Making paint darker. How?

M

MikeWarner

New member
I have had a bumper painted and it came out a little darker than the rest of the car. I got it painted again and it is a bit better, but still darker. Is there any way I can make the paint on the adjoining panels appears darker in order to try and mask the colour difference? Alternatively, is there something that can make the bumper's paint lighter?



Many thanks. :wavey
 
Every time I detail red or black cars,the paint becomes"darker" or richer. So detail everything BUT the bumper :bounce
 
Try some Clearkote RMG (red moose machine glaze) as it appears to darken the finish on some colours.
 
I'd give it a try. The thing I don't like about #26 is that is does darken the color noticeable. All my cars are light colors so the darkening is a bad thing for me but this may work to your advantage.
 
I'd definitely try a glaze like clearkote rmg or something like poorboys ex w/carnauba. The rmg in particular seems to make my black car look very, very black. Maybe apply some rmg then a wax that will also darken the appearance of the paint, like #26.
 
Every place I go to says it is a very hard colour to match, plus they feel the finish I have is good enough. Nobody is willing to gaurantee a colour match and I've already paid to have it down twice. I can't afford a 3rd attempt at the moment, especially as a match may not be better - or could end up worse!
 
Usually when they do repairs , if they are doing a repaint they just repaint over stock paint so it will be darker because it has more color ro it .

If they wanted it to be an exact match , they would have to find out exactly what was used at the factory , the exact formula of every layer from primer to paint to clear .

Also it's hard to get it with a gun , so the mixture must be mixed into a blend formula after the color is matched meaning after the first solid base coat is layed , the subsequent layer or two of color is much more translucent .

Not many shops mix colors to exact formulations , and not many have perfected the art of blending . Even though I know " what to do " I still rarely got it perfect when doing panel repaints when I did body shop and paint work .

Hopefully really , you can protect that panel with something that has good protection but low UV protection and it will lighten up and blend better . Then start using a good product with UV protective properties on that panel as well as the rest of the car .

Remeber also though you shouldn't be waxing within 30-60 days after a repaint on that area .
 
Does AIO have UV filters? I think in the long term, trying to fade the paintwork is a good idea.



So the plan is, use lots of carnuba on the lighter parts to darken then (#26 paste was is on the shopping list) and ensure that the bumpers are covered only with a single coat of sealant.



In bright light it is more difficult to see the colour difference, but in cloudy weather, it is more obvious. This photo was taken in very bright light, you can only just see the difference. THe rear bumper is the same if not worse.



mycar02.JPG
 
I would experiment with some layers of #26 but i'm not sure how far you'll get. I've read and seen examples where silver is just "unmatchable". I know it blows, but its just one of those colors that you can't get quite perfect. Maybe these body shops should have "blended" it or "faded" the paint to not look as obvious.
 
1Z High Gloss Polish darkens the finish as well...



Just to clarify (as I know):



US / GB

fender = wing

hood = bonnet

trunk = boot



but



bumper IS bumper!



I am asking it because I am automotive journalist, doing a lot of translations from Ye Olde..., but I've never heard about the wings called as bumpers...



According to the Oxford University,



bump•er /bmp(r)/ noun, adj.

noun a bar fixed to the front and back of a car, etc. to reduce the effect if it hits anything: a bumper sticker (= a sign that people stick on the bumper of their cars with a message on it) The cars were bumper to bumper on the road to the coast (= so close that their bumpers were nearly touching).

adj. [only before noun] (approving) unusually large; producing an unusually large amount: a bumper issue (= of a magazine, etc.) a bumper crop / harvest / season / year



fend•er /fend(r)/ noun

1 (NAmE) = wing (4)

2 (NAmE) = mudguard

3 a frame around a fireplace to prevent burning coal or wood from falling out

4 a soft solid object such as an old tyre or a piece of rope that is hung over the side of a boat so the boat is not damaged if it touches another boat, a wall, etc.
 
You are right, now that I think about it. There are other terms that are different too, like header (Manifold). In the UK, a header is something to do when playing football (soccer).



Cheers for clearing that up.
 
Mike,



The colour difference is noticeable to me, esp where the wing meets the bumper.



I honestly think that the "we can't get an exact match" is a bit tired - this is 2005 FFS and your car ain't exactly 40 years old!!



The only other solution would be to wait until the paint is fully cured/hardened/whatever and then machine polish although if the base colour's wrong, not much will change that TBH.



I can give you an email link to the guy who gave me some excellent advice on painting - he'll be able to give you some in depth advice. If you want any help (not that you need it from your pics buddy!!) feel free to PM me as I'm not that far from you - BenP is also relatively local too and possibly a but further down the road than me with a rotary too!



HTH
 
Andy - where do you live in Hampshire?



Apparently laquer darkens the finish, so I guess polishing some of it away could lighten the paint - although could be a little risky. Also, if you can recommend an body shops in the area that you think could paint it properly, do let me know. Thanks. :)
 
joed1228 said:
Nothing is going to work, you'll still notice.
Click to expand...



papi_jay said:
Usually when they do repairs , if they are doing a repaint they just repaint over stock paint so it will be darker because it has more color ro it .

If they wanted it to be an exact match , they would have to find out exactly what was used at the factory , the exact formula of every layer from primer to paint to clear .

Also it's hard to get it with a gun , so the mixture must be mixed into a blend formula after the color is matched meaning after the first solid base coat is layed , the subsequent layer or two of color is much more translucent.
Click to expand...



The above two comments are sadly very true.



So many factors come into play when trying to match factory paint.



Firstly, the bodyshop would not neccessarily be using the same brand paint that was used at the factory. They will have to mix it up which can always cause slight variations in colour. You've also got to consider if the operator cleaned out his equipment properly from the previous spray job that he done - I have it on good authority that alot of bodyshops don't clean out equipment as well as they should! (time is money etc.). The type of spray head used, the air pressure, the angle the paint hits the surface, all these things come into play. Also, the same paint can look different on metal to plastic surfaces such as your bumper - this is alot more noticeable on silver. The front wings are plastic on my Pug 307 and they look different to the rest of the car, alot more glossy than the metal surfaces.



The problem is, you've got the most difficult colour for panel matching - silver! If it were on a darker colour you wouldn't notice that difference in shade.



I have the same problem as you... I just try not to look at it too much. :grinno: I'll try and get a pic of my problem area later and post it up to show you.
 
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