Hi guys/gals,

I got rear ended while parked in a mall parking lot (hit and run; no info left) and got a a plate imprint and a large hole in my rear bumper from the license plate screw. The bumper cover was replaced with OEM Lexus bumper cover and painted by a local body shop, but they could not match completely my factory paint (most people would not notice or care, but I have an unfortunately sharp eye for detail). Now I have a less than one year old 2014 IS 350 F sport with 2900 km and a slightly darker rear bumper that drives me nuts every time I look at it.

The body shop which did the work is willing to repaint, but none of the local paint supplier paint chips or sample paint seems to be a good enough match for the factory nebula gray pearl on my car (they all tend to be darker, on average), so I seem to be out of options locally.

I contacted Toyota/Lexus and tried to buy the factory OEM paint, but they are not willing to sell, other than touch-up paint (at least here in Canada).

I was hoping that perhaps some of you might have dealt with a reputable body shop that sells parts over the internet and it is able to match the nebula gray pearl factory paint near perfectly.

Any useful advice would be appreciated, thank you.

 

Good body shops will blend the paint by feathering onto adjacent panels to make it less noticeable. The body shop my car is in actually blends all the way to the next hard seam. I want able to see any color difference.

 

Have you contacted a Lexus dealership and ask if they will recommend a body shop?

 

thanks, guys, for the replies. Blending was offered, but not recommended. I would also like to keep the "damage" minimal. I had other cars blended and the outcome was that the last blended body panel was different from the next - basically it extended the problem and resulted in more of the car being repainted.

I did ask my Lexus dealership, and went to the shop in question... They said they are not sure if they can make it better. Understandably, I am not eager to submit my vehicle to another "try", especially because I would have to pay for the paint job again, being a different shop.