normal paint fade

[tonycarguy]

I want to install an aftermarket body kit myself but have a shop paint the new panels in OEM paint. Just wondering how well the new paint will match especially when viewed in full sun.

The car is 3 years old with 6k miles, almost always garaged (probably less than 50 hrs total exposed to sunlight). Would you expect the paint to look the same as it did 3 years ago? The body kit costs a few thousand so I want to be sure before proceeding.

 

[Scotty1981]

I had an accident a while ago and took my car to a reputable body shop, what they did was paint well past where the damage was and blended the paints together so you couldn't see an obvious line. It came out really well, the car was always parked outside and not covered and I couldn't tell it was even repainted.

It should look the same as long as you don't get it done at a bargain shop.

 

[WishIhadatruck]

It sounds like they will be painting the new panels but not blending into the existing panels that are staying on the car? If that is the case there is a possibility the paint will look slightly different. Minimally due to sun fade since the car is typically garaged but also do to paint color variation. Most likely it will match very closely but it is quite possible you will see a difference. Depending on how the new panels line up with the old it may or may not show up. If the new panels sit at a different angle than the exisiting panels that may hide it. If the new panels sit flush and at a similar angle to the existing panels then if they don't match it will be more noticable. Think about if you had 1 solid sheet of steel that was painted all at once. If you then cut the piece in 1/2 and held the 2 halves slightly apart and at different angles you wouldn't expect both to still look the same because the light is reflecting off them differently. What kind of car and kit?

If it doesn't match well they could always blend the paint into the panels that are existing and will remain (like Scotty1891 said). That will be more work and more costly of course but that will make the difference nearly impossible to see if they are good.

 

[doitmyself]

The metallic flake paints can look different depending on how the painter lays on the paint and how the flakes align themselves.

 

[cchase]

Metallic is difficult to match no matter what.

The paint on our 15+ yr old vehicles match OEM colors perfectly, so it's all a matter of how the car was maintained. My truck still matches and it has spent its life outside.

 

[Johnny248]

Originally Posted By: tonycarguy

I want to install an aftermarket body kit myself but have a shop paint the new panels in OEM paint. Just wondering how well the new paint will match especially when viewed in full sun.

The car is 3 years old with 6k miles, almost always garaged (probably less than 50 hrs total exposed to sunlight). Would you expect the paint to look the same as it did 3 years ago? The body kit costs a few thousand so I want to be sure before proceeding.


Body kits generally don't just install. Most of the time you need to do some more fiberglass or filling, or whathave you. If you really care about the car, the best thing to do would be have a body shop install it and get everything fitting right and looking right and then painting.

 

[mechtech2]

Even if they look the same now, they will fade differently in the future.
Reds are the worst for fading - whether old paintings, barns, or cars.
Getting it very close is the best you can hope for.

 

[tonycarguy]

Thanks for the advice.

They blend when painting over part of an existing panel, as in accident repair. It's needed so you don't see the line that separates old paint from new. But I wonder if it's necessary when installing aftermarket body panels because there will be a slight gap between the new panels and existing car body. I was under the impression they don't blend when fitting body kits for this reason.

The car is non-metallic red btw