Fizzboy7

So I've always read this color was tough to match. I just had my front bumper repainted due to some chips and now I'm full on stuck in a mess of slightly mismatched colors. The guy who did the work said it took three attempts to get the color as close to the original as possible. It's still a tad light and it's driving me crazy everytime I look at it. I am wondering if this is something I only would notice or if someone else inspecting the car later on down the road (for resale) would notice. It's not really obvious unless you walk up closer and compare the panels (a pic doesn't show the difference). But again, I know it's there and that's what's driving me crazy. My car had been "perfect" up until this.
So should I go through the hassle of having him respray it to see if he can get it closer? Or is there really no way to get this color spot on? I am nervous handing over my car and risking scuffs, dust, scratches, wear, etc.
Thoughts? Can GFM be done right? Should I just accept the fact that it will never be perfectly matched?
TIA

Rash

iTrader: (1)

i had to paint my old grill two times, in two car shops. the first time it was annoying yellow. second time wasnt 100% accurate but it wasnt annoying, since the grill was a small part and wasnt noticable.

next time if I want to paint, ill go to a dealer or something.

Fizzboy7

I once heard painters take a computerized scan of a current body panel to get an accurate match. It sounds like that method has been retired (?). I've also heard of GFM being a different tone on most IS's. I'm out of ideas.

LEXX135

If you want a perfect color match for GFM i suggest you go to your Local Stealership buddy. Yes, they will charge you like an arm and a leg, but for sure they'll defenitely match it, but thats IF you want to pay a lil more. Idk up to you, good luck!

Fizzboy7

I think every dealer does things differently. Some might have their own in-house painting. Others, like mine, send cars out to some local paint shop. I could have inquired though... I didn't think they would have better resources than my guy. Maybe I'll investigate further now. Thanks!

Lets Drive

iTrader: (3)

Yeah, some GFM cars definitely have more yellow, while others have more blue. Even with factory parts, you're not guaranteed a perfect match.

Unless its really that off, it sounds like you're dwelling on the color match because you are aware of the work done...its like getting scratches on the car that nobody else notices, yet drives you up the wall. To casual observers, they're usually indifferent or completely miss it, unless you point it out...and even then, they'll think you're crazy for your attention to detail.

Put it to the test and have someone look over your car to see how obvious it is, or not.

HKS350

iTrader: (4)

GFM have a wide range of color. It all depends on the mid-coat and how many coats are applied. Also how they are applied. Frist the base is a gray/off-white color (not white). The mid-coat lightens the gray base color to white/blue. It does this with two coats. Then if your car is more blue then you add two more mid-coats to equal 4. If you go with any more coats then it starts to yellow. You will also yellow if the gun air pressure is not set right or coats are too heavy.
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Its not that had to match but most body shops won't take the time needed to make it right. 3 base coats - 4 mid coats @ 45psi - clear 2/3 coats.

wednesday

When my 07 GFM was repaired by the dealerships body shop the panels matched really well, the only thing that may have been slightly off was the back bumper but plastic parts always seem to look different to me. The body shop said they had recently done work on several other GFM's so they had practice getting it right, so it may be worth it to go to the dealer because they have practice with the color.

IXI187IXI

iTrader: (3)

agreed some are more yellow than blue and visa versa.

keep in mind bumpers will not match the body of the car ever 100% perfectly because of the bumpers being plastic. even brand new cars have a slight difference.

i had my rear bumper painted by the dealerships body shop and they botched it. it looked perfect outside however under artificial lightning it was a completely different shade. the shop had to actually order a whole new bumper and start from scratch because they tried to repaint it too many times and it wouldnt come out the correct way. GFM is very very hard to match.

if you cant notice the difference in sunlight, take your car to a parking lot with street lamps or a self wash car wash and pull it into one of the bays. thats how i noticed my rear bumper was way off.

VF84

where are you at in CA? if u'r in norcal, try matt's autobody.

the top of my front passenger door was messed up during a window break in (@ 7k miles for some stupid $50 baby carrier ). they matched the whole right side of the car to get it right (roof, a-pillar). now, GFM already has different tones under different angles of light, so maybe i haven't noticed anything. but, it looks to be a good match. to be honest, it's just a bumper. but if it bugs u, it bugs u.

anyway, give them a call. ask for milton. been going there for 15+ years now.

Fizzboy7

I'm torn. I've had co-workers look at it and give me their opinions, but that was only after I told them about the color being off. They did state it was somewhat noticable. Maybe the next experiment should be the same, but only say to look over the whole car to see if they spot anything wrong, but not mention the color issue. I am guessing about 95% of the public would never notice, but that one person looking over the car closely when I go to sell it could possibly spot it. I am worried about how this could affect resale.
Do you think I should try some more pics to see if it shows? I wanted to get opinions on here, but it's not coming up too well with the camera.

Fizzboy7

That's exactly how it's off... it has too much yellow in it. At the very last second, my guy called me to ask if I wanted an extra layer of clearcoat to help prevent future chipping. I said to do whatever the factory does and so he added it. I wonder if that's what threw it off or not. I'll keep your post on file if I decide to go back to him.

IXI187IXI

iTrader: (3)

like i said put the car under artificial lightning and see if it really stands out.

Fizzboy7

It's noticable (to me) in natural and artificial light.