Hyundai Veloster Turbo’s matte-black paint comes with long list of dos and don’ts

The biggest fashion in custom cars over the past few years has been matte-black paint or vinyl wraps -- a look that gives a sinister, half-finished look, as if the builders only paint resource was rattle cans of flat primer. Yet automakers haven't dared offered such a paint on a mass-market car, because despite its tough appearance, matte finishes can take wicked amounts of upkeep. Leave it Hyundai to boldly go where other fear to tread by offering a matte-black paint as an option on its Hyundai Veloster Turbo -- but you have to promise to give up automatic car washes

Before Hyundai, only a few luxury automakers offered a matte finish, and even then only as a high-cost option; BMW will sell five hues of flat paint on its new 6-Series Gran Coupe at a $5,000 premium. Hyundai's matte finish option will add $1,000 to the $21,950 base price of the three-door Veloster Turbo. The difference between a matte finish and a traditional glossy car paint isn't in composition -- there's still layers of colored paint covered by a clear coat -- but on matte cars that clear finish has been laid on rough to keep light from reflecting. (Many custom cars with matte finishes are actually vinyl wraps, which aren't durable enough for automakers to sell on new cars.)

The trouble? Nearly every car-care product and the entire car wash industry was designed to polish marks out of clear coat paint with abrasives or waxes. Even soft abrasives can create a shine on a matte finish where there should be none -- and there's no good way to restore a flat finish without a complete respray.