A&Q about 350Z
Q:
I had to have a new door put on my PPW '03 due to a dent. The body shop(a dealer shop) matched the paint pretty well however it seems like there is a lot less metal flake or pearl sparkle in the paint the shop used. I had them redo it twice. They used the factory code for the 3 part paint and used dupont paint once and another brand the first time.
I am still not happy with this as you can see the difference when in direct sunlight. Any suggestions? try a differnt shop? I'd hate to repaint the whole car just because a darn door.
A:
Well there are a couple of things. The paint used by your shop is a blendable match, because most likely it is not the "exact" paint. With a blendable match they come into the other door by sanding and spraying the base on the replaced door and then blend into the other door with clear. ANother reason is Dupont has problems with color match. The best, but most expensive paint on the market is Spies Hecker, in my opinion. As for the flake not matching keep in mind some paints use a powder metallic and some use a liquid, the powder has a tendency to lay flat and the liquid obviously is more 3D. White is a pretty easy color to match. I would go with a shop that uses PPG, they have great color matches and alot of shops use it. As for other paints stay away from shops that use ICI(its PPG cheap Brand), Sherwin Williams, and Valspar or Debeers.
How do i know what I am talking about? I am in the industry and run a territory for a large auto aftermarket company. I deal with this stuff everyday, and we have affiliations with paint companies.
As for repainting the whole car , that is one of the most ludacris ideas I have ever hear LMAO. Go to another shop. Never bring your car to a dealers Bodyshop, they are the worst, and often pay the techs the worst and have b rated bodymen. Go to the place in town that does the benzes and bmw's, more often then not they won't let things like that slide. ANother thing a shop that is huge is a production shop, they don't take the time that a 4-8 man shop will.
Where are you located I will arrange a good shop for you to go to.
Tom
Current Car- Lexus IS300
Sold the 350z:
silverstone enthusiast
Injen CAI
alpine 1004 monitor
Polk momo 6 1/4(4)
Boston Acoutic tweeters
In dash DVD
MMAT 10 inch sub w/kenwood 800 watt amp
6 disc alpine cd/mp3 changer
A:
I took my 350Z (Daytona Blue) to one shop that matched paint by selecting a formula. They tried twice to match the paint and couldn't. I then took the car to shop with a computer called Chromavision (paint analyzer system). This matched the paint where I could not tell the difference from the rest of the car. The paint was matched with the right color and the right amount of metalflake.
Post Edited (Jun 23, 8:22pm)
A:
Pearl is THE most difficult thing to match. You'd have to do nearly an entire side of a car to pull it off enough to be indiscernible to the eye.
A:
go to ure dealer, they give u the exact paint
A:
come to think of it, about 12 years ago i got a ponk in the rear body panel of my 911. the car was an '87 targa, and was already 5 years old... and had some level of oxidation - the "guards red" always oxidized quickly.
they were able to get original porsche paint - it was very expensive ($250 a pint rings a bell). to that they added something that would make it appear the same age, i just don't recall what it was.
it was undetectable. i mean, you had no idea a fist-sized dent had been removed from the fender. the only error was in doing the edge of the wheel well. but that was more a patch problem than paint problem. i lived with it.
this place was a run-down barn on a dusty back road in a cow town in the poconos. goes to show that it's the quality of the individual - not necessarily their work environment, that determines the outcome. your dealer/insurance company need to make you happy. if it's visible, take a pic. sometimes pictures give a more extreme view to the human eye.
2003 350Z LeMans Sunset Track with Nav
No mods
A:
PLEASE UNDERSTAND NISSAN DEALERS DO NOT HAVE THE "EXACT" paint
Dupont does have that chromavision eye. it makes a "blendable" match, other companies also have a scanner.
Digital-- they do not have the exact paint. The dealer uses and aftermarket brand such as BSAF, Dupont, PPG, SHerwin Williams etc. Even at the plants their are variances in color from the factory. Nowhere is this more evident then with Honda, esp their silvers.
-- 350 - as for your Porsche, they shoot a single stage rather then a base coat, clear coat. Come to think of it many europeans shoot a single stage.
PLEASE UNDERSTAND NISSAN DEALERS DO NOT HAVE THE "EXACT" paint
I Know Long Island many times and know a few very good shops out there. One of the best is Higbie Collision. If you would like their number I could give it to you. The painter Jerry has been around a long time. The shop is large and all new equiptment. I would be happy to assit.
Current Car- Lexus IS300
Sold the 350z:
silverstone enthusiast
Injen CAI
alpine 1004 monitor
Polk momo 6 1/4(4)
Boston Acoutic tweeters
In dash DVD
MMAT 10 inch sub w/kenwood 800 watt amp
6 disc alpine cd/mp3 changer