Quote:
Originally Posted by JSH
The paint shop isn't even close to the cost of the body-in-white. There are way more more tools, fixtures, and robots putting the unibody together and many are specific to a specific model.
The robots in the paint shop are shared between every model produced in the factory.
Also polished parts are way more expensive than painted parts to produce and much harder to keep from being damaged during assembly. Ours all have plastic films on the A-surface to keep them from being damaged. If they are damaged bare metal parts are very hard to repair. A polished mirror finish is pretty easy to fix but blending a matte finish to match the surrounding area is very specialized work.
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As I understand from the reporting (Hyundai's US assembly plants),during manufacture of a painted automobile,the electro-prep dipping,priming,top-coating,and clear-coat, costs more than any other 'component' of the vehicle,including the engine or transmission.The cost and operation of the multiple 'line' procedures to complete the finish, constitutes a significant portion of the overall assembly plant cost,and vehicle unit cost.
I'll have to defer to you with respect to any special handling complications of working with stainless,however I'm given to understand that there are specific advantages in the deletion of a painted finish and all that it entails.