Well, anyway, back to the paint. I saw on a Vette forum that the Enviro ***** forced the General was forced to switch to a water based paint. This is why GM paint looks like crap. Now, if someone could tell me why GM can't make a car battery that doesn't leak. i mean, they've only been making them for nearly 100 years.[sm=dontgetit.gif]

 

Modern paint is not "water based" but a different technology called "water bourne". A certain percentage of the of the hydro carbon based solvents are replaced by water to reduce the overall emmisions from the factory paint shops. It's been in use for over a decade and is a requirement over most of the world for all manufacturers. The technology is getting better. Clear coating for example, is one of the steps that helps make this paint more durable and attractive.

Regarding Boulder Grey H3's, mine is from about 2/06 production and it has minor orange peel on the upper doors and window frames but otherwise is good. I bought it off-the-lot so I had a chance to evaluate it before purchase. I was more concerned with the paint match between the plastic and metal body parts and I think GM got it perfect in this regard.

The paint on my previous truck, '03 Envoy in Carbon, was virtually flawless. For comparison purposes, I'd give the Envoy an "A" where my new H3 is about a "B+".