Collisionrepairmag.com reports that AzkoNobel, a chemicals company from the Netherlands, has teamed up with Toyota to create Sikkens Autoclear LV, a scratch resistant, self healing clearcoat. The product has been approved by Toyota for use on the Lexus LS range as an aftermarket clearcoat to be used at Toyota dealerships and Toyota affiliated collision repair facilities around the world. According to the article, “Sikkens Autoclear LV Exclusive is highly resistant to scratches, and holds up extremely well after repeated washings, but it truly differentiates itself from other clearcoats with its outstanding self-healing characteristics when a vehicle is nonetheless damaged. With extraordinary “re-flow” properties designed into the coating, small scratches virtually disappear in minutes when exposed to a heat source at temperatures ranging from 40-80 degrees celsius–and even exposure to the sun will initiate the healing process.”
AzkoNobel were gushing with pride. “We’re very pleased to be able to provide Toyota with a solution that meets all of Toyota’s requirements, consistent with the standards for quality that have earned Lexus its reputation all around the world,” said Sosuke Shinozaki, key account manager for AkzoNobel Car Refinishes. “We look forward to working with Toyota and providing support to Lexus repair specialists throughout its global network.” I hate to be the one to scratch their paintwork (don’t worry, it’ll self heal) but, unfortunately, Nissan beat them to it a long time ago.
There isn’t a clear coat in existence that can stand up to a Wal-Mart parking lot.
Nice John! Toss “Christmas Tree Shoppes” on the list too ;)
I was about to say that Nissan had it (but it was there after the jump). Has anyone had any experience with the nissans that supposedly have this?
A few years back, an auto shop told me that if a 3rd coat of clearcoat were applied at the factory (you couldn’t do it after it’d been sitting in the sun), it would give more room for conventional buffing to repair rather than going through with the whole sand and repaint method. No idea how well that would work, but I’ve seen that shop’s work and it’s REALLY good (but not wife-proof).
not wife proof…
Classic!
My wife actually told me that parking garages should pad the pillars.
I’ve gotten REALLY good about cleaning paint out of a scratch and buffing it.
Incidentally, if you buff a scratch down on a rental car and take it for a wash before returning it, they assumed they overlooked it in the first place because they never re-paint the cars, only charge your insurance and then (maybe) have it buffed down.
Imagine how wavy the body panels will look with this stuff moving around.
My ’09 G37 has this, but I understand that the 2010s will not.
Nissan figured out it didn’t work very well and it was worth a metric butt load of cash to sell licensing to Toyota? :)
I’m guessing here.
Fascinating concept … wonder if it is self-healing as in the galvanized sheet-metal ads Audi used to introduce the technology… or if under this heat it just flows …
I wonder about the vertical surfaces and whether the material flows downward under the force of gravity … and gets thicker toward the bottom of the panel …
Ever seen the glass mosaics of windows in medieval cathedrals and chapels? the glass is thicker at the bottom because it has been flowing for a thousand years … if the Lexus flow rate is like this then no issue, but if it is somewhat faster … a whole new industry like gravity boots for your car will be born!
I’m sure this will work just as well as self sealing tires. What happened to them, anyway?
I last recall seeing the old Uniroyal “Royal Seal” tires back in the mid-1990s, as an OEM option on GM’s RWD D-platform cars (Buick Roadmaster and Cadillac Fleetwood Brogham).
The auto magazines despised these tires, as they had an obvious heaviness that affected handling. To me, these cars were an odd choice for these tires as OEM equipment; the purpose of self-sealing tires is to negate the need for a spare, and these cars had huge trunks. I suppose GM didn’t want the elderly buyers of these cars to be bothered with having to deal with a flat tire.
Next…… Terminators rampaging across the land.
Why can I just imagine Toyota recalling these cars in 2012 to install a warning sticker about prolonged sun exposure, after a string of mysterious incidents in which Lexus automobiles suddenly burst into flames in Florida-area Wal-Mart parking lots?