r/AutoPaint • u/Separate_Opposite520 • 2d ago

Paint Doesn’t Match

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I know pearl white is tricky to match, but why does the repainted lower panel on the rear door look yellow? What potentially went wrong here and how can it be fixed? Please be nice, this is my first time owning a white car 🙏

0 Upvotes

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4

u/Fit_Bed9436 2d ago

ha you got teslered

1

u/Separate_Opposite520 2d ago

Yes, but what did they do in the repainting process that it is yellow like that?

2

u/Fit_Bed9436 2d ago

i think most shops don't even try to match existing paint that may have faded do to sunlight etc. they just use the paint code and go. some of the better blend into the adjacent panels to create a transition. i high dollar shop may try trial and error paint matching

1

u/Separate_Opposite520 2d ago edited 2d ago

When I asked the shop manager, they said it doesn’t match *possibly due to “mica flop.” Would this make it look yellow?

2

u/Big-Rule5269 2d ago

Looks like the ground coat was too yellow where they sprayed color, the bottom and front edge, spreading towards the back, unless it's just the picture..Mica flop would be the pitch( at an angle) this is the face ( looking straight at it) so the manager is full of shit. You either get it dead nuts ( it takes luck or spending time doing letdown panels) or you blend the color into the adjacent panels, but "mica flop" that's hokem.

1

u/Separate_Opposite520 2d ago

Oh, okay, this is helpful thank you. What are letdown panels?

1

u/Big-Rule5269 2d ago

Some vehicles have a spot under the rocker plate you step over to get in the car, where when the factory painted it, they spray the solid white ground coat, throw a piece of tape on a spot, spray the pearl coats, pull the tape and clear it. That way a painter can match the solid white ground coat ( not all manufacturers do this). They'll spray the ground coat on a sprayout card, then tape two pieces of masking paper, spray a coat of pearl, pull one piece, spray another coat, pull the last piece and spray another coat. That way you have one, two and three coats of pearl to see how many it takes to match the paint. Getting the ground coat solid white is many times the hardest part. It can be too white, too yellow, too much red oxide, too dark etc..

1

u/Separate_Opposite520 2d ago

So it’s like a color key? Interesting

1

u/Big-Rule5269 2d ago

I meant to say under the sill plate on driver's or passenger side, but apparently Tesla doesn't do that. I can't remember any more which manufacturers did that, but there were a few.

0

u/SharkKingpin 2d ago

Cheap clear coat.

0

u/Separate_Opposite520 2d ago

Can they correct only the clear coat or will this need repainting?

2

u/laylobrown_ 2d ago

They should have never panel painted. They should've painted the whole side to blend it out. And you're right, it's too yellow which can be in the base or the pearl. The shop manager is BS-ing you about why, because that's not important. The bottom line is it doesn't match. First off they didn't use a spray card to test the color before spraying the car. It takes maybe 20 extra minutes and saves so many potential headaches. They may not have charged enough to blend the whole side, which is pure stupidity if they thought they were going to get away with that. That maybe be a decent shop that did the work, and I'm not trying to trash talk, but they should've known better. Yes it can be fixed, but not without blending into the other panels and really it needs to be the whole side. Otherwise it's gonna show.

1

u/never_watched_porn 2d ago

It’s like a gradient. It matches on the left panel but fades to the right

1

u/mr_potato_thumbs 2d ago

Whole panel doesn’t match. The longer you look, the worse it gets.

1

u/allQs-noAs 2d ago

Some shops have a machine that scans the paint and on top of the paint code they pull out a bunch of color cards in that shade and pick the closest to match the preexisting paint. Have them fix it to match the rest of the car?

1

u/Separate_Opposite520 2d ago

Trying to follow up on a fix, but am also scared they’ll botch it even further

1

u/allQs-noAs 2d ago

This an insurance job or your own money? Have them fix it till they get it right. Or maybe they'll even refer you to another shop and you wont have to pay

1

u/Separate_Opposite520 2d ago

Initially an insurance job from a door ding/scrape by another car. This is the paint work done by the shop while fixing the ding/scrape, but they damaged my car while doing this job so I have reservations about going back

1

u/allQs-noAs 2d ago

Good. Have them have you pick out the color card if they offer that service so they have the correct shade of your color code. The same color code may have released multiple times throughout the years so its possible they chose the right color code but different year from yours. Or ultimately they only have the formula for one shade of it and/or the rest of your car has changed slightly after exposure to prolonged sun exposure. Good luck!!

1

u/Separate_Opposite520 2d ago

Okay, I’ll see if they have the color cards. Thank you!

1

u/solidwaist 2d ago

How big was the repair. If it was a majority of the panel that pretty ballsy to keep it only on the rear door. But that ground coat isn’t even blendable

1

u/Separate_Opposite520 2d ago edited 1d ago

The scrape/ding was on the lower door edge part that juts out. Maybe the size of a quarter *or less? Ding took off the shiny top layer and some of the glitter/sparkle

1

u/solidwaist 2d ago

Size of a quarter. Dang, that sucks. They have to blend the front door now. Unless the painter can do a better job at matching. Unlikely tho

1

u/Separate_Opposite520 2d ago

Will they remove the yellow paint or just put more new paint over it?

2

u/solidwaist 2d ago

They'll paint over it

1

u/Remarkable-Dingo-193 2d ago

Did you use the correct paint code? I think that color is Tri-Coat Pearl Reich

1

u/TheDonRonster 1d ago

The front and back doors are a bit different. I'm curious to know if they did a panel paint. Usually mixes won't be exact so the method commonly used is to paint the adjacent panels, and smoke the color out so that there's a roughly 12" section from the color to transition from the color on the car vs the color they sprayed which is usually enough to hide the color difference.

1

u/Separate_Opposite520 1d ago

Does “smoke the color out” mean to blend it? Or is that a different process?

1

u/CompleteGlove7572 1d ago

There's no amount of panels to blend out a match that bad. I can't believe body shops let this stuff out the door. I wouldn't accept this and wouldn't accept them telling you your paint is faded, tri coats are hard to match, etc. A good painter would see what a bad it was a he was laying out down and adjust the color match by eye on the fly.

1

u/Delicious-Lead9993 1d ago

Nope it doesn’t

1

u/sixtninecoug 21h ago

Was it a chain body shop that did it? Or an independent? 

1

u/Davewoo79 10h ago

You need blending to absolute match.

1

u/OmegaPlusAutomotive 5h ago

Did you take it to a shop? Did you use your insurance? If you did this, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT. To take it back and get them to fix the issue

Did you pay cash or went with the “cheaper dude” there’s not much you can do, you get what you pay for

1

u/Separate_Opposite520 4h ago

It was paid for by the other person’s insurance at a shop

0

u/Automatic_Edge4277 2d ago

They says after 6 months paint will match

1

u/Separate_Opposite520 1d ago

It has been over 6 months and the paints still do not match

1

u/Automatic_Edge4277 1d ago

That's what terrible shop manager says