Anyone ever mounted Netradar behind metallic paint?

[Wailermon]

I know this is supposed to present problems, but I'm wondering if it is really significant. I'm swapping out my '14 Porsche Cayman with plain white paint to a '15 Cayman S with "White Carrara Metallic. There are few good alternatives to mounting the Netradar behind the bumper as I had it on my 2014. It worked perfectly in that location, and I would love the place it in the same spot. I'm just not sure how much "metallic" is really in the paint, and how much real detriment it will be to the signal reception. I'd love to hear from a Porsche owner, but anyone with metallic paint feel free to chime in with your real-world experience. I KNOW that it's supposed to be a big no-no, but I'm curious about real-world experiences. Thanks! ~Wailer

[BestRadarDetectors]

Yes, Metallic particles reflect radar and will have a degradation on the radar signal and reduce the sensitivity of the antenna.

[Wailermon]

I get that. My question really goes to how significant that degradation really is. Not all metallic paint has the same amount of metallic substance and I was wondering if anyone had tested it. Recently on another forum, someone took several panels from cars, with different metallic paints, and placed a quality radar detector behind them. They were shot with different K and Ka radar guns. Even among the different metallic paints, the signal strength difference was nearly imperceptible.

Curious if a lack of controls were in place to validate this anecdotal testing, I went ahead and mounted my NetRadar DSP behind the front bumper of my 2015 Porsche Cayman with metallic white paint. Keep in mind that I had previously owned a 2014 Cayman with the same NetRadar mounted in the same place, but without metallic paint, and was well aware of how it performed in the area I have driven for the last five years. I have been driving this new arrangement for the past several weeks, and all I can tell you is that I have not witnessed ANY degradation of the signal. I am still getting K and Ka-band warnings long before I ever see the cop. I'm getting anywhere from 1000 yards to over a 1/2 mile or more of warning. This has been a mix of highway and rural/urban driving. I realize this is only anecdotal for this Porsche white metallic paint, but the more I drive the more comfortable I am that I am not putting myself at risk.

I do get that enough metallic in the paint could have possible disastrous consequences, but I'm just not seeing it with this paint. Frankly, I'm somewhat surprised at how little effect this particular paint seems to have on the signal. I have had several real K and Ka encounters as well as many speed signs and other K Band sources that were not filtered out (some BSM/Radar Cruise Controls and others). I know what the popular opinion is, but I think it really gets down to the amount of metallic substance that is actually present in the paint. I talked to some auto painters who told me the amount of metallic substance is really very slight in most metallic car paints (show cars excluded). They noted the amount in Porsche paint is less than most.

So, at least for now, I am inclined to keep the DSP head where it is, unless I get a clear indication that it is missing, or delaying my warning time by a significant amount. I'd love to hear from anyone that has tested their heads behind metallic paint.