I have a Milano Red TSX and it had a pretty small scratch that I decided to polish out.

Real minor amount of rubbing with Scratch-X, and the rag picked up some red pigment.

I thought all modern cars were clearcoated?

Why would I pick up some red pigment, if it is clear coated?

 

cuz you rubbed through the clear coat---you can't polish all scratches out

 

You have to use the clear-coat safe scratch remover.

 

Scratch X is extreamly mild and clearcoat safe. I have seen pictures of cars were people went thru the clearcoat and it is very obvious. In those cases the surface gets milky and you can see where the clear coat is gone and there are visible edges.

I rubbed with very little pressue for less than 5 seconds. I guarantee I did not rub thru the clear coat. I have buffed with much greater force and for 20 times as long, with more aggressive product on my black Mustang and never had my buffing cloths turn black.

Either the car has a red tinted clearcoat or no clear coat.

I tested a small spot on the hood, with even less pressure and less time, and the rag picked up some red.

Since it appears that it is consistant on the entire car, and I trust that Acura know what they are doing with paint film building, I'll assume it is normal and not a problem.

 

my guess, also speaking from experience is that the amount of paint applied to honda/acura cars is a lot less than domestic cars. my civic hybrid was keyed about 2 months after owning it and i tried to buff out the scratch only to realize that I was about to make the car look worst. I could see the primer coat around the scratch within seconds of buffing. I was like wtf. Anyway, my friend who does this for a living fixed it. He was amazed as well. I figured they were trying to save weight for the car but I think the process is the same for all Honda's.

 

I'm not sure if this'll help but I found this site:
http://www.mirrorimage-mi.com/faq.htm#6

"To determine whether you have a clear coat finish or a single stage finish perform this simple test. First, find an inconspicuous area to test, such as the lower rear quarter panel of you car or inside the door jamb. Next, clean this area with car wash and water or some type of Quick Detailer. You don't want any dirt or grime to interfere with your test. Next, using a small piece of white cotton, such as a piece of terry cloth towel. Rub a little paint cleaner or cleaner/wax, into the paint of this inconspicuous area. Note: If you have a white colored car you should use a dark piece of cotton cloth. After rubbing for a few moments, turn your cloth toward you and inspect for color. If you have a red car and you now have red paint residue on your cloth, this is a pretty good indicator that you have a single stage finish. If you have a red car and you don't see any red paint residue on your cloth, this is a pretty good indicator that you have a clear coat. To be 100% sure, you should test in a couple of different areas. "

I was thinking about using ScratchX on my TSX to remove swirl marks but now, I'm not so sure......

 

i don't think RED is a clear coat, i did not see any layer of clear finish on the red finish when i was a dealer last year.... ??? i can be wrong...

 

your answer is right there. the way they paint milano red is they start with an orange base and red clear coat. all modern cars have clear coats on them.

 

If its red then it can't be a clearcoat. By definition a clearcoat is just that, a clear coat.