paint colours on cars

[smiley]

Hi techies

I have just been told that my car (had since new) that the newly painted bumper looks a different colour because it is plastic and the car is metal!!
Is that right??
But when I had my car it never looked a different colour, I have looked at other cars the same as mine and they don't look a diferrent colour..

I was told its because of the paint and something in it. that when it reacts to metal it stands up? and not on plastic so plastic metalic paints shines differently?
any one have this on their cars???

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Smiley
Mmm.
Well I've just checked both our cars. The plastic bumpers and mirrors are exactly the same colour as the metal parts.
One is a 16 year old Mazda the other a 7 year old Kia.
I guess that doesn't help you other than to say maybe somethings wrong

 

[birdman101]

If the other bumper which has not been sprayed matches the body work,i think that defeats the explanation given you .Looking at car bumpers nowadays is the easiest giveaway to look further, if buying a car, to see what other bodywork has been done,ie accident repairs.

 

[Jaydug]

Your sprayer is telling porkies. Last year I got a couple of spray cans mixed according to my paint code but when I used them, they didn't look right. Recently I got a mix done by another company which turned out to be a much better match. Metal or plastic should make no difference.

 

[RobKnapp2]

I would tend to agree with John, it sounds like the bumper has been painted 'edge to edge' as opposed to on the car and blended into the other panels.
Im not a painter (my brother in law owns a bodyshop so have picked up a few things!) but as I understand it, although the primer colour underneath can make a difference if the colour is really thin, the flakes in a metallic are 'layed' down by using different strokes with the spray gun so that they reflect at . For example, coat 1 top to bottom, coat two side to side, coat three in diagonals. Unfortunately, some colours, such as silver, (and the champagne like colour on the mk3 mondeo i had that was called 'platinum') are hard to match, as to get the flake to lay down 'right' requires the panel to be painted in almost the exact same way as the robot did in the factory... Lots of other things can affect how the paint looks on the panel such as gun pressure, the correct tip and even not mixing/stirring the paint in the resevoir enough during the painting.
Its cheaper and easier for a bodyshop to paint a panel edge to edge, this way its quicker to prepare, easier to mask, the clearcoat doesnt have to be faded out into the existing clearcoat etc etc etc.
As an example, I had the front bumper repaired (crack in the 'mouth') and the stonechips done on the bonnet of the Octavia, by the time the BiL was finished, he had painted the front half of the car as he also repaired some small chips and blemishes on the wings and pillars - without doing this, it would have been highlighted by the new paint etc. All for the sum of £200!
Id have a go at refusing the job.
As stated above, im not a painter, therefore what ive said could be complete codswallop!
Cheers
Rob

 

[ProfJohnL]

Colour and colour perception is a very complex issue.

Use the same paint on two different surfaces and the results can look quite different shades. It largely depends on the texture of the surface and how much light it scatters.

Another factor can the the type and quantity of available light.

just as an example, my wife was looking for a new blouse to go to a christening. She liked the colour in the display area, but when she took it into the changing rooms she didn't like it, the reason was different types of lighting were being used.

Look at any paint sample card that has both gloss and eggshell finishes and compare the same named colour.

The age of a painted surface also affects its colour, most paints tend to oxidise, this often produces a sort of dusty bloom on the surface. and the rate at which paints age may be dependant on the material its painted on.

My daughter has a red fiat Punto the paint on the plastic bumpers has lost its gloss surface more so than the paint on metal parts They look quite different shades.

However a good polish tends to bring back the vitality to the colours.

 

[smiley]

Thanks

the person who told me this was the consultant engineer for a ins co. he asked me if the front bumper had ever had anything done to it. No I said.......have you had the car from new he said..........Yes said I...
The reason for the engineer is because of an accident to the rear bumper.. and they've tried two times to reapir it hence now the engineer looking at it..... it is a differ colour they had to take off bumper to spray...
He has told me it needs a new bumper but I think the ins told the garage to repair it but they couldn't make it work.... there blaming garage.

 

[SirRogerFFS]

Here is another factor or two as well and you must excuse my spelling if wrong.Firstly if cellulose paint was the manufacturing colour then what you by in an aerosol is possibly enamel so if the latter is to be used or has been used then you need to spray on a clear laquer that will enhance the colour that has been sprayed on.I hope this helps

 

[Martin24]

So much easier on mine with just black mirrors and bumpers but just been out to check the focus and same colour on bumpers and mirrors as the rest of the car!