Paint matching

[MustangNick]

Hey everyone, so I had a run in with my garage door the other day and while it it only resulted in a few scratches I paid my deductible and had my trunk repainted at the dealers body shop.

My car is DIB and the body shop staff made a comment that this paint was hard to blend so they would try and contain the repair to the one panel. Well fast forward to today I picked the car up and all seemed well but the closer I looked at the new paint I couldn't help but notice that it almost seemed brighter than the factory paint. The color is a good match but it's almost missing that purple hue that the DIB exudes in low light.

I'm going to try and snap some pics. Everyone I show thinks it looks perfect so maybe I'm crazy.....or maybe it's because I know it was painted...

Sponsored

 

[x_man586]

There are so many things that affect what you see when looking at paint on a car. What does it look like in the sun. I don't get the hard to blend part. If the insurance will pay to blend we blend. It is harder to match the paint without blending.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Blending is done to minimize the difference in appearance of the repair. Trying to avoid blending doesn't make sense because that will likely cause what you are seeing. If a shop says they can't blend, run don't walk.

 

[GTP]

[MENTION=20679]HoosierDaddy[/MENTION]
Is it possible for a shop to achieve a near-perfect match and not require blending? Is that a more noble goal?

Or is blending a desirable thing, both for the shop and the owner?

I ask, because it seems logical to me that triple yellow should be easier to match than the metallic colors.

 

[MustangNick]

ya the body shop has done good work on other vehicles I own including extensive blending so they can certainly do it. I don't know if the scratches necessarily warranted it in this case f literally all in the exact Center of the trunk. After doing some research it seems that matching metallic paint is a bit of an art and there is no way to match 100% from the factory.....you can get close though

 

[HoosierDaddy]

@HoosierDaddy
Is it possible for a shop to achieve a near-perfect match and not require blending? Is that a more noble goal?

Or is blending a desirable thing, both for the shop and the owner?

My understanding is it would take luck for it to match exactly without blending. And when it doesn't you then have to blend to make the match. So the non-blend attempt is usually wasted effort if you really want matching. Blending doesn't make the new paint match the old as much as it eliminates any line where the two meet so its not noticeable. So it would seem desirable to both if the goal is not being able to see a difference in the old and new paint.

I ask, because it seems logical to me that triple yellow should be easier to match than the metallic colors.

Not being metallic eliminates some of the matching problem because you don't have to worry about the orientation of the flecks. I think the triple yellow would be more expensive to have repaired because more steps are involved which is why its extra cost from the factory. But yeah, I think it should match easier than a metallic.

 

[GatorHunter]

my 2014 DIB got t-bone in july 2015, i figured if i have ford fix it it would get fixed right, WRONG! Had to take it back 3 times to get the body lines adjusted on the hood and door, a rattle in the dash, the window would make loud noises when rolling down, and re-painted twice, and they still did not get the paint right, it looked just like yours, no purple hue. i dont think they are using the correct paint, because i had some of my engine bay painted at a different shop and the paint matched perfectly, even the purple hue, I ended up trading it in for a magnetic 2016. I will never go to ford to get bodywork done again.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I will never go to ford to get bodywork done again.

Ford didn't repair your car. A particular Ford dealer did and screwed things up. Another Ford dealer might do a better job than anyone else. But yeah, definitely don't use that dealer again for body/paint.

 

[GatorHunter]

Ford didn't repair your car. A particular Ford dealer did and screwed things up. Another Ford dealer might do a better job than anyone else. But yeah, definitely don't use that dealer again for body/paint.

I know it was not "Ford" and was a dealer, but all dealers get supplied the same paint that ford tells them to use, correct? which means all the ford dealers have the wrong paint, if i can go to a non-dealer paint shop and get the correct paint, something is wrong

 

[MustangNick]

Once the sun comes out I'm taking HD pics and I'll you guys judge

 

[RIBS]

I know it was not "Ford" and was a dealer, but all dealers get supplied the same paint that ford tells them to use, correct? which means all the ford dealers have the wrong paint, if i can go to a non-dealer paint shop and get the correct paint, something is wrong

Every body shop I have been to says they custom mix the paint to match the car....none have ever called and ordered the original paint from the manufacturer...

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I know it was not "Ford" and was a dealer, but all dealers get supplied the same paint that ford tells them to use, correct? which means all the ford dealers have the wrong paint, if i can go to a non-dealer paint shop and get the correct paint, something is wrong

It doesn't work that way. Ford doesn't sell paint to the dealers. All body shops, including dealers, buy the paint from various paint makers based on a paint code for whatever color your car is.

 

[GatorHunter]

Just talked to my paint guy, they use to mix their own paint, now they order it pre-mixed from another company. so the dealer is ordering the wrong paint without the purple hue., or it could be the brand of paint.

 

[GTP]

My understanding is it would take luck for it to match exactly without blending. And when it doesn't you then have to blend to make the match. So the non-blend attempt is usually wasted effort if you really want matching. Blending doesn't make the new paint match the old as much as it eliminates any line where the two meet so its not noticeable. So it would seem desirable to both if the goal is not being able to see a difference in the old and new paint.

Not being metallic eliminates some of the matching problem because you don't have to worry about the orientation of the flecks. I think the triple yellow would be more expensive to have repaired because more steps are involved which is why its extra cost from the factory. But yeah, I think it should match easier than a metallic.

So let's say a front fender needed to be replaced. The upper edge is very narrow and at 90° with the side. Seems that it would be very hard to notice a difference with the hood paint if it was a "nearly perfect" match. However, the match to the forward part of the door and bumper might be more noticeable.

Another example is a replacement rear quarter panel. Same issue at the rearward portion of the door, and with the trunk. But the roof line might not be so noticeable because there is the rain gutter to separate the panels, plus they are not parallel.

The reason for my curiosity is because with my car, blending in these two examples would require pulling off 3 large pieces of clear film, plus the racing stripes.

"Having to do it all over again" if the customer rejects the match is a critical issue for both the shop and customer alike.

Please continue to comment.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

So let's say a front fender needed to be replaced. The upper edge is very narrow and at 90° with the side. Seems that it would be very hard to notice a difference with the hood paint if it was a "nearly perfect" match. However, the match to the forward part of the door and bumper might be more noticeable.

Another example is a replacement rear quarter panel. Same issue at the rearward portion of the door, and with the trunk. But the roof line might not be so noticeable because there is the rain gutter to separate the panels, plus they are not parallel.

The reason for my curiosity is because with my car, blending in these two examples would require pulling off 3 large pieces of clear film, plus the racing stripes.

"Having to do it all over again" if the customer rejects the match is a critical issue for both the shop and customer alike.

Please continue to comment.

I wouldn't blend if the panels meet at a significant angle or if there was some contrasting thing in between. Blending does extend the amount and/or number of panels effected so it should be avoided in situations like that.

What I always found interesting is that insurance will pay for and many customers will demand no noticeable difference in appearance when a panel has to be repainted which is done by painting (blending) into adjacent areas/panels. BUT everyone accepts different looking paint between bumper covers and adjacent hard panels.The soft covers are not painted at the same time and are not painted with the same paint formulation either since it has to be able to flex with the bumper so will not match, unlike the hard parts that are painted at the same time with the same paint. It's the whatayagonnado factor.

Sponsored