Ruby Red bumper repaint looks off at certain angles - advice?

[Systemduck]

Hey all, just got my front bumper replaced and repainted after hitting some road debris on the highway. After getting it back it looks like the color is off at certain angles and light levels. I called the body shop and they told me some such about matching colors between sheet metal and plastic but this seems pretty far off. Any idea what could have caused this / any tips on what to tell them when I bring it back in next week so they do it right?

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[#1ford]

I truly believe the color is OFF!!! A good painter should do a spray out and know how it matches! You can make paint darker or lighter by adjusting air pressure . Don’t pay the shop until you are satisfied!!! Best of luck to you Joe

 

[Traffic22]

I truly believe the color is OFF!!! A good painter should do a spray out and know how it matches! You can make paint darker or lighter by adjusting air pressure . Don’t pay the shop until you are satisfied!!! Best of luck to you Joe

Agreed….even with factory colors, it takes some work to match paint. My F150 fender flare needed repairing a while back. It is a similar color to the Mach 1 rear wing, gray with some metallic in it.

This is what my painter had to do to match it…..

And that was with the factory color code.

Not sure what you needed the repaint for, or how you paid (cash/insurance) but I think it’s not unreasonable to ask for a better match.

 

[ZXMustang]

The tint does look off. But those colors are so hard to match. The angle of how the flake settles in the paint could throw off a perfect match after it dries. Its really a luck of the draw. And in cases like this, its almost worth blending the color onto the hood and fenders. Makes the job way more expensive and labor intensive, but you wont notice the difference then with the hard line of the bumper to the hood or fenders anymore. Using hard lines is what body shops try to do, but colors like these make it impossible for a perfect match. A REAL match paint job is going to be far more expensive that you or your insurance company will be willing to fork over.

 

[SL8888]

Looks like too much clear coat as the clear coat for Ruby Red is actually like a candy red.
The clear coat is a red tint and the more that they put on, the darker it gets.
Your base coat is almost pink, then the red tint clear goes on.

 

[wmoore26]

Another issue is that the bumper is plastic, whereas the body is metal. The only time a car is perfect is from the factory or a complete repaint. Just look at cars that are older. The paint always looks different on bumpers compared to the body.

 

[69boss]

Mine is slightly off as well depending on lighting. When the sun is out you can't tell, but when its cloudy it starts to show.

 

[dbtgt]

Even from the factory plastic bumper and composite trim pieces are often slightly off color.
Your color match seems (from the photos) to be more than "slightly off".
I would ask for a repaint or a refund.

 

[Jstang23]

Your paint should be an exact match. It may be difficult to match perfectly with plastic vs metal but that's what you pay a shop to do. They clearly were lazy and didn't do the right job. I had my rear bumper and fender repainted and fixed after I was hit in a parking lot on my last mustang. The color was Guard Green Metallic (a much harder color to match) and my shop got it perfect.

Sorry this happened to you but I would absolutely ask for a repaint or a refund

 

[bankyf]

I've seen plenty of Ford's that didn't even match from the factory. The metallic and pearl colors have so many variables that it becomes nearly impossible to get it perfect. I suspect they could get a bit better than the picture, though.

 

[SL8888]

My son was the engineer at the Norplas plant in Northwood Ohio (Toledo) where they molded the front & rear bumper covers, painted them, and assembled (turn signals, grille insert, pony, fog lights) all of the items that were going on that car bumper cover and then sent them up to the Flatrock plant where they assembled Mustangs.
He said that Ford was more particular about the color match & orange peel than the Chrysler and Honda parts that they did. Painted rubber bumpers have come a long way since the 70s with new techniques, flex agents & paint procedures.
Amazing how well the paint (colors & textures) matches coming out of 2 different facilities.

 

[Jstang23]

I've seen plenty of Ford's that didn't even match from the factory. The metallic and pearl colors have so many variables that it becomes nearly impossible to get it perfect. I suspect they could get a bit better than the picture, though.

I am sorry but I have never seen a mustang with a paint defect that bad form the factory. If there is a defect its not from the paint color match, it's something was hit or blemished from coming in contact with another part.

 

[Crayon]

My front fender had to be repainted (blended) years ago in a fender bender and it always looks off when walking up to the car in sunlight. It bothers me, too.

 

[Skye]

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/paint-match-am-i-being-dramatic.182519/

FWIW, here is a like thread, a Member which had a similar issue. I'd have to go back, re-read and refresh my memory. Hopefully the thread above can provide still more perspective and possible guidance.

 

[cerbomark]

tell them " it s not even close, please redo it. "

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