Classification:

Reference:

BT14-024a

Date:

NTB14-094a

October 29, 2014

2015 NISMO GT-R;
CARING FOR AND REPAIRING MATTE PAINT FINISH
This bulletin has been amended to include additional paint information under Recommended
Suppliers. Please discard previous version.

APPLIED VEHICLE: 2015 GT-R NISMO (R35)
IMPORTANT: You as a GT-R Certified Dealer are authorized and encouraged to share
this single document only with any automotive refinisher (body shop) that you
recommend to your customers.
SERVICE INFORMATION
KBL (matte paint finish) has been adopted for the NISMO GT-R as a special paint color.

MATTE PAINT CARE (if so equipped)
If your vehicle is equipped with matte paint, special care is necessary to clean your vehicle to
maintain the appearance of the matte paint.
CAUTION: Failure to follow the proper matte paint care instructions can permanently affect the
appearance of the paint. Improper care can result in shiny spots, rub marks or other damage.
It is recommended that damage only be repaired at a body shop trained in matte paint repair
Damage resulting from improper matte paint care is not covered under NISSAN's new vehicle
limited warranty.

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Road dirt (tar etc.), insects or bird dropping (sap etc.) should be removed immediately.
Do not use an automatic car wash.
Do not rub the paint.
Only use cleaners and soaps that are specifically formulated for matte paint or a mild
soap.
Do not use terry cloth towels to wash or dry the vehicle.
Do not rub repeatedly with any cleaning material to minimize the risk of creating a shiny
spot.
Hand wash with a wet microfiber cloth, dry with clean damp chamois, and use light
pressure with a microfiber towel; minimize the pressure you use.
Test all cleaning products on a hidden part of the vehicle (such as under the rocker sills)
to make certain they do not affect the appearance of the matte paint.
Pre-rinse the vehicle before washing to remove coarse dirt that can scratch the paint.
Do not use a pressure washer to wash vehicle.
Spot treat heavy dirt accumulation with a cleaner made for matte paint or a mild soap.
Do not use solvent based tar and bug remover products to clean the vehicle.
Do not use waxes and sealers, even those specifically formulated for matte paint.
These products may affect the appearance (add shine) of the matte paint.
1/11

WASHING THE MATTE PAINT
Hand wash the vehicle for the best results. Park the vehicle in a cool, shaded area, out of
the direct sunlight. Read these procedures and gather the necessary equipment and
supplies before washing the vehicle.
Equipment/Supplies:
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Vehicle soap specifically made for matte paint or mild soap
Microfiber cloth
Chamois cloth, for drying
Two buckets with grit guards or dirt separators (available at many automotive supply
or detaining supply sources)

1. Filling the wash buckets
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Fill one bucket (with dirt separator grid at the bottom) with soap specifically made for
the vehicle’s matte paint, or a mild soap, and water. Follow the soap manufacturer's
instructions.
Fill the second bucket with clean water for rinsing the microfiber cloth.
Always rinse the microfiber cloth in the clean water before putting the microfiber
cloth into the cleaning solution.

2. Inspect the car for areas with heavy soiling or spots and, if necessary, treat these areas
first, before washing the entire vehicle.

3. Remove large pieces of dirt by spraying the vehicle with a hose (low pressure).

4. Soak the microfiber cloth in the soap solution and wash the vehicle lightly. Work in small
sections from the bottom of the vehicle to the top.
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Wash a section and then rinse the soapy section of the vehicle completely before
starting another section.
Keep the clean sections of the vehicle wet as the remaining sections are completed.

5. Use a clean damp chamois to dry the vehicle before it air dries. If the undried surfaces
start to air dry, re-dampen those areas.
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Do not allow surfaces to air dry. Air drying allows water spots to form.

6. Cleaning the wheels
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Use a product “specifically formulated to clean wheels”.
Do not get any wheel cleaner on the paint. Immediately wash and rinse the paint
if any wheel clear contacts the paint.
Do not use the same cleaning materials to clean the wheels and paint.

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NTB14-094a

PAINTING MATTE VEHICLE

IMPORTANT:
 When repairing matte paint vehicles we recommend you contact “NissanRecommended” paint suppliers.
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Advanced techniques are necessary to apply this new paint accurately and it takes
considerably more time than a usual repair.

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The OEM KBL color consists of two coats; a normal color base coat (KAD), and a
special matte clear coat.

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The average gloss value of this matte clear coat is approximately 20.

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When refinishing panels with the KBL color, extra care must be taken to eliminate all
surface defects.
 Surface defects cannot be removed after refinishing by sanding or polishing,
because it will increase the gloss level of the finish and will not match the original
finish.

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A spray out panel must be made to check the refinish material for the correct color
and gloss level.
 It may take considerably more time than a usual repair because the color and the
gloss level of the finish must match the vehicle exactly, and matching may take
multiple attempts of tinting and gloss level adjustment.

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To aid in matching the color of the finish, a damaged area of the vehicle may be
buffed to a gloss and then a refinish color spray out panel can be compared to the
glossy area to verify color match.

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After the refinish color is matched, the proper gloss level is determined by making
spray out panels using the required matte clear mixture.

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The spray out panel must be completely dry before checking the color and gloss
against the vehicle for match.

Multilayer Coating of OEM KBL Color

Matte clear coat
Color base coat (KAD)

Top coat

Primer coat
Electrodeposition coat
Steel panel

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NTB14-094a

Recommended paint suppliers
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Nissan is working with refinish paint suppliers to develop recommended materials and
procedures for proper refinishing of vehicles with KBL.

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To ensure proper color matching, adhesion, and long term wear characteristics, it is
recommended vehicles needing paint refinish work be refinished with products that
have been tested and approved by the paint supplier.

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At the time of this publication, the following refinish paint suppliers have provided
materials and procedures, which meet Nissan requirements.

Recommended suppliers
SUPPLIER
BRAND NAME

SOLVENT BASE

WATER BASE

BASF

Glasurit®
Available
Available
RM®
Available
Available
PPG
(1)
Available
Available
AKZO Nobel
Sikkens
Available
Available
Sherwin Williams
(1)
Available
Available
Standox
®
Available
Available
Axalta
Spies Hecker®
Available
Available
(ex-DuPont)
Cromax®
Available
Available
Kansai Paint
RETAN PG ECO
Available
Available
Nippon Paint
(1)
Available
(1)
(1) Contact Supplier for the brand name of their product that will work with the GT-R paint
system for your region.
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If your paint system supplier does not have Nissan-recommended products, specific
technical advice can be acquired from the local distributors of the paint suppliers.

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If your paint supplier is not recommended and you need to obtain recommended
products, you will also need to purchase the necessary primers, reducers, hardeners
and base coat from the recommended paint suppliers.

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Current refinish materials are designed to work as a system and products from different
paint suppliers should not be mixed together.

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NTB14-094a

Refinishing Unique Carbon Fiber Parts
For the carbon fiber parts listed below use the procedure on the follow in pages.
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Front bumper fascia
Engine undercover (front part only)
Rear bumper fascia
Rear bumper fascia (lower)
Center mud guard
Trunk lid assembly
Rear wing assembly

Front bumper
fascia

Engine undercover
(front part only)

Figure 1
Rear bumper
fascia

Rear wing assembly

Trunk lid
assembly

Rear bumper
fascia (lower)

Center mud guard
Figure 2

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NTB14-094a

IMPORTANT:
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Although the body paint uses a “hard clear coat” or “scratch shield”, the carbon parts
use a standard clear coat.

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If any damage exposes the carbon fiber, the parts must be replaced otherwise the
quality and adhesion of the finish on the repaired parts cannot be guaranteed.
 If the carbon base is exposed on a newly acquired part, the part must be reordered and is not covered by the warranty.

Carbon parts paint layering (coating composition)

For new vehicles
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When painting body color components refer to Figure 3:
 For the front and rear bumper fascia use (1) to (6) illustrated below.
 For the trunk lid assembly use (4) to (6) illustrated below.

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When painting clear coated components use (1) to (3) illustrated below.
 Clear coat is used on the engine undercover (front part), center mud guard, rear
bumper fascia (lower), and rear wing assembly.
NOTE: See page 7 for Painting of service parts.

6. Standard coat

5. Color base coat

4. Primer

3. Clear coat #3

2. Clear coat #2

1. Clear coat #1

Carbon fiber

Figure 3

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NTB14-094a

Service parts
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When painting body color components refer to Figure 4:
 For the front and rear bumper fascia and trunk lid assembly use
(4) to (6) illustrated below.

6. Clear coat

5. Color base coat

4. Quick-drying
primer surfacer
3. Clear coat #3
2. Clear coat #2
1. Clear coat #1
Carbon fiber

Figure 4

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After painting the front and rear bumper fascia (Figure 5 and 7) clear coat from (1) to
(3), finish scuffing. (If unprocessed areas are identified, scuff as needed)

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Only scuff the outer side of the resin of where the trunk lid assembly carbon is
shaped (Figures 8, 9 and 10). The inner is painted with a matte clear finish.

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The quick drying primer surface:
 Should be applied until the reverse tangent point which is the borderline between
body color painting area and clear coat painting only on front bumper fascia
(Figure 6) and trunk lid assy (Figure 10).
 Should also fade from the tangent point, and should be applied to blend at
parting line of paint masking.

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NTB14-094a

Reference for body color painting
Front bumper fascia

Figure 5

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NTB14-094a

Diagram of tangent points

Figure 6
Rear bumper fascia

Figure 7
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NTB14-094a

Trunk lid assembly
Seal all holes
with tape

Taped tangent

Figure 8

Figure 8 is an example of taping the rear trunk lid at the tangent points shown in Figure 10,
to paint the outside surface. Inside of trunk lid is already painted with a matte clear finish.

Figure 9

Figure 9 shows bottom of trunk lid completely masked to paint outside surface.

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NTB14-094a

Trunk lid painting guide

Figure 10

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NTB14-094a