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I had a similar issue following my rear-end repair two years ago: the bumper color simply did not match on one side. I also found clear coat drips in several places.
They pushed back at first about lighting and my sensitivity, but I persisted, and they painted it again.
Stuff happens, and a good body shop will work with you until you are satisfied.
Here is what I would do if it was my car. I would drive the car to my insurance agent's office fifteen minutes away and show him what the problem is. He would agree with me that the paint color is nowhere close to being right and I should not have to accept such poor workmanship. (How do I know he would agree with me? Because he insures multiple vehicles and multiple properties for me. And, I have recommended him to others in which he insures tens of millions in property for them.) I would then tell him that I want to start over with either a brand new bumper or have the bumper completely stripped, and have a body shop that does custom work to paint it to match. He would agree with me and tell me to choose whoever I wanted to have do it...and he would make it happen. Note: That may not be what your insurance agent company allows you to do, so you might not get what you ask for. All they can tell you is 'no', and then you'll have to work out something the best you can with either your insurance company or with the incompetent body shop that screwed up a simple little paint job.
An insurance agent does not have the authority to make these types of decisions. The determination of whether a repair is proper or not rests with the people in the claims department, not your insurance sales office.
Just spoke to my insurance and the body shop. The body shop will fix the paint job. Hopefully blend both sides of the car. Scheduled next Thursday September 12
Just spoke to my insurance and the body shop. The body shop will fix the paint job. Hopefully blend both sides of the car. Scheduled next Thursday September 12
Ummm, "blend both sides of the car" scares me!
Is he even going to repaint the bumper the correct color? Or, is he just going to blend both sides of the car with the incorrect color so the bumper's difference is not [as] noticeable?
Just spoke to my insurance and the body shop. The body shop will fix the paint job. Hopefully blend both sides of the car. Scheduled next Thursday September 12
When you say blend both sides of the car, I am assuming you mean both sides of the quarter panel. If so, why? They should be able to tint the paint they use on the bumper to match the shade that is already on your car. You don’t want to start painting other panels unless it’s necessary.
Blending typically means they paint both panels, in this case the bumper and quarter panels. This looks like more than blending though, it looks like the wrong paint color was used altogether. As someone already mentioned, that looks like ultra white on starfire pearl car. If so, they should repaint the entire bumper, then blend as necessary.
Blending typically means they paint both panels, in this case the bumper and quarter panels. This looks like more than blending though, it looks like the wrong paint color was used altogether. As someone already mentioned, that looks like ultra white on starfire pearl car. If so, they should repaint the entire bumper, then blend as necessary.
OP shouldn’t need to blend the quarter panels because he only replaced the bumper. A competent shop should be able to tint the white paint on the bumper to match the shade on the body of the car. The shade might be off a little bit because the material of the bumper is plastic and the car body is metal.... but of course the shade shouldn’t be off as much as what is on his car now. He just needs to have the bumper repainted with the proper tint for his white.
One should always avoid blending into an adjacent panel unless it’s absolutely necessary. You don’t want to start painting parts of your car when you don’t have to. Also, if you blend into the quarter panel, you will need to clear coat the entire panel which for the quarter panel, will include the entire panel and the sail that runs all the way up the roof to the bottom of the A-pillar at the front of the car. Otherwise, the clear coat will fail after a few years if you stop painting by creating a break half way into a panel.
OP shouldn’t need to blend the quarter panels because he only replaced the bumper. A competent shop should be able to tint the white paint on the bumper to match the shade on the body of the car. The shade might be off a little bit because the material of the bumper is plastic and the car body is metal.... but of course the shade shouldn’t be off as much as what is on his car now. He just needs to have the bumper repainted with the proper tint for his white.
One should always avoid blending into an adjacent panel unless it’s absolutely necessary. You don’t want to start painting parts of your car when you don’t have to. Also, if you blend into the quarter panel, you will need to clear coat the entire panel which for the quarter panel, will include the entire panel and the sail that runs all the way up the roof to the bottom of the A-pillar at the front of the car. Otherwise, the clear coat will fail after a few years if you stop painting by creating a break half way into a panel.
Also when they clear coat that large panel, any scratches or paint chips will be magnified. You are really opening a can of worms painting other parts of the car that don't need it.
Hey Guys, Yes “Blending Both Sides” was the term the body shop guy said over the phone But I’ll talk to my insurance to get a better understanding so I don’t get screwed over again. I told my insurance agent that I wasn’t satisfied with the end product. So I’ll keep you guys updated with what’s going on.
It's pretty common for this to happen. it's hard to paint match the color/tone to the OEM paint. Even though they use the exact paint code, brand and formula; temp, humidity, and drying time can alter the color of the paint. also it depends on the age of the car because UV can also change the OEM color.
It's pretty common for this to happen. it's hard to paint match the color/tone to the OEM paint. Even though they use the exact paint code, brand and formula; temp, humidity, and drying time can alter the color of the paint. also it depends on the age of the car because UV can also change the OEM color.
Are you saying that they won’t be able to match it???
350phi is correct. It won't match exactly but will be close. Even if you looked at a brand-new car at the dealership, the bumpers usually do not match the body exactly. Metal vs. plastic is one reason, but also the bumper is usually painted at a different booth or at a different time than when the body of the car is sprayed.
The photo you shared however, is problematic and is WAY off. I'm still saying that the bodyshop should be able to repaint your bumper alone with the appropriate tint added to the paint mixture so it will match the body of the car. If I had your car, I would not allow them to paint my quarter-panels to blend. That's unnecessary work and you'll have to explain to the next owner on why both sides of your car was repainted. Not good.
Are you saying that they won’t be able to match it???
Any decent body shop should be able to match the original paint so only the bumper needs painting and no blending whatsoever is necessary. Your car's paint is not so old or faded where it cannot be matched. Granted, a pearl or metallic paint is more difficult to match, but by no means is it impossible. Also, painting plastic tends to look different than painting metal...and ambient temperature and humidity plays a parts in the final looks as well. But, nowadays even middle-of-the-road body shops are capable of turning out spectacular paint matches. They weren't even remotely close on your bumper - it is probably 20 shades off, which is **** poor work. This is why I highly question whether this particular body shop is even capable of doing a decent job. Their talk of blending doesn't give me a good feeling.
Are they going to repaint the bumper and get the color right this time? If so, there is no need to blend. Or, are they just going to blend new [incorrect color] paint onto the quarter panels so the incorrect color of the bumper doesn't stand out?
Blending (spraying adjacent body parts) is only necessary when the vehicle's original paint is old or faded and the new paint just cannot be made to match due to that reason. Aside from that, blending is used when the repainting (color) does not match the original paint color. When a body shop feels the need to blend they are acknowledging that their repainting does not match the rest of the vehicle's paint. When the repaint doesn't quite match some body shops may elect not to blend, whereas others will blend. It's a personal opinion based on just how close, or how far off, the color match is. You do not want any blending. It is better to be off an unnoticeable ¼ shade with no blending than to be off ¾ shade with blending. Yours is off 20 shades! It doesn't even look like a 'variation' of the correct [standard] color. The problem with blending is that you are repainting original paint to match new paint...and when you blend you are not prepping the blending surface appropriately for the paint and clearcoat to last. Blending is much like rubbing your bare hand once across a greasy glass tabletop instead of actually cleaning it with something suitable to remove the grease and then polishing the glass perfectly clean. In other words, it's like doing a half-*** job...
Any decent body shop should be able to match the original paint so only the bumper needs painting and no blending whatsoever is necessary. Your car's paint is not so old or faded where it cannot be matched. Granted, a pearl or metallic paint is more difficult to match, but by no means is it impossible. Also, painting plastic tends to look different than painting metal...and ambient temperature and humidity plays a parts in the final looks as well. But, nowadays even middle-of-the-road body shops are capable of turning out spectacular paint matches. They weren't even remotely close on your bumper - it is probably 20 shades off, which is **** poor work. This is why I highly question whether this particular body shop is even capable of doing a decent job. Their talk of blending doesn't give me a good feeling.
Are they going to repaint the bumper and get the color right this time? If so, there is no need to blend. Or, are they just going to blend new [incorrect color] paint onto the quarter panels so the incorrect color of the bumper doesn't stand out?
Blending (spraying adjacent body parts) is only necessary when the vehicle's original paint is old or faded and the new paint just cannot be made to match due to that reason. Aside from that, blending is used when the repainting (color) does not match the original paint color. When a body shop feels the need to blend they are acknowledging that their repainting does not match the rest of the vehicle's paint. When the repaint doesn't quite match some body shops may elect not to blend, whereas others will blend. It's a personal opinion based on just how close, or how far off, the color match is. You do not want any blending. It is better to be off an unnoticeable ¼ shade with no blending than to be off ¾ shade with blending. Yours is off 20 shades! It doesn't even look like a 'variation' of the correct [standard] color. The problem with blending is that you are repainting original paint to match new paint...and when you blend you are not prepping the blending surface appropriately for the paint and clearcoat to last. Blending is much like rubbing your bare hand once across a greasy glass tabletop instead of actually cleaning it with something suitable to remove the grease and then polishing the glass perfectly clean. In other words, it's like doing a half-*** job...
Good know. Don’t want them doing a half-*** job and doing unnecessary things to the car. I will ask my adjuster what the body shop plans to do.
