12-07-2005, 07:46 AM
Quote: It may be the auto industryâs equivalent to the better mousetrap.
After years of hearing drivers complain about scratches on their cars, Japanâs Nissan Motor Company has officially announced the next big thing â a paint that not only resists scratches and scrapes, but actually repairs itself within a few days.
The new material, developed by Nippon Paint Company, contains an elastic rubbery-like resin thatâs able to âhealâ minor marks caused by car wash equipment, parking lot encounters, road debris or even deliberate vandalism.
The automaker admits its results vary depending on the temperature and the depth of the damage, but adds this is the only paint like it in the world, and tests prove it works.
Minor scratches, the most common type, are said to slowly fade over about a week. And once theyâre gone, thereâs no trace they were ever there.
The special paint is said to last for at least three years after itâs first applied, but thereâs no word yet on whether more can be added once that period expires.
Nissan claims car washes are the worst offenders for this type of damage, accounting for at least 80 percent of all incidents.
But the literal auto-healing wonât come without scratching your wallet. The vehicle maker notes the special paint adds about $100 U.S. to the price of a car.
It plans to use its new concoction only on its X-Trail SUVs in Japan for now, as it looks for a more widespread rollout. And while plans to offer the feature overseas havenât been made yet, if itâs a hit there, you can be almost sure market forces will drive it to these shores, as well.
Which may well mean that when it comes to ending paint damage on your brand new car, weâve only scratched the surface.