Matching Car Paint
March 2, 2010 7:04 AM Subscribe
Do colorometers for automotive paint such as the ones that are used in hardware stores for matching house paint exist? I just had a car repainted in its origional 1987 BMW Alpine White. The color match is poor. The painter went into BS mode when I observed this and he said all automotive paint colors change over time. I refrained from saying that because of my age I cannot wait for 23 years for the color to self correct. I would be in a better situation to do something about this if the new paint, and the factory paint the remains in the trunk could be matched. This is not a metallic or pearlescent paint, which would make color matching harder. Do colorometers for automotive paint exist and how common are they out among the larger body shops?
they're not perfect, but color matching on cars is not supposed to suck. the auto insurance standard is the average person (not a paint enthusiast or bodywork expert), from 10 feet, not knowing the car has been painted/repaired, should not be able to see the difference between panels.
I can't tell for sure but it sounds to me as if you had the whole exterior painted, but the original paintwork on the inside of the trunk, door-jambs, etc., doesn't look like the new paint? so you don't actually have a truly offensive "failure to blend" issue, but just a "this paint doesn't look like it's supposed to" issue?
posted by toodleydoodley at 7:30 AM on March 2, 2010
I can't tell for sure but it sounds to me as if you had the whole exterior painted, but the original paintwork on the inside of the trunk, door-jambs, etc., doesn't look like the new paint? so you don't actually have a truly offensive "failure to blend" issue, but just a "this paint doesn't look like it's supposed to" issue?
posted by toodleydoodley at 7:30 AM on March 2, 2010
If I recall correctly, original BMW paint is Sikkens brand; other colour systems may provide an approximation but may be noticeably different.
posted by a halcyon day at 7:34 AM on March 2, 2010
posted by a halcyon day at 7:34 AM on March 2, 2010
The guy at my local paint shop says that the colourometers show their limitations when you get to very light colours and you have to tweak it by eye to get the best match.
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:44 AM on March 2, 2010
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:44 AM on March 2, 2010
White is also one of the hardest colours to match, by far. I have a Pearl White paint job on my car, and have had aftermarket parts painted a couple of times. We've never been able to achieve a perfect colour match, even with blending.
posted by smitt at 8:29 AM on March 2, 2010
posted by smitt at 8:29 AM on March 2, 2010
Last year I got some some paint mixed up for a battery cover on my 1986 BMW R80RT. The paint shops were unable to get a formulation using ColorRite, so I took it to the paint guru at my local auto parts store. He used a colorometer to formulate a quart of paint for me. It is an exact match. It also happens to be a recent Mazda color.
So yes, colorometers exist, though I understand that my experience was better than most.
posted by workerant at 12:42 PM on March 2, 2010
So yes, colorometers exist, though I understand that my experience was better than most.
posted by workerant at 12:42 PM on March 2, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jon1270 at 7:11 AM on March 2, 2010