My 2020 is in the body shop. The driver mirror is being replaced while the door, fronter fender and bumper are being repainted (Caviar)

I am looking for advice on inspecting my vehicle before accepting it.

Five years ago I had a rear quarter panel restored on a new camry. Afterwards, in the sun I could see patterns of a circular buffer along all the interconnected parts. I guess this was what they mean by "blending in the paint". It was subtle but certainly not the same as showroom.

Someone told me a lot has changed in five years. That the painting and clearcoat matching is computerized. I am just nervous it will not look like it did when I bought it.

Bonus question, do you think I will notice the door panel was removed? Will it fit snuggley back into place or could it get warped from the force of removing it?

 

Look at it in the sunlight (or using a color matching light) from several angles. Look closely at the metal flake to make sure the density of the flakes matches the factory paint. This is where you're most likely to see an issue, in my opinion. I'm not sure if Caviar has any pearl. If it does, the subtle color changes with angles and highlights should be the same. Stand well back (15 or 20 feet) and look at the entire car while walking back and forth while noticing the highlights .Obviously the color should match exactly, too. Also look for swirl and sanding marks, bubbles, thin spots, and stuff (dust or dirt) in the paint. I'd be pretty surprised if you found any. Other than something in the paint, any of this stuff is easily addressed. The door should be fine inside and out. Just make sure it was rehung properly and got it adjusted. Check the gaps to make sure they're even. Chances are pretty good that your car will look and feel perfect, and you'll never see where it was blended.

I can't stress the importance of the lighting when checking enough. I once had the dealer polish out a long but not deep scratch they put in an IS. No paintwork. In their garage under pretty bright lighting, it looked fine and the scratch was entirely gone. I took it home and put a coat of sealer on it while in my garage under fluorescent lighting, and it still looked fine. The next day I moved it out into the sun to check it one last time. The scratch was gone, but I discovered they had burned the paint pretty significantly in no less than 3 spots. It never showed under lights! It was so obvious that all the service manager said was to ask where I wanted them to take it for the repaint.

Good luck, and don't worry!