SCWB

Those who have Starfire Pearl or Crystal White or Glacier Frost Mica. What is your experience in regard to paint matching when you ever have to repaint your car?

I had my 2010 Starfire Pearl painted and found the paint match is slightly off. The newly painted area are brighter than the rest of the body.

I just wonder if this is me being too much picky or the paintshop not doing fine job of paint matching before spraying on to the car.


I have heard from some people that it is IMPOSSIBLE to perfectly match the white paint, especially ones with pealescent effect mixed in.



Your thought, experience and suggestion would be highly appreciated. Thank you.

ColtM4A3

As a painter I can tell you I'd never buy a white pearl for myself just for that reason. If your car had panels blended on it then you are not out of line complaining if you can see a difference. If you just have a bumper painted it's reasonable to expect it to be about as close as the opposite bumper. Plasric parts are often a couple shades off.

I can tell the 074 owners that PPG's Envirobase matches your color dead nuts on. One of the best 3-stage matches I've ever seen.

edgeucated

iTrader: (4)

If you feel dissatisfy, i would totally agree with going back and asking them to repaint it.

With that said, it is impossible to match a pearl white. I have had body kits painted, and even after 2-3 tries, its still impossible to match perfectly. I have accepted this to a certain extent. I still go back when i feel the paintmatch is too off but im not ever expecting it to be perfect

chi123

iTrader: (12)

My friend did a rear bumper conversion to and IS-F rear bumper earlier this year. The body shop I recommended he go to that I get my stuff painted got his 7 year old Starfire Pearl color almost perfectly matched. They used Standox paint and had to charge him extra for the Pearl finish though.

ColtM4A3

Charging for 3 stage is pretty standard. The second layer of basecoat is more material and more labor. Glad your shop got good results for you and your friend.

SCWB

Hi. Thank you all for your kind comments.

On ColtM4A3; What do you mean by 3-stage paint?

Is 077 (Starfire Pearl) a 3-Stage?

ColtM4A3

Yes 077 is 3 stage. A white basecoat goes down first. Then a pearl mid coat. In addition to having to match the white base, the color match is affected by the number of coats of mid you put down.

SCWB

Thanks Colt.

Paul@howeyindustries.com

SFP is very difficult to color match. Also keep in mind that the paint that is currently on your car may be slightly faded from being in the sun compared to a freshly painted part.

If the body shop is good, they should be able to almost match it.

1herm4

iTrader: (1)

I had my rear end repainted on my Starfire. Paint matched up good but the clear coat has some serious issues i need to have addressed. I had it done at Longo if that matters.

SCWB

Have to tell you that, after 3-4 months, the repainted area gets darker and now the paint match is getting better with the rest of the car. Still slightly brighter than the old paint but slowly is getting closer (I feel it that way).

So, from this observation. Is it correct for the painter to mix the paint slightly brighter to compensate with the aging of the paint?

In my example, Had the painter were able to match the paint from day one, would the repainted panel get darker and darker which after a period of time and the paint matching will be finally off?

edgeucated

iTrader: (4)

My paint never got darker, well it did, but it was because it got dirty haha. Once i wash the car, i can see the paint difference if i look closely.

Cruiseman

I just had my SPF rear bumper replaced and painted and it has a very obvious blue tint compared to the rest of the car, even compared to the front bumper. The new bumper also does not line up correctly with the body panels.

pattatted4

Thanks for that...I have 074 (GFM) and need my rear bumper repainted. I have been putting it off because I'm afraid of the results. I got touch up from Lexus and it comes out clear and dries to "kind of" match, but still noticeable. Is PPG Envirobase available to any paint/body shop, or do they need licensing?

355F1

I had a bad scratch (scratched against garage door when pulling into garage) on my rear quarter panel that required repainting/blending the area.

I took it back to the highly reputable established paint shop three times to be repainted.

Finally gave up on expecting a near-perfect match and just accepted it. Kinda difficult since I'm so **** about my cars being clean, polished, and always looking as new as possible.

So I will say "No, it isn't possible to get a perfect match.@

Car was 2 years old when this happened.