Darker Tint of Re-Painted Door

[Focus 2012]

Hi everyone,

First post after lurking for a long time.

Just bought my first new vehicle in 17 years. A 2012 Ford Focus Hatchback. Learned about you guys from the Focus Fanatics forums.

I drove my first car, a Ford Escort, for 17 years and 353,000 miles. It died with the original engine and automatic transmission still running great.

Anyway, my new Focus (Sterling Grey Metallic) had a small chip on the driver door that was deep. Noticed it when I picked it up. The Ford dealer repaired it by spraying the whole door. Now, I notice that the tint of that door is slightly darker than the door next to it. You can only notice it in full light, but like most of you, I am a perfectionist.

I don`t want to go back and have them spray the door next to it so that it matches, because that`s an opportunity for something else to go wrong.

Is there any way to restore the prior color of the door that was re-painted without painting it again? Would a certain kind of polish be worth a shot? I searched the forums for a few hours but couldn`t find an answer.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Stephen

[Old Pirate]

Welcome to AutopiaForums Stephen, I had the same problem with my Ranger I had and they had to respray it again to get it right. Maybe someone has a idea for you.

[dfbjr1]

Sorry can`t help on the door color repair but 353K on that Escort engine and trans. is amazing!
You don`t hear a lot of stories like that.

And Welcome to Autopia Forums!

[AndrewBigA]

if the color is off, the color is off. would need to be sanded lightly again & painted again. make sure they polish the surrounding panels first so they match those, instead of trying to match the rest of the car, then polishing the older paint. no matter what is done, if the color is off, the color is off.
the best way to check for a color match is to line the car up under direct sun. in the shade the tint difference might not be noticable but in the sun is where you will find your answer.
sorry & good luck!