Automotive paints are a mixture of ingredients including resins, binders, fillers, additives, and carrying agents (typically solvents, sometimes water). Cars today are painted in a two step process know as Basecoat and clear coat.
Basecoat paint is referred to as “factory paint”. It’s the natural color of your vehicle. Basecoat paint is a cutting edge way to paint and coat vehicles using water-based pigmentation and plenty of chemistry. According to PPG, the introduction of its waterborne color toners for use in collision centers provides the enhanced ability to match the vehicle’s original finish, too.
Clear coat paint is simply paint, or resin without pigment. And, approximately 95% of all cars, trucks, and S.U.V.'s coming out of the factory today have a clear coat finish.
Clear coat finishes (also referred to as two-stage paint systems) are simply a layer of clear resin applied over the top of colored resin. Although a clear coat does protect the base coat, just like a single-stage finish, the clear coat needs to be regularly maintained to keep it in top shape.
Contrary to what you may have heard clear coat finishes do need to be waxed periodically to maintain their appearance value. Don't buy into the false information that clear coat paints are paints that require no maintenance, this is simply not true. Simply look at any car with a clear coat finish that has been neglected and compare it to a car with a clear coat finish that has been recently detailed and your eyes, as well as your common sense, will tell you that clear coats look better when maintained, and accordingly will last longer when maintained.