Sheet Molding Compounds (SMC) present a promising alternative for sheet metal in automotive exterior body panel applications. They offer excellent specific mechanical properties, improved design freedom and a cost-efficient manufacturing process. However, the paintability of SMCs is challenging and this issue has kept the material from a more widespread application, in spite all inherent advantages. This work investigates the underlying reasons of paint defect occurrence and proposes novel solutions to improve upon state-of-the-art technology. Through the modification of conventional SMC an improved surface compound is proposed. This can be combined with a novel manufacturing process, denoted Co-Compression-Molding, which enables the molding of two individual compounds in a single step. The work offers insight into appropriate molding parameter selection to ensure a flawless compression molding process. Additional processing steps are proposed to further improve manufacturing, such as thermography for the early detection of sub-surface voids, and post-processing via electron beam curing.