Any Tips On Spray Painting Car Door Handles And Front And Rear Splitter

I recently had a car bumper repainted at a body shop. They are trying to convince me that the slight shade difference in the color is normal and unavoidable. Is this correct? I am currently having them repaint it.

There is a color code on most driver’s door pillar that is the manufacturer’s color code of that specific vehicle. It gives the base mix of colors used to achieve that specific color. I used an auto paint shop for my supplies and would request a color match, realizing that I can never get an absolute, exact match. I would bring a piece of the vehicle with me…the gas filler cover, the broken replaced item or in some cases, the entire vehicle so my paint source has a reference color to match any sun fading. Many paint supply shops use the latest computer scanning technology to color match. If they used a computer to match the color, I wouldn't use that supply shop. Have you ever tried to color match an interior paint at one of the big box hardware stores? Its close, but not on the money! Its not any better with the paint shops. I always used a shop that would have someone who could mix by eye. He would use the same paint code and mix ratio, but he could adjust the tint for any fading. Amazingly accurate, but willing to remix another batch if it came out slightly imperfect after shooting paint. So Miguel, at One Stop Paint Supplies in Riverside, CA, thanks for making me look so good!My reflection in a 65 Mustang fender.The type of paint used also affects the quality or accuracy of the color match. I have found that using an oil based paint offered the best and most accurate eye color matching. More specifically, every paint shop I used to color match a water based paint would always use their computer matching software. So, inevitably, I would use an oil based paint when I was repairing a panel or a bumper cover to get the most accurate color match.Blending the new paint by overspraying into the neighboring panels helps in disguising any color variations. Unfortunately, your repair shop’s attention to customer service appears to be lacking. To add insult, color variation is highly subjective.If you fail at any resolution with your collision shop, you might find help through your local Bureau of Automotive Repair office. An honest Yelp review can also assist in motivating your chosen shop to address your concerns. But ultimately, you might be forced to locate a reputable shop to remedy your problem.

How does a professional body shop / paint shop get an exact color match on car paint repair when the original paint has faded?

All newer cars have a paint code included in the  specs of the car. This code is used to start the process. The painter of the car, and the employee of the auto supply that sells the paint, use this code as their starting point. Then they adjust the mixing of the paint by eyeball until they get it as close as they can. The more modern paint suppliers and stores have computers  and computerized cameras to assist in this matching procedure, but in the end, the painters eyeball is usually the final judge.Sometimes the result is good enough that it passes the customers inspection with flying colors, but mostly the painter uses the trick of BLENDING in the paint over a foot or more between the spot that NEEDS painting, spraying the new paint out over the old paint, applying less and less the farther he gets from the repair. This blending tricks the eye of an amateur into thinking the whole car is exactly the same color. After the color coat is applied, the painter must also apply a top coat of CLEAR, which is a protective transparent finish on most later model cars. IF he is successful, the customer will be satisfied, and maybe even WELL satisfied. But far more often than not, a professional car guy,  anybody who REALLY knows what he is looking at, can spot the repair easily. I have taken somebody to look at a supposedly GREAT car they were ready to buy, and never even got out of our car to look,  seeing mismatched paint indicating a previous accident from a hundred feet away in the sun. If a car has been partially or totally repainted, a good painter can tell virtually every time. Anybody who buys and sells cars for a living also learns to see paint repairs in a hurry. The fresher the repair, the easier it is to find. Paint ALWAYS fades to some usually minor extent, unless a car is garaged out of the sun all the time, but the paint on newer cars usually holds up well against fading for five years or more. The clear top coat is apt to get fuzzy and translucent looking after years in the sun, and it is very common for the clear coat to actually start peeling off after a few years sitting in the sun. John Marlowe is pretty much on the money. I have worked in body shops too.