lexdud

I am curious ... and was hoping that I could get some feedback from your experiences.

If you buy a body part (fender, hood, etc.) that is painted in a certain color ... how confident should you be that the colors will match?

My situation is this: My SC400 hood is in good condition (9/10) but has a few knicks and cracks in the paint (051 - Diamond White Pearl). I may have found a hood (still in the box) for a '92 ... possibly in the same color (I have to go look to confirm). I will not be bringing the SC400 to look at the hood as I will need my truck to bring it back ... if I buy it. My question is ... is Diamond White Pearl ... Diamond White Pearl? Should the colors match no matter what year the car is?

Thanks ...

Josh S

If the paint codes are the same they will match. However old paint is likely to fade and may not match properly. Being white the fading should be a bit less of an issue but there is a chance of it being slightly off...

TroySC300

iTrader: (1)

Depending on how well cared for each part is compared to how well your car was cared for will determine if it will match. Paint fades over time if exposed to the sun. Your best bet is to get the hood you need in good condition and just have a body shop or painter match the paint to your car.

O. L. T.

iTrader: (17)

it's called blending. you'll NEVER match three panels. Blending paints more than just the three panels. Might as well shoot the whole car at that point.

celiman05

iTrader: (1)

its a little more in depth then just matching the paint code. you would be surprised how many different variances of one paint code there can be. for example: there may be 3 or 4 or more different variances of one paint code. all the different variances have different toners in them which can change the color completely. even if the paint your trying to match the new hood to, is fresh and not faded, a change in variant can make it look like a totally different color. this happens from the factory when they are being built, so nothing can really be done exept to match to the variant that you have on your car.

i wouldnt trust getting something pre-painted like that, without consulting the lexus variant paint chips first.