RX 450h Paint Horror Story - Please Advise
11-08-10, 07:04 PM
#48
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Okay, with that fender pic you just posted, I'm siding with the paint shop on that area. You are seeing things that are not there with that. The fender and bumper match, look at the shadows. You are seeing the reflection, not the paint. You need to look at the paint with a neutral background reflecting on it. I suggest a wall that is painted with a light color.
With regard to the doors, sanding it will remove a significant amount of the previous material and should not require taking it down to bare metal again.
Big Mack
With regard to the doors, sanding it will remove a significant amount of the previous material and should not require taking it down to bare metal again.
Big Mack
11-08-10, 07:37 PM
#49
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They can prep and shoot a light coat of base over the whole side to get even coverage and follow with few coats of clear,I just hate the idea of having the paint/clear build up too thick. The last picture also shows that they overshot ,i.e. went too far blending basecoat,it's very possible that their basecoat never had a good match from the get-go. Try washing it and take another pic in direct sunlight. I bet if you look down the side in direct sunlight,every panel has slightly different shade .
11-08-10, 07:54 PM
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They can prep and shoot a light coat of base over the whole side to get even coverage and follow with few coats of clear,I just hate the idea of having the paint/clear build up too thick. The last picture also shows that they overshot ,i.e. went too far blending basecoat,it's very possible that their basecoat never had a good match from the get-go. Try washing it and take another pic in direct sunlight. I bet if you look down the side in direct sunlight,every panel has slightly different shade .
I also don't like the idea of paint going on too thick. I asked them about it today and they said they would sand to the point of sanding into the existing color coat a bit. Since they stripped to metal before this, maybe that's okay? One thing I was wondering is... is it then okay for them to paint the new color coat or do they need to prime again too?
11-08-10, 08:04 PM
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Forgot to add... the approach the shop says they will use is what they do to any car that has been in an accident and needs paint work, i.e., they don't strip to bare metal every time they need to paint a car... they sand into the factory color coat a bit, then paint. I don't have factory paint any more, but I do just have one set of paint since they stripped down to metal last time. That should be okay, shouldn't it?
11-08-10, 08:36 PM
#52
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Not ideal,but it's OK. When you try to sell or trade the car in,some people use paint thickness gauge,which will reveal the paintwork,regardless how flawless the finish or colormatch is.
11-08-10, 09:29 PM
#53
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I handled mine myself and the body shop did not report it to carfax, said it's not their job. Since you had the skin replaced you should be OK. The dealers look for the VIN tag on the doors to make sure they all match.
11-08-10, 10:32 PM
#54
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Of course they're going to get defensive about their work, but that doesn't make them right.
Get a second and even a third opinion from other "reputable" bodyshops. Some color matching systems can detect the slightest nuances from what would look similar for most people. Further, ask a couple of women to weigh in as well, under "well-lit" conditions. Women are believed in some quarters to possess a more discriminating eye when it comes to colors, shades and the matching of same.
The application of the paint, timing and other ambient factors can also affect the final results.
Get a second and even a third opinion from other "reputable" bodyshops. Some color matching systems can detect the slightest nuances from what would look similar for most people. Further, ask a couple of women to weigh in as well, under "well-lit" conditions. Women are believed in some quarters to possess a more discriminating eye when it comes to colors, shades and the matching of same.
The application of the paint, timing and other ambient factors can also affect the final results.
11-09-10, 07:34 AM
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What if I just insist that whatever method they use, i.e., total stripping vs. sanding into the color, the final result needs to be "like new" in thickness as well as color, as measured by a paint thickness gauge, as this was the job I paid for. This will surely annoy them more than they already are, but at least it makes my expectations clear. Who knows, maybe they can achieve this using the sanding approach.
11-09-10, 07:47 AM
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You are right Johnny. Even though they have offered to do a repaint, I'm leery about doing that as it could result in a too-thick paint thickness as they just want to sand into the color a bit and then repaint. They do not want to strip to metal again. Of course I could insist on that, but I should make sure this color discrepancy is serious enough for a repaint before I do that. Thoughts? Comments?
11-09-10, 08:13 AM
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There is no way they can remove 5-7 mills and not bust through the clear,if you try spraying basecoat over sanded through patches in fresh clearcoat,it will create rings or outline of the areas that were sanded through exposing basecoat and those spots will be very visible. There is no way any shop would agree to repaint something and guarantee that the paint on panels that they have painted will have same thickness as the OEM paint,unless the customer is willing to pay for all the extra work. All insurance repairs usually include time to remove trim and blend on adjacent panels,so in the end the paint matches, but in reality the car is not in "pre-loss" condition,because paint thickness will be double on blended panels.
11-09-10, 08:27 AM
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There is no way they can remove 5-7 mills and not bust through the clear,if you try spraying basecoat over sanded through patches in fresh clearcoat,it will create rings or outline of the areas that were sanded through exposing basecoat and those spots will be very visible. There is no way any shop would agree to repaint something and guarantee that the paint on panels that they have painted will have same thickness as the OEM paint,unless the customer is willing to pay for all the extra work. All insurance repairs usually include time to remove trim and blend on adjacent panels,so in the end the paint matches, but in reality the car is not in "pre-loss" condition,because paint thickness will be double on blended panels.
11-09-10, 10:50 AM
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The Bottom Line Final Decision
Thanks everybody for all the comments. I think the consensus is I have color mismatched panels on the passenger side (some say the color is way off, others barely notice it), now I need to decide whether to repaint or not. Okay so here's what the bottom line final decision comes down to. I can either...
DO NOTHING (what I have now):
-- a very professional paint job by a reputable shop (except for the color issue) of the entire passenger side (except for front fender, which was just blended, not completely painted).
-- Paint thickness probably very close to original paint levels since all panels were stripped down to the metal and the rear door skin was OEM brand new.
-- If someone notices the color difference of the rear door at resale, I could tell them that yes, the rear door was repainted after skin was replaced to repair the small dent sustained in parking lot hit and run. I can show them my photo of the original damage, which was not big.
-- Maybe color differences will appear less as all panels fade a bit with time.
-- This is my wife's car and she claims to not even notice the color difference. I of course notice it, and it bothers me, but could probably get used to it.
OR I CAN REPAINT...
-- Thereby risking things going wrong with overspray, damage to other parts, etc. I really don't want the job of fixing what was once a small dent in my rear door to spread to the hood, the bumpers, etc...
-- Maybe resulting in an unacceptable paint thickness of the entire passenger side if they don't take enough of the existing job off. This might be noticed at resale and cause people to question if the vehicle was in an accident.
-- It is possible we could have a perfect job that I am happy with. It is also possible that we still have a color issue after all of this.
-- My wife will get supremely pissed if the 5 days promised turnaround time for the repaint turns into 10 days or more. As you guys know, this is very possible. I have my marriage to think about!
So I have an appointment on the books for a repaint November 29, so I have time to decide. But as you can tell I think I'm leaning toward doing nothing. Appreciate any additional comments you guys have. Here's another pic of the car from the distance most people see it. As you can see, the whole color thing is a lot less noticeable.
The irony is the very first shop I took it to for an esimate told me the least expensive way to fix this it to replace the rear door skin and repaint that panel only, which may not be a perfect match. Estimate: $900 And in the end, this is what I have.
DO NOTHING (what I have now):
-- a very professional paint job by a reputable shop (except for the color issue) of the entire passenger side (except for front fender, which was just blended, not completely painted).
-- Paint thickness probably very close to original paint levels since all panels were stripped down to the metal and the rear door skin was OEM brand new.
-- If someone notices the color difference of the rear door at resale, I could tell them that yes, the rear door was repainted after skin was replaced to repair the small dent sustained in parking lot hit and run. I can show them my photo of the original damage, which was not big.
-- Maybe color differences will appear less as all panels fade a bit with time.
-- This is my wife's car and she claims to not even notice the color difference. I of course notice it, and it bothers me, but could probably get used to it.
OR I CAN REPAINT...
-- Thereby risking things going wrong with overspray, damage to other parts, etc. I really don't want the job of fixing what was once a small dent in my rear door to spread to the hood, the bumpers, etc...
-- Maybe resulting in an unacceptable paint thickness of the entire passenger side if they don't take enough of the existing job off. This might be noticed at resale and cause people to question if the vehicle was in an accident.
-- It is possible we could have a perfect job that I am happy with. It is also possible that we still have a color issue after all of this.
-- My wife will get supremely pissed if the 5 days promised turnaround time for the repaint turns into 10 days or more. As you guys know, this is very possible. I have my marriage to think about!
So I have an appointment on the books for a repaint November 29, so I have time to decide. But as you can tell I think I'm leaning toward doing nothing. Appreciate any additional comments you guys have. Here's another pic of the car from the distance most people see it. As you can see, the whole color thing is a lot less noticeable.
The irony is the very first shop I took it to for an esimate told me the least expensive way to fix this it to replace the rear door skin and repaint that panel only, which may not be a perfect match. Estimate: $900 And in the end, this is what I have.
11-09-10, 10:54 AM
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The Bottom Line Final Decision
Thanks everybody for all the comments. I think the consensus is I have color mismatched panels on the passenger side (some say the color is way off, others barely notice it), now I need to decide whether to repaint or not. Okay so here's what the bottom line final decision comes down to. I can either...
DO NOTHING (what I have now):
-- a very professional paint job by a reputable shop (except for the color issue) of the entire passenger side (except for front fender, which was just blended, not completely painted).
-- Paint thickness probably very close to original paint levels since all panels were stripped down to the metal and the rear door skin was OEM brand new.
-- If someone notices the color difference of the rear door at resale, I could tell them that yes, the rear door was repainted after skin was replaced to repair the small dent sustained in parking lot hit and run. I can show them my photo of the original damage, which was not big.
-- Maybe color differences will appear less as all panels fade a bit with time.
-- This is my wife's car and she claims to not even notice the color difference. I of course notice it, and it bothers me, but could probably get used to it.
OR I CAN REPAINT...
-- Thereby risking things going wrong with overspray, damage to other parts, etc. I really don't want the job of fixing what was once a small dent in my rear door to spread to the hood, the bumpers, etc...
-- Maybe resulting in an unacceptable paint thickness of the entire passenger side if they don't take enough of the existing job off. This might be noticed at resale and cause people to question if the vehicle was in an accident.
-- It is possible we could have a perfect job that I am happy with. It is also possible that we still have a color issue after all of this.
-- My wife will get supremely pissed if the 5 days promised turnaround time for the repaint turns into 10 days or more. As you guys know, this is very possible. I have my marriage to think about!
So I have an appointment on the books for a repaint November 29, so I have time to decide. But as you can tell I think I'm leaning toward doing nothing. Appreciate any additional comments you guys have. Here's another pic of the car from the distance most people see it. As you can see, the whole color thing is a lot less noticeable.
The irony is the very first shop I took it to for an esimate told me the least expensive way to fix this it to replace the rear door skin and repaint that panel only, which may not be a perfect match. Estimate: $900 And in the end, this is what I have.
DO NOTHING (what I have now):
-- a very professional paint job by a reputable shop (except for the color issue) of the entire passenger side (except for front fender, which was just blended, not completely painted).
-- Paint thickness probably very close to original paint levels since all panels were stripped down to the metal and the rear door skin was OEM brand new.
-- If someone notices the color difference of the rear door at resale, I could tell them that yes, the rear door was repainted after skin was replaced to repair the small dent sustained in parking lot hit and run. I can show them my photo of the original damage, which was not big.
-- Maybe color differences will appear less as all panels fade a bit with time.
-- This is my wife's car and she claims to not even notice the color difference. I of course notice it, and it bothers me, but could probably get used to it.
OR I CAN REPAINT...
-- Thereby risking things going wrong with overspray, damage to other parts, etc. I really don't want the job of fixing what was once a small dent in my rear door to spread to the hood, the bumpers, etc...
-- Maybe resulting in an unacceptable paint thickness of the entire passenger side if they don't take enough of the existing job off. This might be noticed at resale and cause people to question if the vehicle was in an accident.
-- It is possible we could have a perfect job that I am happy with. It is also possible that we still have a color issue after all of this.
-- My wife will get supremely pissed if the 5 days promised turnaround time for the repaint turns into 10 days or more. As you guys know, this is very possible. I have my marriage to think about!
So I have an appointment on the books for a repaint November 29, so I have time to decide. But as you can tell I think I'm leaning toward doing nothing. Appreciate any additional comments you guys have. Here's another pic of the car from the distance most people see it. As you can see, the whole color thing is a lot less noticeable.
The irony is the very first shop I took it to for an esimate told me the least expensive way to fix this it to replace the rear door skin and repaint that panel only, which may not be a perfect match. Estimate: $900 And in the end, this is what I have.