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Azure blue bumper respay advice


NWZ

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Another thread on Azure blue front bumper resprays.

 

I've read horror stories about getting a match from a respray.

 

I've spoken to a breaker who's got an azure blue front bumper. If I was to buy it would the colour match be the same or do the colours in azure blue differ between the years the cars were originally sprayed i.e. are there still different azue blue colour codes? I'm just wondering to take the risk in buying a second hand bumper vs the hassle or getting mine resprayed.

 

My front bumper is chipped to death and I damaged it a couple of weeks ago when jet washing - not much give in that plastic is there!

 

Any advice appreciated.

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Im just going throught the same thing. I brought an Azure rear bumper of a different car and the colour was complelty out compared to the car.

 

My whole car is getting resprayed now as most of the panel need paint. Only way to match it is a whole blow over :(

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Bumpers never really match metal bodywork nomatter what the colour, a lot of it is to do with bumpers being plastic.

The static build up is higher in plastic parts and causes the metallic particles to react in a different way than on steel, hence a `colour` change.

Its not really a change in colour but the way the light hits the particles and reflects different shades.

 

Temperature and humidity will also affect colours, mostly lighter metallics, as will air pressure at the gun and someone else painting a different part of the car even with the same paint from the same gun!

 

I think manufacturers will not guarentee a match on plastic parts even though bodyshops are expected to when doing a repair but could be wrong.

 

Remeber also they will be mixing very small amounts of paint so harder to get the exact mix correct although with todays technology it is very close even with the smallest amounts. Saying that you could mix 25 gallons and still not get the right shade.

Normally a good painter will pick a the closest variant from a colour chip, spray it out on a card, clear coat it, check for match then maybe tint to suit or try a different variant.

 

If you really look hard at the bumpers to bodywork you will probably notice a slight difference even from factory. So what i got carried away in saying is the trick is to find a really good painter who will just get the best match they can.

 

Good luck buddy

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It's also worth noting that body shops don't use the original 'official' Nissan paint, not even if you go via a main dealer. There's two main companies in the paint world who make all the different colours anyone could ever want, but they're all based on their interpretation of the colour. When I had my tow eye cover done (under warranty) it looked a mile out so I spoke to the chap who did it and he showed me the two colour samples from the two companies, and although they should both have been spot-on one was clearly a slightly darker colour and had more flakes in than the one they used. He put the sample over different parts of the car and it was a very good match in the end, and it was simply the angle & differing materials on the car that made the colour look off.

 

I'll have to get my bumper done sooner rather than later, and I'll go back to the same place again. Sollis Panelcraft in Harlow in case anyone's interested.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Don't know if it's me or the angle and light but occasionally my petrol cap on my azure 350 looks very very slightly lighter than the surrounding metal. I'm not overly bothered by it but either it has had a respray (for some reason just on the petrol cap, or the panel around the petrol cap) or the light makes it looks different sometimes as it is right on the curve of the wheel arch.

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Don't know if it's me or the angle and light but occasionally my petrol cap on my azure 350 looks very very slightly lighter than the surrounding metal. I'm not overly bothered by it but either it has had a respray (for some reason just on the petrol cap, or the panel around the petrol cap) or the light makes it looks different sometimes as it is right on the curve of the wheel arch.

 

You're lucky it's just' very very slightly lighter' as most are bad!

 

It's the fact that the petrol cap is plastic and the rear quarter panel is metal.

 

Nothing to worry about bud.

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Don't know if it's me or the angle and light but occasionally my petrol cap on my azure 350 looks very very slightly lighter than the surrounding metal. I'm not overly bothered by it but either it has had a respray (for some reason just on the petrol cap, or the panel around the petrol cap) or the light makes it looks different sometimes as it is right on the curve of the wheel arch.

 

It’s because the petrol cap cover is plastic, the paint sits differently compared the surrounding area… :thumbs:

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Bumpers never really match metal bodywork nomatter what the colour, a lot of it is to do with bumpers being plastic.

The static build up is higher in plastic parts and causes the metallic particles to react in a different way than on steel, hence a `colour` change.

Its not really a change in colour but the way the light hits the particles and reflects different shades.

 

Temperature and humidity will also affect colours, mostly lighter metallics, as will air pressure at the gun and someone else painting a different part of the car even with the same paint from the same gun!

 

I think manufacturers will not guarentee a match on plastic parts even though bodyshops are expected to when doing a repair but could be wrong.

 

Remeber also they will be mixing very small amounts of paint so harder to get the exact mix correct although with todays technology it is very close even with the smallest amounts. Saying that you could mix 25 gallons and still not get the right shade.

Normally a good painter will pick a the closest variant from a colour chip, spray it out on a card, clear coat it, check for match then maybe tint to suit or try a different variant.

 

If you really look hard at the bumpers to bodywork you will probably notice a slight difference even from factory. So what i got carried away in saying is the trick is to find a really good painter who will just get the best match they can.

 

Good luck buddy

 

So true.. my colour looks different on every plastic itemed panel then on metal and even on metal if keep staring at you will start to see alsorts of things going on, very good to look at the temper but when your picky like me and have a tendancy of washing the car personally, you notice everything good or bad..

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