezes at it.

david1231mo ago

Wait, a pebble can actually sneeze at your car?