getting door replaced by bodyshop... concered about paint matching

[imported_nadir]

hi guys



i have a 1996 Nissan Maxima. My neighbor backed into my car and now the driver side door needs replacement and repainted. I took it to a very reputable bodyshop (found out they specialize in bmw) and they gave me an expensive estimate, but told me they would not blend the paint.



My car is factory black... basically black basecoat+clearcoat. The paint is in farely ok condition... lots of swirls tho. I never really paid attention to polishing and such, just washed/waxed my car. Ever since i found out about this site, I am waitin for my car to get outta the shop so i can start detailing it to autopia standards :)



So yeah... my concern is the shop said there is no need to blend the paint. I told them that it was 7 years old, im sure oxidation has taken place, and if they paint the entire driver side door and it doesn`t look good, it would stick out as a sore thumb. I don`t want to hear a lame excuse like "yeah paint is 7 years old, nothin we can do about it" They said i would have to take it up w/ the insurance inspector. Should i be really concerned about my front driver side door being very noticably shinier than the rest of my car?

[jimmybuffit]

The odds of making the old panels match the new are very good.

Without seeing the existing finish, I would plan to:

A-B-C chemical bath

Clay

3m SMR (for dark caars)

I`d use the PC with the Orange pad...



That preps the paint, and should match the new panel.



You have lots of options to wax/seal the finish at this point.



Good Luck.



Jim

[imported_Smoker]

The body shop I`m sure will do their best to match the existing paint, but it`s not the easiest thing to do.

You try simulating 7 years of sunshine and rain!



Best bet is to make sure the car was oxidation-free before you send it in so they can see the colour the car will be when its clean & polished.



Wouldnt be good for them to match the oxidised colour for you to THEN polish it up and make the new paint look outta place.



Luckily black isnt too hard to match tho.

Strangely enough red and silver are the two worst.

[Accumulator]

nadir - Welcome to Autopia. Yes, it would be best to prep the car as best you can BEFORE having the door done. MUCH better chance of a good match (texture too, not just color) that way. They shouldn`t need to "blend" anything if the damage is confined to the door, just paint (only) the door in such a way that it matches the rest of the car. But to do that, they need to see what the car is going to "really" look like.



I`d probably use something even stronger than the SMR myself. And be careful what you wax/seal with, some products make paint look lighter/darker, more/less reflective, etc. You want it to look "natural".

[tguil]

If it`s a reputable body shop, let them do what they need to do. They will know what will look the best. I had a fender and hood painted on a black Expediton (two months old at the time). The shop had to blend the paint. Black isn`t always the same. I agree that your car should be free of oxidation when you take it in. You might want to have the shop buff it out before they paint it and then buff it again if necessary after the repair. It would be a heck of a lot easier to get into detailing one a "new" vehicle.



Tom :cool:

[C. Charles Hahn]

Originally posted by tguil

You might want to have the shop buff it out before they paint it and then buff it again if necessary after the repair. It would be a heck of a lot easier to get into detailing one a "new" vehicle.



Tom :cool:



NOOOOOO!!!



bad, bad, bad advice!! There are alot of body shops who don`t know crap about detailing and will do you as much if not more of a disservice by buffing it out as a new car dealer would. Buff it out yourself later, when you know the job will be done correctly (assuming you follow the procedures found on this site.)